14 Day Iceland Itinerary: Complete Ring Road Guide

Planning a two week trip to Iceland and need a 14 Day Iceland itinerary? It can feel a bit overwhelming!. Especially if you’re planning to go beyond Reykjavik and the Golden Circle. You’re here because you want to drive the entire ring road and see what Iceland has to offer, and make the most of a two week Iceland road trip — so I gotcha!

After countless hours of research, two weeks of adventuring across Iceland, I’ve crafted my 2-week, 14 day Iceland itinerary. Feel free to steal it!

This two week, 14 day Iceland itinerary is based on my personal experience — this is the actual trip that we took! When I’m planning trips, I like to see how others actually did it – and since you’re here, I bet you do too. So let’s begin!

Before We Begin – Basic Ring Road Information and FAQs

How many days do I need to drive the Ring Road?

I’d say a minimum of 7 days. Now, some people will say that’s far too short but the country is not that big, and frankly, there isn’t a whole lot to see in Northern Iceland (my opinion! Some feel differently), so you can make up time there. We did 14 days and included a stop in the Westfjords. This might be too ambitious for some, but for us, it worked out great.

When is the Best Time to do a Ring Road trip around Iceland?

Definitely summer, even though you could do this any time of year. Northern Iceland can get some wild weather in the winter months — and in the shoulder season — and roads can get shut down for several hours or even days! This can mean missed hotel, tour or flight reservations, making your already expensive trip even more expensive. Don’t forget, daylight hours get extremely short during Iceland’s winter months – do you really want to be driving in a blizzard in the dark? You also will need to be well-prepared driving in snow, ice and wind. I’m from Minnesota, so I know winter weather driving, but I also don’t like it. Trust me, I don’t do it in Minnesota, and I definitely don’t want to do it in Iceland.

I don’t want to get caught up in that drama, so summer it is.

Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise for the Ring Road in Iceland?

We chose clockwise for one reason – ferry timing! We took the Baldur Ferry from the Snaefellsness Peninsula to the Westfjords. This particular ferry left the Snaefellsness Peninsula at 10am traveling to the Westfjords. Whereas, the ferry going the opposite way left the Westfjords at 6pm. This just simply didn’t work for our trip. Ferry timings vary throughout the year, and even the season, so make sure to check.

So for the purpose of this 14 day Iceland itinerary, we’ll be going clockwise

Either way, frankly, I don’t think it makes any difference. But another vote for doing your trip clockwise is that you save the best for last — the best scenery in Iceland truly is in the south, where you have the famous Black Sand Beach, the epic waterfalls you’ve for sure seen photos of, and the glacial lagoon.

Where to rent a car for your Iceland road trip?

For a 14 day Iceland itinerary, I recommend renting from one of the two major Icelandic car rental agencies – Blue Rental or Lotus. Now, typically I’m all about the major rental agencies — Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo, but in the case of Iceland, you’ll want to go with a well-known local agency — and that would be Blue or Lotus. I have never heard of either of these companies scamming people or people having major issues with these companies — but you will want to purchase the highest insurance available through them, as Iceland is just different than renting a car in, say, California. High winds can rip a car door off its hinges, your vehicle can get sandblasted by volcanic ash, and there are F-Roads (mountain roads in the interior of Iceland, where only approved vehicles can drive). I’ve heard horror stories of people not getting the highest insurance available, and getting stuck with a huge bill into the tens of thousands of dollars from damage done to a rental!

A lot of these car rental problems you’ll hear about come with travel in the shoulder season and off-season. We did our trip in July, which lessens the chances of having extreme weather conditions, but you’re never out of the woods, weather-wise, in Iceland. We did get a dusting of snow in July when we were traveling through Northern Iceland!

We rented from Blue and had no issues — we took the highest insurance available, had no issues with the car and simply dropped it off when we were leaving. Simple, easy process!

I’m someone who never takes car rental insurance when renting cars in the USA, as I get great insurance with my credit card. But in Iceland, you don’t want to fuck around and find out.

YES – YOUR ICELAND CAR RENTAL IS GOING TO BE VERY EXPENSIVE. This will likely be the most expensive aspect of your vacation.

