Iceland Road Trip | The Perfect Itinerary for 7, 14 & 21 Days

An Iceland road trip is probably one of the most amazing trips you can do in Europe. Iceland is just perfect as a country for a road trip and the landscape is just spectacular on the small volcanic island in the Atlantic. There are waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches and the highlands in which you feel like on the moon.

On an road trip through Iceland you will see and experience things that you can’t see anywhere else, at least not in this density. There are different ways to discover Iceland on a road trip. Whether you have only 7-10 days, 2 weeks or even 3 weeks time. Iceland is always worth a trip.

In the following we have 3 route suggestions for you, so that you can experience the perfect Iceland vacation.

Iceland Road Trip Tips

If you want to travel to Iceland, then it is advisable to take some travel tips to heart. Some things are -besides the landscape- very special in Iceland. These include the required rental cars, the weather and regions such as the highlands. Some important Iceland tips we want to give you now to the hand.

Where to book a Rental Car for Iceland

Generally we like to book our rental cars for everywhere in the world with German providers. Unfortunately, there are no campervans or rental cars with roof tent available. Also cars, which are suitable for the highlands, are not available here.

For that you have to search with Icelandic providers. A specialized price comparison site for rental cars in Iceland is northbound.is*. There you can find everything from normal small cars to SUVs with roof tent to large SUVs and campers.

With Northbound, you can cancel all cars up to 48 hours before the start of the rental period free of charge. This is always helpful if travel plans change unexpectedly. We were completely satisfied with the booking, the car, the whole process and the support of Northbound and can only recommend you to book here.

Car Rental at the Iceland Specialist with Years of Know-How:

Northbound.is

• compares all Icelandic car rental providers
• specialized in Iceland roundtrips and the highlands
• specialized insurances for the rough Iceland available
• free cancellation up to 48h before start of rental period
• normal rental cars, campervans, motorhomes, SUV (also with roof tent) & off-road vehicles available

Find The Best Prices for Iceland Rental Cars at northbound.is*

Important Travel Tips for your Iceland Road Trip

Iceland is a very special destination. Not only because of the indescribably beautiful landscape. Also because the climatic conditions and the road conditions are very special. It is always windy and often stormy. Of course it also rains very often.

And although the ring road around the island is almost completely paved, the roads in the adventurous highlands are of a completely different caliber.

As you can see, there is a lot to consider before you go on your first Iceland road trip. To make your trip planning a little easier, we have written a separate article on the most important travel tips for Iceland:

• Iceland Travel Tips 2023 | What you should know before your first road trip!

Iceland Road Trip | Our Route Suggestions

Iceland is super versatile, it offers countless waterfalls, glaciers, black lava beaches, volcanoes, hot springs and much more. The nature in Iceland is the highlight of the island. Nowhere in the world are comparable landscapes in such abundance. Iceland must be seen and many people are attracted to the volcanic island in the Atlantic not only once.

You can spend many weeks or even months on Iceland and still not have seen everything. But even with a round trip of 1-3 weeks you can see many great sights and be enchanted by the breathtaking nature.

7 Day Iceland Road Trip Itinerary

If you only have a week for an Iceland road trip, then it is unrealistic and too stressful to go around the whole island, instead you should stay in the south. But that’s not bad at all, because in the south of Iceland there are many great highlights like the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlon or the black lava beach Stokksnes.

Also many great waterfalls are located in the south of Iceland and can be visited with our Iceland itinerary for one week.

So you can get a great overview of the wonderful landscape here and whet your appetite for your next Iceland trip.

Overview of the 7 Days Itinerary

Day	Route / Highlight	Distance / Driving Time
Day 1	Kevlavik Airport to Golden Circle	125 km / 2,5 h
Day 2	Golden Circle to Skogafoss	75 km / 1,5 h
Day 3	Skogafoss to Vik	45 km / 1 h
Day 4	Vik to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon	45 km / 1 h
Day 5	Skaftafell National Park	50 km / 1 h
Day 6	Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlon	45 km / 1 h
Day 7	Stokksnes & Return	360 km / 7.5 h

With our 7-day itinerary, you’ll see the very biggest Iceland highlights and experience many of the most beautiful sights in Iceland. The hotel density in the south of Iceland is relatively high and there are also quite a few campsites. So you won’t have any problems with accommodation.

If you want more information about our 7 days Iceland road trip then read our detailed travel report:

7 Days Iceland Road Trip | All You Need To Know

Iceland Road Trip Itinerary for 14 Days

It is easily possible during a 2 week Iceland road trip itinerary to circle the island once and take in most of the highlights. Because the ring road leads once around the island and there are also most of the highlights. But if you also want to drive through Iceland’s spectacular highlands, it is not so easy to find a suitable route for a 14-day Iceland road trip.

