12 days on Iceland's Ring Road with friends: a road trip itinerary

The lift to the top of the church gives the best view over Reykjavík's coloured roofs.

Walk down to the glass concert hall and along the waterfront to the steel ship sculpture.

Lamb soup or fish of the day; restaurant mains in Reykjavík usually cost €30 to €45.

Walk through the rift between the North American and Eurasian plates, where Iceland's parliament met from 930. Parking fee only.

Strokkur erupts every few minutes. Free.

The two-step golden waterfall falling into a canyon. Free; lunch at the café by the car park.

Iceland's oldest swimming pool, a natural hot spring with a little geyser beside it, simpler and cheaper than the big lagoons.

Walk behind the first waterfall (bring a rain jacket), then squeeze into the gorge of the hidden one next door. Parking fee.

A 60 metre curtain of water; climb the 500 steps beside it for the view and the start of the Fimmvörðuháls trail.

A guided walk on the ice with crampons and axes, about three hours, usually €80 to €100.

Basalt columns and sea stacks. The waves here are dangerous: stay well back from the water, always.

The southernmost village, with a handful of restaurants and the night's beds.

A short walk along the rim of a mossy, winding canyon. Parking fee.

About 1 hour 30 minutes return to the waterfall framed by black basalt columns. Parking fee for the national park.

Icebergs and seals on the lagoon. The amphibian boat costs about 7,100 ISK, the zodiac about twice that and gets closer to the glacier.

Across the road, chunks of glacier ice wash up on black sand. Free.

The harbour town is known for its humarsúpa (langoustine soup) and grilled langoustine.

Black dunes under the jagged mountain, on private land with an entry fee at the Viking Café.

The road winds in and out of every fjord; reindeer graze by the road in early summer.

Over a mountain pass to an artists' village of wooden houses and the rainbow street leading to the blue church.

Europe's most powerful waterfall. Use the paved road on the west side.

Bubbling mud pots and steaming vents in orange earth. Stay on the paths. Free.

A short walk around a turquoise crater lake near the Krafla power station.

The north's geothermal lagoon, from about 7,900 ISK. It was being rebuilt and due to reopen in summer 2026: check it is open for your dates.

Try geysir bread, rye bread baked in the hot ground.

Short trails through dark lava towers and arches. Free.

Three hour tours in Skjálfandi bay, where humpbacks are seen on most summer trips. Usually €80 to €110.

A late lunch after the boat.

The waterfall of the gods, right by the road to Akureyri. Walk to both banks.

Iceland's second town: restaurants, bars and the heart-shaped red traffic lights.

A slow morning, then the long drive west.

A museum of traditional turf houses, a good leg-stretch on the way.

A detour on gravel to the rock shaped like a drinking troll, and seal colonies along the shore.

Iceland's most photographed mountain, with a small waterfall in front.

A black pebble beach with shipwreck remains and the old lifting stones fishermen tested themselves on.

About 2.5 km each way above sea arches and bird cliffs.

A lone black church in a lava field.

Hundreds of little streams pouring out from under a lava field into a blue river.

Europe's most powerful hot spring, with tomatoes grown in greenhouses next to it.

Hot pools fed by the spring, with lunch in the restaurant.

Happy hours make a drink almost affordable; the bars on Laugavegur stay busy late on weekends.

Exhibitions on glaciers and volcanoes, an ice cave inside the building and a viewing deck over the city.

Order one with everything: the cheapest good meal in Iceland.

An infinity-edge lagoon looking out to the ocean, with a seven-step sauna ritual. The Saman pass starts at about 13,990 ISK.

Seafood in the converted warehouses of the Grandi harbour area.

On the way to the airport: a footbridge across the plate boundary, and a roaring hot spring. Check the road status first, as volcanic eruptions near Grindavík have closed some roads in recent years.

The milky blue lagoon 20 minutes from the airport, ideal before an evening flight. Comfort tickets start around 11,990 ISK and must be booked for a time slot.