Iceland travel data

Driving distances and times in Iceland, between the stops that matter

By Nimrod Ron · Iceland Lead & Content Curator· Updated 18 Oct 2026

Iceland looks small on the map and drives long. The Ring Road is 1,332 km and about 18 h of driving with no stops; Reykjavík to the Glacier Lagoon is 4 h 45 min each way. The tables give road distances and realistic times, at the speeds people actually average here rather than the limit, for the Ring Road leg by leg, from Reykjavík to the places people ask about, and between neighbouring stops. Add your stops on top, and keep each day under four hours at the wheel.

Key facts

Ring Road: 1,332 km, about 18 h of driving with no stops
Reykjavík to Vík: 187 km, 2 h 30 min
Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón: 380 km, 4 h 45 min, not a day trip
Reykjavík to Akureyri: 388 km, 5 h
Real average speed: About 78 km/h on paved roads, 50 on gravel, 32 on F-roads
Sensible day: Under four hours of driving, three in winter, with the stops on top

The Ring Road, leg by leg

Counter-clockwise from Reykjavík, south first, the direction most plans take. The thirteen legs total 1,374 km town centre to town centre, a little more than Route 1 itself, and about 18 h of driving: at three hours a day that is 6 days before a single stop.

Ring Road legs with distance and driving time
From	To	Distance	Driving time	Road
Reykjavík	Selfoss	57 km	45 min	Route 1 over Hellisheiði. The pass closes in winter storms; Route 39 (Þrengsli) is the detour.
Selfoss	Vík	130 km	1 h 45 min	Route 1. Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss are on the way.
Vík	Kirkjubæjarklaustur	72 km	1 h	Route 1 across Mýrdalssandur. Sandstorms in strong wind; sand damage is not insured.
Kirkjubæjarklaustur	Skaftafell	70 km	1 h	Route 1 across Skeiðarársandur
Skaftafell	Jökulsárlón	57 km	45 min	Route 1
Jökulsárlón	Höfn	80 km	1 h	Route 1
Höfn	Djúpivogur	104 km	1 h 15 min	Route 1 under the Almannaskarð tunnel. Exposed to the wind at Hvalnes.
Djúpivogur	Egilsstaðir	150 km	2 h	Route 1 through the fjords (Breiðdalsvík, Fáskrúðsfjörður tunnel). Route 939 over Öxi is only about 85 km but gravel, steep and summer only.
Egilsstaðir	Mývatn	165 km	2 h	Route 1 across Möðrudalsöræfi. The highest, most exposed stretch of the Ring Road; it closes first in winter.
Mývatn	Akureyri	100 km	1 h 15 min	Route 1 past Goðafoss
Akureyri	Blönduós	145 km	1 h 45 min	Route 1 over Öxnadalsheiði. Öxnadalsheiði is a winter closure pass.
Blönduós	Borgarnes	170 km	2 h 15 min	Route 1 over Holtavörðuheiði. Holtavörðuheiði closes in winter storms.
Borgarnes	Reykjavík	74 km	1 h	Route 1 through the Hvalfjörður tunnel

Ring Road legs with distance and driving time.

From Reykjavík

Anything over about three hours each way is not a day trip from the capital; sleep along the route instead, which is what the planner does.

Driving distance and time from Reykjavík to the main destinations
From	To	Distance	Driving time	Road
Reykjavík	Keflavík Airport	50 km	45 min	Route 41
Reykjavík	Blue Lagoon	48 km	30 min	Route 41 and 43
Reykjavík	Þingvellir	47 km	30 min	Route 36
Reykjavík	Geysir	105 km	1 h 15 min	Route 36, 365 and 37 via Þingvellir
Reykjavík	Gullfoss	118 km	1 h 30 min	Route 36, 365, 37 and 35 via Þingvellir
Reykjavík	Seljalandsfoss	128 km	1 h 45 min	Route 1
Reykjavík	Skógafoss	155 km	2 h	Route 1
Reykjavík	Vík	187 km	2 h 30 min	Route 1
Reykjavík	Skaftafell	327 km	4 h 15 min	Route 1
Reykjavík	Jökulsárlón	380 km	4 h 45 min	Route 1
Reykjavík	Höfn	460 km	6 h	Route 1
Reykjavík	Borgarnes	74 km	1 h	Route 1
Reykjavík	Stykkishólmur	172 km	2 h 15 min	Route 1, 54 and 56
Reykjavík	Arnarstapi (Snæfellsnes)	192 km	2 h 30 min	Route 1, 54 and 574
Reykjavík	Ísafjörður	455 km	7 h	Route 1, 60 and 61. A few gravel stretches remain on Route 60 in the Westfjords.
Reykjavík	Akureyri	388 km	5 h	Route 1
Reykjavík	Mývatn	480 km	6 h 15 min	Route 1 via Akureyri
Reykjavík	Egilsstaðir	650 km	8 h 15 min	Route 1 via Akureyri (the north route; the south route is about 710 km)
Reykjavík	Landmannalaugar	190 km	3 h	Route 1, 26 and F208 south. The last 60 km are F-road: 4x4 only, open roughly mid-June to September.
Reykjavík	Þórsmörk (Básar)	155 km	2 h 30 min	Route 1, 249 and F249. The last 30 km cross rivers; take the highland bus or a Superjeep, not a rental 4x4.