Therefore, we have looked at the research for our own 14 days Iceland round trip, which highland roads can also be driven with a simple off-road vehicle and made an Iceland itinerary including the highlands. You can of course skip the highland parts of this route and spend more time on the coast.

Overview of the 2 Weeks Iceland Road Trip Itinerary

Travel Day	Route / Highlight	Distance / Driving Time
Day 1	Reykjavik to Vik	190 km / 2,5 h
Day 2	Arrival to Landmannalaugar	190 km / 6,5 h
Day 3	Landmannalaugar	90 km / 3 h
Day 4	Laki Krater	120 km / 5 h
Day 5	Jökulsárlon Glacier Lagoon	130 km / 2 h
Day 6	East Fjords Day 1	230 km / 3 h
Day 7	East Fjords Day 2	280 km / 4 h
Day 8	Stuðlagil Canyon	150 km / 2 h
Day 9	Askja Volcano	100 km / 7 h
Day 10	Húsavík Whalewatching	150 km / 1.5 h
Day 11	Lake Mývatn	60 km / 1 h
Day 12	Goðafoss & Arrival to F-Road 35	200 km / 2.5 h
Day 13	Kerlingafjöll & Hveradalir	200 km / 4 h
Day 14	Golden Circle & Blue Lagoon	180 km / 3 h

In our 2 weeks itinerary you will see the most beautiful Icelandic highlights and even experience the adventurous highlands in the center of the island. What you can discover in Iceland’s highlands is really out of this world. For the highlands you absolutely need an off-road vehicle. Do you want to know what you have to pay attention to when renting a car and what you can expect here?

For more information about our 14 days Iceland road trip itinerary read our detailed travel report:

14 Days Iceland Road Trip (incl. Highlands) | All You Need To Know

Iceland Road Trip in 3 Weeks

On a 3 weeks Iceland road trip you can discover almost all sights of this wonderful island. You will not only drive along Iceland’s ring road, but you can also visit special places like the remote Westfjords or the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

But also the most beautiful sights on the ring road of Iceland, such as Skogafoss, Stokksnes, the glacier lagoon Jökulsarlon or Dettifoss you will be able to marvel at this Iceland road trip.

Our 3 weeks Iceland itinerary is based on a classic Iceland round trip along the ring road and makes additional detours to great highlights like the Westfjords or the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Overview of the 3 Weeks Iceland Itinerary

Travel Day	Route / Highlight	Distance / Driving Time
Day 1	Golden Circle	200 km / 2,5 h
Day 2	Seljalandsfoss & Skogafoss	120 km / 1,5 h
Day 3	Dyrhólaey & Vik	70 km / 1 h
Day 4	Arrival to Landmannalaugar via F208	190 km / 6,5 h
Day 5	Landmannalaugar	90km / 3 h
Day 6	Laki Crater	120 km / 4 h
Day 7	Pakgil & Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon	70 km / 1 h
Day 8	Skaftafell National Park	80 km / 1 h
Day 9	Jökulsárlon Lacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach	70 km / 1 h
Day 10	East Fjords #1	230 km / 3 h
Day 11	East Fjords #2	280 km / 4 h
Day 12	Stuðlagil Canyon	150 km / 2 h
Day 13	Askja Volcano	100 km / 6-7 h
Day 14	Húsavík – Whalewatching	150 km / 1,5 h
Day 15	Mývatn	60 km / 1 h
Day 16	Goðafoss & Arrival at F-Road F35	200 km / 2,5 h
Day 17	Kerlingafjöll & Hveradalir	200 km / 4 h
Day 18	Arrival Westfjords	200 km / 3 h
Day 19	Westfjords #1	230 km / 4 h
Day 20	Westfjords #2	190 km / 4 h
Day 21	Westfjords #3	300 km / 6 h
Day 22	Snæfellsnes Island	380 km / 7 h
Day 23	Blue Lagoon	115 km / 2 h

In 3 weeks you can actually already discover everything in Iceland. I get to the highlands, visit the remote Westfjords and otherwise take every wonderful Iceland highlight that there is to experience here.

For more information on our 3 week Iceland road trip read our detailed trip report:

3 Weeks Iceland Road Trip (with Highlands) | All You Need To Know

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We hope you enjoyed our blog post about the best Iceland Road Trip Itineraries. If you have any question feel free to leave us a comment below.