Dyrhólaey
Icelandadventure

Iceland Ring Road (Route 1)

Loop the whole island in 7-10 days: glaciers, waterfalls, geysers, black beaches, midnight sun

Distance
971 mi
1562 km
Driving
23 hr 12 min
excl. stops
Suggested
9 days
balanced split
Stops
10
curated

Distance and driving time are measured along the mapped route through the 10 stops listed below. Officially signed versions of famous routes often quote a longer figure, since they include promoted detours this line doesn't take.

Dyrhólaey · Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Opens the planner with every stop loaded. Free, no card needed.

Day by day

Distances are measured along the actual road geometry, not straight-line. Drive times exclude stops, traffic and ferry waits.

What the drive is like

Most of it is one road: the 1 carries 65% of the distance.

Expect gentle hills rather than climbs. The high point is around 539 m.

The bigger places on the way are Selfoss, handy for fuel and food between the stops.

The Golden Circle, Iceland is 0 km off the route if you have time for a detour.

  • 165%
  • 546%

How high it goes

~539 mReykjavíkSnæfellsnes Peninsula · 1,520 km
Height above sea level along the driving route, measured at about 50 points. Total climb roughly 3,423 m.

Passes and famous roads

From the 500-plus roads drivers collect in the Plan Your Road Trips app.

Famous road · 0 km off the route

Golden Circle, Iceland

Famous road · 0 km off the route

Ring Road Iceland

Length
1,322 km long

Mountain pass · 9 km off the route

Fjarðarheiði Pass (Road to Seyðisfjörður)

Summit
620 m summit

Before you go

Best time to drive it

June to August

The Ring Road is open all year, but summer is the only time the whole loop is reliably clear of snow and ice, with daylight round the clock.

Driving rules

Emission zones, mandatory equipment and licence requirements change country by country, and in 2026 several of them changed mid-year.

Driving in Iceland

Every stop on the Iceland Ring Road (Route 1)

  1. Reykjavík

    Start

  2. Þingvellir + Geysir + Gullfoss (Golden Circle)

    +120 km from the last stop

  3. Vík

    +173 km from the last stop

  4. Jökulsárlón

    +188 km from the last stop

  5. Höfn

    +85 km from the last stop

  6. Egilsstaðir

    +179 km from the last stop

  7. Mývatn

    +321 km from the last stop

  8. Dettifoss

  9. Akureyri

    +148 km from the last stop

  10. Snæfellsnes Peninsula

    +381 km from the last stop

Worth a detour

Curated places within 25 km of the road.

Show 6 more

  • Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon

    natural wonder

    A stunning glacial lagoon where icebergs calved from Breiðamerkurjökull drift toward the sea, often with seals resting on the ice.

  • Stuðlagil Canyon

    natural wonder

    A hidden canyon of extraordinary hexagonal basalt columns flanking a turquoise glacial river in eastern Iceland.

  • Kerið Crater

    natural wonder

    A vivid 3,000-year-old volcanic crater lake with striking red and black slopes surrounding an aquamarine pool on the Golden Circle route.

  • Námaskarð / Hverir

    natural wonder

    A Mars-like geothermal area of bubbling mud pots, steaming fumaroles, and sulphur-stained earth near Lake Mývatn.

  • Vatnajökull Ice Caves

    natural wonder

    Naturally formed crystal-blue ice caves beneath Vatnajökull glacier, accessible only in winter and reshaping each year.

  • Diamond Beach

    beach

    A black volcanic sand beach strewn with glittering ice chunks washed ashore from Jökulsárlón, resembling scattered diamonds.

Common questions about the Iceland Ring Road (Route 1)

How long does the Iceland Ring Road (Route 1) take?

The driving itself is about 23 hr 12 min across 971 miles (1562 km). Most people spread it over 9 days: the day-by-day breakdown on this page splits it into balanced stretches rather than equal ones, so no single day is all driving.

How many miles is the Iceland Ring Road (Route 1)?

971 miles, or 1562 km, measured along the actual road rather than straight-line between towns.

When is the best time to drive the Iceland Ring Road (Route 1)?

June to August. The Ring Road is open all year, but summer is the only time the whole loop is reliably clear of snow and ice, with daylight round the clock.

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