This heavenly road is almost all you need to travel Iceland. Connecting most of the major tourist spots, the Ring Road will make you fall in love with this trip you cannot imagine. The cool wind on your face while you go from destination to destination.
Heart-capturing black sand beaches, diamond beaches, and many similar ones with aesthetics that will make you want to stay on this trip forever. The roads will make you want to travel each day for just a short drive anywhere because everywhere is heavenly.
The Iceland Ring Road covers almost the entire country and will take you to nearly all the amazing tourist places. It is a must for anyone who wishes to travel to Iceland and experience it to the fullest.
1. Iceland Ringroad
Stretching about 1322 kilometres, Route 1, or Iceland Ring Road, covers Iceland. Like all the other roads, it will take you to your desired destinations across this amazing country. The road trip offers amazing scenery and is a great way to experience the country.
Route 1, also known as the Ring Road, is a two-lane road that circles around Iceland, connecting the country’s capital, Reykjavik, with Iceland’s second-biggest city, Akureyri.
The west fjords are not on the Iceland Ring Road’s path, so if you want to enjoy them, you will have to take a different path, a separate tour.
Do not miss the Northern Lights, the Golden Circle, and the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s most common attractions. The diamond beach is also something not to miss. The road trip will be great.
2. Itinerary
You can also take 4 days to enjoy some selected spots when travelling through Iceland Ringroad. It should take about 10 to 14 days to get a complete experience of Iceland. If you plan to visit Iceland for less than a week, you can choose some popular tourist attractions to help you get the most out of the trip.
It is better advised that you take a nice break from all the rush and take about 10 to 14 days to enjoy Iceland and Iceland Ring Road.
Many tourists travel by themselves and with friends and family all year round, and with hotel availability and everything else, there is no reason to hold back.
3. Places To Visit Through Ring Road
You can visit many places through Iceland Ring Road; probably all of them are at their best, and you won’t want to miss any of them. Some beautiful and heart-twisting ones are mentioned below; do check them out.
3.1 Blue Lagoon
The hot springs wait for you. The Blue Lagoon is all you want for that glamorous skin. The experience is something you should not at all miss if you are visiting Iceland. The place is an awesome tourist attraction and oozes people. Blue Lagoon can be visited through Iceland Ring Road, but it does not lie just along the road.
Blue Lagoon is famous, and if you plan to visit Iceland, book beforehand so you are not inconvenienced. The place is a bit expensive, but it is worth your time; the surroundings, the heat, and everything about the Blue Lagoon add up to your trip. If you visit Iceland, make sure to visit the famous Blue Lagoon.
3.2 Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Named after a Viking, this black sand beach is beautiful. Its aesthetics make you want to stay and stare into the beautiful abyss of this amazing black sand beach.
There’s also a hike from the parking lot to reach this beach. The Reynisfjara black sand beach has a nice gust of strong wind. It has all the characteristics of a normal beach and some special features.
You can see Basal rock columns from this beach, which are so majestic and beautiful that you can look at them for hours and not get bored. The south coast will provide a picturesque getaway from the normal lifestyle.
Reynisfjara black sand beach is along the Iceland Ring Road. You can visit many places while planning to visit the Reynisfjara black sand beach.
3.3 Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is a beautiful sea of glaciers with a unique vibe. It’s like a forest, but instead of greenery, you see these glaciers made of ice formed after melting quite an amount of ice.
The Jokulsarlon Glacier lagoon can be experienced much better by boat. You can go around the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and see glaciers more closely, and you can have an extraordinary experience with a boat tour.
The place is beautiful, like a garden made of ice, and is one of the must-visit destinations on the itinerary. If you are on this route, it is worth visiting this place.
3.4 Diamond beach
Located near Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, this is one of the places you can visit again through the Iceland Ring Road itinerary. This beautiful black sand beach has pieces of icebergs washed up from the glacier. This makes the sand beach so beautiful, like diamonds.
