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We just returned from Iceland, and WOW, what a crazy huge range of adventure awaits for those who travel along the Ring Road.

Since our trip was the beginning of May, it was not during tourist season.  This can make some destinations hit or miss (weather dependent), and many of the museums that looked interesting (especially in the northern areas) were not open yet for the season.  Although I definitely see the perks of heading to Iceland during the prime season (July, Aug), it was nice to travel around with less crowds.  On several of the stop offs we did parking lots were nearly full so I can only imagine how it would be later.  There are definitely pros and cons for when the best time to travel is, and whether to do the entire Ring Road or focus on one area.

If you are planning on doing a road trip through Iceland, particularly when snow/ice might be on the road, be prepared!  It is best if you have experience driving in these kinds of conditions, because although most of the road is paved, there are steep mountains and other road hazards so be sure to stay safe!

The first day of our Ring Road adventures was tiring, but worth it.  Since we didn’t have much time to make the trip we landed at KEF early in the morning, picked up our rental car and were on our way!  If you are able to take more time to explore Iceland, that would be ideal.  It’s tricky for us to get away too long, so as Tim Gunn would say, “make it work!”

Day 1 – Ring Road itinerary

• Land at KEF airport & pick up car rental

  • After collecting our luggage and clearing customs, we waited in the arrival section of the airport for a rep from our car rental company.  Shuttle drivers from different rental companies walked through the arrival area (near the information desk) and held up signs with the company they were with.  We waited about 20 minutes before spotting our company.  It was a fairly quick shuttle ride to the car rental office (we went with Fire Fly).
  • At the rental office they went over the details of the car & rental agreement, and before long we were on our way!
  • If your plan is to stick primarily to the ring road, a Two-wheel drive car is sufficient (and much more cost effective for the pricey fuel costs)
  • Be careful when booking a rental car to avoid costly fees by the rental company such as mileage limitations (we went with unlimited for this trip)
  • Manual transmission cars were much cheaper than automatic, so be sure that is what you are comfortable with when booking!

• Grocery shopping

  • This is a big one!  Food in Iceland can be very expensive.  Although I do highly recommend eating out a couple of times to experience some of the local cuisine, it is also a good idea to pick up some snacks & basic items at the grocery in Reykjavik before starting your trip.  We brought a lot of snack food in our luggage too, but made sure to pick up some bread and a few other items at the store.  After reading several blogs, I was pretty excited to go to “Bonus” which is a budget store.  Right after leaving the rental office, when we hit Ring Road, I spotted a Bonus store, so of course we stopped!  BUT, I was totally bummed to see that that location didn’t open until 10:00am, and we were there earlier.  Fortunately, there was a Kronan (another budget store) right next door that opened at 8:00am so we went ahead and did our shopping there.
  • Although each of the towns we stopped at while traveling Ring Road did have similar grocery items, they were pricier when outside of Reykjavik.
  • This little stop off also had a gas station (Orkan) with a Dunkin Donuts, which we stopped at to get coffee before hitting the road.

• Glanni Waterfall

  • ~ 80 minutes from the grocery store.
  • Although this waterfall is smaller than many of the other well known falls in Iceland, it was a beautiful stop.  There was a nice path that led to a small platform where you can get a great view of the falls.  Quick walk, and beautiful waterfall.  Some believe that elves and trolls live here so keep your eyes peeled.  There looked to be another path that led closer to the falls, but we did not explore due to time.
  • There was a little visitor center with a washroom at Glanni, but it wasn’t open when we were there (seasonal?)

• Borgarvirki

  • ~ 90 minutes from Glanni Waterfall
  • The roads to get to the ruins of the fortress were much more intense.  There were narrow gravel roads, lots of potholes, and steep areas of the mountains to get to this location.  When we went, the wind was intense, so the ride may be a little more enjoyable on a nicer day.

• Bryggjan restaurant – Akureyri

  • ~ 2 hours & 25 minutes from Borgarvirki
  • We decided to stop for dinner in Akureyri before checking into our Airbnb.  This restaurant was a lot of fun.  The décor inside was cute, the views nearby were of the port (a cruise ship was docked across the street), and the food was delicious!  We split a pizza – “The Inner-Towner”, which was quite possibly one of my favorite pizzas ever.

• Checked into Airbnb near Akureyri

General information:

• GAS STATIONS

  • When you go to fill your gas, you have to pre-pay at the pump.  This can be done in 2 ways:
    • 1 – you can use a credit card only IF you have a pin #!  (if you’re from the States, you probably will run into problems with this!  A debit card should work though)
    • 2 – you can purchase pre-paid gas cards inside the store with a “No foreign transaction fee” credit card.  (beware that some stations are unmanned though)
      • We purchased cards at both N1, and Orkan.  They work well, but it is hard trying to know how much to purchase when you are a traveler.  We ended up having a lot of money left on one of our gas cards, which we were able to purchase other items in the gas station (souvenirs/food)

• Directions

  • We generally used Google maps for directions.  For the most part this was good, there were only a couple of areas where it was a little turned around but nothing we couldn’t figure out!  Our phones worked awesome there, and we were able to get internet signal basically everywhere we visited.  There was one instance in the mountains where my phone lost connection for about a minute… that was it.  Pretty awesome.  (We use Google Fi)
  • Google Fi is optimal for international travel. Data is charged at the same rate as if you were using data domestically ($10/GB and capped at $60). There are unlimited text messages for no extra fees. However, phone calls are charged at a rate of $0.20 per minute if using a cell tower (Wi-Fi connected call rates vary based on the country you are located in)(**information current at time of writing, be sure to verify charges & details if looking to sign up for Google Fi yourself**)
  • One feature I like with google maps, is that you can enter in the next destination and do a “search along route” and look for “tourist attraction” if there is time to make another stop.  We found a few cool things that way.
  • Also, if you see a parking space with a lot of cars on the side of the road and you have time… it’s probably another tourist attraction & you may want to pull off and check it out!

• Weather can change quickly!

  • Use your judgement about road conditions and destinations.  Weather can change very quickly in Iceland, and roads or hiking paths may not be safe as a result.  Be prepared to change your routes or skip certain attractions if conditions are not favorable.

Stay tuned for future posts, as I continue to share our day by day itinerary for our 8 day journey around the Ring Road!

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