Iceland Road Trip Planning Tips

Overlooking the town of Vik with Reynisdrangar (sea stacks) and Reynisfjall (mountain) in background (Iceland Road Trip Planning Tips)

Iceland has long been famed for its raw and dramatic landscape, a dream destination for any avid landscape photographer. Located between Greenland and Norway, the island nation is at the juncture of the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Based on our Jun-2014 Iceland road trip, here are our Iceland Road Trip Planning Tips!

Iceland: The Land of Fire and Ice

Due to its remoteness, Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. However, in spite of its geographical location and demographics, it was ranked as the 13th most-developed country in the world in 2013.

Geographically, Iceland is nothing less than a wonderland. Formed around 20-25 million years ago by volcanic eruptions and shaped by massive glaciers, it is aptly known as “The Land of Fire and Ice”. Iceland’s breathtaking beauty can be in part attributed to it being one of the youngest landmasses on the planet. Consequently, Iceland has the most active volcano area in the world while hosting the largest waterfall and glacier in Europe.

The Ring Road (Route 1)

Route planning for an Icelandic road trip is surprisingly simple. The entire island is connected via a Ring Road (Route 1; 1332km total), which circles the island and connects most of the larger towns including its capital Reykjavik.

More importantly, many of the most popular tourist attractions are near or on the Ring Road. This is the only major highway outside the capital and you wouldn’t get lost even if you tried very hard to! Simply complete the Ring Road and you would have covered many of the major tourist spots in Iceland.

Tips for Iceland Road Trip:

Plan at least 2 weeks for round-island road trips.
During summer visits, detour from the Ring Road into the interior (highland areas) of the island. The most breathtaking landscapes are found in the highlands. Most (if not all) of the highland roads are marked “F” roads and only accessible by 4×4 vehicles during summer months. (online updates on “F” roads status found here)
Certain “F” roads are notoriously difficult to drive (especially for tourist in rented 4x4s), seek local advise (or google) before attempting.
Accommodation outside Reykjavik is especially limited and expensive. Accommodation plans must be made well in advance.

A 4x4 is especially useful in Iceland's highlands and numerous unpaved roads — A 4×4 is especially useful in Iceland’s highlands and numerous unpaved roads (Iceland Road Trip Planning Tips)

This post is part of our comprehensive blogs on how to plan for an Icelandic Road Trip. To know what are the top attractions in the various regions of Iceland, refer to our relevant blog post/s on these regions below:

Advertisements

Map View of the Top Attractions in Iceland (by region)

Top Attractions in Iceland

loading map - please wait...

#1 (Reykjavik): Sun Voyager: 64.147610, -21.922288

#2 (Reykjavik): Harpa: 64.150730, -21.932805

#3 (Reykjavik): Hallgrímskirkja : 64.141715, -21.926637

#4 (Reykjavik): Blue Lagoon: 63.879122, -22.445563

#5 (Reykjavik): Krýsuvík -Seltun: 63.895801, -22.053059

#6 (Golden Circle): Thingvellir National Park : 64.255856, -21.130357

#7 (Golden Circle): Geysir : 64.310105, -20.299708

#8 (Golden Circle): Gullfoss: 64.327373, -20.121353

South_Iceland_#1: Seljalandsfoss: 63.615495, -19.990053

South_Iceland_#2: Skógafoss: 63.532095, -19.511636

South_Iceland_#3: Mýrdalsjökull Glacier: 63.532643, -19.369240

South_Iceland_#4: Crashed DC-3 Plane: 63.459082, -19.364691

South_Iceland_#5: Reynisfjara, Halsanefshellir, Reynisdrangar and Reynisfjall: 63.405740, -19.071619

South_Iceland_#6: Dyrholaey: 63.399594, -19.126339

South_Iceland_#7: Landmannalaugar: 63.983000, -19.067000

Southeast_Iceland_#1: Svartifoss, Skaftafell National Park : 64.016472, -16.966512

Southeast_Iceland_#2: Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon : 64.014326, -16.372590

Southeast_Iceland_#3: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon : 64.073963, -16.219683

Northeast_Iceland_#1: Dettifoss, Hafragilsfoss and Selfoss: 65.814666, -16.384576

