We went to Iceland last summer and did a trip around the Ring Road in just 6 days. I received a few questions since on where exactly we went and what our itinerary looked like so, I figured I’d share it here! I’m not going to lie, I’ve been a little intimidated to write this post mostly because our trip around Iceland’s  Ring Road was SO amazing and I just wanted to make sure I could do it justice.

We loved Iceland for so many reasons. First, the country is beautiful and despite the rise in tourism there, it still felt really untouched. We loved how isolated it was, how you could drive for an hour or two and pass by glaciers, beaches, mountains, bubbling water and geysers. It was just so cool! We also loved the people. They were so friendly, spoke great English, and welcomed us into their homes with open arms. Lastly, we loved the food. It was super delicious but I do have to say, we spent quite a bit of money on food because it is very expensive in Iceland. That being said, what we didn’t like about the country was how expensive it was. We didn’t quite realize it until after we booked our flight there, but figured we had to splurge on a few things – like nice, local dinners out in the evenings, while saving on picnic lunches from the grocery store.

We only had 6 days in Iceland and we wanted to max out our time there to see as much as we could. Now I know this isn’t for everyone, but we really wanted to do the entire Ring Road. The Ring Road is the narrow road that circles the perimeter of the the island. You probably could spend over two weeks doing the Ring Road leisurely, because there truly is so much to see along the road. I had a difficult time finding an itinerary online for a 6 day trip around the Ring Road, so I hope this is helpful for those of you who also have a limited days in Iceland but still want to do the trip around the Ring Road.

The biggest piece of advice I would give someone who plans on doing the Ring Road is to just enjoy the drive, soak up the scenery and don’t be afraid to stop off (wherever that may be!) to take in the views and snap some photos. There were so many surprise stops along the Ring Road that we didn’t expect that made the trip THAT much more fun!

I probably could go on and on with this itinerary but thought it’d be helpful to break it up by days, what we did and what we saw, and some helpful tips for where we ate and stayed. There were a bunch of things that we missed along the Ring Road that I wished we got to see (including Snaefell Peninsula and the Westfjords), but we couldn’t see everything! We chose what we saw based on how we felt that day and what our timing was like. We could have woken up early to hit the road before 7 a.m. each morning, but let’s be real… Dave and I aren’t morning people and we were on vacation 😉

Day 1: Keflavik Airport to Vik (2 hr and 16 min drive)

We landed early in the morning at Keflavik Airport. The first thing we did was get our rental car and buy a SIM card for our phones at a gas station (hello, GPS and Spotify!). Then we hit the road!

What We Saw:

• Reykjadalur Hot Springs – We took a 2 mile hike to this hot spring stream that runs through a canyon. It was beautiful, semi-crowded but felt really nice to stretch our legs on the hike and then soak in the hot water after our flight.
• Selandjafoss – A gorgeous waterfall that you can walk under (be sure to wear something waterproof so you don’t get wet!) This was also where Justin Bieber filmed one of his music videos… so naturally, I had to go there.
• Skogafoss – Another amazing waterfall, this one is pretty breathtaking! You can walk right up to the bottom of it and you can also take these stairs up to see the view from above the waterfall. Definitely worthwhile!
• Seljavallalaug Pool – This is the oldest hot spring pool in Iceland and it’s really unique and tucked away these beautiful hills. The inside of the pool is green and mossy but the views around it are gorgeous. We didn’t go in, mostly because we were both too tired and jet lagged but we hung around there for a little bit just to check it out.
• Vík – We stayed overnight in this cute, tiny town along the water. It was one of my favorite towns because it was so quiet with incredible views.

Tips:

• Have dinner at Halldorskaffi in Vík. The food was delicious and the restaurant is casual and cozy inside. We had this delicious Skyr cake (which is basically Iceland’s version of cheesecake, but made with yogurt – so I like to think it’s healthy 😉) This restaurant is also close to the black sand beach in Vík so you can walk off your dinner on the beach afterwards. The beach was empty when we went so it was quite romantic.
• We stayed at this Airbnb. The house is right in the center of town close to the grocery store and restaurants. The decor of the Airbnb was really cute and eclectic. I was swooning over her guest kitchen!

Day 2: Vík to Hólaland, Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland (5 hr and 28 min drive)

This was one of our longest days on the Ring Road but probably my favorite day because the views were unreal!

