How long it takes to travel along Iceland’s Ring Road

How long it takes to drive the ring road in Iceland depends on what you want to see, when you are there, how many stops you want to make and many, many other factors.Iceland’s Ring Road

So you should decide on a case-by-case basis how much time you want to take for a complete circuit of the island or for individual sections.

You will not have time for everything, you will not be able to make every stop and so you should think carefully about what is important to you and plan accordingly.

How much time should you take for a complete tour of the ring road?

Anyone who wants to drive the entire ring road should ask themselves: why and what for?

Very few will take on the duration of more than 14 hours, in which one could theoretically drive on the ring road, only to be able to say afterwards.

I have seen the entire ring road. However, if that is your goal: congratulations, the answer to all your questions is about 14 hours!

What was important to me for each full or partial drive was which sights along Iceland’s ring road I absolutely wanted to see and how much time I wanted to spend there.

It was never a complete and detailed list, but I always had certain key data in my head and used them as a guide during my round trip in Iceland.

What is the recommended time to circumnavigate Iceland on the Ring Road?

I don’t think there is a universal answer to this question, chaktty said.

I have already heard of successful and beautiful tours in 3 days and from holidaymakers who reported disappointment after three weeks of Iceland tour because they did not have enough time for everything.

My general recommendation for circumnavigating Iceland on the ring road is one week.

In seven days you should have enough time for the most important sights and a healthy buffer to be able to throw your planning overboard and restructure it, chaktty advised.

With seven days you have about 200km every day and can relax and take a day off if you can drive through it again the next time.

With the speed limit of 90km/h in Iceland, you can theoretically complete the daily stages in less than two hours, but from experience I would advise to calculate with 3 hours for such a stage.

If you want to save time, you can of course also save time in less exciting areas by setting the cruise control at 90km/h and cruising comfortably.

In rural areas, please pay attention to the condition of the ring road and any weather warnings, according to businesspally.

What is the recommended duration for sections of Iceland’s Ring Road?

To do this, you need to know which section of the route you want to drive and, of course, what that looks like in the context of the entire trip.

For example, if you want to know how much time you can take from Akureyri to Reykjavík, it is important to know whether you will move into a hotel there or whether you have to catch your plane in Keflavik on the same day.

So here I would like to show you a few frequently traveled sections and give you the duration for the journey, i.e. the pure driving time, as well as a few key data for the context, i.e. how much time you should plan in different weather conditions and for sights.

Which rental car should I choose for the duration of my trip?

I have already written in a few places how you can find the right rental car for your trip in Iceland.

You can also find testimonials about rental cars in Iceland here, as well as a testimonial about traveling in a campervan in Iceland.

At this point, only briefly summarized: If you are in Iceland in the summer, than in the main season, you can drive around the ring road with a normal car.

There is no reason for such a trip unless you want to drive to the highlands, book an expensive SUV or some other 4×4 vehicle.

If you have the necessary budget, you will of course be more relaxed with one, but it is not necessary, Techpally.

Things look different in winter: if you want to circle the entire ring road during the cold season, you are doing yourself a great favor by renting a vehicle with all-wheel drive.

You quickly find yourself in a situation where a vehicle without all-wheel drive would get stuck or otherwise reach its limits.

Alternatively, if you don’t have the budget, you can take a bus tour from Reykjavík.