Driving distance and time from Reykjavík to the main destinations.

Between neighbouring stops

The legs a day plan is made of: the Golden Circle, the South Coast, the east and north, Snæfellsnes, and two highland roads for scale.

Driving distance and time between neighbouring Iceland stops
From	To	Distance	Driving time	Road
Þingvellir	Geysir	60 km	45 min	Route 36, 365 and 37
Geysir	Gullfoss	10 km	15 min	Route 35
Gullfoss	Vík	160 km	2 h	Route 35, 30 and 1
Vík	Jökulsárlón	195 km	2 h 30 min	Route 1
Vík	Höfn	272 km	3 h 30 min	Route 1
Höfn	Egilsstaðir	250 km	3 h 15 min	Route 1 through the fjords
Höfn	Seyðisfjörður	275 km	3 h 30 min	Route 1 and 93. Fjarðarheiði to Seyðisfjörður closes in winter storms.
Egilsstaðir	Seyðisfjörður	27 km	15 min	Route 93 over Fjarðarheiði
Egilsstaðir	Dettifoss (west side)	150 km	2 h	Route 1 and 862
Egilsstaðir	Akureyri	265 km	3 h 30 min	Route 1 via Mývatn
Mývatn	Dettifoss (west side)	55 km	45 min	Route 1 and 862
Mývatn	Húsavík	55 km	45 min	Route 87
Akureyri	Húsavík	91 km	1 h 15 min	Route 1, 85 and the Vaðlaheiði tunnel (toll)
Akureyri	Siglufjörður	76 km	1 h	Route 82 and the Héðinsfjörður tunnels
Akureyri	Hvammstangi	195 km	2 h 30 min	Route 1 and 72
Borgarnes	Stykkishólmur	98 km	1 h 15 min	Route 54 and 56
Stykkishólmur	Arnarstapi (Snæfellsnes)	85 km	1 h	Route 54 and 574 around the tip of the peninsula
Kirkjubæjarklaustur	Landmannalaugar	95 km	3 h	F206 and F208 north. Several unbridged rivers; a real 4x4 and summer only.
Gullfoss	Hveravellir	95 km	3 h	F35 Kjölur. Bridged rivers, 4x4 required, open roughly mid-June to September.

Driving distance and time between neighbouring Iceland stops.

How the times are computed

Distances are road distances along the usual route, rounded to the nearest few kilometres from the Icelandic Road Administration distance tables; town-to-town legs include the run into each town.
Times are distance divided by a realistic average: 78 km/h on paved roads (limit 90, minus towns, single-lane bridges, sheep and photo stops), 65 on roads with gravel stretches, 50 on gravel and 32 on F-roads, rounded to the quarter hour. Nothing here includes stops.
Winter adds time, sometimes all of it: a pass graded slippery drops the average to 50 km/h or less, and a closed one ends the day. Check the road conditions page the morning you drive.
The F-road legs need a 4x4 by law and are open roughly mid-June to September; the F-road pages have each road's dates and rivers.

Download the data (CSV) · free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.

Questions about driving times in Iceland

How long does it take to drive around Iceland?

Route 1 is 1,332 km and takes about 18 h of pure driving at the speeds people actually average, with no stops. Spread over a trip that is seven days of two to three hours at the wheel, or ten days at a pace that leaves time to see things; the Ring Road guide explains why ten is the number to plan for.

How long is the drive from Reykjavík to Vík?

187 km along Route 1, about 2 h 30 min without stops. With Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and Reynisfjara on the way, it is a full day; most plans sleep in Vík rather than return.

How long is the drive from Reykjavík to the Glacier Lagoon (Jökulsárlón)?

380 km, about 4 h 45 min of driving each way. It is not a day trip: sleep near Skaftafell or Höfn and come back along the coast the next day, or take a two-day South Coast tour.

How long is the drive from Reykjavík to Akureyri?

388 km, about 5 h. Two mountain passes (Holtavörðuheiði and Öxnadalsheiði) are on the way and both close in winter storms; there are also 45-minute flights.

Why are the times slower than Google Maps?

The limit is 90 km/h on paved rural roads, but single-lane bridges, towns, gravel, sheep, wind and the scenery you will stop for bring the real average to about 75 to 80 km/h on the Ring Road, slower in the fjords and far slower on gravel and F-roads. The times here use those averages; add your stops on top.

Deeper reading on iceland-trip.com

Our sister site covers every place in depth: access, parking, seasons, what to expect. Written by the same team.