If you love road trips, Iceland should be number one on your bucket list. Many blogs and forums advise not to tour the whole island in a week. We would like to challenge them because we went on a 7 day road trip around the whole country and it was nothing short of awesome! Our 7 day Iceland road trip itinerary is PACKED with hiking, adventure, and of course hours of driving but the hours of driving adds to the adventure because the views out the window are breathtaking. When I say packed I mean every hour counts!
How we made our Iceland road trip itinerary possible in just 7 days!
- Planned the longest drives for the beginning of the Iceland road trip itinerary while we had the most energy
- Made the drive to the next destination the night before in order to wake up early and enjoy a full day at each spot
- Never stayed at the same accommodation for more than one night
- Arrived at our accommodations around 11 PM every night (took advantage of the 22 hour sunlight)
- Woke up around 6-7 AM every morning
- Napped in the car
- Brought a cooler and bought groceries so we could eat in the car which saved time and money. Learn more about meal costs in our blog, “Iceland Travel Tips – Need to Know Before You Go“
- Drank coffee – of course
Check out our itinerary if you only have a week but are looking for a huge adventure. We covered everything from the West Fjords to the Golden Circle. We didn’t stay in one area for more than one night, so be well rested before you go and plan on staying up late to cover the best spots in Iceland!
Iceland Flight & Car Rental
- Airline WOW Air
- Flight Cost: $300 Roundtrip
- Car Rental: Lagoon Car Rental
- Vehicle: KIA Sporttage (AWD)
- Vehicle Cost: $750 for the week
We booked our flights through WOW Air for $300 for one round ticket. WOW Air is comparable to the US Air Line Spirit, it’s a lower end cheap airline. The plane is minimal with no screens, snacks or drinks, but like I said $300! Well worth giving up free peanuts.
Our flight left out of Toronto Canada at 7 PM and we landed in Reykjavik at 4:45 am. Like we said before get as much sleep as possible before you go because you basically skip a night of sleep with the time change.
Let the adventure begin! Lagoon Car Rental had a shuttle pick us up from the airport and it took us to their building. Check out our blog, “Iceland Travel Tips – Need To Know Before You Go“, to learn more about picking out a car for your own Iceland Road Trip Itinerary. After we got our car we headed straight for Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
Day 1 Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Snæfellsnes Peninsula is so memorable for us because it was our first look at Iceland. First impressions are everything, and trust us it did not disappoint.
Highlights of Snæfellsnes Peninsula
- First waterfall of the trip
- Black Church
- Arnarstapi Cliffs/Overpass
- Kirkjufell Waterfall
- Accommodations
First Waterfall of the Trip
We drove 2 hours to get to Snæfellsnes and the first thing we saw was this beautiful waterfall. We screamed at Faris to stop the car and all 5 of us ran up this big hill to get to the top. It was insane to see such a beautiful waterfall just casually on the side of the road!
We always laugh when thinking back at this part of our Iceland road trip itinerary because we were so pumped and excited to see this waterfall. By the end of the trip we had seen hundreds of waterfalls and waterfalls WAY bigger than this. They are very common in Iceland and we looked like the typical tourist!
Black Church
Across the street from this waterfall is the black church. This is a common set for photographers. It’s a striking black church with the views of mountains in the background. There’s also a beach behind the church, it’s about a 10 minute walk away. Otherwise, there’s not much to do here but enjoy the beauty.
Arnarstapi Cliffs/Overpass
Hiking here is crazy because you get to walk along massive cliffs. If you look down you can see the water crashing along the huge rock formations. Definitely bring hats and gloves here because it is very windy from the ocean.
When we first arrived to the parking lot we took a right looking for the well-known overpass. We hiked this way for about an hour and realized we should have gone left. We made our way back and found the overpass only about 10 minutes away from the parking lot. So if you are looking for the overpass go LEFT!
No big deal because the right is still a great hike. Basically anywhere you go in Iceland has amazing views so you just can’t go wrong.
Kirkjufell Mountain
So stunning! This mountain is so unique because it’s covered in bright green grass and it has a beautiful waterfall in front of it. The only downfall here is the waterfall is blocked off by ropes so you can only get so close and this is a touristy area.
Accommodations
- Area: West Fjords
- Accommodation: Bjarkarholt Guesthouse
- Cost Per Night: About $213
- Number of People: 5
Our thought process with accommodations was to make the drive to our next destination the previous day in order to wake up early and enjoy the current spot. So after the Kirkjufell Mountain we made the drive to the West Fjords. We arrived around 10 PM at our Air B&B, Bjarkarholt Guesthouse. It took about 5 hours to get to the West Fjords and the Guesthouse cost us $213.
