I recently spent a week in Iceland and genuinely was blown away by the never ending parade of waterfalls, eating yummy seafood in small colorful fishing villages, bright blue glacier hikes, squeezing through ice caves, watching whales breach and most spectacularly spending hours half frozen staring up at dancing green sky AKA seeing the Aurora for the first time. If you are even considering traveling to Iceland this is your sign (or me screaming at you) to DO IT!

Seeing the Aurora for the first time! Picture by me

Tips on seeing the Northern Lights:
Download the Aurora app to analyze the KP index numbers
Statistically speaking from 9PM-2AM are the best times to keep an eye out!
Your chances are better if it is not cloudy / the skies are clear.
The best months to see the lights are March, September and October.
Patience! This is an obvious tip but time is a virtue. Some people travel from all over the world to see the lights and never do.
Where to stay: all budget friendly with private bathrooms
Guesthouse Galtafell- Reykjavik
Hestheimar bed and breakfast- Hestheimar
Hotel Kalta by Keahotels- Via
Lilja Guesthouse- Hofn
Fljotsbakki Hotel- Godafoss
Reykjavik Natura Hotel- Reykjavik
Budget for 1 week per person
Car rental for 1 week = $505
6 nights of accommodation’s = $1080
Gas for the entire Ring Road = $300
Food per day per person = $40
Blue Lagoon Entrance = $186
Glacier hike = $218
Ice Cave Discovery = $500
Whale watching = $166
Total = about $1630 PP

This Itinerary is a 7 day itinerary that follows the entire Ring Road around Iceland. The loop is about 820 miles or 1322 km. This route takes you to all of the major sights and attractions as well as some special spots we found along the way! The guide will cover information needed on transportation, accommodations, major sights, must do activities, our budget for the trip, a packing list and even restaurant recommendations.

Day 1: Arrival into Reykjavik and the Blue Lagoon

Tip: try to plan your arrival to KEF airport in the morning so you can make the most of this first day since the complete ring road is a pretty big feat for 7 days

Picture taken at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland March 2024.

Start the day by arriving to KEF and picking your rental car! We rented from Lava Car Rental Company and loved our experience with them! Make sure to get a 4 wheel drive SUV with good traction and let them know you will be traveling the Ring Road so they ensure the car is equip to do so.
From the airport the Blue Lagoon is pretty close so grab a coffee and small breakfast at a local cafe near the airport and head to the Blue Lagoon! To fully experience the Blue Lagoon I suggest spending at least 4 hours there. Standard tickets were about $60 and included a towel, drink of choice in the lagoon bar and a mud mask.
After a much needed soak at the stunning geothermal lava waters with the instafamous milky blue waters it is time to head into the capital city! The drive takes about 40 minutes. Check into your accommodations and park your car away as the rest of the day will be spent on food walking around Reykjavik.
Grab lunch at Cafe Loki and be sure to order the rye bread ice cream (trust me here!).
Walk around this colorful Icelandic city to truly get a feel for everything it has to offer! You could also take a free walking tour but here is my recommendations on what you MUST see while visiting: walk along the harbor, pay a visit to the famous Hallgriskirkja Church, Stroll Laugavergur Street and the shops, Perlman Nature Exploratorium, stroll by the Sun Voyager sculpture, admire the Harpa Museum refections, visit the Northern Lights Museum (admission tickets $29) and if you are looking for an exclusively unique museum experience take a gander at the Icelandic Phallological Museum!
Hopefully, after all of that exploring you have worked up an appetite since it is time to eat! Grab dinner at Kaffivagninn for an authentic Icelandic dish or stop by the local food hall for unlimited choices!
Try to head back and get some rest that first night as the next 6 nights will involve a lot of Aurora light hunting.

Day 2: Thingvellir National Park, geysers and waterfalls

Tip: try to make the absolute most of all the sunlight during the day and get up early! Pack sandwiches and pretzels and fruit for lunches to negate not only the financial implications that is Icelandic prices but also to save time as some of these more rural areas do not have many restaurant options!

Icelandic horse wandering while we drove the Ring Road

Be mindful that these are animals and to be respectful!

Thingvellir National Park

Waterfall and rainbow, such a special combo

Wake up around 6:30 AM and be out the door by 7 AM
Grab the most delicious pastries of your life at Braud & Co (get the cinnamon bun!) and a coffee from Reykjavik Coffee Roasters next door!
Sip your coffee, nibble at the delicousness that is Braud & Co as you drive 45 minutes to Thingvellir National Park
Once in the park visit the Silfra fissure, the famous photogenic Pingvallakirkja church right next to the fissure, walk a short distance to the Oxararfoss waterfall and walk along Logberg!
After spending a couple hours exploring the park time to hit the road again and drive 45 minutes to the town of Haukadalur to water Strokkur geyser erupt! This is free entry and a must see in Iceland.
After marveling at the geyser times to head to Gulfoss waterfall. This is a 15 minute drive from Strokkur geyser and a true magical waterfall. The depth and massive gushing waters will have you in awe! For a unique experience visit at sunset to see a colorful light.
Drive 1 hour to your accommodation in Hestheimar and check in and either eat dinner at an on site restaurant if available or head to Minilik Restaurant!
To combat some seriously frigid temps soak in a hot tub or relax in a sauna while you gaze at the sky in hopes of seeing the Northern Lights.

Day 3: Waterfall walks, a glacier hike and the black sand beach

Tip: The 2 waterfalls you will see today are Iceland’s most popular ones so try to arrive early to beat the tour buses and crowds! We arrived prior to 9 AM at both and had them primarily to ourselves but by 10 AM it was a zoo.

