Iceland is a beautiful country! And if you want to see all of the best this country has to offer, you will need to spend two weeks in Iceland. This two week Iceland itinerary will take you all around the country to see all of the best things Iceland has to offer. The land of Fire and Ice is beautiful. And in two weeks you can see the best of the fire, like volcanic activity, the best of ice, like glaciers and their waterfalls, and the best of Iceland overall, like the amazing green hills and the gourmet food.
As you start planning for your Iceland vacation, you’ll be overwhelmed. Do you go on tours? Do you base yourself in Reykjavík? Or do you drive the Ring Road? Well don’t worry, we spent hours doing all of this research for you. And if you’re English speaking adventure seeking nature lovers like us, this is the perfect two week Iceland itinerary for you. And after having completed this Iceland road trip, we truly feel like we saw everything we were interested in seeing in the country.
The best part of our two week Iceland itinerary is that it’s all self-drive and can be set to your own pace. Planning an Iceland itinerary can be stressful and this is a great place to start. However, having a plan is so important if you want to see everything amazing that Iceland has to offer. But that doesn’t mean that you have to follow it to the letter. Iceland has some amazing tourist markings that make self-navigating and finding new and exciting things easy to do while traveling. We think this two week Iceland itinerary is a great plan to have in place that will allow you to see the best of Iceland and still leave room to see the unexpected.
How Much Time Should You Spend In Iceland?
You can visit Iceland for anywhere from a long weekend to a full month. However, we think that two weeks in Iceland is the absolute perfect amount of time. It gives you time to see everything that the country has to offer. It allows you to see all of the most popular Icelandic attractions and takes you to some of Iceland’s hidden gems. We really feel like the only area of Iceland we weren’t able to visit was the Westfjords, which you could explore in an additional 3-5 days.
Getting There And Around
This two week Iceland itinerary starts and ends at the Keflavík International Airport. This is where a majority of international flights arrive. Here you can rent a car and continue on with this Iceland road trip. We completed this two week Iceland road trip with a tiny compact 2WD car. It saved us a ton of money. However, there are dirt roads on this path and you may want a 4WD car, but it isn’t necessary.
Two Week Iceland Itinerary
Since this two week Iceland itinerary is a loop, you can follow our day by day itinerary. You can also complete it in reverse. There was no particular reason we choose to do it in this direction and nothing that would strongly suggest doing it in reverse would be better. Flip a coin.
Day 1 – Reykjanesbaer Peninsula
Morning – Arrival
Arrive in Iceland in the morning. Rent your car from the airport and get it packed up. As you leave town head to the local supermarket to stock up on food for lunches and breakfasts. We bought cereal, milk and oatmeal for breakfasts and sandwiches for lunch. This will help to save on the cost of food in Iceland.
Afternoon – Blue Lagoon
Head straight for the Blue Lagoon to wash away the stress of the flight. Spend a few hours here enjoying your first Icelandic thermal bath.
Drive to Selfoss area for the evening. You’ll be staying 3 nights here. There are plenty of accomodations in the area and some are really neat! We stayed in a rental with a geothermal hot tub.
Eat out at your first Icelandic restaurant. Remember that you’ll likely need reservations for dinners in Iceland and that food will be expensive. We stayed between Selfoss and Hveragerði and decided to eat at Ölverk Pizza and Brewery for dinner because we didn’t have a reservation anywhere else. The pizza was really good. And it was one of the cheapest meals we had in Iceland.
For tips on saving money on food in Iceland, check out our post here.
Day 2 – The Golden Circle
Morning – Hiking
Start your car and then get going on your self-drive Golden Circle Tour.
Drive north on highway 35 and arrive at Kerið Crater. Stop here to see the volcanic crater.
Next, head to Bruarfoss. Drive north on 35 and then break off onto 37 north. To see Bruarfoss, you’ll have to hike about an hour from the parking area to the waterfall. A stop here takes about 2.5 hours to complete the hike and see the falls. Consider taking your picnic lunch on this hike and enjoying it at the waterfall.
