Two weeks in Iceland in the summer, in a car with four-wheel drive, is the best way there is to see everything this beautiful country has to show you.
On this trip you’ll see everything that matters most, and you’ll leave very, very few places “for later”. The one catch is that to get into the interior – Iceland’s Highlands – you have to come in summer. And summer is peak season, so the most popular spots can get genuinely crowded. But you’ll also reach empty, completely secluded corners, so there’s nothing to regret – you’ll simply see the many faces of Iceland.
The trip in a nutshell
For this trip you’ll need a car with four-wheel drive. For accommodation we’re geared towards campsites, so you sleep in a tent – or in a camper, if that’s the kind of 4×4 you rent. A combination of hostels and mountain huts works too, but it means making exact reservations (everywhere, and well in advance!) and it takes away practically all the flexibility to adjust the route as you go, so I wouldn’t really recommend it. I also assume you’ll be cooking for yourselves, mostly at the end of the day at those campsites. You can always fall back on a hot dog at a gas station or dinner at a restaurant or hostel along the way…
The trip will be intense, but reasonably relaxed. It doesn’t skip places that are interesting yet less popular – usually just because of where they sit – but it won’t have you “galloping” between attractions either. There’s also time for places that take a bit of walking, or simply more time (Glymur waterfall, Asbyrgi canyon, the whale watching cruise or the Reykjadalur hot river, among others). In a word: all the best bits, in a very convenient package 🙂
Before the detailed description of the whole route I’ve also put in a section on what you can drop if you don’t have a full 15 days, and what to add if you have a little more. Those options are marked on the itinerary map as well, and in the detailed description of each day.
Self drive itinerary in Iceland – map
We start and end the trip at Keflavik Airport. If you’re coming to Iceland by ferry (a great idea if you have plenty of time and want to save on a rental car), you’ll pick this route up from the middle, so to speak – starting and finishing at the pier in Seydisfjordur, in the east, near Egilsstadir.
This itinerary runs counterclockwise. I think that “direction of sightseeing” is the better one, because driving out of Keflavik you get many of the biggest and best-known attractions right at the start, which makes it easier to appreciate the smaller, quieter or more demanding ones later on (although you’ll see plenty of the top sights in the second half too, or right at the very end).
Map: our summer 4×4 self drive itinerary for Iceland
Download the map in full resolution (2.6 MB, JPEG)
The classic idea for Iceland is, of course, to drive all the way around it. And while the island is beautiful everywhere, there is virtually nothing in the north-central part that really knocks your socks off. Probably the only place in the north worth a special detour is the historic turf-covered church in Vidimyri. But you can see an equally original turf church – one actually moved here from the same area – at the Arbaer open-air museum in Reykjavik, so it’s a shame to add 150 km (93 miles) for it.
That’s why I suggest skipping the northern part of the country between Godafoss in the east and the Budardalur area in the west, and using those kilometers to drive further through the interior instead. That way you’ll see some magnificent places (above all Landmannalaugar and Kerlingarfjoll), you’ll drive some extremely photogenic roads (F26, F35, F225, F338) – and you won’t be going in circles.
Top attractions en route
On this route you’ll see virtually every attraction and every one of the most beautiful places in Iceland. Among the most important: Reykjavik, the so-called Golden Circle (including the famous Geysir and Strokkur, and the continental rift in Thingvellir National Park), black beaches, several glaciers, the Diamond Beach and Jokulsarlon lagoon, countless waterfalls and volcanoes (some of which you can even climb), the geological wonders around Myvatn, and the beautiful peninsulas of Snaefellsnes and the Westfjords. If you feel like it, you’ll bathe in any number of hot springs, sail out to watch whales, and descend into a lava cave and into more than one canyon – smaller or larger.