• Black Sand Beach in Vík – This beach was incredible, it was one of Dave’s highlights of the trip. The beach had some of the biggest waves I’ve ever seen in my life. In fact, there were warning signs as they’ve had a couple of tourists swept away from the powerful waves – so be careful!
• Reynishverfi Rocks – On the black sand beach there are some amazing rock formations that look like towers, as well as some caves.
• Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon – This is one of the most unique canyons I’ve ever seen and it kind of just appears out of nowhere. The rocks are covered in green moss and you can walk above and below/in the canyon. I recommend doing both!
• Mossy Lava Rocks – These also kind of appear out of nowhere. There is miles and miles of mossy lava rocks. There are a couple of marked stops off the Ring Road where you can get out your car to walk through them.
• Skaftafell National Park – We took about an hour and a half hike in this National Park.
• Svartifoss Waterfall – This beautiful waterfall in Skaftafell National Park is surrounded by really cool rock formations.
• Fjallsárlón Lagoon – A smaller glacier lagoon that we stopped off at to take pictures.
• Jokulsarlon Lagoon – This glacier lagoon was the highlight of my trip and it’s worth spending some time here. It was so beautiful, especially because the sun and blue sky came out and it made the icebergs turn this beautiful turquoise color. We didn’t go on any tours here but if we had more time, I would have loved to! Seriously though, I cried as we were standing there because it was just so gorgeous. It does get pretty windy there so make sure you wear layers and bring a wind breaker.
• Diamond Beach – Along the beach of the glacier lagoon are all of the washed up ice chunks, they sparkle and look like diamonds, which is why they call it Diamond Beach.
• Hofn – We stopped in Hofn for dinner. It was a bigger town than I expected but still a fairly small, quiet fishing town. We walked along the water, through the neighborhoods and found a spot to eat.
• Drive along the coast from Hofn to Stöðvarfjörður – In my opinion, this was the most scenic part of the Ring Road drive. We were driving fairly late in the evening (but it was still light out – perks of going to Iceland in the summer!) and we were the only ones on the road and it felt like we had the island to ourselves. It was amazing. We stopped off to see some of the Icelandic horses and sheep and walked along a private beach. The road weaves in and out of these fjords and around every bend is something incredible to look at.

Tips:

• When you’re on the Black Sand Beach, be sure to keep an eye out for puffins. We saw a few hanging around. They’re smaller than you’d expect them to be.
• Also, when you’re in the glacier lagoon, keep an eye out for seals. We didn’t see any there but I so wished we did.
• We ate dinner at Pakkhus in Hofn and absolutely LOVED it. Everything we got was delicious. Hofn is known for it’s langoustine – so we had to try some! There definitely is a reason why it’s their speciality dish.
• We stayed at this Airbnb. To be honest, we got in so late we didn’t spend much time there. In the morning though, we were blown away by the amazing views just outside the front door. We also found a little coffee hut and stopped for coffee and pastries before hitting the road again.

Day 3: Hólaland  Stöðvarfjörð to Laugar (3.5-4 hr drive)

What We Saw:

• Eglisstadir – We didn’t spend much time here but stretched our legs and went to the grocery store to pick up some snacks.
• Krafla Power Station – A geothermal power plant that we drove through. I really haven’t been to many power plants (not sure why would I?), but this one looked a little eerie like it could be in a scary movie.
• Viti Crater – A crater filled with turquoise water, you can walk along the top and bottom of it.
• Namafjall Hverir – This is a geothermal area where the ground is literally orange and there’s steam, bubbling mud and all sorts of noises coming out from the ground. It’s super interesting and it feels like you’re on another planet. It also smells sulfury/eggy so we didn’t stay too long, just enough to walk around and see all the weird things coming out of the ground.
• Lake Myvatn – A volcanic lake in the town of Myvatn. We stopped in town to walk around but mostly drove around parts of the lake.
• Dettifoss Waterfall – We attempted to go to this waterfall but the road was all dirt and full potholes so we ended up turning around. Unfortunately, our little car didn’t have 4 wheel drive.

Tips:

• We stayed at this Airbnb and absolutely loved the natural hot spring pool and hot tub (which the owner dug himself!). It was a really cool experience to have our own private hot spring hot tub right in our backyard. We decided to skip the Myvatn hot spring because we knew we had this one waiting for us!
• There isn’t much in the town of Laugar (where we stayed), but they did have one building which served as a restaurant/gas station/grocery store. We ended up eating dinner there, Dalakofinn Útibú, and were surprised that the food was pretty decent.

Day 4: Laugar to Hvammstangi (3 hr and 8 min drive)

What We Saw:

• Husavik – We heard that Husavik was a super cute, coastal town so we decided to make a little detour to stop there. This was definitely one of our favorite towns along the Ring Road. The views of the mountains and the ocean were just about my favorite.
• Whale Watching in Husavik – The main reason we wanted to go to Husavik was because it’s the whale watching capital of Iceland. Dave has a long time love for whales so a whale watching tour was an absolute must. We went with the Gentle Giant tour company. They gave us big warm jump suites, pastry treats and hot chocolate. The tour was great and we saw a bunch of whales. It was a pretty magical experience. Remember to book reservations in advance!
• Godafoss Waterfall – This is another impressive waterfall along the Ring Road. It is so big and powerful! You can walk right up to the edge of it (kind of scary, I kept telling Dave to stand back because he was making me nervous).
• Akureyri – This northern city is Iceland’s second largest city. We stopped off here and walked around the city. It’s not very big but there is one main street with plenty of shops and restaurants. We also walked up to the church for a better view of the city.
• Hvammstagni – We stayed the night in this town which is the seal capital of Iceland. Another quiet town with great restaurants. Right as we were checking into our Airbnb, we were greeted by a seal who was popping his head in and out of the water. It was the perfect welcome to this quaint town!