The guesthouse is great especially for 5 people. It has two bedrooms that have two twin beds in each. It also has a large couch in the living room for the 5th person. The guesthouse is out in the middle of nowhere but that’s the kind of vibe you get when go anywhere in the West Fjords. Across the street from the guesthouse is a natural hot spring and in the backyard is a huge field of purple flowers and mountains in the distance. The remoteness is so refreshing and relaxing.
Here’s a link to the Bjarkarholt Guesthouse, click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way!
Day 2 – West Fjords
Yes, we did all that in Day 1! It was basically like a 48 hour day because of how our flight worked out with the time change. “On the go” is the theme for our whole Iceland road trip itinerary! Day 2 is no slower than Day 1!
The West Fjords were by far our favorite part of the trip. Many skip the West Fjords in their Iceland road trip itinerary because of the long and windy drive. Do not make this mistake the West Fjords is a must!
Highlights of the West Fjords
- Driving in West Fjords
- Hot Springs
- Látrabjarg – Puffin Cliff
- Dynjandi Waterfall
- Accommodations
Driving in West Fjords
Driving in the West Fjords is like nothing else and definitely not to be left off your Iceland road trip itinerary. You have to drive along skinny roads that weave around massive cliffs. You drive in and out of all the Fjords. This can be scary at times especially when you are passing another car going around a corner on the side of the cliff. Be careful and reconsider going here if you have a fear of heights! Overall, the roads are safe just go slow and you will be fine. Enjoy the free sightseeing!
Hot Springs
The craziest part about driving along these Fjords is that there are natural hot springs along the sides! You will just be driving and see a sign that has a person in a pool so you know there is a hot spring. This is a great way to take a break from the driving!
Látrabjarg – Puffin Cliffs
One of our favorite adventures in our Iceland road trip itinerary! It’s one of our favorites because of the massive cliffs and our adventure to find the Puffins!
The owner of the Air B&B at Bjarkarholt Guesthouse told us to get to these cliffs either really early or late because the puffins leave the cliffs once the tourist get there. We woke up at 6 AM and drove about an hour to Látrabjarg
The excitement level was high because there was no one there so we started to hike the cliffs in search of puffins. We hiked along the cliff coast line for a couple miles and still saw no puffins. The frustration grew so we decided to turn around.
We made our way back to the beginning of the hike and saw a couple groups of people taking pictures. There were a few puffins right at the entrance, we just didn’t see any when we passed that area. Needless to say we got our steps in but “damn puffins” became of the quote of the trip!
Not finding the puffins was kind of a blessing in disguise. The couple miles we hiked further on were some of the best views we had seen the whole trip!
Dynjandi Waterfall
All I can say is wow. This was Lisa’s favorite waterfall out of all Iceland. It’s a massive waterfall but not the biggest. What makes it so unique is the ability to hike the side of the waterfall. Once you get to the top the view is 360 degrees. The waterfall itself is so powerful but if you turn around you get a view of additional waterfalls and the ocean with the fjords in the background!
Accommodations
- Area: Akureyi/Lake Mývatn
- Accommodation: Silva Holiday Home
- Cost Per Night: About $280
- Number of People: 5
After the waterfall we made the 6.5 hour drive to Akureyi/Lake Myvatn area. We stayed in another Air B&B called the Silva Holiday Home. We lucked out with this Air B&B it was booked all the way until the week before our trip.
Our cabin had 2 bedrooms and a pullout couch with a kitchen. The back of cabin had a large deck that faced the mountains and it had a hot tub so you could enjoy the incredible sunset! A night in the Silva home cost us $280 Get this Air B&B if it is available!
Here’s a link to the Silva Holiday Home,click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way!
Day 3 – Akureyi/Lake Mývatn
Akureyi/Lake Mývatn area is Northern Iceland and you start to see more people in this area. This was a long day for us. We really tried to pack as much as possible in Day 3.
Highlights of Akureyi/Lake Mývatn
- Goðafoss Waterfall
- Lake Mývatn
- Grjótagjá Cave
- Mývatn Nature Bath
- Hverir – Bubbling Mud pools
- Krafla/Viti – Crater
- Dettifoss Waterfall
- Askja – Famous Crater
- Accommodation
Goðafoss Waterfall
Goðafoss is massive and so gorgeous because the water looks teal blue and there are huge rock formations surrounding the waterfall. You can walk around the waterfall and get plenty of pictures. We spent about 20 minutes here and then drove 30 minutes to Lake Mývatn.
