The Ring Road, aka Route 1 is an 828-mile road that circles the island of Iceland. It’s open year-round, but parts can be closed in the winter. I’ve detailed our route below. The green pins are where we stayed overnight, and blue pins are places we stopped to sightsee.
Day 1
Named as one of the Wonder’s of the World by National Geographic, The Blue Lagoon is amazing and absolutely should be experienced when in Iceland. It’s only about 45 minutes from the airport, so even if you have only a few days or a layover, it’s doable. It’s easy to arrange transportation through the website, or you can drive there in a rental car or taxi. With every famous place like this, however, prepare yourself for many crowds.
Day 2
The Golden Circle is an extremely popular driving route, especially for those with limited time in Iceland! Depending on how many stops you take along the way, it’s about ~186 miles and is perfect for a day trip. The three main attractions are Thingvellir National Park, Strokkur Geyser, and Gullfoss Waterfall, but there’s a lot of detours on the way! I’d recommend renting a car so you can spend as much time at each place.
Stop #1:
Stop #2:
Stop #3:
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Stop #6:
Day 3
Started our day at the beautiful Black Sand Beach of Vik!
The Crashed DC 3 Plane is about a 5-mile roundtrip walk, and you should plan for 45 minutes each way. The plane crashed in 1973, and luckily everyone survived.
We bundled up for the glacier lagoon of Jökulsárlón! If we had more time, I would have loved to do a zodiac tour.
Stopped in Djúpivogur for some pictures.
We explored the Grjótagjá Cave, a natural geothermal spring in a cave. If you’re a GOT fan, you may recognize this, as scenes from the fifth episode of Game of Thrones Season 3 were shot here.
We stopped for a quick walk around Lake Mývatn.
Goðafoss Waterfall, aka waterfall of the gods, is spectacular. It’s just a short walk from the parking and right off of the ring road!
Found a beautiful scenic overlook in Akureyri!
We stopped in Blönduós at Galsi Horse Rental. We did “The Easy Ride” and paid about $70 USD.
The heavy fog didn’t stop us from seeing Hvitserkur, aka Rhino Rock or Troll of Northwest Iceland. There’s a steep, short trail from the parking lot to walk down to it.
Caught a beautiful sunset in Húnaþing Vestra!
Day 5
We explored Kirkjufell, which is the most photographed mountain in Iceland!
Spotted some seals at a beach in Snaefellsbaer.
Day 6
We walked around Reykavik and grabbed lunch at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, which is the best hot dog in Iceland. Bill Clinton ate there! Then we went to grab drinks at the Lebowski Bar.
Day 7
Our flight out was at 5pm, so we had most of the day to explore Reykjavik!
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