Iceland in 7 Days: A Drive & Hike Itinerary

A self-drive hiking tour of Iceland's South Coast is one of the best ways to spend a week in Iceland. It covers the country's most concentrated stretch of waterfalls, glaciers, and black-sand coastline. Drive between regions on the paved Ring Road, walk the day hikes that matter, and sleep in hotels each night — that way you see more, you stay dry, and rest in comfort.

It works for first-time visitors, for groups with mixed hiking ambitions, as well as for returning travelers who want the country at their own pace.

Our plan below includes a full week of road-and-day-hikes in the region best suited to it.

The 7-Day Itinerary: The South Coast

The South Coast is where most Iceland hiking itineraries start, and for good reason: it packs more landscape into a single tank of fuel than almost any equivalent stretch of road in Europe. Three glacier tongues, half a dozen named waterfalls, basalt sea stacks, a black-sand desert, and the trailhead for an active volcano are all reachable from the paved Ring Road.

Day 1: Arrival in Reykjavík — Easing Into the Drive

The day is intentionally short. Most flights land late, jet-lagged driving on unfamiliar roads is a poor introduction to the country, and the South Coast deserves fresh eyes.

Settle into your accommodation in Reykjavík, walk the harbor, eat a proper dinner, and let the country come into focus. The city's geothermal pools — Sundhöllin, Vesturbæjarlaug, or one of the smaller neighborhood baths — are the right way to ease the flight out of your shoulders. The Blue Lagoon, closer to the airport, also works as an option for the morning before you set out.

Hiking: Rest day.

Overnight: Reykjavík

Day 2: Þingvellir to Hveragerði

The trip begins in earnest at Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site northeast of the capital. You'll walk between the continental plates of North America and Eurasia — a literal rift valley where the two are pulling apart at a few centimeters a year — past the Almannagjá gorge and the Öxarárfoss waterfall. The day's hike covers around 17 km with about 150 m of elevation gain/loss, all on well-marked paths through lava fields, crystal-clear streams, and broad green plains. From Þingvellir, the drive south brings you to Hveragerði, a small town set squarely in a geothermal field where the steam from the ground is part of the everyday view.

Hiking: 17 km

Overnight: Hveragerði

Day 3: Vík to Skaftafell — Canyons, Lava, and the First Glacier National Park

The day follows the south coast east. Your first stop is Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall whose hallmark is the path that runs behind the curtain of water — a short 2 km walk and around 90 m of climb, with a waterproof shell that's not optional. From there, the road leads to Skógafoss, a 60-meter drop where rainbows arc through the spray on sunny days. The longer hike of the trip starts here: the lower stretch of the Fimmvörðuháls trail climbs the staircase beside the falls and continues up the Skógá River, where another half-dozen waterfalls reveal themselves in sequence. Plan on about 13 km and 620 m of elevation across the day. As you drive on, Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano whose 2010 eruption grounded European air traffic, sits on the horizon to the north.

Hiking: Seljalandsfoss 2 km + Skógafoss to Skógá Falls 13 km

Overnight: Kirkjubæjarklaustur

Day 4: Skaftafell — The Full Hiking Day

Day 4 is the day to set the car aside and walk in Skaftafell, the southern wing of Vatnajökull National Park that sits at the foot of Europe's largest ice cap. The signature hike is a roughly 7 km loop with around 330 m of elevation, threading birch woods, glacial rivers, and the rim above Svartifoss — the basalt-columned waterfall whose hexagonal architecture inspired the facade of Reykjavík's Hallgrímskirkja. Look up from anywhere in the park, and the ice fields of Vatnajökull dominate the skyline.

Hiking: 7 km

Overnight: Höfn

Day 5: Skaftafell to Höfn — The Ice Lagoon and the Eastern Edge

The morning belongs to Jökulsárlón, the glacial lagoon where icebergs calve from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier and drift toward the sea. A short walk along the shore — about 6.5 km with 190 m of climb across the headlands and beach paths — brings you past lagoon viewpoints and onto Diamond Beach, the stretch of black sand where the icebergs that escape downstream wash up and refreeze in the surf. Watch for seals among the floes; they're regular visitors. From Jökulsárlón, the drive west returns you toward Vík through volcanic plains and moss-covered lava.