Afternoon – Geysers and Waterfalls
Continue on highway 37 until it rejoins highway 35. You won’t be able to miss the Geysir geothermal area. The parking area and visitor center is on one side of the road and the geothermal area is on the other. You’ll see several geothermal pools along with one very regularly erupting geyser.
Next, drive to Gulfoss, one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland. Take 35 north until you reach the parking area. There is a short and well paved walkway to two viewing areas and a gravel pathway to a third viewing area. We visited all three viewing areas. From one of them you’re bound to see the famous rainbow over the falls on any sunny day.
Grab an early dinner on your drive south.
At the end of the day, drive south on highway 30 to the Secret Lagoon. Spend your evening soaking in the beautiful baths.
Head back to your accommodations near Selfoss and stay another night there.
Day 3 – Þingvellir National Park
Morning – Þingvellir National Park
Head to Þingvellir National Park. You can take either Route 36 or 360 to the north side of Þingvallavatn Lake. Whichever route you take, take the other road on your return journey in the afternoon.
Walk along the paths through this park to see all of the amazing things here. From the first parliament gathering grounds, to the joining of the tectonic plates, there are lots of cool things to see here. Don’t miss a short hike to Öxarárfoss.
Catch an early morning snorkel in between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. We booked our snorkel tour with Arctic Adventures and they were amazing! They even provided us with free photos. This snorkel tour was in freezing cold water. But the visibility was amazing.
Drive back to the Selfoss area and have lunch out or at your accommodations.
Afternoon – Reykjadalur Hot Spring
Warm up in the afternoon with a brisk hike to Reykjadalur Hot Springs. This is actually a pretty strenuous hike over lots of hills. However, the scenery is beautiful and the path is well maintained. You’ll pass a few hot springs and a waterfall. Plus, at the end of your hike you’ll come to our favorite thermal bathing spot in all of Iceland. Here you’ll have the opportunity to bathe in the river where cool glacial water meets hot geothermal pools. There is a spot in this river for every temperature preference. Enjoy an hour or more here basking in this fun natural pool.
Finally, stay one last night in your accommodations near Selfoss.
Day 4 – Southern Iceland
Morning – Waterfalls
Start your first morning on the Ring Road. Iceland’s highway 1 will take you all the way around the island and this is the road that a majority of this two week Iceland itinerary will follow.
The first stop along the way is Seljalandsfoss. This is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland. You can walk behind it! Don’t forget to walk along the trails here to see the second hidden waterfall Gljúfurárfoss tucked into a canyon.
Continue driving on Route 1 until you find the turnoff for Seljavallalaug swimming pool (road 242). There are signs here leading you to a parking area. You’ll have to hike about 15 minutes to get to the pool. This outdoor swimming pool is old and covered in algae. However, it’s a really cool experience to walk there amongst the beautiful hills and then swim in the open air on the side of a mountain. Pack your picnic lunch for this short hike and eat along the river here.
Next, visit the Skógafoss waterfall area. Park in the car park and see Skógafoss from ground level. Then climb the steps to see the waterfall from the top. Continue hiking up river as you continue to see beautiful waterfall after waterfall. Skógafoss is the most impressive of these waterfalls in terms of size, but they are all beautiful. You’ll spend a majority of your afternoon here.
Afternoon – Vík
In the late afternoon, take route 221 to the base of the Sólheimajökull Glacier. You cannot walk up on this glacier without a guide but there is a car park area and a short path that will take you up to the base.
Next, visit Dyrhólaey on your way to Vik. Drive on route 218 to reach the coast. From this stop, you can view the black sand beach from afar and hike to Dyrhólaey, a sea arch.
By this time, you may be hungry, we were! We headed into Vik and ate at Ströndin. The food here was great!
We then had to back track a bit to get to the Black Sand Beach. After driving down route 215, you get to the beautiful Reynisfjara Beach. You’ll find black sand and towering columnar basalt here. It is a beautiful spot for photos. However, the waves are dangerous and this is not a place for swimming.
Stay overnight in Vik. We stayed in the cute Vík Cottages in town, right off of Route 1.