Get up and out the door by 7 AM and grab coffee and some breakfast sandwiches at Almar Bakery nearby.
Drive 45 minutes to Seljalandsfoss waterfall (hike around the falls for a bit to see some exciting views!).
Drive 30 minutes to Skogafoss waterfall (walk up the stairs and hike back to the right as much as you can, it seriously is STUNNING).
Hike Solheimajokull glacier hike (we did this excursion with Arctic adventures) in the afternoon!
After a gorgeous glacier hike grab a warm drink and walk along Reynisfjara beach. The beach is a long stunning stretch of black sand but beware of waves! They are sneaky and can sweep you out to the cold sea in a matter of seconds. Be aware of the weather and the warnings listed at the entrance of the beach.
For dinner grab a delicious pizza at Black Crust Pizza in Vik, check into your hotel and once again keep an eye out for the Aurora! I will insert some tips and tricks we learned from the Northern Lights Center on how and when to attempt to see the lights.

Day 4: Ice Caves Hike and Diamond Beach

Ice Cave Discovery tour with Local Guide

Tip: Book the full day Ice Cave Discovery with Local Guide! TRUST me when I say this tour was worth it. To access the caves you are required to have a tour but the difference with Local Guide was the way we were able to truly experience the caves. They made sure to make the entire day and individualized each cave to let us explore them in the best way!

Get up early and leave by 7 AM from Vik
Drive 2.5 hours to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Full day Ice Cave Hike from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Located directly across from the Lagoon is the famous “Diamond” beach. Be sure to take a stroll after your hike to check out the other worldly crystal chunks of ice from the massive floating glaciers.
After a long day you will be driving just about 40 minutes to reach your next bed and breakfast. After checking in there are some natural hot tubs you can pay a small fee, bring a towel and soak your exhausted body for a bit before grabbing dinner at the bed and breakfast (we ordered in because we were so tired after this day LOL).
We kept an eye out and set alarms all night to catch the Northern Lights! We got very lucky one night saw such a crazy show of the lights dancing through the sky!

Day 5: Travel day to Northern Iceland, explore the East Fords / Lake Myvan area

Tip: This is the longest and farthest driving day of the trip. Pack some road trip snacks and throw on a good playlist!

Get up early (around 7 AM)/ have breakfast at the bed and breakfast and hit the road!
The drive although long is literally 6 hours of stunning views that you will want to stop very 10 minutes (we did for sure!).
Spot reindeer with gorgeous back drops, walk along the banks of Lagarfljot and try to count how many waterfalls you can see!
Get the yummiest fish and chips from a small local fish shop along the way called Kjot & Fiskur. This is a small family owned fish shop that serves fresh meals as well!
After grabbing some much needed lunch visit the jaw dropping Studlagil Canyon.
As you make your way farther north you will come across some geo thermal hot springs! Myvatan Nature Baths are in my opinions the cheaper and more local and equally as stunning Blue Lagoon of the North. The milky blue water found in between black lava rocks are such a relaxing way to end a long day of driving.
The bed and breakfast we stayed at was a bit off the beaten path about 40 more minutes north but after we grabbed some dinner and checked in we were asleep before our heads hit the pillow! A long driving day indeed but well worth it considering tomorrows adventures!

Day 6: Whale watching

Tip: no matter when you visit Iceland whale watching is notoriously COLD! Bring layers on layers or book a tour with a company that provides a think warm suit for the boat! Gloves with touch pads to use your phone are also very helpful during this as mine were almost frozen off after a couple hours on the water.

Wake up around 7 AM and head to breakfast at the B&B! After checking out right across the street is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland and I would bet money that most people have seen this one online- Godafoss waterfall! We went very early in the morning walking to the falls at blue hour right before sunrise and it was MAGICAL! We circled back a hour or so later and it was packed with buses and such so visit early.
After a waterfall walk to start your day head to Akureyri for some much needed coffee.
Go whale watching from 11 AM- 2PM ish! Whale watching from Akureyri is a convenient and realistic hub due to to unpredictable Icelandic weather but also the fact that it is the second largest city in Iceland after Reykjavik.
After a fun afternoon it is time to head back to Reykjavik. It is a 5 hour drive but there are SO many stopping points and attractions to see just like the entire Ring Road.
If you have a lot of daylight left I suggest trekking to Snaefellsnes Peninsula for some stunning and diverse views!
If you are short on daylight like we were I would hit the Icelandic Seal Center to see some seals with a naturally insane back drop.
After a long day of exploring and adventuring alike check into your B&B for the night. If you are lucky you may even be able to continue your Northern Lights search even with the light from the city.

Day 7: Morning in Reykjavik and head to airport

Tip: Although it was tempting to sleep in after a week of hikes, early mornings and late nights dancing under the Northern Lights try to get up at a reasonable time to experience a half day in Reykjavik!

Get up and grab a coffee at Hygge Coffee and naturally make sure to circle back around to Braud & Co for one last delicious pastry!
Spend the morning walking along the harbor, visit a museum of your choice, stroll from shop to shop the famous Laugavergur street or simply park yourself at a nice restaurant for a nice meal.
After saying your goodbyes to this gorgeous country and an epic week it is time to head to airport and fly home.

Iceland is such a special location and destination to be able to explore and admire. Please as always be kind to our planet and pack out what you pack in, be respectful of the wildlife and make sure to prioritize being present while traveling!

Have the best time in ICELAND!

Iceland: The Complete 7 day Ring Road Itinerary

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