7 days in Iceland: itinerary

The 7-day route is a single line east from Reykjavík and back: Golden Circle loop, south coast through Vík, out to Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell, then the long return west to the airport peninsula. You sleep in five different places, which is the maximum this site allows for a week.

Driving distances are short by North American standards but slow: single-lane bridges, 90 km/h limits, sheep, and stops every 20 minutes for a waterfall. Plan the day around daylight, not around kilometres.

Day 1 — Reykjavík. Land at Keflavík, take the airport bus or pick up the car, and spend the afternoon on foot: Hallgrímskirkja, the harbour, and one of the city's geothermal pools. Two nights here means you are not driving tired on arrival.

Day 2 — Golden Circle. Þingvellir rift valley, the Geysir area and Gullfoss, then sleep at Selfoss or Flúðir rather than driving back to the capital. This is the one day where tour buses are unavoidable at midday; start early.

Day 3 — South coast to Vík. Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, the Sólheimajökull glacier walk if you have booked it, and the black beach at Reynisfjara. Two nights in Vík means day 4 needs no packing.

Day 4 — Vík and around. Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, Dyrhólaey in summer for puffins, or a longer glacier or ice-cave tour. Keep the afternoon loose; south-coast weather changes fast.

Day 5 — East to Skaftafell or Höfn. Cross the sandur plains, walk to Svartifoss or a glacier tongue in Skaftafell, then Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach. Sleeping at Höfn adds about 80 km but gives you langoustine and a shorter day 6.

Day 6 — Return west to Reykjanes. This is the long driving day, 4.5–5.5 hours without stops. Break it at Vík for lunch and at Seljalandsfoss for coffee, then sleep near Keflavík.

Day 7 — Reykjanes and departure. If your flight is afternoon, use the morning for the Reykjanes lava fields and a lagoon near the airport. Check eruption status before any Reykjanes stop.

A hire car is the only practical way to do this route in a week. Buses exist on the south coast but run once or twice a day and will not fit five stops into seven days. Tours work if you base yourself in Reykjavík and Vík and accept that you see less.

Pick up at Keflavík on arrival and drop there on departure; one-way fees between KEF and Reykjavík are common and worth checking before you book. A compact 2WD is fine for this route in summer. In winter, or if you plan any F-road or highland detour, take a 4WD — F-roads are closed to 2WD and most rental insurance will not cover them.

Fuel stations are frequent on the Ring Road but sparse on the Reykjanes peninsula and east of Vík; fill up when you pass one. Check road.is for closures and vedur.is for wind warnings each morning in winter. Wind, not snow, is what closes south-coast roads.

Base towns for this route are Reykjavík, Selfoss or Flúðir, Vík, Skaftafell or Höfn, and Keflavík or Reykjanesbær. Book all five before you arrive in June–August; the south coast sells out weeks ahead.

Reykjavík suits hostels, city hotels and apartments. Vík and Höfn are small: a handful of hotels, guesthouses and campsites, so book early or shift one night to Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Near the airport, Keflavík and Reykjanesbær have the widest choice for a last night.

Iceland is expensive and the car is the biggest single line. The figures below are 2026 estimates for one person sharing a double room or a dorm, self-catering some meals. Add 30–50% for a family in a hotel, and more in July.

Food is where budgets break: a restaurant main is roughly 3,000–5,000 ISK, so most travellers buy at Bónus or Krónan and cook in guesthouse kitchens at least half the time. Petrol, parking and one or two paid activities (glacier walk, ice cave, lagoon) are the other variable costs.

If you have no car, cut the route to Reykjavík plus guided Golden Circle and south-coast day tours, and skip Höfn entirely. You will see the headline sights and spend more time on a bus.

If you want the Ring Road, take 10 days in Iceland instead: the site's own plan runs Reykjavík → south coast → east fjords → Mývatn → Akureyri → west, June to September only. Fourteen days in Iceland adds Snæfellsnes and the Westfjords with the Baldur ferry.

In winter, drop Jökulsárlón and stay in the southwest: Reykjavík, the Golden Circle and Vík, with the last night near Keflavík and one spare day for a storm. Northern lights are a bonus, not a plan.

Other swaps: Snæfellsnes for two nights instead of the south coast if you have already seen Vík; or Akureyri and Mývatn by domestic flight if you want the north without the drive.