Tips:

• Be sure to check out Bláa Kannan in Akureyri. It’s the cutest coffee shop with great coffee and pastries. The building is also gorgeous, painted navy blue with a red roof, you won’t miss it!
• We stayed at this Airbnb in Hvammstagni and absolutely loved it. Oddny Helga and her family were so friendly and welcoming, we didn’t want to leave their home! They also had a litter of baby kittens that I was swooning over and their balcony faced the ocean where they have whales swimming up and down the fjord. This was such a special place!
• We ate at Sjávaborg in Hvammstagni and it was absolutely delicious. We sat right next to the big windows facing the ocean. It was one of the best meals on the trip!

Day 5: Hvammstagni to Reykjavik (2 hr and 20 min drive)

What To See:

• Grábrók – A volcanic fissure right off the Ring Road. It’s cool to stop off at to walk up and down and take pictures.
• Deildartunguhver – This is Europe’s largest and most powerful hot spring used for heating towns in the area. To be honest, I didn’t think it was anything special to stop off at. We just stretched our legs, walked around and saw all the steam and boiling water gushing out from the ground.
• Reykjavik – We didn’t make too many stops along the road from Hvammstagni to Reykjavik, primarily because we wanted to get to Reykjavik to have plenty of time to tour around town. We had no plans once we got to Reykjavik but to get lost in the city. After being in nature for the past few days, it was like culture shock being back in a larger town.

Tips:

• We stayed at this Airbnb. It was in such a great location only a few blocks from the main street of town. The Airbnb also had a hot tub on the roof which we definitely took advantage of.
• Visit Reykjavik Roasters for some delicious coffee, also check out Braud and Co for some amazing cinnamon rolls.
• We had lunch at Stofan Cafe, the inside is so cozy I recommend bringing a book and staying for a little while.
• Go up the Hallgrimskirkja cathedral for an amazing view of the city. If you’re a sucker for a good mountain/ocean view and pretty painted houses, this is for you!
• Roam the main streets, Laugavegur and Bankastraeti for some window / souvenir shopping.

Day 6: Reykjavik to Keflavik (40 min drive)

This was our last full day in Iceland and we didn’t have anything formally planned. Originally we though we’d spend the entire day in the city of Reykjavik but Dave and I were already missing being in nature. We felt like we saw most of Reykjavik the day before so we chose to wake up super early and drive around the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle is probably one of the more touristy stops in Iceland. It’s what a lot of people do if they stay in Reykjavik and want to see the nature attractions but don’t want to necessarily do the entire Ring Road. We left our Airbnb super early so that we would beat all the tour buses going to the Golden Circle. 

What We Saw:

• Thingvellir National Park – We drove through the national park and took in all the sights. It’s beautiful but honestly not as impressive as the sights we saw along the Ring Road.
• Stokkur Geyser – This geyser goes off every 5 minutes or so. You can stand pretty close to it and watch water shoot out.
• Gullfoss Waterfall – A pretty impressive, powerful waterfall you can walk around. They also have a coffee / gift shop here. We stopped in for a hot coffee and a few souvenirs.
• Kerid Crater – This is massive crater that has pretty blue water in it. You can walk around the top and the bottom of the crater.
• Blue Lagoon – We made an evening reservation for the Blue Lagoon (since it’s near the airport and we were flying out the next day). I had read so many mixed reviews on whether the Blue Lagoon was worth the fee to get in (since it’s pricey), but thought that since we were there we had to go! I’m so glad we decided to go because we had a great time in the Blue Lagoon and thought it was the best way to end the trip. We spent about three hours there, put on silica face masks, bought some beer and cider, and floated around. It was super relaxing with great people watching too! 

Tips:

• Check out the Fridheimar tomato farm along the Golden Circle. I really wished we got to go but it was closed when we got there.
• We made evening reservations for the Blue Lagoon. I think it worked out in our favor because it wasn’t as crowded as it might have been during the morning/day.
• Do the Golden Circle early in the morning. You’ll be able to get pictures without all the tour buses of people there. As we were leaving the Golden Circle we saw buses and buses of tourists coming in.
• Since we were flying out very early the next day, we stayed at this Airbnb. It was conveniently located right by the airport in the small town of Keflavik. We walked around the town and got ice cream at Úngo.

And there you have it! I hope this post was helpful. Please reach out with any questions or if you’re looking for more details on any of this! Also, let me know if there are other cool spots that I didn’t list above – I know there are a ton and we definitely want to go back again!