Day 5 – Glaciers
Day 5 of this two week Iceland itinerary is the longest day. Driving isn’t excessive but we crammed a bunch into this day because while there is a lot to do along this stretch of the Ring Road and there aren’t a lot of towns. So on this day, we wanted to see everything but still end up in a town where accommodations weren’t limited.
Morning – Vatnajökull National Park
Continue driving along Route 1. Stop at the scenic overlooks for the lava fields on the south side of the road. This is just a short stop for stretching your legs.
Turn off onto 206 and drive to Fjaðrárgljúfur. The road to this canyon is dirt but we were able to drive it with a car. When you get to Fjaðrárgljúfur, hike along the canyon until you get to Mögáfoss at the end of the canyon. There are several viewpoints along the hike. Hike back to the car and continue on Route 1.
We did a quick stop at Foss a Sidu next. This only took a few minutes and it was a super cute waterfall tucked behind a little church.
The big stop of the day is at Vatnajökull National Park. Here you’ll park at Skaftafell and spend a few hours enjoying the hiking at the base of the Skaftafell glacier tongue. For this Iceland itinerary, you’ll do two things here: hike on a glacier and hike to Svartifoss. You’ll also be here during lunch time, so make sure to pack a picnic lunch. We ate ours on the rocks below Svartifoss.
First, complete the hike to Svartifoss. This is a nice loop hike along a well groomed trail. You’ll also pass two other smaller waterfalls on your way to Svartifoss.
Second, a glacier hike requires a guide. You can walk up to the glaciers without a guide but you cannot walk on them. Several guide operators work out of Skaftafell. We booked a tour ahead of time with Arctic Adventures. The guides were great and the email communication was awesome! However, we do recommend booking in advance as our tour was completely booked. You’ll meet your group in Skaftafell and then drive further along Route 1 to the glacier parking area.
If you can hike to Svartifoss before doing your glacier tour, that will work out better for decreasing your driving time for the day. However, glacier tours are only offered at certain times of the day so you’ll have to work the hike to Svartifoss around that.
After hiking on the glacier (which was my favorite thing to do in Iceland), continue on route 1 to Fjallsárlón Lagoon. This is the first Iceberg lagoon that you will come to. Iceberg lagoons are beautiful. Spend some time enjoying this one with a short walk along the beach viewing the icebergs and the sounds of ice cracking.
Afternoon – Glacial Lagoons
Next visit Jökulsárlón Lagoon, just a few more minutes down the road. This lagoon is larger in size and tends to be bluer in coloring. After exploring the lagoon, walk along the river toward the ocean until you arrive on Diamond Beach. Here enjoy watching the chunks of icebergs washing up on shore like diamonds from the sea.
Drive to your accommodations for the evening. Most people drive to Höfn as there are more accommodations and restaurants available. However, we wanted to decrease our nighttime driving so we stayed in the Skyrhúsid Guest House, which was the best hostel we’ve ever stayed at. We cooked at the hostel as dining options in this area are limited.
Day 6 – Eastern Fjords and Puffins
Morning – Eastern Fjords
This is one of the longest days of driving on this Iceland itinerary and also some of the most beautiful driving in the country. It’s also some of the most interesting with a one-lane tunnel.
Enjoy your drive this morning through the eastern fjords. Stop at anything that looks to be of interest for a leg stretching break. We stopped in Djúpivogur to use the public restroom, which is not common in Iceland and to see the Eggin í Gleðivík sculptures. We also stopped at Gallery Freevilli which is one of the most interesting curiosity shops we’ve been to.
You’ll arrive in Egilsstaðir for lunchtime. This is a larger town so we decided eat out for lunch. And we’re so happy we did. We went to Nielsen Restaurant. It was my favorite meal in all of Iceland. The food was amazing! And so beautifully crafted! And surprisingly inexpensive for the quality of the food.
For more tips on saving money on food, check out our post here.
Before leaving town, restock your breakfast and lunch supplies at the grocery store.
Afternoon – Puffins
After lunch it was time to spot a puffin. So we broke off of Route 1 and onto 94 to Borgarfjörður Eystri. Once arriving in town, we went straight to the marina to the puffin viewing area. We enjoyed watching these little creatures bringing their dinner to their young. To see the puffins, you need to visit between mid-April and mid-August.