Hiking: 6.5 km

Overnight: Vik

Day 6: Höfn Back West — Detours or a Long Drive

The day shifts west, leaving the south-coast plains for the geothermal heart of southern Iceland. The stop is Hveragerði, a small town set in a region where the earth's energy is visible — steaming vents, bubbling hot springs, and a steady whisper of warm air rising from the ground are part of the everyday view. From the village edge, the trail climbs into the Reykjadalur Valley, where a hot river carves its way through rolling green hills and jagged cliffs. The day's hike covers about 18.5 km and 550 m of elevation gain/loss, with the payoff in the middle: a stretch of warm river where you can soak surrounded by the wild Icelandic landscape. From Hveragerði, the drive west returns you to Reykjavík for your last night.

Hiking: 18.5 km

Overnight: Reykjavík

Day 7: Reykjadalur and the Road Back to Reykjavík

After a week along Iceland's South Coast, it's time to fly out. Depending on your flight schedule, the morning may leave room for a last walk through Reykjavík — the harbor, the cafés on Laugavegur, the colorful houses on the side streets — or one final dip in a geothermal pool before the airport.

If you'd rather have the accommodation booked night by night, GPS routes loaded for both the drives and the hikes, and on-call support if a tire goes flat — our South Coast Highlights self-drive package runs this itinerary:

Why This Drive & Hike Itinerary Works

The South Coast packs more iconic landscape into a single week than almost any equivalent stretch of road in Europe. Three glacier tongues, half a dozen named waterfalls, basalt sea stacks, a black-sand desert, and the rim of an active volcano are all reachable from the paved Ring Road.

A few practical reasons this approach delivers:

• Everything is near the road. Iceland's most photographed waterfalls, glacier tongues, and sea stacks sit within a short walk of a marked trailhead. The trip's longest hike (13 km up the Skógá river) and its shortest (2 km behind Seljalandsfoss) are reached from parking lots a few hundred meters off Route 1.

• A standard 2WD handles the whole route. The Ring Road (Route 1) is sealed tarmac for its entire 1,300 km circuit, and the South Coast section is the easiest stretch of it. No F-road skills required for any day in this itinerary. Another benefit is that road conditions in Iceland track the forecast closely. What's predicted is broadly what you drive through.

• Town-based accommodation simplifies everything. You can sleep in guesthouses or hotels around the Ring Road. A proper bed, hot shower, drying space, and a sit-down dinner is what will await you each evening. Boots will dry overnight, your phone will charge, and the next day's forecast will be clear and reliable well in advance instead of needing to adapt to whatever the wind tells you on a ridge.

• The hike scales to the weather. From 30-minute waterfall walks to 8-hour summit loops, you can pick the day's effort based on the morning's forecast and the group's energy. A torrential day at Skógafoss becomes a longer drive to Skaftafell; a perfect day in Reykjadalur becomes the soak you brought a swimsuit for.

Where Else this Approach Works

Want to apply the same self-drive approach elsewhere? Besides the South Coast, four other regions of Iceland suit a drive & hike trip.

A starter trip uses one region — South Coast or Snæfellsnes. A two-week visit can chain the South Coast with the East and the North as a full Ring Road circuit, with the day-hike approach throughout.

When to Go

The Icelandic hiking season practically runs from late May to mid-September. The Ring Road's South Coast section is paved and drivable year-round, but trail conditions, daylight, and weather make a drive & hike trip work best within that window.

Outside it, Skaftafell's higher routes ice over, the trails along the Skógá and at Reykjadalur become harder to follow safely, and short days squeeze the itinerary.

Worth noting: Hotel, car rental, and restaurant prices fall 30–40% outside peak summer, which is why a shoulder-season version of this itinerary can be meaningfully cheaper.

Read our guide on the best ime to go hiking in Iceland.

Practical Notes

Planning your Trip

A self-drive itinerary along Iceland's South Coast is well within reach of any reasonably organized solo planner. Good base preparation, the right hiking gear, the Icelandic Meteorological Office, road.is for road status, and an honest read of your group's hiking comfort is most of what you need.

If you would prefer not to handle the bookings — accommodation chained night-by-night, day hikes recommended for the local conditions, on-call support if something goes wrong — that's what our self-drive tour is for. The South Coast Highlights runs the itinerary above.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us on a short call or send an inquiry for help with booking or advice for your tour.