The Snæfellsnes Peninsula by car

Getting there from Reykjavík or Keflavík Airport

Snæfellsnes reaches about 90 km out into the Atlantic north of Reykjavík, with the glacier Snæfellsjökull at its tip; Visit Iceland calls it Iceland in miniature. The way there:

1. From Keflavík Airport: take Reykjanesbraut (Route 41) toward Reykjavík, then Route 1 north from the edge of the city.
2. Route 1 to Borgarnes: through the Hvalfjörður tunnel (Hvalfjarðargöng), which has no toll, and over the bridge into Borgarnes: 74 km from Reykjavík and 117 km from Keflavík Airport.
3. Route 54 onto the peninsula: just past Borgarnes, Route 54 (Snæfellsnesvegur) turns west along the south side of the peninsula. Two paved roads cross to the north coast: Vatnaleið (Route 56) and Route 54 itself, over the Fróðárheiði heath.

Official road distances from Vegagerðin, the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, all on paved roads:

• Stykkishólmur: 172 km from Reykjavík, 215 km from Keflavík Airport
• Grundarfjörður (Kirkjufell): 177 km from Reykjavík, 220 km from Keflavík Airport
• Arnarstapi: 192 km from Reykjavík, 236 km from Keflavík Airport

Visit Iceland puts Snæfellsnes about two hours' drive from Reykjavík, Stykkishólmur about 2 hours 15 minutes and Kirkjufell 2 to 2.5 hours. Distances from Keflavík Airport start at the terminal; you collect your car at our office at Bogatröð 1 in Reykjanesbær, about 10 minutes away by our airport shuttle. Delivery to Reykjavík is possible on request only, agreed in advance and priced individually.

The loop, stop by stop

This is the classic loop, with the south coast first. The distances are Vegagerðin's (distance tables, in Icelandic), which show every leg as paved.

Added up, the loop is 484 km from Reykjavík and back and 571 km from Keflavík Airport and back. On the way:

1. Búðir: Route 574 (Útnesvegur) begins at Búðir on the south coast, where the black wooden church Búðakirkja stands on the edge of the Búðahraun lava field.
2. Arnarstapi and Hellnar: two old fishing villages under the glacier, 5 km apart by road and linked by a 2.5 km coastal path past the stone arch Gatklettur. A large stone monument to Bárður Snæfellsás, the guardian spirit of the area, stands at Arnarstapi.
3. Snæfellsjökull National Park: beyond Hellnar, Route 574 runs through the park, which Visit Iceland calls the only national park in Iceland that reaches from a glacier summit down to the sea. Stop at the Vatnshellir lava cave (visited on guided tours), the visitor center at Malarrif and the basalt pinnacles of Lóndrangar. Entry to the park and the visitor center is free.
4. Djúpalónssandur: a black pebble beach at the end of road 572, with the lifting stones fishermen once tested their strength on and the rusted remains of the Epine shipwreck.
5. Hellissandur, Rif and Ólafsvík: fishing villages on the north coast. Hellissandur has a maritime museum, and whale-watching tours leave from Ólafsvík and Grundarfjörður.
6. Kirkjufell: Route 54 follows the north coast east to Grundarfjörður. Kirkjufell (463 m), often called the most photographed mountain in Iceland, rises just west of the town behind the waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss, whose car park is beside the road, about two minutes' drive from Grundarfjörður.
7. Stykkishólmur: 39 km further, at the end of Route 58: the largest town on the peninsula, with colorful old timber houses and a lighthouse on the island of Súgandisey. The Baldur ferry leaves from its harbor; on a ferry the car travels at your own risk, and no waiver covers damage during sea transport (rental terms 25 and 36(j)).
8. Back: Routes 58 and 54 to Vatnaleið (Route 56), across the peninsula to Route 54 on the south side, and on to Borgarnes and Route 1.

A day trip or two days?

The whole loop is 484 km from Reykjavík: at least 5 h 20 min of driving at 90 km/h, the highest speed limit in Iceland, before a single stop. From Keflavík Airport it is 571 km, at least 6 h 20 min. Visit Iceland says a day trip from Reykjavík is possible but means five to six hours of driving, and recommends a night in one of the fishing villages.

• Our suggestion: two days, with a night in Ólafsvík, Grundarfjörður or Stykkishólmur. You see the stops in daylight and drive at a calm pace.
• Arriving on an overnight flight? Keep the first day short: Safetravel warns about tiredness and drowsiness at the wheel after a long flight.
• In winter: around the December solstice, Reykjavík has only about four hours of daylight, so the whole loop in one day means hours of driving in the dark. The Met Office publishes each day's sunrise and sunset for Ólafsvík and Stykkishólmur (in Icelandic).

