thename1000

I'm going to stay 8 nights in Reykjavik in the last week of May and will have a rental vehicle. Those 8 nights are already booked but are pretty cheap, so it's not much of a loss to spend 1-2 nights in another place if it allows me to see a lot more. Being based in Reykjavik for so long seems like it might limit how far out I can go and what I can see. I plan on doing the Golden Circle but that is only one day of activities.

So I've been doing research but I need advice from someone with experience with the roads and with this time of the year. Ideally, I would like to drive out in one direction, stay one night, see several things on the way, and come back (most likely on the same road).

Places that were mentioned online that seem reachable from Reykjavik in one day's drive seem to be Landmannalaugar (although this seems to be closed during this time in May, and even if it's open I might need a 4x4), Vik, Selfoss, Snaefellsnes, Lake Myvatn, Grundarfjorour, Westfjords, Akureyri, maybe Dettifoss if it's open.

The Southern places are 2.5 hours away at most, the northern places are 7 hours away at most, according to google. Is the estimated time from google really accurate or will it take much longer if I don't have a 4x4 or considering the time of year? (Late May)

What do you guys think about 1.5 days spent in the south, staying the night and coming back? Then a different day, driving north towards either grundarfjordur, akureyri, or westfjords and spending the night? The northern way will be ~ 5 hours of driving there and 5 hours of driving (assuming google is accurate) back the next day, but would it be worth it? I have 8 days in Iceland so that would be around 1.5 days for the south, and 2 full days for the north. Then I could do the Golden Circle in one day, leaving me with about 3 days for Reykjavik.

Thoughts? Suggestions? As a last resort I could cancel my reservation in Reykjavik, but I'd rather not do that because it's very cheap.

Thanks!

sparkchaser

Rent a car and do the "Ring Road". It's a very, very popular thing to do and there's a lot about it online.

http://youngadventuress.com/2013/11/...road-trip.html

mikeyred242

Don´t do the "Ring Road". You only have 8 days. It is possible to "do the Ring ROad" in that time but you will do a LOT of driving and not have time to actually visit anything.

I would head East towards Jokulsarlon and Skaftafell and spend at least 3 days exploring before heading back through the Golden Circle and then explore the West (Borgarfjörður and Snæfellsness)

Landmannalaugar is stunning but you will need a 4WD. Alternatively there are companies that drive there and can pick you up in Selfoss so that could work.

Another option is to just do Snæfelssness in a day from Reykjavik. If you leave early enough and don´t mind driving a lot you could do the entire peninsula in a day and be back in Reykajvik in the evening. I did this in April, although I didn´t drive the whole peninsula, I missed out on Grundafjörður and Stykkisholmur, which was a shame. However in May you will have better weather and more daylight.

Myvatn is amazing but forget trying to go there, Snæfelsness and the South East in one 8 day trip. You have to choose.

BY all means post back with a suggested itinerary and I can advise you further.

mikeyred242

Oh and by the way, you don´t need a 4WD unless you are planningon driving on Mountain roads (F-Roads). A 4WD will make no difference to your journey time - the speed limit on the tarmac roads is the same for all small vehicles (90km/h)

inspiredexplorer

Agree with mikeyred: spend overnight time on the South Coast to fully experience the myriad stops and sights of that area. Snaefellsnes as a day trip can certainly be done, but an overnight is better.

abram

The OP's trip was 17 months ago.