Ring Road and the most beautiful places in Iceland

In this packed itinerary you'll experience the best Iceland has to offer - waterfalls, black beaches, spas, glaciers and volcanoes.

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Active vacation
Number of days

8 days

Transport

By car

Pace

High pace

Difficulty

Medium difficulty

Season

Spring - autumn

Suitable for

For everyone

Budget

$$$

Visited places

41 places

Iceland is one of the most beautiful destinations not only in Europe, but quite possibly in the whole world. From black beaches, breathtaking waterfalls, mountains and glaciers to thermal spas and cute little Nordic towns, Iceland offers incredibly beautiful nature in a relatively small area. Our Ring Road itinerary offers all this and more. The Ring Road is the main road that runs around the entire island, passing some of the most beautiful places. And that’s where we’ll focus our journey.

Get ready for a busy trip, but we won’t forget to relax in the geothermal baths and the capital Reykjavík.

Just like every other itinerary on Retkee, this one brings not only tips on places, but also accommodation, good food and other practical tips. You can also take advantage of a 5% discount on car rental, as a car is the most convenient and, in fact, the only means for this trip.

This itinerary is based on our trip across Iceland in September 2021 – watch the video to see what it looked like during our trip.

Gullfoss

Iceland

Reynisjara

Vík

Vök Baths

Iceland

Flight tickets

The easiest way to get to Iceland is by plane.

Play

From Europe and USA

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Icelandic airline Play is a new player in the field of cheap flights.

Car rental

The best way to get around Iceland is undoubtedly by car. For the best experience we recommend the highest insurance option.

Blue Car Rental

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Day 1

Arrival in Keflavik and Golden Circle

Your first steps in Iceland will most likely take you to Keflavík International Airport, from where you will head to the famous Golden Circle area on your first day.

When you arrive in Keflavik, which is less than an hour’s drive from Reykjavik, it’s a good idea to pick up a rental car immediately. Thanks to Retkee, you can get a 5% discount on the entire car rental with Blue Car Rental.

In case you arrive in Iceland later in the afternoon or even at night and simply cannot make the longer crossing to the Golden Circle area on the day of arrival, we recommend that you stay as close to the airport as possible, for example at the Konvin Hotel. An alternative is to explore the Reykjanes Peninsula, its beautiful coastline with the option of accommodation on the way east.

Konvin Hotel

Keflavík • $$

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Modern hotel at a good price close to Keflavik airport with 24/7 reception.

Hótel Kvika

Þorlákshöfn • $$

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Hótel Kvika is a modern, clean and very accessible hotel on the way from the airport or the capital towards the Golden Circle or the south coast of Iceland.

From the airport, we head towards the capital, where you can stock up on food and drink – there are plenty of places to shop. You’ll most often see the pink Bónus and yellow Krónan shops, but we liked Krónan a little better.

We won’t stop in Reykjavik yet, because we are going to the Thingvellir National Park. There we recommend a very nicely designed visitor centre, where you can learn many interesting facts about the area, as well as explore the area between the tectonic plates – ideally to the iconic church in the middle of nowhere.

93.4 km (1 hour 16 mins)

1

Thingvellir

Iceland

Thingvellir, sometimes also known as Þingvellir, is a national park in southwest Iceland and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This place has a rich history and beautiful nature. The Alþingi, or Icelandic Parliament, was established there in 930 and sat until 1798.

There is an information centre by the car park where you can find out more about the history and geology of Thingvellir, and the area itself is full of well-maintained hiking trails. A free walking tour starts at 10am each day, starting at Thingvellir Church and lasting an hour. There is also a café and shop on site. Along with Strokkur Geyser and Gullfoss Waterfall, it is one of the stops on the so-called Golden Circle, which contains the most important tourist sites in Iceland.

After visiting the park, we’ll head further into the “hinterland”. Specifically, we’ll head to Gullfoss Waterfall, which is located in a fairly inconspicuous area – but it’s a giant waterfall with a lot of power that you can once again feel for yourself. The trail leads right up to the most powerful part of the waterfall. The viewing platform above the waterfall is also worth a visit.

65.3 km (56 mins)

2

Gullfoss

Iceland

Gullfoss is one of the largest and most famous waterfalls in Iceland, the water in the Hvítá River flows from the Langjökull glacier and then cascades 32 metres down the two cascades of Gullfoss waterfall. A path leads directly from the car park to it. We recommend taking a raincoat with you as the water splashes from all sides. In summer, approximately 140 cubic meters of water rush over the falls every second, while in winter this number drops to approximately 109 cubic meters.

Together with the Strokkur geyser and Thingvellir National Park, it is one of the stops on the Golden Circle, which contains the most important tourist sites in Iceland. There is a visitor centre near the waterfall.

Just a few minutes from Gullfoss is the famous geothermal area where the famous Strokkur geyser is located, which spews hot water every few minutes.

10.0 km (10 mins)

3

Strokkur

Iceland

Strokkur is one of Iceland’s geothermal geysers, which regularly spews boiling water and steam up to a height of around 20 metres every 5-10 minutes. The geyser is easily accessible within a few minutes walk from the car park. Together with Gullfoss Waterfall and Thingvellir National Park, it is one of the stops on the so-called “Golden Circle”, which contains the most important tourist sites in Iceland.

Before we conclude the first day, we will stop at the crater with red bedrock, which you can easily go around in about 20 minutes. From there it’s just a short walk to accommodation that will take your breath away.

4

Kerið crater

Iceland

Kerid is a volcanic crater formed by a unique red volcanic rock. There is a parking lot right next to the crater, it is about 50 meters from the main road. You will pay about 400 ISK to enter, which you pay at the counter right at the entrance. If you want, you can walk around the crater, which takes about 20 minutes, and it even has steps down to the lake. The lake is shallow, with a depth of between 7 and 14 metres. The water gets its colour from minerals in the soil.

1.7 km (3 mins)

The Kerbyggð apartments are also suitable for 4 or 6 people, with a hot tub on the terrace. They are also very well located, between the Golden Circle and the south coast, where we will go the next day.

Kerbyggð

Selfoss • $$

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One of the most beautiful accommodations we can recommend in Iceland. Separate cells for 4 to 6 people, with spacious kitchen, living room and jacuzzi on the terrace.

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Related itinerary

Ring Road and the most beautiful places in Iceland () je jedním z itinerářů, které Retkee nabízí. Každý itinerář nabízí přehledný popis jednotlivých dní, včetně interaktivní mapy či praktických informací. Kromě itinerářů Retkee nabízí i blog , podrobné průvodce destinacemi , například Island , Norsko či Madeira .

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