Many people rent a campervan in Iceland and do the ring road that way. Personally, #vanlife is not for me, but many others enjoy it. I need a hotel room at the end of the day!

We rented a 4×4 automatic SUV that was permitted to drive on F-Roads. In our original itinerary, I had a day devoted to the highlands. As it turned out, I completely chickened out on the F-Roads, so ultimately, this was an unnecessary expense. If you’re just driving the Ring Road in the summer months, you don’t need the extra cost of a 4×4.

Can I make hotel reservations in Iceland on the fly?

If you’re traveling in summer, no. This is Iceland’s busiest season and hotels book up quickly. If you don’t have hotels booked in advance and rely on last minute reservations, you could get lucky, but you might end up with nowhere to sleep for the night.

For this 14 day Iceland itinerary, you will be switching hotels almost every night. That’s just a reality of an Iceland Ring Road trip and yes, it does get exhausting! There isn’t a great ‘base’ from which to day trip to places, and the places that you’ll stop just simply don’t have enough attractions to keep you busy for more than one night.

Iceland 14 Day Itinerary Day 1: Fly into KEF / Blue Lagoon / Reykjanes Peninsula

This is going to be a low-key day. If you’re arriving from the US, you’ll likely land in the morning. Our flight arrived at 7am, we picked up our rental car and headed straight to the Blue Lagoon.

You will want to make reservations in advance, as time slots can and will fill up — especially in the summer. Our reservations were at 10:30am to give us time to get through the airport formalities, pick up our car and drive to the Blue Lagoon. We arrived around 10am and they let us in early.

I chose to do the Blue Lagoon on our arrival day for one particular reason — I wanted to have a place to shower after that red-eye flight! With an early morning arrival, your hotel probably isn’t going to let you check in to your room in the early morning hours. But booking the Blue Lagoon on arrival gave us the chance to enjoy it after our flight and freshen up with a shower!

READ MORE: Is the Blue Lagoon Worth It? My honest review

After the Blue Lagoon, we stopped at a few spots I had marked on my map on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Reykjanes Peninsula is the land mass on which the KEF airport and the Blue Lagoon are located. You can check out what those spots are here, where I wrote all about places to see on this peninsula.

NOTE: After our trip, there has been some major volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula and some of these spots may be closed off to visitors. Always check with local authorities to see if these are open — Google Maps also does a great job of updating road closures in this area.

Around this time — it was about 1:30pm — I was beat. I forced myself to stay awake as my husband drove. We were able to check into our hotel, and decided to grab lunch/dinner at the Costco food court.

Accommodation: Hotel Vellir – Hafnarfjordur Iceland

Iceland 14 Day Itinerary Day 2 – Glymur Waterfall Hike

Driving time: About 3.5 hours – from the Reykjavik area to the trailhead for Glymur, and then on your lodging on the Snaefellsness Peninsula.

Check out of the hotel and start the Ring Road journey, with the first stop of your trip doing the Glymur waterfall hike. I had my doubts about doing this hike, as there are two river crossings — one with a slippery log and one where you literally ford a river, Oregon Trail style — neither of which I enjoy doing! I also wasn’t sure I wanted to spend a half day hiking to a waterfall — was it really all that great? To be honest, some of the photos I saw online seemed a bit ‘meh.’

But I did it anyway and I absolutely loved it and 100% recommended this hike, as long as you’re okay with river crossings! This was absolutely amazing and one of the best hikes I’ve done.

READ MORE: Glymur Waterfall Hike in Iceland – Complete Guide and Review

The hike will definitely take about half of your day, even though it isn’t really that long.

After the hike, head to the Snaefellsness Peninsula where you’ll check into your lodging for two nights. Along the way, I recommend stopping at Kirkjufell if it’s on your way. While this is on tomorrow’s agenda, it’s iconic enough that you might want to photograph it on two different days, just in case one day has more favorable weather conditions.

Unfortunately, the sun didn’t come out either day during my trip! Maybe you’ll have better luck!