Stay the night in Borgarfjörður Eystri. We stayed at Álfheimar guesthouse and had dinner there. This was a super small and not very touristy section of Iceland. It was one of our most unique stays as it was so much quieter that other stops on the Ring Road.
Day 7 – Waterfalls and Geothermal Activity
Morning – Dettifoss
Leave Borgarfjörður Eystri after breakfast and rejoin Route 1. After continuing on Route 1, take the turnoff for Dettifoss. This will either be the east side of the falls (Route 864) or the west side of the falls (route 862).
Whichever side you choose, make sure to see Dettifoss, Selfoss and Hafragilfoss, three of the most impressive waterfalls in Iceland.
Afternoon – Icelandic Baths
Next, visit the Mývatn Nature Baths. These thermal pools are similar to the Blue Lagoon, however the views from the pool are really amazing! They overlook Lake Mývatn.
Drive to Lake Mývatn and find accommodations near the lake. You’ll be staying here for two nights.
Day 8 – Lake Mývatn
On day 8 of this two week Iceland itinerary, you’ll be exploring the Lake Mývatn area. This is a popular tourist destination in northern Iceland.
Morning – Geothermal Activity
The first stop of the day is the Krafla Lava Fields. Here, you can walk around a volcanic crater with beautiful blue water bubbling up in it and then explore a geothermal walk.
Next, stop at the Hverir geothermal area. Here, you’ll find boiling mud pots, steaming hot springs and beautiful geothermal pools. Be warned, it stinks here. The smell of sulphur is very strong, especially on a calm day. However, the trails here are nice and easy. Consider hiking up the trails to the top of Mt. Namafjall for some amazing views of the Mývatn area.
Take Route 860 to get to the Grjótagjá. This cave enclosed hot spring used to be a place to bathe. However, due to littering and vandalism it is now just a viewing area of a cave enclosed hot spring.
Next, hike to the top of Hverfjall to see the impressive volcanic crater. You can also walk around the outer edge of the crater. The path to get to the top is very steep but well groomed. The black flies in the Lake Mývatn area were horrible. We rocked some pretty stylish head nets when hiking here. We were met with either looks of “those people are crazy” or “those people are brilliant and where do I get one”. However, we would recommend packing one if you dare be as stylish/comfortable as us.
Next, head to the Dimmuborgir Lava fields. The trails through these lava fields were some of the best kept and most accessible trails in all of Iceland. Enjoy an hour or so wandering the lava fields. Have you picnic lunch here.
Afternoon – Scenic Drive
Continue driving all the way around Lake Mývatn. Consider stopping at Skútaís for an after lunch ice cream.
On the west side of the lake we stopped at several viewpoints to look for birds. Lake Mývatn is a popular resting spot for migrating birds.
Explore the shops in downtown Mývatn before going to dinner.
For dinner in Mývatn, we highly recommend the Vogafjós Farm Resort. This was Scott’s favorite meal in all of Iceland. They serve farm to table ingredients prepared in traditional Icelandic ways.
Stay one more night in the Mývatn area.
Day 9 – Whale Watching
Morning – Whale Watching
Leave the Lake Mývatn area by traveling north on route 87 until you reach Húsavík. In Húsavík go on a whale watching tour in the morning. See if you can get a whale watching tour that will give you a chance to see puffins as well!
By this point, you may need to stock up on groceries again. Today is a good day to do it as you’ll be in Húsavík and Akureyri, both towns have grocery stores.
Afternoon – Goðafoss
After leaving Húsavík, head south on route 85 and then back track on Route 1 to reach Goðafoss. Explore the paths along the eastern and western banks of the river to see this beautiful waterfall from both sides.
Drive in to Akureyri and check in to your accommodations there.
Dine out in Akureyri. We ate at Strikið. This was a beautiful restaurant with views overlooking the water. Reservations are needed. The food here was amazing! They served us the best desert we had in all of Iceland.
Day 10 – Western Iceland
One day 10 of this two week Iceland itinerary, you’ll be doing a lot of driving. We tried to break up our day with stops but the reality is there weren’t many places we were interested in stopping. We drove a few extra miles along Route 82/76 to stay along the coast in the north. However, there wasn’t much to see so we could have skipped this.