Lake Mývatn
Lake Mývatn is a volcanic lake in Northern Iceland. It’s the central location for activities in this area. Near the lake is Grjótagjá Cave, which was used as the set for one of the famous Game of Thrones episodes. East of the lake is a naturally heated, man-made lagoon. Also close by is Hverir, which is a geothermal spot home to bubbling mud pools and a strong sulfur smell. Last but not least, Kafla is a large crater which you can hike to the top of and see the inside of the crater.
Grjótagjá Cave
If you are a big fan of Game of Thrones you will recognize this cave. It was used as the set in the 5th episode (Kissed by Fire) in the Third Season. The grotto held the famous “naughty” scene with Jon Snow and Ygritte.
The cave is heated by natural hot springs. Tourists, not too long ago, were able to go into the water but the farmer who owns the land closed it off. We stayed here for about 10 minutes then headed to the hot spring.
Mývatn Nature Bath
The man-made lagoon looks just like the famous Blue Lagoon. We decided to go to this lagoon instead because it is less touristy and is essentially the same thing as the Blue Lagoon. We were looking for something that was not crowded. It cost us $27 with our student IDs. The water was very warm and enjoyable although it did have a sulfur smell. We spent about 45 minutes here and then went to Hverir. You can find out more details about this Lagoon on their website, myvatnnaturebaths.
Hverir
When you drive up to this spot you feel like you are on mars. The red stone and bubbling mud is such a unique sight. We’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s so different that it’s even been used in couple movies as the set of space and planets.
Krafla – Viti
Last but definitely not least. Viti is a massive crater located in the Caldera, Krafla. You can hike up the side and look into the pool of teal water. Such an epic sight! Make sure to wear good boots in order to make this hike. It was raining and extremely windy when we went and the paths can be narrow so be careful!
Dettifoss
After Lake Mývatn we headed to the waterfall, Dettifoss, which is located in North Eastern Iceland. It’s known as the second most powerful waterfall in Europe. It is crazy big, you feel the power of the water as you get closer. There are large groups of tourists here but it’s so large that it does not feel crowded. Photographers sit and video tape the scene for hours!
Askja
More like the attempt to find Askja. In order to get to this caldera you either take a helicopter or you go off-roading through muddy terrain and rivers. We attempted to go the off-roading route in our Kia Sporttage. It was around 8 PM at this time. We got a little more than half way until we hit one large river. The water was high with a fast current. We checked out the depth and the Sporttage’s clearance would not make it. Sadly we had to turn around.
We were really disappointed because Askja is supposedly one of the best sites of Iceland. If we had gotten a bigger vehicle we could have made it across the river. Instead we turned around and headed to our hostel for the night
Accommodation
- Area: South East Coast
- Accommodation: Framtid Hostel
- Cost Per Night: About $270
- Number of People: 5
After our Asjka attempt we drove 3.5 hours to the South East Coast and arrived at the Framtid Hostel at 11:30 PM. The hostel was ok, nothing special but it supplied us what we needed. The room had two bunk beds with full size mattresses. The hostel also had a kitchen and a communal area to hang out. It cost us $270 for the night.
Here’s a link to the Framtid Hostel,click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way!
Day 4 – South East Coast
Day 4 is a much slower day which was nice because Day 3 kicked our butts! We visited 3 main attractions this day. We started out with Stockness, which is a little off the beaten path. Then we went to Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell which are pretty touristy. You definitely start to see more and more people as you head South and closer to Reykjavik.
Highlights of the South East Coast
- Stockness – Mountain
- Jökulsárlón – Glacier Lagoon
- Skaftafell – National Park
Stokkness
The area of Stokkness has mountain you can hike. Next to the mountain is black beach with an incredible view of the mountain in the background.
There was a thick cloud that covered the mountain when we went to Stokkness. At first we were frustrated because we wanted to capture the mountain in our photos. But the cloud actually added some uniqueness to the pictures!
Jökulsárlón
AMAZING. You just don’t see views like many other places in the world. Jökulsárlón is a glacier lagoon bordering Vatnajökull National Park. It has bright blue water with floating icebergs. It’s very obvious why it is such an attraction for tourists. The glacier lagoon is just breathtaking! We stayed here for a couple hours to admire the lagoon! We would argue that is was the best view on our Iceland road trip itinerary.
Skaftafell National Park
Skaftafell National Park was established in 1967 but in 2008 became part of Vatnajokull National Park. Now it is the second largest national park in Europe. There are a number of things to do here.
We focused on the hiking trails of Skaftafell. We hiked about a mile to the glacier, Skaftafellsjökull. It is recommended to get a guide in order to climb on the glaciers but we were rebels and went by ourselves. We didn’t go very far, just enough to say we stood on a glacier!
Accommodations
- Area: Vik
- Accommodation: Puffin Hostel
- Cost Per Night: About $311
- Number of People: 5
After Skaftafell we drove 2.5 hours to the town of Vik. We stayed in the Puffin Hostel. We would say this was the most interesting accommodation we stayed in. Check out the accommodations section in our blog “Iceland Travel Tips – Need to Know Before you Go” to hear what happened here.
Here’s a link to the Puffin Hostel,click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way!
Day 5 – Vik
Day 5 is another easier day because the attractions are all in one central area. We planned our trip this way on purpose. We planned the heaviest packed days for the beginning of our trip while we had the most energy and slowed down towards the end.
Highlights of Vik
- Reynisfjara – Black Beach
- Dyrhólaey – Never Ending Beach
- Sólheimasandur – Plane Crash
- Skógafoss Waterfall
- Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Reynisfjara
Reynisfjara is the famous black beach located near Vik on the southern coast. It’s famous because of the dark sand, basalt sea stacks that frame the beach, and the protruding rock formations in the sea.
There is an old folks tale that states the rock formations just off the coast were believed to be trolls who were caught in the sunlight and petrified by the sun’s rays.
This beach is not your typical beach to build sandcastles. The beach itself looks like an art piece. They only downfall is the amount of tourists here. It is packed!
Dyrhólaey
Dyrhólaey is a small peninsula off the same coast of Reynisfjara. This peninsula is often forgotten and overshadowed by the black beach, but nonetheless is no less beautiful. Dyrhólaey has it’s own character and is a dream spot for photographers. There are plenty of viewpoints to see the never ending beach!
Sólheimasandur
Sólheimasandur is another famous attraction. You have probably seen pictures of this plane all over Instagram. It’s located between Vik and Skógafoss. A couple years ago you were able to drive up to the plane but is now about a 2 mile hike from the road.
On November 24, 1974 U.S. Navy plane had to make an emergency landing due to bad weather conditions. The pilot spotted this beach and made the landing. Luckily, everyone aboard survived the crash and left behind a cool piece of history for people to enjoy! Read more about the story in the Icelandic land owners article, “Iceland’s Ghost Fleet“.
Skógafoss
This was Faris’ favorite waterfall. This was probably the most intimate waterfall because you could walk right up to it and feel the power. It was mesmerizing to face the waterfall and feel the force of the wind and water. But don’t stand there too long or you will get soaked!
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss is another huge waterfall located right down the road from Skógafoss. What makes this waterfall unique is that you can walk behind it and get a great view and some cool pictures. Make sure to bring a raincoat here because you will get wet!
Accommodations
- Area: Golden Circle
- Accommodation: Middalskot Cottages
- Cost Per Night: About $193
- Number of People: 5
After Seljalandsfoss we drove about 2 hours to Lisa’s favorite Air B&B, Middalskot Cottages. The cottage was actually the cheapest out of all our accommodations at $193/night. The cottage is located in Laugarvatn, in the Golden Circle.
When we pulled up to the cottage a Labrador Retriever ran right up to our car door wagging its tail non-stop. Lisa loves dogs so this was a good start. We decided to give the pup thee nickname, Doggo, because he didn’t have a name tag. (We’re so creative, right?)
The cabin had a large living room with a kitchen and two bedrooms. On the cabinet was a note from the owner.
The cabin had horses in the backyard to feed and pet! Lisa loves horses just as much as dogs. She stayed outside with the horses until 2 am. You can see why this was her favorite place!
Here’s a link to the Middalskot Cottage, click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way!
Day 6 – Golden Circle
This was our second to last day and our least favorite day. Now don’t get me wrong, the Golden Circle has some pretty cool stuff to see but it’s not even comparable to what we saw at the previous locations on our Iceland road trip itinerary.
The Golden Circle is packed with tourist because it is easy to get to from Reykjavik. If we had to eliminate a day it would be this day.
Highlights of the Golden Circle
- Thingvellir National Park
- Gulfoss Waterfall
- Strokkur – Geysir
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park is known as the site of Iceland’s Parliament from the 10th-18th centuries. You can find the Þingvellir Church and ruins of old stone shelters here. The park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of 2 tectonic plates.