Snæfellsjökull and the mountain roads

Snæfellsjökull, 1,446 m, is a stratovolcano with a small icecap on its summit; it last erupted about 1,800 years ago, and on clear days you can see it from Reykjavík. Enjoy it from the road and the trails:

• Never drive onto the glacier. Driving off the road is illegal in Iceland, and under our rental terms it costs €1,000 (40(f)). No waiver covers damage from driving on glaciers, frozen lakes or snow away from maintained roads (36(h)).
• Walk on it only with a certified glacier guide: Safetravel says never to go on a glacier without experience and the right equipment.
• Jökulhálsleið (road 570), the steep gravel pass from Arnarstapi over the shoulder of the glacier, which Visit Iceland calls F570, is open in summer only and gets no winter service. Vegagerðin marks the route over it, which continues on the F-road Eysteinsdalsleið (F575), as mountain roads open only part of the summer and not passable for ordinary cars: from Arnarstapi to Ólafsvík that way is 42 km, 22 km of it gravel.

Safety and parking at the sights

• Djúpalónssandur and the other beaches: SafeTravel warns that Djúpalónssandur can always be dangerous because the waves are unpredictable. Stay well back from the water and keep children close. Never drive onto a beach: no waiver covers it (rental terms 36(h)).
• Kirkjufell: admire it, don't climb it. Visit Iceland calls the climb a steep, technical scramble that has seen several accidents, some of them fatal, fit only for experienced mountaineers with a professional local guide, and in winter often impossible. Walking paths round the base of the mountain take about two hours.
• Waterfalls and cliffs: spray makes the paths at Kirkjufellsfoss slippery, so wear shoes with a good grip. Stay on the marked paths and keep away from cliff edges in the national park.
• Stop only in parking areas, never on the road or its shoulder, however good the view.
• Parking fees: the car park at Kirkjufellsfoss charges a fee, Visit Iceland says, while the national park and its visitor center charge no admission. Elsewhere, paid parking may apply at some sites: follow the signs and pay on the spot. If an unpaid fee reaches us, we pass it on to you with our €10 processing fee (rental terms 22 and 40(i)).

Winter, wind and road conditions

Snæfellsnes is a year-round trip, but in winter the roads round the glacier get less snow clearing. Under Vegagerðin's winter service rules, these roads are cleared:

• Seven days a week: Route 54 from Route 1 to Vegamót, Vatnaleið (Route 56), and the north coast from Hellissandur through Ólafsvík and Grundarfjörður to Stykkishólmur.
• Six days a week: Route 54 west of Vegamót and over Fróðárheiði.
• Four days a week: Route 574 from Búðir to Hellnar.
• Two days a week: Route 574 from Hellnar round the tip to Hellissandur, past Djúpalónssandur.
• Not at all: Jökulhálsleið (road 570).

• Closed means closed: never drive past a closure sign or onto a road marked Lokað. From October to April the umferdin.is map is updated from 07:00 to 22:00; outside those hours, conditions can change before the map shows it.
• Tires and drive: every car has winter tires from 1 November to 14 April at no extra charge (rental terms 1). From November to March we strongly recommend AWD or a 4×4: it helps you get going in snow, but it does not stop a skid on ice.
• Flexible plans: keep the tank well filled and warm clothes in the car. If the weather turns, wait somewhere safe until it calms down, or change your plans.
• Car trouble: for a breakdown, a flat tire or a car stuck in snow, call us day or night on +354 779 9499; in an emergency, call 112. See Accident & breakdown.

Which car, and where to fill up

The main roads round the peninsula are paved: Vegagerðin's tables show every leg of the loop without gravel, and Visit Iceland says standard cars are fine on them all year.

• Roughly May to September: an Everyday car handles the loop; choose a bigger car for more people or luggage.
• November to March: we strongly recommend AWD or a 4×4, and Comfort is our default winter pick. In rough weather, a 4×4 is worth it: 4×4 Adventure or Highland 4×4.
• Jökulháls: only a car your booking confirms as F-road approved; on our website, Comfort, 4×4 Adventure and Highland 4×4 can be booked that way. More in F-roads & the Highlands.

Fuel: fill up in Borgarnes before you turn onto Route 54. On the peninsula, N1, for example, lists self-service stations open around the clock in Hellissandur and Grundarfjörður. Self-service pumps generally need a card with a PIN: see Fuel & paying at the pump.

Questions about driving the Snæfellsnes Peninsula