Iceland Self-Drive Tours

Our self-drive tours in Iceland put a rental car, accommodation, a day-by-day itinerary, and a guided glacier hike into a single booking. You can choose between two formats. Hotel-based trips last 3, 5, 7, or 10 days from April to October, with approximately 3-star rooms and breakfast each morning. They start in Reykjavík or at Keflavík Airport. Campervan trips last 7 or 10 days from October to April, with a fully equipped 4x4 camper, a campsite map, and five or six guided activities already booked. Routes range from the Golden Circle and South Coast to a full lap of the Ring Road. 

Every one of our driving tours carries the same core package. You're comparing routes and length, not inclusions, so the choice rests on how much of the country you want to see.

What each self-drive format includes 

Which one suits you comes down to how much you want settled before you arrive. The hotel-based trips reserve every room in advance, so each driving day ends at a known address. Campervan travelers pick a site from the included map, which is more freedom and one more decision each afternoon. Season narrows it further, since only the camper covers midwinter. 

Our self-drive tours includes a guided glacier hike at Sólheimajökull glacier, right along the South Coast route. It’s one of Iceland’s most popular adventure activities and requires trained guidance and specialist equipment.

Every self-drive tour includes a guided glacier hike on Sólheimajökull, an outlet glacier right along the South Coast route. It’s one of Iceland’s most popular adventure activities and requires trained guidance and specialist equipment. 

A certified glacier guide fits your crampons, handles the safety briefing, and leads the group onto the ice. Volcanic ash streaks Sólheimajökull in black and white bands, so you're walking on patterned ice. On the hotel-based tours, the hike is the only stop that needs equipment and training, and the tour price already includes it. Gear is provided, so all you bring is clothing for cold, wet weather, as on our other guided glacier hikes.

Trip length decides how much of Iceland you can cover. A 3-day trip covers the Golden Circle and South Coast, while 10 days give you time for the full Ring Road. The 5- and 7-day trips cover more ground without committing to the complete circuit. 

The Golden Circle is an approximately 230 km (143 mi) paved loop from Reykjavík that links Iceland's three headline sights. Þingvellir National Park fills a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart. The UNESCO-listed park is where Alþingi, Iceland's parliament and one of the world's oldest, first met. At the Geysir geothermal area, the Strokkur geyser throws water into the air every few minutes. Gullfoss drops in two stages into a canyon. Our 3-day trip opens on the Golden Circle and adds Faxi, a quieter waterfall down the road with a salmon ladder alongside it, then heads down the South Coast to Seljalandsfoss and the black sand of Reynisfjara. 

Route 1, the Ring Road, is the only road that makes a complete circuit of the country; our 10-day Ring Road self-drive package covers all 1,322 km (821 mi). The highway threads the South Coast, the East Fjords, North Iceland, and the west, so the scenery shifts character as you go. Snæfellsnes lies off Route 1, and the 10-day adds the peninsula on top of the circuit. Known as Iceland in Miniature, it packs glaciers, lava fields, fishing villages, and open coast into a single day's drive.

Your home license is enough for a self-guided driving tour of Iceland if it's in the Latin alphabet and carries a photo, so most visitors never need an International Driving Permit. Speed limits are 30 to 50 km/h (19 to 31 mph) in urban areas, 80 km/h (50 mph) on gravel, and 90 km/h (56 mph) on paved roads outside towns. Signs set the maximum in each area, and drivers must adjust to conditions, whatever the posted number says.

The rules are the easy part of driving in Iceland. What catches people off guard is the switch from asphalt to gravel, where tires lose grip if you don't slow beforehand. Sheep are the other surprise, and a lamb on one side of the road will bolt toward its mother on the other. The rental car insurance covers collision, theft, and accidents. Windshield, sand, and ash damage aren't included. Stone chipping is among the most common incidents on Icelandic roads, so add protection at pickup.

No, not on the hotel-based tours. Their routes stay on paved main roads, and the included mini or economy car handles them. A 4x4 is needed only for Highland F-roads, and none of these tours use them. We recommend a 4x4 from October to April, so an upgrade is worth pricing for an April or October departure. Pick a small 4x4 over a large model if you aren't used to big vehicles. Hotel-tour cars all have automatic transmission, and campervan tours already include a 4x4 camper. 

Between late May and mid-July, depending on the route. The published opening dates are listed road by road, and from 2021 to 2025, the earliest was 23 May and the latest 15 July. Snow cover is the deciding factor, and some roads stay closed even once it's gone, because a road through a conservation area doesn't open until the entire area can take visitors. The dates only matter for a detour you add on your own time. Check the dates for the current year before you plan around them, then follow the road conditions daily once you're driving.