But what stands out most on this trip is, of course, driving into the interior – and seeing not just the vast pumice deserts and all kinds of volcanoes and lava fields, but gems like the beautiful, green Thorsmork, the rainbow mountains of Landmannalaugar, springs reaching 150 °C (302°F) – yes, really – in Kerlingarfjoll, a bath in the crater of the Askja volcano (also yes, really), or the mighty canyons of Hafrahvammagljufur and Stakkholtsgja. And driving the F26, F208 or F910 mountain roads is a great attraction in its own right. The views out there are truly otherworldly.
Day by day itinerary (short)
- Day 0: arrival, transfer to Reykjavik
- Day 1: sightseeing in Reykjavik
Main attractions: the Whales of Iceland exhibition, the Árbær open-air museum, Hallgrímskirkja church, a walk down Hverfisgata, a swim at Nautholsvik Geothermal Beach, local specialties in one of the restaurants; - Day 2: Reykjavik – Thingvellir – Thorsmork
Main attractions: Thingvellir National Park, Kerid crater, Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui waterfalls, the Thorsmork region, Stakkholtsgja canyon, road F249; - Day 3: Thorsmork – Skaftafell
Main attractions: hiking from Basar Hut, Skogafoss waterfall, Reynisfjara beach, Fjadrargljufur canyon, Svartifoss waterfall; - Day 4: Skaftafell – Laugarfell
Main attractions: the Diamond Beach, Jokulsarlon lagoon, Cape Stokksnes, Hengifoss and Litlanesfoss waterfalls, the hot spring at Laugarfell; - Day 5: Laugarfell – Askja – Asbyrgi
Main attractions: Hafrahvammagljúfur canyon, road F910, the Askja caldera, a dip in the Viti crater, Dettifoss waterfall; - Day 6: Asbyrgi – Husavik – Myvatn
Main attractions: hiking in Asbyrgi, a whale watching cruise from Husavik, the Myvatn hot pools; - Day 7: Myvatn – F26 – Landmannalaugar
Main attractions: the Leirhnjukur and Namafjall hverir geothermal areas, Hverfjall volcano, the Dimmuborgir and Vornaskard lava fields, the Skutustadagigar pseudo-craters, Godafoss and Aldeyjarfoss waterfalls, roads F26 and F208; - Day 8: Landmannalaugar – Fludir
Main attractions: hiking in Landmannalaugar, road F225, Hekla volcano, Haifoss waterfall, the Thjodveldisbaerinn open-air museum, the Gamla Laugin hot pool; - Day 9: Fludir – Kerlingarfjoll – F338 and F550 – Husafell (Kalmanstunga)
Main attractions: the Strokkur and Geysir geysers, Gullfoss waterfall, hiking in Hveradalir (Kerlingarfjoll), roads F35, F338 and F550; - Day 10: Husafell – Barnafoss – Breidavik
Main attractions: the Surtshellir and/or Vidgelmir caves, the Deildartunguhver hot spring, Grabrok volcano, the Westfjords peninsula, Raudisandur beach, the Latrabjarg cliffs; - Day 11: Breidavik – ferry – Grundarfjordur
Main attractions: Dynjandi waterfall, the ferry crossing, the Berserkjahraun lava field, Kirkjufell mountain; - Day 12: Grundarfjordur – Snaefellsnes Peninsula – Thorisstadir
Main attractions: Kirkjufell mountain, Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall, Saxholl crater, road F570, Djúpalónssandur and Dritvik beach, Vatnshellir cave, the cliffs at Arnarstapi, the Raudfeldsgja rock cleft, Budakirkja church, wild seals at Ytri Tunga; - Day 13: Thorisstadir – Hveragerdi
Main attractions: the hike to Glymur waterfall, a soak in the hot mountain stream at Reykjadalur; - Day 14: Hveragerdi – Grindavik
Main attractions: the Krysuvik geothermal area, a swim at the Blue Lagoon complex, possibly a return to Reykjavik or one of several attractions nearby; departure, if your flight is in the evening - Day 15: goodbyes and departure, if your flight is in the morning
What you can add or remove first
Places that are worth adding
If you have one or more extra days available, add one of these options to your schedule:
- the drive to the Laki volcano area on road F206 (day 3 or 4); a very interesting and varied road, with a unique fissure volcano at the end – for off-road and volcano lovers it is definitely worth it; +1 day to the plan;
- extending the route around the Westfjords peninsula as far as Isafjordur (day 11 or 12); if you like fjord scenery and want some time to yourself in Iceland, it’s hard to find a better place; +1 day to the plan;