There are couple things to do and see here. Silfra is a rift formed in the divergent tectonic boundary between the North American and Eurasion plates. They have tours for diving and snorkeling in the rift. If you are not into snorkeling in 50 degree temperatures at least fill up your water bottle. The water in the rift is so clean that you are able to drink from it!
You also visit the waterfall Öxarárfoss, and hike the trails of Lögberg.
Gulfoss
Gulfoss is located in the canyon of the Hvítá River and it’s one of the most popular tourist attractions of Iceland. To be honest we actually skipped this waterfall because we had seen so many waterfalls by the end of the trip and we were overwhelmed by the amount of tourists. It’s really hard to go from West Fjords where you don’t see people for miles to the Golden Circle where every attraction is full of people.
The best part of planning an Iceland road trip itinerary is you have the freedom to skip a few things on the list or choose to explore everything Iceland has to offer. It just depends on what you want to do!
Strokkur
Strokkur is a fountain Geysir located near Hverir. Being from Michigan we don’t see many Geysirs, but we were still underwhelmed by this one. It seemed like more of an attraction for kids. You see the geysir go off and that’s about all there is to do here.
Accommodations
- Area: Reykjavik
- Accommodation: Galaxy Pod Hostel
- Cost Per Night: About $220
- Number of People: 4
After we finished the Golden Circle we drove 1.5 hours to Galaxy Pod Hostel in Reykjavik and arrived at 5 PM. The Galaxy Pod hostel cost us $220 for the night and the room was pretty simple, it had 2 bunk beds with full size mattresses. This was the only time we stayed with more people than just our own group. It also had huge community bathrooms and a nice central area for cooking and hanging out.
Here’s a link to the Galaxy Pod Hostel, click here to book at no extra cost to you but it sends a little love our way!
Overall we wish we could have stayed somewhere else but all the hostels were booked up in this area. Check out our blog, “Iceland Travel Tips – Need to Know Before you Go“, to get more details on booking accommodations in Iceland.
Night 6 & Day 7 – Reykjavik
Reykjavik is Iceland’s capital and largest city. Reykjavik is home to almost 40% of Iceland’s population. It is drastically different than any other city in Iceland. It has a really upbeat downtown area with some very expensive shopping. The downtown area is always busy during the day and is bumping at night!
Highlights of Reykjavik
- Night Life
- Downtown Reykjavik
- Braud & CO – Cinnamon Rolls
Night Life
Reykjavik is famous for their bars and wild night life. Lisa has a friend who played volleyball with her in college that met up with us and showed us around. Unfortunately, our Reykjavik trip fell on a Monday night but we didn’t let this stop us.
We started the pregame in our Hostel and then went out to Bar Ananas. This bar was super fun. It was almost like a tree-house bar, it had multiple levels with a live tree in the middle of it. The vibe was super cool and wacky with a delicious beer menu!
After the bar closed we went to the famous hot dog stand, Baejarins Beztu Pylsur. They were so good especially after a few drinks!
Reykjavik Downtown
The next day we went and got a sandwich at one of the cafes, did some shopping around the town, and enjoyed some of the street art. We also checked out the largest church in Iceland, Hallgrímskirkja.
Braud & CO – Cinnamon Rolls
OMG! The best cinnamon rolls we have ever had. You can see the bakers making the cinnamon rolls through the window. The amazing smell draws you in, there is no passing these babies up. Lisa looked at Faris and asked if he wanted to share one with her. They both laughed and said “Not A Chance”! We both got a giant cinnamon roll and ate every single bite. A Iceland road trip itinerary is incomplete without these rolls on your list!
Final Costs & Thoughts about Iceland
Sadly, our adventure is over but here are some final thoughts about our 7 day Iceland Road Trip Around Iceland.
Costs
If you know us we are all about finding a good deal. The total costs including: flight, car, gas, accommodations, food, drinks, and activities came to just over $900/person. Not bad for a weeks vacation!
If We Were to Change One Thing About Our Trip
If we were to change one thing we would take out Day 6 – The Golden Circle and add an extra day on to the West Fjords. There’s so much to see and explore here and we can’t emphasize enough how incredible this area is!
Iceland Road Trip Itinerary Conclusion
Iceland was both of our favorite trips to date so far because we loved the road-trip vibe and being able to cater the trips to our wants! A 7 day road trip around Iceland will be tiring but SO worth it. We would do this trip again in a heartbeat and hope to do it again in the winter to check out the Northern Lights!
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