Accommodation: We chose to stay in Stykkisholmur for two nights. It’s the largest town on the peninsula and the ferry we’d take in a few days leaves from this town. FossHotel Stykkisholmur – Iceland Hotel Review

Iceland 14 Day Itinerary Day 3 – Full Day On The Snaefellsness Peninsula

Today you’ll do a full circle around the Snaefellsesss Peninsula. I have an entire post planned out on what you can see in a full day, including the Kirkjufell Waterfall, some wildlife viewing, a walk up a crater and the rugged coastline of Arnarstapi.

Accommodation: FossHotel Stykkisholmur – Iceland Hotel Review

14 Day Iceland Itinerary Day 4: Ferry to the Westfjords / Puffins at Latrabjarg

Driving time – with ferry: Ferry dock in Westfjords to Latrabjarg: 1.5 hours. Latrabjarg to Patreksfjordar: 1 hr 15 min. Total: Roughly 3 hours.
Without ferry: Stykkisholmur to Latrabjarg – and then to lodging in Patreksfjordar: 6.5 hours

Unfortunately, I came down with a nasty cold at this point in our trip. I slept most of the way on the ferry, and when we arrived at the Westfjords, I just didn’t feel up to all the sightseeing I had originally planned. We were going to visit the Dynjandi waterfall and drive out to Latrabjarg to see the puffins — and with essentially 24/7 daylight in the summer, you definitely can do both, even when arriving in the Westfjords in early afternoon. But I just wasn’t feeling it. I chose the puffins.

The ferry, which is about 2.5 hours-ish, was about $120 for the one-way car fare, plus two adults. Now, you can completely avoid the ferry and simply drive to the Westfjords from the Snaefellsness Peninsula. The ferry does not save you any time; but it does save the driver of the mental and physical ‘wear and tear’ of driving in and out of those fjord roads. We considered the ferry ride as part of our trip and we really enjoyed it. But if you need control the budget, you can drive there too.

You really could structure your time in the Westfjords however you’d like for this 14 day Iceland itinerary, but you really only have one day. And it’s a shame, because this was my favorite region in Iceland. If you don’t want to venture out to Latrabjarg to see puffins, you could see other attractions in this area, such as the aforementioned Dynjandi Waterfall, and various hot springs. The Westfjords have a lot to offer, but for a 14 day Iceland itinerary, you’ll have one day. You definitely could spend a lot more time out here!

On the way to Latrabjarg, don’t forget to stop at the Gardar BA 64 shipwreck!

Accommodation: We stayed in Patreksfjordar at the FossHotel. Patreksfjardar was the largest town in this area of the Westfjords, but there are some lodging options closer to Latrabjarg.

14 Day Iceland Itinerary Day 5 – Westfjords to Akureyri

Drive time: 6-7 hours. This was our longest day in the car and I wasn’t sure if I planned this out okay. On road trips, I don’t like to have these crazy long days in the car, but sometimes it’s necessary. I was still feeling sick at this point and my husband did all the driving. But in short, it wasn’t that bad. We arrived in Akureyri around 4pm, despite making a few scenic stops along the way.

Things to see along the way:
Kidka Wool Factory
Skardsviti Lighthouse
You could make a detour to the famous Hvitserkur rock formation, but for us, this was too far out of the way.
Small village of Glaumbaer (skipped it because I was sick)

Accommodation: Your best best is staying in Akureyri, as you’ll find lots of places to stay, but there are other smaller villages that offer lodging if you don’t want to do a 6-7 hour drive in one shot. We stayed at the K16 apartments and definitely recommend!

14 Day Iceland Itinerary Day 6 – Akureyri to Myvatn

Driving time: About 1 hour 15 minutes.

As you can see, this isn’t a huge driving day. In fact, if I could change anything on our trip, it would be to cut out the two nights in northern Iceland down to one — for me, personally, there isn’t enough to see in this area that really compels me, as I’m not interested in going whale watching, and for a lot of people, this is a huge draw visiting the area.

And as it turned out, this was an extremely rainy day, with heavy downpours at time, so it dampened the mood on some of the sightseeing. We visited:

Godafoss waterfall
Drove to Husavik to check out the town, but with the heavy rainfall, we just ended up hanging out at a cafe.
Game of Thrones Cave
Krafla Shower and Viti Crater

Drove half way around Lake Myvatn and checked into our hotel.