- an extra whale watching cruise from Reykjavik (day 14 or 15); in Husavik your chances of seeing large whales are better, but Reykjavik is said to be better for the somewhat smaller cetaceans; if you have one loose day, it’s worth keeping it in reserve – and if you don’t use it for anything else, take this cruise at the end of the trip; + half a day to the plan;
Longer hiking routes that you can add to this plan
- the Fimmvorduhals trail (day 3); a beautiful full-day trek from Basar Hut to Skogar; unfortunately you either have to send a driver around separately with the car, or count on hitchhiking one way (buses do run, but the timings don’t line up well); +1 day to the plan
- an extra day of hiking in Thorsmork (day 3); there are “a gazillion” options here, and all of them are described in the articles about the region 🙂 +1 day to the plan;
- walking the whole Laugavegur trail (from day 1 or from day 8; that’s a minimum of +4 days to the plan); it’s a long but beautiful trail from Thorsmork to Landmannalaugar, and I describe it in a separate article: Laugavegur – Iceland’s most beautiful trail; +4 days to the plan;
- hiking in Kerlingarfjoll (from day 9; the trek itself is a 3-day route); a beautiful trail across the whole Kerlingarfjoll region; for a map and a short description see the article Kerlingarfjoll – Steaming Colorful Mountains; +3 days to the plan;
Places you can skip if you must
If you have to cut your trip short by a day or two, or something stops you along the way, well – consider cutting one of the things below out of your plan, though you’ll probably come back here at some point to see them after all 🙂
- Thorsmork (day 2-3) – it’s a beautiful region, but a little dangerous and a little risky; the whole F249 road leading there is excluded from insurance by just about every rental company; so it hurts, because it’s a lovely place, but if you have to cut something…
- Glymur (day 13) – a beautiful waterfall, and the highest one you can see in Iceland; the trail leading to it is very varied and full of beautiful views as well; but still, you’d be walking 8 hours to see one waterfall, and in Iceland we usually expect the opposite ratio…
- Reykjavik (day 1) – I know it sounds strange to visit Iceland without seeing the capital, but there’s really nothing there that blows you away, and you don’t come to Iceland for museums and monuments anyway, so maybe…
- the Westfjords (day 10-11) – it breaks my heart to write this, because the Westfjords are an absolutely beautiful area; but skipping the peninsula saves practically a whole day, and costs you “only” 2 beaches, 1 waterfall, the puffin cliffs and the beautiful fjord landscapes themselves; I’m sorry to confirm that you’ll see fairly similar places elsewhere on the route (mainly in the south and east), so if you don’t want to cut anything else, then as a last resort maybe cut those fjords…
Day by day itinerary (detailed)
A detailed description of a route this long and this rich in attractions is, by its nature, very, very long.
At the same time, those “detailed details” are the most useful on the spot, once you are actually driving through Iceland.
That’s why the full day-by-day description lives in a separate article – and in a PDF you can take with you and read offline, with no signal needed. Enjoy using it 🙂
- 15-Day 4×4 Self Drive Travel Plan – Details – the whole route, day by day, on one page
- The same description as a PDF (0.7 MB) – for your phone or for printing
Dear sir, madam,
beautiful site with a lot of usefull tips. Is there also a version in English of the detailed 2 week tour of Iceland available?
Thank you very much,
no, I regret to admit, that it’s not ready (yet); this pdf file: Detailed 2-week itinerary should work well with most modern translators, but I don’t have a proper English version, and I can’t promise when will this change…
But surely – if more people ask me about it then not only I will translate and publish it, but also review if it’s up-to-date still and amend as needed 🙂