Morning – Glaumbær
So continue on Route 1 until you reach 75. Head north for a bit until you arrive at Glaumbær Farm and Museum. Here you’ll get to see the famous Icelandic turf houses and learn some history of them. You’ll also get to walk through some beautifully preserved traditional Icelandic farm buildings.
Next, buckle in for a good chunk of driving along the Ring Road. We ate lunch as we drove.
Afternoon – Volcanic Features
Grábrók is the next stop. Walk to the top of this volcanic crater and take the short hike around the rim. From here you can also see structural ruins at the base of the cone.
Next, make your way inland following Route 50 and then 518, until you reach the Hraunfossar parking area. At Hraunfossar, you’ll find a series of two waterfalls. The first is Hraunfossar a waterfall spouting out of the rocks. The river that creates this waterfall is underground in old lava tubes! This is such a magical waterfall Scott and I spent some serious time in search of the wizards responsible for it. If you hike up the path, you’ll next see Barnafossar, another neat waterfall.
Drive to the Borgarnes area for the night. You’ll be staying here for two evenings. Grab dinner in town and then head to sleep. We also stocked up on groceries for the last time in our two weeks in Iceland before ending the day.
Day 11 – Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Head north on Route 54 to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Turn off onto 574. This will be the main loop through Snæfellsjökull National Park.
Morning – Rocks of all kinds
For the first stop of the day, visit Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge. This made the list of our top 5 favorite things to do in Iceland! Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge is a very narrow gorge with a small river running through it. We enjoyed hiking up this river in the very eerie gorge. Hiking up this river does require some waterproof boots, pants and coat. We hiked up the river without any of this and had to change into dry clothes once we got back to the car.
Next, drive to Arnarstapi and park at the car park for the Snæfellsáss Statue. From here you can take the short and well groomed hike to the coast. Then walk along the coast to see Gatklettur and the lighthouse.
Next, enter Snæfellsjökull National Park and park at the Malrrif Lighthouse. Walk along the shore to see the lighthouse and Lóndrangar rock formations.
Then, drive on to Vatnshellir Cave for a cave tour of old volcanic lava tubes. As tour sizes are limited, you should make a reservation ahead of time for this cave tour. Only one company is authorized to provide tours.
Afternoon – Beaches
The next stop along 574 is Djúpalónssandur Beach. This is a beautiful black stone beach. Don’t take the stones with you, it is not allowed. However, you can enjoy the beautiful water, wander through the tidal pools and walk along the ridge to get views from above. Be careful of the sneaker waves – random waves that will come much higher than all the other waves. We got hit by one and had to change or clothes for the second time that day. Consider eating a picnic lunch on the beach.
Next, visit Saxhóll Crater. Climb the hill and wander around the crater.
Then visit one final beach: Skarðsvík Beach. This is a beautiful sand beach where you are able to swim if you can handle the cold ocean water.
Continue driving until the road rejoins Route 54 and then head on to Kirkjufell. This is that big pointy mountain for Game of Thrones that everyone wants to visit and this two week Iceland itinerary wouldn’t be complete without a stop. Stop at Kirkjufellsfoss which is across the road from Kirkjufell mountain. This was the busiest stop in all of our Icelandic travels.
Head back to the Borgarnes area by taking Route 56 south and then taking Route 54 south.
Eat dinner out in Borgarnes.
Stay a second night in your accommodations near Borgarnes.
Day 12 – Reykjavík
Morning – Reykjavík Outskirts
In the morning drive to Reykjavík.
Spend the first day in Reykjavík exploring the outer areas of the city before driving into the downtown area. We wanted to visit the Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach but we wound up getting a COVID test instead – that’s 2021 for you.
After you’ve explored the outskirts of Reykjavík drive to your accommodations in the downtown area. You’ll be staying here two nights. It will be helpful if you can get early checkin or at the minimum have somewhere to park your car and store your luggage before checkin.
Afternoon – Shopping and Dining
Spend the afternoon shopping in Reykjavík.
