An Iceland stopover by car: 1 to 3 days from Keflavík Airport

Last updated: 10 November 2026

Prepared by Ring Road Cars at Keflavík Airport and checked against the official sources listed at the end of this page.

A street of old corrugated-iron houses in Reykjavík under a gray sky, painted pale yellow, gray, black, dark red and yellow, with cars parked along the curb and people walking on the sidewalk

Short answer

With 1 day, stay on the Reykjanes Peninsula: the Bridge between Continents, the Reykjanesviti lighthouse, the Gunnuhver mud pools and the Blue Lagoon area make a paved loop of 78 km from Keflavík Airport; or drive the 50 km to Reykjavík. With 2 days, add the Golden Circle; with 3, add the South Coast to Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. On the day you fly, reach our office, about 10 minutes from the terminal by our free shuttle, 3 to 3.5 hours before departure: Isavia advises being at the airport 2.5 to 3 hours before your flight, and we ask for at least 30 minutes more. On a layover of only a few hours, a car is rarely worth it.

Is a car worth it on a stopover?

A car suits a stopover of a day or more: you see the Reykjanes Peninsula, the Golden Circle or the South Coast at your own pace.

On a layover of only a few hours, or if you only want Reykjavík, the airport bus (Isavia) or a guided tour is simpler: you must be back at our office 3 to 3.5 hours before your next flight, and passport control, the shuttle and the handover take time after landing.
You enter Iceland to pick up a car, even between two flights. Iceland is in the Schengen area: check whether you need a visa on Ísland.is.
After an overnight flight, keep the first drive short: Safetravel warns that jet lag and drowsiness can last a few days.

Timing around your flights

After landing: passport control if you arrive from outside the Schengen area, then your bags. Call or WhatsApp us (there is no timetable), and our free airport shuttle takes about 10 minutes to our office at Bogatröð 1 in Reykjanesbær.
Delays: collect the car within two hours of your booked time; if your flight is late, tell us and we will try to hold it, but we can't promise (rental terms 10).
Our hours: 04:00–18:00 every day (Opening hours). Outside them, a pickup or return is possible only on request, agreed in advance, for €75 each, shuttle included (rental terms 40(b)).
Christmas and New Year: on 24 and 31 December we are open 04:00–12:00 (later only on request, for €150), and on 25 December and 1 January we are closed, with no pickups or returns (Christmas & New Year by car).
Before your flight: reach our office at least 30 minutes before you want to be at the terminal, which Isavia advises reaching 2.5 to 3 hours before your flight. For a 17:00 flight, that means our office by 13:30; a flight before about 07:30 means returning before we open, on request.
Rental days run 24 hours from your pickup time, and a return up to an hour after a rental day ends does not start a new one (rental terms 12): pick up at 06:30, return at 07:30 the next morning, and that is one rental day.

1 day: the Reykjanes Peninsula or Reykjavík

The whole peninsula is the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. A loop from Keflavík Airport, paved all the way:

Bridge between Continents: a footbridge over a fissure where two tectonic plates are pulling apart, on Nesvegur (road 425). Stay on the marked paths: new cracks have opened nearby.
Reykjanesviti and Gunnuhver: the lighthouse at the southwestern tip and, close by, steaming mud pools you see from viewing platforms. On the way to Grindavík, Brimketill is a pool carved by the sea into the lava shore.
Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon: both lie close to the eruption area of recent years, and roads there can close at short notice, so check before you go: the Met Office's news and alerts and umferdin.is.
Back to the airport: 78 km in all, at least 50 min of driving. More in Reykjanes Peninsula by car.

Or Reykjavík: the capital is 50 km from the airport, at least 30 min each way. With a night in Iceland, end the Reykjanes loop in Reykjavík (103 km) and drive to the airport the next day.

2 days: add the Golden Circle

Day 1 is the Reykjanes loop, ending in Reykjavík. Day 2 is the Golden Circle, then back to the airport by Selfoss: 283 km, at least 3 h 5 min of driving.

Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; parking there is paid.
Geysir, where Strokkur erupts every few minutes, and the Gullfoss waterfall.
Back by Selfoss on Routes 35, 1 and 41. Flying the next morning instead? End the day in Reykjavík, 57 km from Selfoss. More in Golden Circle by car.

3 days: add the South Coast

Day 1: Reykjanes, with the night in Reykjavík. Day 2: the Golden Circle, with the night in Selfoss (186 km). Day 3: east on Route 1, then back to the airport (292 km, at least 3 h 10 min of driving):

Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind; the path may close when it is icy.
Skógafoss, about 60 m high, with a staircase beside it. From there it is 195 km back to the airport, at least 2 h 10 min.
Going on to Vík, near the black beach Reynisfjara, adds 63 km and at least 45 min of driving: only with an evening flight, and in daylight. At Reynisfjara, waves can surge far up the beach without warning, so stay well back (South Coast by car).

The whole Ring Road, about 1,310 km, does not fit into a stopover: see 7 days in Iceland by car.

Distances and minimum driving times

Vegagerðin's official road distances (distance tables, in Icelandic), every leg paved. The times are the minimum at 90 km/h, the highest speed limit in Iceland, without stops; you sleep in the place in bold.

Iceland stopover by car: distance and minimum driving time per day
Plan	Route (night in bold)	Distance	Minimum driving
1 day	Keflavík Airport → Bridge between Continents → Reykjanesviti → Grindavík → Blue Lagoon → Keflavík Airport	78 km	50 min
2 days, day 1	Keflavík Airport → Bridge between Continents → Reykjanesviti → Grindavík → Blue Lagoon → Reykjavík	103 km	1 h 5 min
2 days, day 2	Reykjavík → Þingvellir → Geysir → Gullfoss → Selfoss → Keflavík Airport	283 km	3 h 5 min
2 days, total	1 night, in Reykjavík	386 km	4 h 10 min
3 days, day 1	Keflavík Airport → Bridge between Continents → Reykjanesviti → Grindavík → Blue Lagoon → Reykjavík	103 km	1 h 5 min
3 days, day 2	Reykjavík → Þingvellir → Geysir → Gullfoss → Selfoss	186 km	2 h
3 days, day 3	Selfoss → Seljalandsfoss → Skógafoss → Keflavík Airport	292 km	3 h 10 min
3 days, total	2 nights, in Reykjavík and Selfoss	581 km	6 h 15 min

Distances from Keflavík Airport start at the terminal. More places: Driving times from KEF.

Winter: daylight and weather

Daylight in Reykjavík, from the first to the last day of the month: November 8 → 5 hours, December 5 → 4 hours, January 4½ → 7 hours, February 7 → 10 hours, March 10 → 13½ hours. Around the December solstice it is about four hours (Visit Iceland).

Use the light: see the sights in daylight and leave the drive back for last. In December and January, leave out Vík.
Check every morning: roads and closures on umferdin.is, weather warnings on vedur.is and travel alerts on safetravel.is. A closed road is closed, and a closure can mean a long detour: keep a margin before your flight.
Winter tires are on every car from 1 November to 14 April at no extra charge (rental terms 1). For a longer trip, see our 5-day winter itinerary.

Which car

Roughly May to September: every leg of these plans is paved, so an Everyday car is enough for one or two people.
November to March: we strongly recommend AWD or a 4×4, and Comfort is our default winter pick. Four-wheel drive helps you get going in snow, but it does not stop a skid on ice.
For a group: Family & Space seats 9 on a category B license.

Luggage and fuel

Your bags ride with you: the smallest Everyday car has room for 1 medium suitcase + 1 cabin bag, Comfort for 2 large suitcases + 1 cabin bag; see each car in Our cars.
Full to full: bring the car back full, refueled within 5 km of our office, or we charge the missing fuel plus the €30 refueling fee (rental terms 11 and 40(j)).
At the return: the rental ends when you hand the car and all its keys to our staff, and our shuttle takes you to the departures hall.

Questions about a stopover by car

What can I do on a 1-day stopover in Iceland with a rental car?

Stay on the Reykjanes Peninsula: the Bridge between Continents, the Reykjanesviti lighthouse, the Gunnuhver mud pools and the Blue Lagoon area make a paved loop of 78 km from Keflavík Airport, at least 50 min of driving. Grindavík and the Blue Lagoon lie near the eruption area, so check before you go. Or drive the 50 km to Reykjavík.

What can I do in Iceland in 2 days with a car?

Day 1: the Reykjanes Peninsula, ending in Reykjavík (103 km). Day 2: the Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss) and back to Keflavík Airport by Selfoss (283 km). That is 386 km on paved roads, at least 4 h 10 min of driving.

What can I do on a 3-day stopover in Iceland?

Add the South Coast: Day 1 Reykjanes to Reykjavík, Day 2 the Golden Circle to Selfoss, Day 3 Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss and back to the airport. That is 581 km, at least 6 h 15 min of driving. Going on to Vík adds 63 km; the whole Ring Road, about 1,310 km, needs far more time.

Is it worth renting a car for a layover in Iceland?

Only if you have most of a day. You must be back at our office 3 to 3.5 hours before your next flight, and after landing you need time for passport control, the shuttle and the handover. On a layover of a few hours, the airport bus or a tour is simpler. To leave the airport you enter Iceland, a Schengen country, so check whether you need a visa.

How early must I return the car before my flight?

Reach our office at least 30 minutes before you want to be at the terminal. Isavia advises being at the airport 2.5 to 3 hours before your flight, so plan on 3 to 3.5 hours before departure: for a 17:00 flight, our office by 13:30. Our free shuttle to the terminal takes about 10 minutes.

Can I pick up the car when I land early in the morning or late at night?

We are open 04:00–18:00 every day. Outside those hours, a pickup or return is possible only on request, agreed in advance, for €75 each, shuttle included. On 24 and 31 December we are open 04:00–12:00, and on 25 December and 1 January we are closed, with no pickups or returns.

Do I need a 4×4 for a winter stopover?

Not for these routes, which are paved, but from November to March we strongly recommend AWD or a 4×4. Every car has winter tires from 1 November to 14 April at no extra charge. Around the December solstice Reykjavík has about four hours of daylight, so plan the sights for the light and check umferdin.is and vedur.is every morning.

How are rental days counted on a short stopover?

In 24-hour days from your pickup time. A return up to an hour after a rental day ends does not start a new day; a later one may be charged as an extra day (rental terms 12). Pick up at 06:30 and return at 07:30 the next morning, and that is one rental day.

Official sources

The facts on this page come from these sources (checked 10 November 2026):