Diamond Beach, with black sand and pieces of the glacier along the beach, is just so beautiful, with sunshine reflecting through it; it is lovely and picturesque, something you wouldn’t want to miss.
3.4 Thingvellir National Park
If you want to go scuba diving, Thingvellir National Park is a great destination, even though it is not part of the Iceland Ring Road itinerary. Part of the Golden Circle, this national park is the oldest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has the parliament lake and a beautiful waterfall, making your destination more exciting and fulfilling.
The place is filled with many activities, including scuba diving, which is quite popular. Even though this doesn’t come on the Iceland Ring Road, it is still worth your time, and the visit is amazingly beautiful, like all of Iceland.
You can walk and jump above the tectonic plates, which can be seen in this National park. Thingvellir National Park has a parking lot that is not free and requires you to submit a small fee for your car’s trouble.
Beautiful place with lots of fun adventure activities; you must visit the place.
3.5 Solheimasandur Plane Wreck
When you continue your journey along the Iceland Ring Road, one of your destinations should be Solheimasandur Plane Wreck, which is on Solheimasandur Beach. A US Navy plane crashed here, and its remains are still present, making the sight like a movie.
This makes you shiver because of how amazing the place looks with that aesthetic background and plane wreck.
The place can be reached from the parking lot in about 2 hours; there are even services to get you there. The place has a few tourists, like in a movie. If you are on Iceland Ring Road, you should go there.
3.6 Vestrahorn
While travelling in your car or a rental car, Vestrahorn Mountain will be their whole on the Iceland ring road. The beach along that mountain is a sight to behold. The light striking that water when it reflects that sunset or sunrise is incredible. The place should be on your Ring Road list because it is heavenly.
There is a charge when you visit this place, which should be acceptable because it is too beautiful to ignore. Watch out for the waves coming at you. They are nice and strong. Other than that, it’s a complete package for a nice escape.
3.7 Myvatn Nature Baths
Myvatn Nature Baths, or the Blue Lagoon of North Iceland, is similar to the Blue Lagoon and offers you a nice and warm getaway from everything. You can come to this place and relax on that journey on Iceland Ring Road.
There is some sulphur in the water, but not in a harmful quantity. The water is nice, and the heat is perfectly balanced. This is a must-visit place for anyone on the Iceland Ring Road.
3.8 Husavik
Whale-watching capital Husavik is a must-go-to place. You can see these gentle, beautiful whales in the whale-watching capital on the north coast.
Many packages are available from tour companies, and many companies offer a nice whale-watching experience with safety and precautions. The place even has a spa and many geothermal reservoirs, giving you a nice experience while you look at the sea and bathe in warm water.
Akureyri is also a place you can visit for a whale-watching experience, but everyone prefers Husavik, Iceland’s whale-watching capital. If you are on Iceland Ring Road, it’s better not to miss this place. You can also visit museums while you visit Akureyri and many other attractions in this amazing place.
3.9 Seydisfjordur
Visit Iceland’s beautiful, colourful town through Iceland’s ring road to get more colour in your life. The people who are artists have created this town so that it displays their art through the houses and colours, which makes the place exceptionally artistic.
Seydisfjordur pours art into the surroundings. Enjoy a nice visit to the blue church and a warm cup of coffee while you enjoy the place and the surrounding scenery.
The Ring Road in Iceland connects you with many beautiful towns and places that are beautiful and worth your time. This is one of them, with a nice blue church and art.
3.10 Godafoss Waterfall
If you are travelling to Iceland’s ring road, you must visit different types of waterfalls. The waterfall of the gods, also known as the waterfall of the Gods, is beautiful and worth seeing if you are on the Iceland Ring Road.
The view is great, and a pool of water forms on the downside, which is again amazing. You can enjoy it from the sidelines or get close to it.
Watch out for the surrounding weather and road conditions when you visit such places. Yeah, that’s about it. You are good to go and enjoy this amazing waterfall.
