Map Your Itinerary

Before traveling to Iceland, you might face the questions: how many days does it take to get to know this country, and which route to take to travel in Iceland? We know that gathering all the information and deciding which path is the best can be challenging. Each Icelandic itinerary depends on the season, preferred travel style, and budget. It is unlikely that it will be possible to find a universal route for all travelers, so we decided to describe several different options depending on the duration of your visit to Iceland.

• Create your route map
• 1–4 Days in Iceland
• 4–6 Days in Iceland
• 7+ Days in Iceland
• Sights & Activities

If you have already decided when and for how long you want to visit Iceland, then it is time to plan an itinerary. And of course, once you have started putting an itinerary together, you might decide that you need an even longer trip to Iceland – and that’s fine, of course!

Driving time to consider your itinerary:

Here below is a simplified map to get you familiar with locations in Iceland. Based on a Reykjavik departure with a regular car, it might give you an idea of what areas could be comfortable to visit within 3, 5, or 7 days. To help you make a reasonable plan for your trip to Iceland, here below are the overall driving times (without stops):

• Reykjavik to Grundarfjordur (Snaefellsnes Peninsula, West Iceland) – 2 hours 30 min
• Reykjavik to Geysir (Golden Circle route) – 1 hour 30 min
• Reykjavik to Vik (South Coast) – 2 hours 30 min. drive
• Vik to Höfn (South-East Iceland) – 3 hours 15 min
• Reykjavik to Akureyri (North Iceland)- 5 hours
• Reykjavik to Lake Myvatn (North Iceland) – 6 hours
• Höfn to Lake Myvatn – 5 hours 30 min
• Reykjavik to Keflavik Airport – 45 min.

Read our recommendations for 5, 7, 10, and 14-day routes:

Start with a 5-day itinerary and add more regions and events if you have time. Our recommendation for the five-day itinerary is to focus on the South Coast and the Golden Circle route. Using a base route, you can plunge into the world-famous Blue Lagoon, visit the Strokkur geyser and waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. You will also walk along the black sand Reinisfjara beach, admire the Jokulsarlon Glacier, take a walk on a path at Skaftafell park and get to know the best in Reykjavik, including the National Museum of Iceland. It is easy to build on this foundation.

For an entire week in Iceland (7 days), you can add to the Snafellsnes Peninsula route, with its iconic peaks, impressive cliffs, and quaint fishing villages. If you have more days (8-10 days), you can add the Northern part of Iceland, thus making a full circle along the famous Ring Road, and a 10-day trip includes whale watching in Husavik.

And with a full two weeks to explore, you can slow down. Enjoy extra time for hiking, kayaking, and other adventure activities by adding the remote West Fjords to your itinerary.