Canonical URL: https://www.iceland.org/itineraries/10-days Content updated: 2026-09-13 This is the Markdown representation of the page. Interactive tools and forms are available on the [HTML page](). Source-check and review dates retain the meanings stated in the article. --- # 10 Days in Iceland: The Full Ring Road Itinerary Ten days is the shortest trip where the full Ring Road stops feeling like a race. This plan drives the circuit counter-clockwise with nine overnight stops, and every distance below comes from the Icelandic road administration’s own figures. Updated September 13, 2026 · [Published by Iceland.org]() · [Writing & review]() ## The trip at a glance Route 1, the Ring Road, is 1,309.7 km long as of July 2026 ([Vegagerðin]() (source checked 2026-09-13)). The legs in this plan, including the airport drives and the Höfn spur, add up to about 1,430 km / 890 mi before detours. Eight of the ten days involve driving; the longest leg is 258 km and two days have almost none. Driving About 1,430 km / 890 mi across 8 driving days Overnight bases Reykjavík ×2, Hella, Vík, Höfn, Egilsstaðir, Mývatn, Akureyri, Blönduós, Borgarnes Road surface Every base leg is paved; gravel only on optional detours Season Easiest May to September; winter needs buffer days and daily condition checks ## The 10 days, day by day | Day | Drive | Distance | Night | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Day 1]() | Keflavík Airport → Reykjavík | 50 km / 31 mi | Reykjavík | | [Day 2]() | Golden Circle → Hella | 93 km / 58 mi + loop | Hella | | [Day 3]() | Hella → Vík | 93 km / 58 mi | Vík | | [Day 4]() | Vík → Höfn | 258 km / 160 mi | Höfn | | [Day 5]() | Höfn → Egilsstaðir | 252 km / 157 mi | Egilsstaðir | | [Day 6]() | Egilsstaðir → Mývatn | 164 km / 102 mi | Mývatn area | | [Day 7]() | Mývatn → Akureyri (+ Húsavík) | 83 km / 52 mi + detour | Akureyri | | [Day 8]() | Akureyri → Blönduós | 144 km / 89 mi | Blönduós area | | [Day 9]() | Blönduós → Borgarnes → Reykjavík | 243 km / 151 mi | Borgarnes or Reykjavík | | [Day 10]() | Reykjavík → Blue Lagoon → KEF | 50 km / 31 mi | Departure | Distances are leg figures from [Vegagerðin’s road-distance tool]() (source checked 2026-09-13), checked September 13, 2026. Detours and sightseeing loops come on top. ## Is this the right plan for you? It fits if you want the whole island in one trip, you are comfortable driving most days, and your dates fall where daylight is generous. It does not fit a first short visit. With 5 or fewer days, drive the [south coast]() instead and skip the circuit entirely; our [5-day package]() covers that shape of trip. If you want this exact route with the rooms and activities arranged for you, that is what our [10-day package]() is for. And if you care more about the road itself than the day plan, start with the [Ring Road guide](). ## Day 1: Land, drive to Reykjavík, walk Keflavík Airport to Reykjavík is 50 km / 31 mi on Reykjanesbraut, paved the whole way. Pick up the car, check in, and spend the rest of the day on foot. Jet lag does not mix well with single-lane bridges, so save the real driving for tomorrow. The classic short loop: [Hallgrímskirkja’s tower]() for the rooftop view (adult tickets 1,500 ISK, sold in the church shop; the tower closes 15 minutes before the church), the Sun Voyager sculpture on the waterfront, and Harpa concert hall, open to walk through daily and in use since 2011. Our [Reykjavík guide]() has the longer version. ## Day 2: The Golden Circle, ending in Hella The direct road from Reykjavík to Hella is 93 km / 58 mi; the Golden Circle loop roughly doubles what you actually drive today. That is fine. The loop is short and the stops are the point. Start at [Þingvellir]() (parking is paid; our guide covers the lots), continue to the [Geysir area]() where Strokkur erupts on its own schedule rather than a promised interval, and finish at [Gullfoss](). If the timing works, [Kerið crater]() sits close to your route south; the operator charges a 700 ISK service fee ([kerid.is]() (source checked 2026-09-13)). Sleep in Hella or Hvolsvöllur, which puts tomorrow’s waterfalls 30 minutes away instead of 90. ## Day 3: Waterfalls and black sand to Vík Hella to Vík is 93 km / 58 mi on Route 1. Short leg, full day. [Seljalandsfoss]() comes first, then [Skógafoss](); both have paid parking, covered in each guide. Booked a glacier walk? [Sólheimajökull]()’s parking area is about 4 km off Route 1 on Road 221. End at [Reynisfjara](), and read the current SafeTravel notice before you go: sneaker waves are the real thing here, and access is sometimes restricted to the viewpoint. If the beach is closed, Vík’s own beach and church hill fill the evening instead. ## Day 4: Vík to Höfn, the glacier day Today is the big one: 258 km / 160 mi, about 3 hours of