But you could do more with this day — a lot of people chose to go whale watching in Husaik, hike to the viewpoint of the Hverfjall Volcano, the Hverir Geothermal area is nearby, and you could take a dip in the Myvatn Nature Baths thermal spa.

Accommodation: Sel Hotel – Myvatn, Iceland

Day 7 – Myvatn to Seydisfjorder (and then to Borgarfjodur eystri for puffins)

Driving time: 2 hours, 40 minutes. Plus 2 hours RT from Seydisfjordur to see the puffins.

A lot of people use this day to visit two major Iceland attractions: Dettifoss waterfall and the Studlagil Canyon. Unfortunately, we didn’t do either of these, as the weather was very nasty in the morning — we had snow. In July! Iceland is wild! Neither one of us felt like hiking or exploring in the rain/snow mix, so we skipped both of those and just drove to our destination. We stopped in Egilsstadir, which is the main town of eastern Iceland, for lunch. We took a very long lunch and then hung out at a cafe — it was relaxing and pretty cozy, with the raging weather outside.

Our accommodation was in Seydisfjordur, which was about 30 minutes from Egilsstadir. Seydisfjordur is a cute little town that is also a cruise port, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a must-see. The road to get there is twisty and steep, but very scenic. I loved the apartment we stayed in, which was right along the painted rainbow road in town.

We hung out in Seydisfjorder for a few hours, walking around and hitting up the little shops, before it was time to head out to see the puffins in Borgarfjodur eystri . Puffins are most active in the morning and evening hours, so taking the lesson learned from Latrabjarg, we waited until later in the day to visit — and it was well worth it. What started out as kind of a disappointing day, it definitely turned around later in the evening! This was about a 2 hour round trip journey to see the puffins from Seydisfjorder.

Accommodation: Vid Lonid Guesthouse – Seydisfjordur, Iceland

Day 8 – East Fjords: Seydisfjordur to Hofn

Driving time: About 4 hours. We took the long way, driving in and out of the eastern fjords. But you could get here faster if you didn’t want to do that.

We made a lot of stops along the way, including several lighthouses — the Hvalnes Lighthouse, Hafnaresviti Lighthouse, and more. One of the notable attractions in this area is the Petra’s Stone Collection — some people love this, this isn’t for me. As my husband bluntly put it “I don’t want to look at some old lady’s rock collection.” I mean, he’s not wrong….

We also visited the Viking Village film set and Stokksnes area, which is stunning! Unfortunately, we didn’t have quite enough time to spend here, as we needed to make it to a laundromat in Hofn before they closed. Finding a laundromat in Iceland isn’t easy — and if you find one, take advantage of it!

Accommodation: Milk Factory Guesthouse – Hofn, Iceland

Iceland 14 Day Itinerary Day 9: South Coast – Hofn to the Vik Area

Driving Time: 2-3 hours, depending on where your lodging is.

If you think you’ve seen epic scenery so far, just wait until this day! This is a day where, if you’re doing tours such as a glacial walk, an ice cave, a boat ride — you might need to spend another night, because there is a LOT to see here. We weren’t interested in any of the tours, and we were able to see everything I wanted to during this day and we didn’t feel rushed. But had I wanted to do any kind of paid excursion, we might’ve needed another night.

Here are the things to see on this day:
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon: Many people opt for a duck boat ride, a dinghy, or a kayak tour here. We didn’t do any of that, just explored on our own. I probably took 1,000 photos here alone, it was so incredibly stunning!

Diamond Beach: This is the black sand beach where ice formations (“diamonds”) wash up on shore. Depending on the tide/time of day, there may be hundreds of “diamonds” on the beach or there might not be any! We had some, but it wasn’t an abundance of them. It was still absolutely beautiful — and it’s located basically across the road from the glacier lagoon.

Read more about Diamond Beach here – Diamond Beach in Iceland: Everything You Need to know

Fjallsjokull: This is another, lesser-known glacial lagoon area. You can drive out there, and walk to the shoreline. They offer boat tours out to the glacier if you’re interested. There aren’t nearly as many ice formations in the water as there are at Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon, but it’s still beautiful and worth a short stop.

Svinafellsjokull: Not as well known, but IMO, this was one of the most stunning glaciers I’ve ever seen. Absolutely worth a stop and a short hike out here.

Skafatell Glacier: We hiked out on the main pathway to the glacier and I wasn’t as impressed with this one as I was with Svinafellsjokull.

Svartifoss Hike: Part of Skafatell National Park, so after we saw the glacier, we did this hike. It was a much steeper hike than I expected but it was definitely worth it!

Feather Canyon (Fjadrargljufur Canyon): This was right by the guesthouse we were staying at for the night. This was pretty, but it was one of the most crowded places we saw during our trip. Plus the sheer amount of people using drones here was annoying.

Lodging: We stayed right near the Feather Canyon, but you’ll probably want to stay in the Vik area if you can. When I planned my trip a month in advance (!), there were no lodging options for my date for Vik — and I checked daily for cancellations. We ended up at the Hunkubakkar Guesthouse . Definitely try for Vik if you can!

Iceland 14 Day Itinerary Day 10: South Coast Vik Area to Fludir/Golden Circle area

More of Iceland’s South Coast exploration today! These stops are on the agenda for Day 10:

Black Sand Beach (Reynisfjara): Very popular attraction along the south coast of Iceland.

Dyrholaey: After you visit the Black Sand Beach, check out nearby Dyrholaey — this is a great spot to see puffins if you weren’t able to see them elsewhere, as well as get an aerial view of the Black Sand Beach, visit a lighhouse and snap photos of the rugged coastline.

Skogafoss: Very famous waterfall – it’s huge! Make sure to climb up the stairs to get a look at it from above.

Seljalandsfoss: No doubt you’ve seen photos of this waterfall! During the summer, you can walk behind it — but you’re going to get wet. I almost bailed on this (because I am made of sugar and obviously would melt), but I suited up in a rain jacket, rain pants, and rain protection for my camera — and I am so glad I did! This was absolutely my favorite waterfall of the trip. I absolutely love the photos I got from here.

You could also hike out to the Sólheimasandur Plane Crash Site on this day if you’d like, but we chose to skip it.

We ended the day at our accommodation at the Secret Lagoon – we stayed at the guesthouse on-site and it was wonderful. When you book your stay in their guesthouse, you get free admission to use the Secret Lagoon anytime you wish (during operating hours, that is). We fully took advantage of this and used the Secret Lagoon three times during our two nights in Fludir.

Lodging: 2 nights in Fludir at the Stay Inn Gardur (at the Secret Lagoon), with the intention of using the second day as a day trip to the Landmannalaugar highlands area, which we didn’t do. Selfoss would be another good place to look for lodging in this area.

Iceland 14 Day Itinerary Day 11: Golden Circle Day or Landmannalaugar

When I planned our trip, I wanted to visit Landmannalaugar to do some hiking. Landmannalaugar is located in Iceland’s highlands, which require driving on F-Roads. In order to drive on the F-Roads, you need to rent a vehicle that specifically allows travel on these roads. Which we did.

Renting 4×4 vehicles allowed on F-roads does increase the price of your rental.

We had an absolutely stunning blue sky warm day – it hit 80 degrees! And even though we had terrific weather, I still chickened out on driving out to Landmannalaugar. Our vehicle could handle it, but neither of us felt that confident it in, and we just didn’t want any drama of getting a flat tire — or worse. We played it safe. I really wanted to see Landmannalaugar, but my instinct was telling me no, so we bailed.

We did the entire Golden Circle instead. We started from our lodging in Fludir, so we were essentially already IN the “Golden Circle” and hit up Gullfoss, Geysir, Bruarfoss, Thingvellir National Park, and ended the day with more time in the Secret Lagoon. I absolutely LOVED the Secret Lagoon — I thought it was so charming.

One popular activity that many people enjoy is snorkeling between the two tectonic plates at Silfra. We chose not to do this, but it’s definitely a popular activity, so if you’re interested, you’ll want to do book this on this day.

I have an entire post dedicated to a one-day itinerary Golden Circle, so check that out for more details.

14 Day Iceland Itinerary Day 12: Golden Circle area to Reykjavik

We checked out of our hotel in Fludir, and headed off to Reyjkavik for the day. We explored the waterfont, popped into a few shops, cafes and bakeries, and walked all around the city. A lot of people say spending time in Reyjkavik is a waste of time, but I really enjoyed the day in Reyjkavik. I definitely think it’s worth it to spend a day here. The main shopping street is “Laugavegur” — we used that to start off exploring and just went from there! I had a few places marked on my google maps, and we just wandered all around.

Beyond one day though, there wouldn’t be much to do. One day in Reyjkavik is plenty!

Accommodation: We chose to stay near the airport, at the Courtyard by Marriott Keflavik, as I wanted to avoid switching hotels. After switching hotels nearly every day on our Ring Road trip, it was nice to have some two-night’ers at the end of the trip. But if you wanted to, you could definitely stay in Reyjkavik.

14 Day Iceland Itinerary Day 13: Finish the Reykjanes Peninsula / Sky Lagoon

This was our extra day that we had on our trip to see anything we missed/anything we wanted to re-visit, etc. Had we visited Landmannalaugar, we would’ve used this day to either see Reykjavik or do the Golden Circle. We used this day to hit up the Sky Lagoon and afterwards, we finished up the stops we missed on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Sky Lagoon was wonderful way to end our trip – we paid extra for the private changing room area and I recommend it if you’re like me and just simply don’t want to shower nekkid in front of others.

Accommodation: Courtyard Marriott Keflavik

Iceland 14 Day Itinerary Day 14: Fly home

Time to go home! Return the rental car, get to the airport, and if you didn’t have time to shop for souvenirs, the airport is a fantastic place to do it — prices are cheaper than the stores in Reyjkavik, and they have everything you could possibly want. I purchased the wool puffin blanket I had my eye on — and got the best pricing!

Lessons Learned from our two week road trip in Iceland:

• We didn’t need the 4×4 F-Road vehicle. But it was nice to have when we were driving in the Westfjords. We didn’t drive on any F-Roads as originally planned. We easily could’ve saved money by renting a regular car.
  
• Weather is going to change your plans — count on it. No matter what time of year you go, you can count on weather throwing a wrench into your plans. For the most part, we had pretty decent weather — we just had the one very rainy day, and one very rainy/snowy morning that cancelled some of our original plans.
  
• Changing hotels nearly every day sucks. I knew this going into it — it’s just the way a ring road trip works. There isn’t enough to see in these places around the country to do day trips, or spend more than one night. But at least this is a ROAD TRIP. You can stuff your shit in the car — it’s not like your doing a bag drag on trains, so it makes it a little easier.
  
• If you’re planning last minute, you need to check daily for hotel cancellations. I planned my trip only a month in advance for the busy summer travel season. I got most of the hotels I wanted, though I wanted to spend more than one night in the Vik area. I couldn’t get a reservation for that.
  
• And – you pretty much have to stick to your plan, weather be dammed. That’s what stinks about doing the ring road with a car vs #vanlife-ing it. You can’t be flexible — if northern Iceland is getting sunshine, but eastern iceland is getting downpours, you have to stick with what you planned or you won’t have anywhere to stay. Versus getting a campervan, you can be flexible.
  
• Get breakfast included with your hotel stays! Even if you have to pay extra. The hotel breakfasts are, in general, much better in Iceland than what you’d get in a typical Fairfield Inn in the USA – better variety and higher quality food.
  
• The roads are narrow – there isn’t much of a shoulder along the main ring road, so if you want to pull over for photos, you’ll need to find a designated place to do so. I took a lot of photos just from the car window. There also isn’t a lot of traffic – many times, we’d be the only car on the road. In other words, outside of Reyjkavik, you’re not going to get into any kind of traffic jam while driving the ring road.
  
• Bring cold medicine like Dayquil/Nyquil. I went to a few pharmacies in Iceland and they don’t sell that kind of medicine — you might need a prescription. I don’t know, but I would’ve gotten over my cold much faster had I brought it with.

So that’s a wrap! That was our two week, 14 day Iceland itinerary – hope this helps you in your planning!