Every Ring Road trip starts with the same small argument at the rental desk: left or right out of Reykjavík? Route 1 is a loop, so you will see the same places either way, but the direction decides what you see first, what you save for last and how much a bad-weather day costs you.
Should you drive the Ring Road clockwise or counterclockwise?
For most first-time visitors, counterclockwise is the better direction: you drive the south coast first, then the East Fjords, the north, and finally West Iceland back to Reykjavík. It puts the busiest highlights early in the trip, when you are fresh and your schedule still has slack. Drive clockwise instead if your fixed bookings, the forecast or your main interests are in the north and west.
It is also the order our own self-drive routes follow. The ten-day Ring Road campervan route runs through the Golden Circle, the South Coast, the Eastfjords and North Iceland, with nine suggested camping nights.
Why most Ring Road itineraries go counterclockwise
Look at almost any Ring Road plan and you will see the same order: Vík, Jökulsárlón, Höfn, Egilsstaðir, Mývatn, Akureyri and then the west. Our 8-day Ring Road campervan itinerary follows this order.
The longer two-week Ring Road plan also starts in the south, with Vík well before Mývatn and Akureyri.
Going counterclockwise, the south coast waterfalls come in the first days of the trip.
The logic is simple. The south coast holds the waterfalls, black sand beaches and glacier lagoon that most people come for, and going counterclockwise puts them in the first half of the trip. If weather or a breakdown costs you days later on, you lose the north and west rather than the places you flew in to see.
When clockwise is the better choice
Clockwise means heading north first, through West Iceland to Akureyri and Mývatn, then down the east coast and back along the south coast. It makes sense in a few situations.
Heading clockwise puts West Iceland and Snæfellsnes at the start of the trip.
- You have a fixed booking in the north early in the trip, such as a tour or a specific night of accommodation.
- You want to end the trip on the south coast, closer to Keflavík Airport.
- The forecast for your first days is better in the north and west than in the south.
- You are traveling with a seven-day plan and would rather be sure of the north than the east.
None of these is a rule. If your plan works better clockwise, the road does not care which way you drive it.
How the season changes the decision
Summer is the easy season for either direction. Our Ring Road self-drive itineraries are planned for summer, when the weather is milder, and the faster seven-day campervan circuit is best planned for summer too.
Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon on the south coast, is a fixed point in any Ring Road plan.
In winter, from October through April, the weather can change rapidly. That makes direction less important than flexibility: plan the order of the trip loosely and be ready to swap days around. Before each long drive, read the SafeTravel winter alerts.
Wind, weather and light
The honest answer on wind and light is that the forecast for your actual dates matters more than any rule about direction. Iceland's weather changes quickly, and a storm on the south coast or snow on a northern pass can turn either direction into the wrong one for a day or two.
Check the Met Office's multi-day forecast in the days before you leave, then pick the direction that puts better weather at the start of the trip, when your schedule is tightest.
Once you are on the road, check Umferðin's live road status every morning.
Light is the same story. In summer the long days mean you rarely run out of light either way. In winter, daylight is short, so plan fewer stops a day rather than choosing a direction for the sun.
Bookings and the direction you drive
Your bookings are often what really decides the direction. Glacier hikes, lagoon boat tours, and other guided activities run at fixed times, so place them first and then let the direction follow.
South coast tours, such as glacier hikes, often run at fixed times, so book them first.
Make the booked activity the anchor, count the days from Reykjavík in each direction and choose the one that puts you there on the right day with a buffer. A buffer day in the second half of the trip is worth more than one at the start, because delays build up as you go.
Does the direction change how long the Ring Road takes?
No. The distance is the same either way, and the time it takes depends on how many stops you make and the weather. Our guide to Iceland road trip routes by length covers how many days to allow.
If you are short on time, the seven-day campervan circuit shows what a faster loop looks like.
Our recommendation
Drive counterclockwise unless something specific pulls you north first. You see the south coast while you are fresh, you protect the highlights if the trip runs short, and you match the order most itineraries and tours are built around.
If you are unsure, ask us to weigh up your route, and we will look at your dates, bookings and the season with you.