3.11 Hvitserkur
There are many interesting rock formations that you can see on your route. The Ring Road will show you several places with beautiful rock formations. Hvitserkur is one of them, a lone soldier.
This monolith is where your eyes can see and experience this gain and majestic rock along this exceptional beach. The rock formations are great, and this one is worth the visit.
The monolith stands alone there and looks hauntingly beautiful when that sunset falls on it; it is too satisfying.
3.12 Roof Canyon
Iceland’s ring road is a great way to enjoy Iceland and give you another marble. We have a roof canyon you can reach after a nice hike. Kotlujokull Glacier can be seen through one of the hikes in this place. Small campsites can help you get the most out of your hiking journey. The places and views are amazing, which is nothing to miss.
The campsites are there, and after resting for a while, you can continue your journey.
3.13 The Geysir Geothermal Area
There are many places to search for nice hot springs, one of them being this Geysir geothermal area. This is a diamond for hot springs. It might be the place to enjoy a nice getaway in a hot spring.
This is also part of the Golden Circle and has a nice neighbor who is quite an active participant, with lots of activity seen. The place has hotels and restaurants, which you can enjoy. This nice part of the Golden Circle, like Thingvellir National Park, is great for a visit.
It is away from Iceland Ring Road, and you will need a separate tour to get to this place, but it is worth it.
3.14 Gullfoss
The third part of the Golden Circle is the Gullfoss waterfall, a powerful waterfall that heavily impacts the heart with its massive waves. The northern lights can be seen in wintertime while you enjoy this majestic and powerful waterfall.
Get a glimpse of a nice rainbow on top of this majestic waterfall during summer, which is a nice experience, and there’s no chance you should miss such an amazing waterfall.
The waterfall is beautiful and amazing and shouldn’t be left out even though it is not part of the Iceland Ring Road itinerary. Fludir is a secret lagoon you can visit after enjoying all the above places.
3.15 Seljalandsfoss Waterfall(South Coast)
This popular waterfall on the Iceland Ring Road is one of a kind, and you can walk behind it. The time it takes to reach this place when you are off the ring road is about 10 minutes away and can be reached easily.
Gljúfrabúi is one of the waterfalls which is not like the usual ones. There is a canyon; like a nice surprise, we have a waterfall. A nice gift for a nice walk and time given. The clothing should be appropriate because of the vigorous water, but it should be worth the time.
4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Which is better, clockwise or anti-clockwise, while going on Iceland’s ring road?
You can go either way; the ring road does not judge but watches for the weather. If North Iceland has harsher weather than South Iceland, look out for it; based on that, you can decide which way to go. If everything is at its best, going anti-clockwise causes more stops and fun.
Q2. Is a rental car the best option for Iceland’s ring road?
A rental car is best if you travel solo or with friends. You can see Iceland’s beauty, and the Ring Road will be an amazing experience.
Q3. What is the best time to visit and experience the Northern lights?
It is nice and dark from September to April, and the northern lights are visible enough for you to enjoy completely.
5. Summing Up…
Visiting Iceland is a dream come true, and when that cold, fresh air soothes your skin with passion and adventure, the feeling is just great. Whale watching, Diamond Beach, and other destinations you reach through Iceland’s ring road are great.
From east Iceland to west Iceland, there are many spots to cover and many places you can visit if you give yourself two weeks. The road trip is great on Iceland’s Ring Road, and if you are a solo traveller, even then, this Ring road trip is perfect.
The Iceland Ring Road is a two-lane road that circles all around Iceland. Google Maps will be a handy tool when you visit Iceland; a memorable trip with hostel-style accommodation can be found easily. The entire country is beautiful, and if you take your time and enjoy the different towns and waterfalls, a small fishing town, and a river canyon, and watch out for the speed limit, it’ll be a great trip and experience.
Last Updated on July 8, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty
