Around Iceland in 5 days: the mission itself sounds kind of “Around the World in 365 days” [lol] The internet is full of questions “Can I do Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days? 7 days? 11 days?”. The answer normally is “You´d need at least 11 days”. So, is Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days really a “mission impossible”?
Visiting Iceland
I´m back from the most wonderful place on the Earth, the Land of Ice and Fire, beautiful and wild Iceland. The main conclusion of my trip is that Iceland (alongside The Big Island of Hawaii and The Canary Islands) is one of the most amazing places I´ve ever been too. Mountains, rivers, volcanos, glaciers, waterfalls, black sand beaches… the natural wonders of Iceland are endless. No wonder Iceland has been one of the most epic filming locations on Game of Thrones.
As an avid traveler, I always try to prepare my trips so that I could cover more places and live more experiences. Iceland was not an exception… Have you ever over-planned a trip? After reading numerous blogs, travel journals and doing my research all over Social Media: I couldn’t help the feeling “Wait..I´ve already seen it” while traveling around Iceland. But on the other hand, this has helped me to build up a plan of intensive sightseeing and fulfilling my goal of completing Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days.
How many days do you need in Iceland?
Let me put this straight from the very beginning: 7 days is not enough to see everything in Iceland and doing Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days is an adventure. Although it also means that you can´t see it all along the way – you´ll need to prioritize and make stops only for the places you´d like visiting the most. And of course, if you have two weeks or more for this trip – it is wonderful. Probably, 11-14 days is the best choice for the Ring Road drive.
Another option is 4 days for the South Iceland Itinerary if you only aim to see the country´s most popular attractions.
If you have several weeks for your Icelandic Adventure, you obviously, get to see much more natural wonders along the way, to hike the most of the routes and there is no need to rush at all.
Also read: The Ultimate New Zealand 2 Week Itinerary
But what if you simply don’t have those 2 weeks? What if all you have is a week and you still want to see more than just a South Iceland? – It was our case. I wish we had more time for this trip, but we simply did not. Our choice was either to postpone it all until an undetermined date or head to Iceland and try to make the most of our time. So, by and large, if you´re ready to have a very active vacation: driving a lot, getting little sleep and walking fast – doing Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days is entirely possible. You might feel like you need another vacation after this one. But the adventure is always worth it, isn’t it?
The good thing is that you have 16-17 hours of daylight in August. Otherwise, we wouldn´t be able to see that much. My whole trip to Iceland was 7 days. But the actual Ring road drive was made in 5 days. One day arrival/airport/transfers/car rental/sleeping and one full day for Reykjavik and Blue Lagoon. Below you could see my itinerary and while looking back to this trip I´m actually quite happy with how things worked out.
Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days: Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival
Late arrival and a night in Keflavik.
Day 2 Keflavik – Selfoss
- Thingvellir National Park*( we only made a quick stop here, you could hike more and do the famous diving between tectonic plates)
- Bruarfoss Waterfall
- Strokkur Geysir
- Gullfoss Waterfall
- Kerid Crater
No matter the length of your Icelandic adventure, your first target should be the Golden Circle. Check all the stops, tips and highlights about driving the Golden Circle in Iceland to make the most of your trip.

Day 3 Selfoss – Hofn
- Seljalandfoss Waterfall
- Skogafoss Waterfall
- Vik/ Dyrholaey
- Fjadrangljurfur
- Skaftefell National Park* (we only did the hike to the Svartifoss Waterfall, you could also do Svinafellsjökull Glacier hike)

Day 4 Hofn – Akureyri
- Jokusarlon Glacier Lake
- Dettifoss waterfall
- Myvathn lake + Vogafos Farm (Read more: Eating in Iceland)
- Hverir Mudpots
- Godafoss waterfall
More things you could do nearby: Grjotagja cave, Hafragilsfoss waterfall, Myvatn Baths, helicopter flights from Myvatn over the lake or volcanos.

Day 5 Akureyri and Whale Watching tour
- Whale Watching tour in Husavik
- Akureyri (city walk and shopping + delicious local Ice Cream)
Day 6 Akureyri – Hellnar / Sanefelness Peninsula
- Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge
- Arnastapi
- Hellnar
- Lóndrangar
- Kirkjufell Waterfall
- Stykkisholmur (Read more: Snæfellsnes peninsula – Iceland in Miniature)
You could also do: Mountain Helgafell.

Day 7 Hellnar -Reikjavik +Blue Lagoon
We drove back to Reykjavik early morning, dropped off a rented car, spent the whole day exploring the city. Afterwards, we took a transfer to the Blue Lagoon (late evening). The only drawback: the Blue Lagoon was not quite that blue. I really expected them to have a better lighting system: it was quite dark to appreciate the watercolor. So if it is one of the main things you want to see in Iceland – book in advance and go there first thing in the morning.

To Sum Up
I know, it looks like after this schedule you´d need at least another week of vacation to recover [lol] Nevertheless, me and my husband, we both arrived home energized and happy with this intensive sightseeing. In Iceland, we would wake up around 6 a.m. with no alarm every day (probably due to the time difference with Europe). Moreover, we would drive from 4 to 6 hours every day (except one day in Akureyri and the last one in Reykjavik). However, when everything around is so beautiful and you make many stops along the way – you simply don’t get bored from driving.
The excitement of seeing the stunning Icelandic waterfalls and other incredible natural wonders along the way wins over comfort and makes sleep useless. At home, I´m used to sleeping at least 8 hours per day, but in Iceland, 6 hours was more than enough for me. Maybe, clean water and fresh air matter more than we realize? By the way, Icelandic water is the most delicious one I´ve ever tried.I don´t drink tap water in Europe (the one exception was probably in Switzerland), but Iceland is a place to connect with nature and drink everything but bottled water.
Yes. I won’t lie to you – doing Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days might not be for everyone. It is a challenging task, we woke up around 6.30 -7.00 a.m and went to bed around 11 p.m. every day. Yet if you’d ask me whether I prefer limiting our trip to South Iceland – I´d say no. I actually enjoyed the North of Iceland and Snæfellsnes peninsula much more than the touristic South. So, I’m extremely happy we risked doing Iceland´s Ring Road in 5 days. It was an adventurous task from the beginning, but also 100% worth it.
7 Lessons I Learned in Iceland
World of Waterfalls: Icelandic Natural Wonders
Snæfellsnes Peninsula: Iceland in Miniature
A Foodie Guide to Eating in Iceland
Whale Watching in Iceland: Sailing in the Rain
For more travel inspiration and useful tips about Iceland check my Iceland Pinterest Board.
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Wow – what an ambitious trip! I’m bookmarking this and sending it to my boyfriend for 2018 haha! When you were there in August was it already pretty cold?
I was there 7-14 Aug and it was pretty cold: +13°C or so – the hottest. [lol] But we were quite lucky with the weather though: it rained hard only two times in our 7 days there – first time while we did the whale watching [lol] but we had special suits on, and the second time on our last Day in Reykjavik, but we´ve already seen it all by then. In June-July you could probably have +14-15°C [lol] but it does´t get any better than that [lol].
Wow your photos are amazing! I love Iceland but when I went I only got to go out into the rural areas a little bit – I’d love to go back and rent a car because it looks like there are so many amazing landscapes to see!
Thanks for stopping by, Kat! Icelandic nature and landscapes are truly amazing!
Oh wow you managed to fit so much in! I’d love to explore iceland! 🙂
Hope you are having a great week so far 🙂 We have some cooler weather at last so it’s starting to feel a little more like autumn 🙂
Away From The Blue Blog
Thank you, Mica! It´s one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to!
I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland, and your post has definitely made me want to go more. Your days sounded absolutely jam-packed, but with so many exciting adventures! I’ll definitely be referring back to your post when I finally book that trip to this beautiful country!
Jenny x
https://www.theconfessionsofanonlineshopaholic.com
Iceland is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to! And you’re right – when it comes to adventures, jam-packed days don’t matter..[lol]
This is great info! There is a strong possibility I may be going to Iceland this summer so seeing how many days are recommended is great to read. Also, I plan on taking your itinerary into consideration. Thank you for sharing this! #theweeklypostcard
Iceland is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to! I’m sure you´ll love it!
I always have a layover in Iceland when traveling from Denmark to the states, but it is never long enough for me to go out and explore! I can’t wait to visit someday. Great travel guide! xx
Madison | Breakfast at Madison’s
Thanks, Madison! Layovers are tricky, it´s like you visit a country but you don’t get to see much! Hope you’ll visit Iceland one day, it´s simply stunning!
Day 7 Hellnar -Reikjavik +Blue Lagoon
We drove back to Reykjavik early morning, dropped off a rented car, spent the whole day exploring the city. Afterwards, took a transfer to the Blue Lagoon (late evening)…. i think 7 day it is optimal period, so it is try
Yes! It is definitely must try!
Beautiful Pictures. I really like it Useful information. Thanks for sharing it
Thank you, Stella!
the blue lagoon must have been gorgeous! also iceland is on top of my travel list! and i feel like 5 days are a good amount of time to visit!
Cate // 35mminstyle
The blue lagoon is so gorgeous, although everything is stunning in Iceland!
Out of curiosity: Why don’t you drink tap water in Europe? I live in Germany, and our tap water is one of the best controlled around the world.
It´s not cause I´m afraid to die or smth lol I´ve just noticed that for my skin bottled water works better! By the way, I lived it Berlin for a couple of months, love traveling to Germany ever since!
Oh wow! What an amazing trip! I’ve never been to Iceland before but it’s on my list of travels now. Your photos are beautiful by the way.
xo, Maria
https://www.miamiamine.com/
Oh yeah 7 days does not seem nearly long enough. But wow you really were on a whirlwind. Your trip looked quite memorable and hopefully you can return for a longer stay. Maybe you can visit were they filmed GOT lol.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Wow it looks like you guys had an amazing trip! I want to go to Iceland so bad, it looks beautiful. I honestly don’t think I could hit so many spots in 5 days, I have major respect for you haha!
I have only been in Iceland for a flight transfer but would definitely want to see more one day. I’m going to bookmark this page!
Anouk | http://www.anouk.co
Iceland is on my list of places to see! I get what you mean about seeing something online and you get to a point where it’s kind of like you have already seen it already. I swear I am the worst for this – I search on Instagram, youtube even google maps street view. I need to stop so that places are more of a surprise – HOWEVER – by doing this research you do find out better views and places to go so it’s difficult?!
Hayley | hayleyxmartin
This sounds like a tough program! But it must be so worth it! I can’t wait to do it too one day!
I did something similar in 2019, but it was done in 72 hours on Iceland, with travel from/to Iceland 96 hours. It was more of a challenge for me if I’m able to do it at this time by myself. While it was day 24/7 I slept little and just enjoyed a ride around the country. If you are interested you can read more about it on the link