Stay overnight in Reykjavík and eat out for dinner. For our first night in Reykjavík we ate a “progressive dinner”. We grabbed the famous Reykjavík hotdogs, had some fish at the pier, had ice cream, waffles, really anything that smelled good… It was a great way to sample the flavors of town.
Reykjavík is said to have a bustling nightlife. We found that it got really quiet around 9 PM so we just went back to our accommodations and slept. Admittedly, we weren’t really looking for a party as drinking in Reykjavík is expensive but if you’re interested in staying out the option is there but it seems to be mainly a bar scene.
Day 13 – Reykjavík
Morning – Walking Tour
On the final day of your two week Iceland itinerary, learn about Iceland’s history with a walk through Reykjavík.
Start the morning at Hallgrimskirkja. Take photos in front of the church and walk in to look at the interior if it is open to the public.
Then walk to Hljómskála Park. Walk around The Pond here. You’ll see City Hall and the National Gallery. You’ll also be able to feed the swans if you bring some bread. The park itself is beautiful!
Next, spend a few hours at the National Museum of Iceland.
Walk to the piers and grab a light fish lunch.
Afternoon – Museums and Art
After lunch visit the Phallus (Penis) Museum… because when in Iceland, why not?
Then wander along the coastal walk until you get to the Sun Voyager sculpture.
Relax for the rest of the day doing whatever pleases you!
Then have one last amazing meal in Iceland! Go all out and order a side dish of lobster tail just because you can.
Stay one more night in your Reykjavík accommodations.
Day 14 – Return journey
Make your way to the airport and head home!
Want to Adjust the Itinerary
There are a million and one ways to adjust this itinerary.
If you’re looking for a longer itinerary, we’ll give you three suggestions.
Option 1 – Glaciers
First, day 5 (Glaciers) was my favorite day! I absolutely loved the glaciers and lagoons. If I were to do this trip again, I’d do a full day glacier walk with a tour company, spend a second night in the area, and then do the park hiking and glacier lagoons the second day.
Option 2 – Slower Pace
Second suggestion is from Scott. Some of his favorite things were just stops on the side of the road. Whether this was waterfalls or the short hikes that we hadn’t planned. So Scott thinks that if we had more time, we would have just stretched out this trip to allow for more spontaneity. This itinerary is very full. While you have plenty of time to do everything listed, you don’t have much wiggle room. So if you have extra time, consider spacing this trip out a bit more to give yourself extra time to discover some fun roadside attractions.
Option 3 – Inland Iceland
The third suggestion for adding more time is exploring the interior section of Iceland. This Iceland itinerary doesn’t go inland. And one big reason for that is time, the other is most places we were interested in going inland required 4WD. Getting a 4WD vehicle would have impacted our Icelandic budget and since we didn’t have time we decided not to. However, the Landmannalaugar region would have been great to visit.
When To Road Trip In Iceland?
This two week Iceland itinerary is designed for a summer visitor. June through August is perfect for this road trip. May through September will generally work as well. While you may want to visit in the winter to see the Northern Lights, summer is the best time to see the majority of Iceland. With extended daylight hours and open roads, summer is the best time to visit Iceland and the only time that this Iceland road trip is available as many of these roads close in the winter.
Where to Stay in Iceland?
For each day, we’ve included a town to stay in each night. However, where do you stay? Iceland has hotels, hostels and home rentals to stay in. We stayed in a bit of each. However, the home rentals in Iceland were charming. A majority of them were one or two small cabins on someone’s property. All home rentals must be licensed in Iceland so make sure the ones you choose are. However, as long as you are staying in a licensed property, we think that home/cabin rentals were the best value and best places to stay in terms of uniqueness.
However, Iceland’s tourist season is busy and the tourism industry sometimes can’t keep up. So make sure to book your accommodations ahead of time or you may find yourself without a place to stay each night.
What to Budget for Iceland
This two week Iceland itinerary cost us $5936.60 USD for two people.
We hope this has helped you to plan your own two week Iceland itinerary. We enjoyed our trip and have even made some adjustments to help you have a better trip than we had! If you have any questions about planning your own Iceland road trip, please leave them in the sections below.