Northeast_Iceland_#2: Mývatn Nature Baths: 65.635886, -16.847355

Northeast_Iceland_#3: Hverarondor Hverir: 65.640914, -16.809311

Northeast_Iceland_#4: Askja: 65.011054, -16.748528

Northeast_Iceland_#5: Godafoss: 65.682995, -17.550823

	#1 (Reykjavik): Sun Voyager Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik: Sun Voyager Sun Voyager, Reykjavik, Iceland
	#2 (Reykjavik): Harpa Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik : Harpa Harpa, Reykjavik, Iceland
	#3 (Reykjavik): Hallgrímskirkja Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik : Hallgrímskirkja Hallgrímskirkja (Reykjavik, Iceland)
	#4 (Reykjavik): Blue Lagoon Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik : Blue Lagoon Blue Lagoon, Iceland
	#5 (Reykjavik): Krýsuvík -Seltun Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik : Krýsuvík -Seltun Krysuvik-Seltun, Iceland
	#6 (Golden Circle): Thingvellir National Park Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik : Thingvellir National Park (Golden Circle) Thingvellir National Park, Iceland
	#7 (Golden Circle): Geysir Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik : Geysir (Golden Circle) The Great Geysir, Geysir Geothermal Field, Iceland
	#8 (Golden Circle): Gullfoss Top 8 Attractions in and around Reykjavik : Gullfoss (Golden Circle) Gullfoss, Iceland
	Northeast_Iceland_#1: Dettifoss, Hafragilsfoss and Selfoss 5 Greatest Attractions in Northeast Iceland Dettifoss: Europe’s most powerful waterfall.
	Northeast_Iceland_#2: Mývatn Nature Baths 5 Greatest Attractions in Northeast Iceland Mývatn Nature Baths; warm yourself in the hot nature pool while the ambient temperature is plunging as evening approaches.
	Northeast_Iceland_#3: Hverarondor Hverir 5 Greatest Attractions in Northeast Iceland Boiling mudpools at Hverarondor Hverir
	Northeast_Iceland_#4: Askja 5 Greatest Attractions in Northeast Iceland Askja: Viti crater (foreground) and Öskjuvatn lake (background) (Jun-2014)
	Northeast_Iceland_#5: Godafoss 5 Greatest Attractions in Northeast Iceland Godafoss. Impressive waterfall that is visible from the Ring Road.
	Southeast_Iceland_#1: Svartifoss, Skaftafell National Park 3 Must-See Places in Southeast Iceland Svartifoss (aka “Black Waterfall”) is easily the most popular attraction in Skaftafell National Park.
	Southeast_Iceland_#2: Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon 3 Must-See Places in Southeast Iceland The beautiful Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon.
	Southeast_Iceland_#3: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon 3 Must-See Places in Southeast Iceland Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Panoramic lagoon with out-of-this-world views.
	South_Iceland_#1: Seljalandsfoss Iceland Road Trip: Top 7 Attractions in Southern Iceland Seljalandsfoss, Iceland.
	South_Iceland_#2: Skógafoss Iceland Road Trip: Top 7 Attractions in Southern Iceland Skógafoss. One of the biggest and most beautiful waterfall in Iceland.
	South_Iceland_#3: Mýrdalsjökull Glacier Iceland Road Trip: Top 7 Attractions in Southern Iceland Mýrdalsjökull is the southernmost and fourth largest glacier in Iceland
	South_Iceland_#4: Crashed DC-3 Plane Iceland Road Trip: Top 7 Attractions in Southern Iceland Directions to DC-3 Plane Wreck (South Iceland) Crashed DC-3 Plane, Southern Iceland
	South_Iceland_#5: Reynisfjara, Halsanefshellir, Reynisdrangar and Reynisfjall Iceland Road Trip: Top 7 Attractions in Southern Iceland Reynisfjara (black sand beach). The most renowned black sand beach in Iceland.
	South_Iceland_#6: Dyrholaey Iceland Road Trip: Top 7 Attractions in Southern Iceland Dyrholaey. Overlooking Reynisfjara (black sand beach), Reynisfjall (Mountain) and Reynisdrangar (sea stacks) in the distance.
	South_Iceland_#7: Landmannalaugar Iceland Road Trip: Top 7 Attractions in Southern Iceland Campsite at Landmannalaugar.