Reykjavík · Höfn · Egilsstaðir · Akureyri · Reykjavík

Iceland itinerary in 3 weeks on the Ring Road: Reykjavík, Höfn, Egilsstaðir and Akureyri

A 20-night Iceland trip through four places, driving a rental car once around the island on the Ring Road.

20 nights, 5 stops Best time to travel: June to August

Best time to go, weather and road tips

1. 

   Reykjavík

   4 nights

   Four nights in Reykjavík allow you to see the city centre, which you can explore easily by walking. You can walk from one end of the centre to the other in about 45 minutes. The Hallgrímskirkja church sits on a hill that overlooks the city. Laugavegur is where you will find the main shops, and you can catch whale watching boats at the old harbour.

   You should use one day to visit the Golden Circle. This trip covers about 250 km and starts and ends in Reykjavík. At Þingvellir National Park, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, you can see the rifts created where the tectonic plates move apart from each other. In the Geysir area, Strokkur shoots water up to 30 m high every 8 to 10 minutes. About 10 km away from there, Gullfoss falls 31 m down into a canyon.

   Good areas to stay

   City centre

   You can walk to most places around Laugavegur and the old harbour. Finding a parking spot can be difficult in this area. However, you will find big car parks near the harbour.

   Around Hallgrímskirkja

   Skólavörðustígur street will get you down to Laugavegur fast. The Sundhöllin indoor pool is a few minutes away.

   Laugardalur

   You will find this area to the east of the centre. It sits beside the city's biggest pool. The prices here are normally lower. However, you should know that walking to the centre takes about 30 minutes.

   On to Höfn: about 6 h by car

2. 

   Höfn

   5 nights

   You will find two waterfalls as you travel from Reykjavík along the south coast. These are Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. Höfn is a fishing town. It has about 1,800 people. It sits at the edge of Vatnajökull. This is the largest glacier in Europe. You can visit the national park visitor centre in the old Gamlabúð building. It stands by the harbour. There you will see an exhibition about glaciers and geology. Höfn says it is the lobster capital of Iceland.

   If you stay for five nights, you can drive to the nearby sights without feeling rushed. The glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón is about 75 km away. It takes roughly 1 h 15 by car. Icebergs drift in the water there. The Ring Road passes right by it. Skaftafell is about 1 h 45 away. You can take short trails there to the Svartifoss waterfall. The Stokksnes peninsula is close to town. It has a black sand beach and Vestrahorn mountain. You can reach it in about 20 minutes.

   Good areas to stay

   By the harbour

   Nearby you will find the visitor centre. Also nearby is a bird reserve that sits south of the harbour. This reserve has paths for you to walk on. The town does not offer much for you to see or do.

   Farms between Höfn and Jökulsárlón

   You can rent rooms at many farms in this area. Some of them are just a few kilometres from the lagoon. Höfn, however, is as far as 75 km away.

   On to Egilsstaðir: about 3 h 45 by car

3. 

   Egilsstaðir

   3 nights

   Egilsstaðir is found inland next to Lake Lagarfljót. It is the biggest town in the eastern part of Iceland. When you include Fellabær, which is across a bridge, the two places together have almost 3,000 people living there. The town itself is not very big, and you can walk to most locations. Three nights are enough if you want to take two day trips from here.

   You can drive to Hengifoss waterfall by going along the lake. This journey takes about half an hour. The waterfall drops 128 m down into a gorge. The gorge has red rock layers in it. Walking from the car park to the waterfall takes 40 to 60 minutes. If you use the east side of the lake, you will pass Hallormsstaðaskógur. This is the largest forest in Iceland. Seyðisfjörður is just under 25 minutes away. It sits at the end of a long, steep fjord. The ferry from Denmark and the Faroe Islands arrives at this place.

   Good areas to stay

   Egilsstaðir town centre

   You will find that most people who visit stay in this place. The town has both a swimming pool and a campsite for you to use.

   Fellabær

   You will find this place right after you cross the bridge. It is near the airport and near Vök Baths.

   Seyðisfjörður

   This is a little town sitting in a fjord. You can find places to sleep there that used to be old buildings and have been changed into lodgings. If you want to go inland from here, you will need to travel just under 25 minutes further.

   On to Akureyri: about 3 h 30 by car

4. 

   Akureyri

   7 nights

   Akureyri has around 20,000 people. It is the biggest town in Iceland outside the area around the capital. You will find the main shopping street called Hafnarstræti in the town centre. The steep Listagil street takes you past art galleries on your way to the art museum. If you stay for seven nights, you can visit the Lystigarðurinn botanical garden. You can also use the large outdoor pool which has five hot tubs. You could also go on a whale watching trip on Eyjafjörður. The boats leave from the harbour in the town centre. In summer, these tours last about two hours.

   Akureyri works well as a base for trips you take during the day. Goðafoss waterfall is about 35 km from town. This waterfall marks Iceland's change to Christianity in the 10th century. Old Norse idols were thrown away there to show this change. You can drive to Lake Mývatn in about 1 h 15. There you will see the lava formations called Dimmuborgir and the geothermal area of Hverir. Húsavík is on Skjálfandi Bay and is about the same distance away. You can find up to 23 different species of whale there.

   Good areas to stay

   Centre

   The area near Hafnarstræti and the Hof cultural centre is where you will find yourself. You can walk to the harbour and museums from here. If you park your car in the downtown area, you will need to pay a fee.

   Residential streets inland

   You will find many guesthouses right behind the main area. The swimming pool and the plant garden are nearby.

   On to Reykjavík: about 5 h 40 by car

5. 

   Reykjavík

   1 night

   You will be in Reykjavík for your final evening. You can take a walk around Tjörnin lake, which is in the middle of the city. Or you could go for a swim at Sundhöllin, which is the oldest indoor swimming pool in the city.

   Keflavík Airport sits about 50 km away. It takes roughly 45 minutes to drive there by car on Route 41. You can find car rental offices in Reykjavík. There are also car rental offices at the airport. The Blue Lagoon is near the airport. It is only about 10 minutes away from Route 41.

   Good areas to stay

   City centre

   On your last evening, you can walk to Tjörnin, Laugavegur and the harbour. They are all nearby. It takes about 45 minutes to drive to the airport.

   At Keflavík Airport

   You can find a place to stay sitting directly on the airport property. There are also other places to sleep close by. These are good choices if you need to catch an early plane. However, the middle of Reykjavík is 50 km away from here.

   Keflavík

   The town is located next to the ocean. It sits 5 km away from the airport. You will find restaurants there. There is also a coastal path you can walk on.