Iceland Round Trip with a Rental Car

Once around Iceland

Good to know

 ...before you start your round trip

To immerse yourself in the magic of Iceland, one thing is particularly important: Mobility. Rent a car and set your own pace on an Iceland round tour and discover the most beautiful and spectacular natural wonders in Iceland.

Besides the popular "Golden Circle" in the southwest to bizarre lava formations and craters in the north, everything else is what the adventure heart is looking forward to: whether you want to see waterfalls, lakes, coasts or geysers. On the coast and in the more densely populated regions of Iceland most of the roads are asphalted and well developed. The showpiece of the road network is the almost 1400 km long ring road, which runs around the entire island near the coast.

The filling station network is sufficiently dense. Anyone who has rented a high-country off-road jeep should take reserve fuel for longer driving trips into the wilderness.

The West – Reykjavík

Starting point of the rental car round trip

An Iceland tour with a rental car is best started in Reykjavík. The northernmost city in Europe is not only minutes away from the airport, it also impresses with its Nordic flair. Surrounded by beautiful bays and impressive natural phenomena in the surrounding area, the vibrant city presents itself as young, cosmopolitan, exciting and versatile. For the ones that are thirsty for knowledge and for art lovers there are numerous museums and galleries.  Fashion fans can indulge their favourite pastime in many trendy boutiques that stand out with their fancy designer fashion.

Music lovers will get their money's worth in the opera house "Harpa" and if you just want to enjoy your culinary delights, you can do so in the many cosy sidewalk cafés, bars or restaurants. Incidentally, the rental car can also be picked up at Keflavík Airport. Depending on the arrival and departure times, we will coordinate this optimally for your journey. For your convenience you can also be picked up by the rental car directly at your own accommodation in the heart of the city and brought back after the trip.

Blue lagoon

15 km from the airport, the Blue Lagoon is located at the foot of the mountain Porbjarnarfell. The milky blue shimmering water is naturally enriched with silica, salt and algae. Iceland's best-known natural bath of today has the reputation of a spa - especially people with psoriasis have noted the healing properties of the water.

After a drive in the rental car, you can relax on your Iceland tour in the newly designed bathing and wellness area and recharge your batteries.
 

To the "Golden Circle” with the rental car

This tour is part of an Iceland tour, as the Coliseum is in Rome. The route leads from Reykjavík inland and is easy to do in one day. The highlights of the "Golden Circle" - with the most famous historical sites and unforgettable natural phenomena are the perfect introduction to an Iceland round trip by rental car.

National park Þingvellir

Þingvellir National Park is the oldest of Iceland and is located about 50 km northeast of the state capital. In 2004, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. It doesn’t only protect a piece of Icelandic cultural heritage - such as the historic gathering place of the oldest parliament in the world - but also a geological feature. Because nowhere else on earth the drifting apart of two continental plates is so obvious. This phenomenon is well recognizable on the open columns of Almannagjá.

Great Geysir and Strokkur

Just over 60 kilometers further, you can admire the impressive Stóri Geyser - or Great Geyser. All the other springs in the world were named after this one. In 2000, it unexpectedly erupted after an earthquake. On its best days, the water column is up to 60 m high.

This spectacle is accompanied by a ghostly grumbling. Although its outbursts have become rarer, you can always rely on his "little brother", the Strokkur. It erupts reliably every few minutes and throws the water in the air about 20m. Next door, the physical well-being of the visitors is also being taken care of: In the very good restaurant of the Geysircenter, you can fill your empty stomach during your Iceland tour. It also makes sense to drink a cappuccino at the petrol station café and refill the car with fuel.

Gullfoss – The golden waterfall

Just 10 km away there is another hotspot for Iceland travelers: The Gullfoss consists of two staggered drop steps whose masses of water tumble to a depth of up to 32 m. On sunny afternoons, this experience is especially nice: Then the sunlight reflects from the small water droplets and a colourful rainbow pleases the eyes.

In the evening you get why it is called the "Golden Waterfall" because the evening sun sets a golden glow over its spray - a truly magical spectacle. In order to experience the Gollfoss properly, you have to walk from the lower parking area to the edge of the Hvítá canyon or walk from the upper parking area (at the visitor center) along the paved footpath (5 min.) to the lookout point.

The south

Southern tour with rental car

The south of Iceland also impresses with its fabulous natural beauty. The 40 m high Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which is illuminated at night, is also easy to reach on the ring road. There you can also see the Westman Islands well. A little further, the Skógafoss is located. This waterfall, which is 25 m wide, is known as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland.

At the southernmost point of the island, there is the Cape Dyrhólaey. The most remarkable point is the eponymous 120 m high peat rock Dyrhólaey. It owes its name to a large archway, which even small boats can pass. The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, which is located directly on the ring road, can also easily be reached by rental car on the Iceland round trip, where you can be amazed by the icebergs floating on it.

The North

The rental car round trip continues

In the north, the lake district of Mývatn is one of the highlights of an Iceland round trip by rental car. There isn’t only unique bird and plant life, but also volcanic craters and unusual lava formations invite to be discovered. The pseudo craters near the place Skútustadir are especially worth a visit. They were created by lava flows that flowed over wet ground (shallow lakes, moors).

The water below the lava exploded in the heat and blew huge craters into the landscape. The best view is from the Hverfjall, where a footpath leads up to the steeply crater rim. There you can enjoy a magnificent view over the bizarre crater landscape. The lava castles Dimmuborgir are equally impressive. Some of the "dark castles" made of towers, bridges and overhangs are reminiscent of fossilized trolls. In the land of the "Elves and Trolls“, you can discover this and much more on an Iceland round trip by rental car.

Lake Myvatn Sunset
The charm of a rental car trip

Away from the travel groups

For a rental car (round trip), we have planned the framework for you. We book the most charming accommodation in Iceland for you and organize your rental car. You will be conveniently picked up directly from the rental car service at the hotel and brought back to the hotel afterwards. You can plan the rest of your daily routine yourself. They are not subject to peer pressure. This is the main advantage of a rental car trip, because nature takes time.

A detailed travel program gives you an overview of the abundance of daily attractions from which you can choose. By the way: The average length of the daily stages is approx. 200 kilometers or 2.5 hours driving time. Therefore, there is plenty of time to relax! We are happy to adjust the rental car trip to your travel period and complete it with additional activities such as whale watching, glacier tours, etc.

Travel schedule for every day


You will receive a detailed travel program tailored to your rental car trip from us. Included are, for example:

  • Hiking tips on volcanoes, through lava fields or along sandy beaches
  • GPS data for hidden hot water springs
  • Restaurant Tips
  • Observation sites for puffins and much more.

If you fancy getting on an island tour with a rental car, then just browse through our offers.