pure driving, with the best stops of the trip spread along it. Leave early. [Fjaðrárgljúfur](), a 1.5 km canyon, is a one-hour stop near Kirkjubæjarklaustur. In [Skaftafell](), the walk to [Svartifoss]() and back takes a comfortable half-afternoon; check the park’s current trail notices, since routes there do change. Then [Jökulsárlón]() and [Diamond Beach](), which share one parking payment zone; follow the marked walking route under the bridge between them. Boat trips on the lagoon run seasonally and sell out, so book ahead if you want one. The final stretch into Höfn crosses the new Hornafjörður section, opened June 2026 and tolled; our [south coast driving guide]() explains the payment. ## Day 5: The East Fjords to Egilsstaðir Staying on Route 1, Höfn to Egilsstaðir is 252 km / 157 mi, all paved, winding through the fjords. A shortcut over Öxi (Road 939) saves nearly 70 km but includes 24 km of gravel; take it only in good conditions, and skip it in a small car if the weather argues. Before leaving Höfn, drive out to [Stokksnes]() for Vestrahorn; the operator charges 1,100 ISK entry, free under 16. The fjord road itself is the day’s attraction. Djúpivogur and Fáskrúðsfjörður make good leg-stretching stops, and the road runs through tunnels rather than over passes on the worst stretches. This day looks long on paper and drives shorter than you expect. If you reach [Egilsstaðir]() with energy left, the [Hengifoss]() walk is about 5 km round trip. ## Day 6: Across the highlands edge to Mývatn Egilsstaðir to Reykjahlíð at Mývatn is 164 km / 102 mi on Route 1, the emptiest leg of the circuit. Fill the tank before you leave; services are thin until Mývatn. Two detours compete for your morning. [Stuðlagil canyon]() is the famous one; the basalt-column view from the east bank is a walk of about 10 km return from the Klaustursel bridge. [Dettifoss]() is the reliable one: take Road 862, which is paved, rather than gravel Road 864, which closes after snow. Back on Route 1, the Hverir geothermal field asks only that you stay on the designated paths, and that is worth taking seriously around vents. At the lake, choose between climbing [Hverfjall]() on its northwest path, wandering Dimmuborgir’s marked lava-field loops (the short circle takes about half an hour, [Visit Mývatn]() (source checked 2026-09-13)), or going straight to the [Earth Lagoon](), the baths formerly called Mývatn Nature Baths, for the evening soak. ## Day 7: Whales, Goðafoss, Akureyri The base leg is the shortest of the trip, 83 km / 52 mi from Mývatn to Akureyri, which is exactly why the Húsavík detour fits today. Whale-watching sailings from [Húsavík]() run from March 1 to November 30 on the main operator’s schedule, with trips around three hours; book a morning departure. If you would rather stay on land, the alternative detour is [Ásbyrgi](), a horseshoe canyon 3.5 km long with cliffs up to 100 m. [Goðafoss]() sits right on Route 1 between the two, no detour needed. The road into Akureyri passes through the Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel, which is tolled with no booth: 2,216 ISK for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes, paid online within 24 hours of driving through. After five days of villages, [Akureyri]() feels like a proper city again, restaurants and all. ## Day 8: Skagafjörður turf houses and the seal coast Akureyri to Blönduós is 144 km / 89 mi over two passes. Take the morning in Akureyri, then break the drive at [Glaumbær](), the turf farm museum in Skagafjörður, open daily May 20 to September 20 and by arrangement in winter. The Vatnsnes peninsula loop, for the [Hvítserkur]() sea stack and Iceland’s most dependable seal colonies, hangs off this stretch of Route 1; the Seal Centre in Hvammstangi recommends timing seal watching within two hours of low tide. Do the loop this evening if the light is good, or first thing tomorrow. Sleep in or near Blönduós. ## Day 9: West Iceland, at your own pace Blönduós to Borgarnes is 170 km / 106 mi over Holtavörðuheiði, and Borgarnes to Reykjavík adds 73 km / 45 mi through the Hvalfjörður tunnel. Where you sleep tonight is a pace decision, not a route one. The worthwhile detour cluster sits up Borgarfjörður: the [Deildartunguhver]() hot spring, with the Krauma baths beside it on Road 50, and [Hraunfossar](), where water emerges from under a lava field in a long row of falls. [Grábrók crater]() makes an easy stop on the drive south. With daylight and energy to spare, [Kirkjufell]() on Snæfellsnes is a possible add-on from Borgarnes, though it is better saved for a dedicated [Snæfellsnes trip]() if you can resist. ## Day 10: Blue Lagoon on the way out The direct drive from Reykjavík to Keflavík Airport is 50 km / 31 mi, and the [Blue Lagoon]() sits close to that road, off Road 43. It is the right last stop: you arrive at the gate already relaxed. The lagoon’s own guidance for people visiting between flights is to allow at least 5 to 6 hours, which tells you how much margin a visit really needs. The airport asks you to arrive 2.5 to 3 hours before departure ([Keflavík Airport]() (source checked 2026-09-13)), so book a morning slot and keep the afternoon for flying. ## The driving rules that actually matter Iceland’s limits are 90 km/h on paved rural roads, 80 on gravel and 50 in towns, unless signs say otherwise ([SafeTravel]() (source checked 2026-09-13)). Headlights stay on at all times, all year. Driving off marked roads is illegal, with fines or imprisonment on the books ([Environment Agency of Iceland]() (source checked 2026-09-13)), and it is enforced. At the single-lane bridges you will meet on the south and east legs, the car closer to the bridge has right of way; slow down and read the other driver before committing. Fuel up before the long east and northeast legs rather than counting on the next station, and confirm how your rental company handles the two toll points on this route, the Hornafjörður section and Vaðlaheiðargöng, so you are not billed twice. Our [car rental guide]() covers the fine print. ## This itinerary in winter The circuit does not close for the season, but the terms change. Around the winter solstice Reykjavík gets just over 4 hours of daylight ([Visit Reykjavík]() (source checked 2026-09-13)), so every sightseeing day compresses. Roughly 5,000 of Iceland’s 12,000 km of classified highway receive winter service ([Vegagerðin]() (source checked 2026-09-13)), and sections of Route 1 can close temporarily in storms. Check [umferdin.is]() every morning, plan 12 days for this 10-day route, and treat the northeast leg with the most respect. From June to August the opposite applies: with the midnight sun there is more daylight than stamina, and the plan gains slack everywhere. If winter driving is the part you don’t want, a [guided winter trip]() hands it to someone who does this weekly. ## Want this trip without the spreadsheet? Our [10-day package]() covers this same shape of trip and takes over the parts that cost real hours: rooms in the small towns that fill up, activity bookings matched to your dates, and a person to contact when the forecast rearranges a day. Tell us your dates on [plan my trip]() and we will put a quote together. Planning help ## 10-day itinerary questions Quick answers with safety notes where it matters. **Is 10 days enough to drive Iceland’s Ring Road?** Yes, at a steady pace. The circuit is about 1,310 km and this plan splits it into eight driving days of 83 to 258 km, which leaves real time at the stops. With fewer than seven days, a south coast trip is usually the better use of the time. **Do you need a 4x4 for this itinerary?** Every leg in this plan is paved according to the road administration’s distance tool, so a small car works in summer. Winter is a different judgement: conditions decide, not the road surface. The optional Öxi shortcut and the eastern Dettifoss road involve gravel. **Can you drive this plan in winter?** It is possible with flexibility built in. Around the winter solstice Reykjavík gets just over 4 hours of daylight, and only part of the highway network gets winter service. Check umferdin.is each morning, keep buffer days, and be willing to sit out a storm. A guided winter trip removes the driving risk entirely. **Which direction should you drive the Ring Road?** This plan runs counter-clockwise, so the weather-sensitive south coast comes early while you still have slack to absorb a delay. Clockwise works too; flip the plan if your first days show a better forecast for the north. **What should you book before you land?** Rooms in Vík, Höfn and the Mývatn area first, because those are small places with limited beds. Then any glacier walk, boat trip or whale-watching departure you care about, and lagoon tickets for a set evening. The rest of the plan survives improvisation. ## Sources Distances and road facts: [Vegagerðin, Route 1 length]() (source checked 2026-09-13) · [Vegagerðin distance tool]() (source checked 2026-09-13) · [Vegagerðin winter services]() (source checked 2026-09-13). Driving rules: [SafeTravel]() (source checked 2026-09-13) · [Umhverfisstofnun]() (source checked 2026-09-13). Daylight: [Visit Reykjavík]() (source checked 2026-09-13) · [Visit Reykjavík (summer)]() (source checked 2026-09-13). A source check applies to the stated fact on its check date, not to today’s conditions; verify prices, openings and road status against the linked sources before you travel. [The Ring Road, explained]() · [Compare Iceland driving routes]() · [When to take this trip]() Country reference: [Iceland statistics]().