Last Updated on December 22, 2025
Most tourists want to drive the famous Ring Road on their first trip to Iceland, a road that basically circumnavigates the entire island. A road trip along the Ring Road allows you to see everything Iceland is famous for: dramatic beaches, geysers, waterfalls, glaciers, hot springs, lava fields, and stunning nature all around.
If you’ve already driven the Ring Road or aren’t keen on driving super far distances in a week, then you may want to consider the Snæfellsnes Peninsula instead. This small peninsula in the northwest of Iceland is often called “Iceland in a nutshell” because it offers everything the Ring Road offers – yet in a more condensed version. You’ll see striking landscapes ranging from majestic columnar basalt cliffs and waterfalls to glacier-capped volcanoes and the imposing Kirkjufell “Church Mountain”. If you’re a fan of Game Of Thrones, you’ll recognize the mountain from the show. Wildlife fans will love the seals along the coastline, and the Snæfellsnes Pensinsula is also a birders’ paradise: 60 bird species call this region of Iceland home. The coastline never ceases to amaze visitors with scenic cliffs, lava fields, black beaches and golden beaches, craters, and striking rock formations.
Here is my suggested itinerary for a Snæfellsnes Peninsula road trip – ideally in a campervan, since this way of travelling gives you a lot more flexibility than a regular rental car. I’ll go more into detail about the advantages of a campervan at the end of this article.
A 7-day Iceland road trip itinerary: The Snæfellsnes Peninsula & The Westfjords
Day 1: Arrival in Iceland
Upon arrival, pick up your campervan. You can rent a campervan with Campervan Reykjavik right at Kevlavik International Airport. That way, you can drive straight to the nearest supermarket and stock up for your upcoming adventure. Bonus is the cheapest supermarket, Kronan is another excellent option, and there are also the Netto supermarkets, which are open until midnight. They come in handy if you’re arriving on a late flight. After picking up supplies, you can start driving northwest toward the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. If you arrive early in the day, stop en route to the Gerðuberg Basalt Columns, your first stop on the peninsula, at Borgarfjörður Fjord. Here, you also find Deildartunguhver Hot Springs, one of the largest natural hot springs in all of Europe! A dip in the hot springs is the perfect way to relax your body after a long flight.
Day 2: Coastline and seals
Your first stop on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula are the Gerðuberg Basalt Columns – perfectly shaped hexagonal basalt columns running along a cliff on the peninsula’s south side. Next up: Ytri Tunga Beach, where you’re likely to spot seals. After a stop at Ytri Tunga, head further west. On the way to the village of Arnarstapi, you’ll see the famous Búðir black church, one of the most photographed spots in Iceland. When you get to Arnarstapi, walk the scenic coastal trail to Hellnar, a neighboring village. The accessible trail isn’t long – 1.5 miles / 2.5 kilometers, and can be walked in about 1 hour. Don’t miss Gatklettur – a beautiful rock arch, best seen from the Arnarstapi Cliff Viewpoint, and the Monument to the Bard of Snæfellsnes, a 6-meter (20 feet) tall arch made of stacked stones by Icelandic sculptor Ragnar Kjartajsson.
You’ll also want to visit Snæfellsjökull National Park – known as “Snæfellsjökulsþjóðgarður” in Icelandic – which is one of three National Park in Iceland. The main attraction of the park is the twin-peaked Snaefellsjokull volcano. Also worth seeing are the Snaefellsjokull glacier and Budahraun lava field. The Vatnshellir lava cave, formed by a volcanic eruption over 8,000 years ago, is also worth a stop, but note that it can only be visited as part of a 50-minute cave tour.
Day 3: Beaches and waterfalls
Continue driving west, stopping at the beaches of Djupalonssandur and Skardsvik. Visit Saxholl crater and Svöðufoss, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. The small town of Ólafsvík would be a good place to spend the night.
Day 4: Kirkjufell Mountain
This may be the most memorable day of the entire trip: today you’ll get to see the crown jewel of Snæfellsnes: Kirkjufell Mountain. With its cylindrical shape, it is a truly unique mountain, and if you’re traveling in the warmer months, you can even climb all the way up to the peak. The mountain is not very high, standing 463 meters (1,519 feet) tall, but the elevation gain during the hike is quite challenging (depending on your fitness level): you’ll climb roughly 470 meters (1,540 feet). The hike is around 1.9 kilometers / 1.2 miles long, and should take you 3 hours. If that’s too much exercise for you, check out the hiking trails at the bottom of the mountain.
Continue your drive to Súgandisey Island. You can reach the island via the causeway at Stykkishólmur harbour and you’ll want to stop here for the pretty lighthouse and the fantastic views across Breiðafjörður Bay. You could spend the night here or continue your drive to Búðardalur, a small village in the Hvammsfjordur fjord.
Day 5: The Westfjords
Today you’ll explore Iceland’s Westfjords. The main attractions here are Dynjandi waterfall, Rauðisandur beach, which changes colors from red to yellow to black and white sand, depending on environmental conditions. While the town of Flateyri itself is tiny, it’s worth stopping here for the incredible scenery, and nearby Onundarfjordur is a particularly scenic fjord.
There are also a number of hot springs in the Westfjords that are worth visiting, including Reykjafjarðarlaug Hot Spring and Hellalaug Hot Spring. And last but not least, there is Látrabjarg – the westernmost point of Europe, which also happens to be one of Europe’s largest bird cliffs and a haven for puffins!
You can spend the night in Ísafjörður, the main town of the Westfjords.
Day 6: Pick your own adventure
It’s time to make your way back south, and there is no shortage of natural attractions along the way. Depending on how you’d like to spend your final day in Iceland, you may want to drive back the entire route and finish the long drive with a relaxing soak in Iceland’s most famous Hot Springs – the Blue Lagoon, which is located very close to Kevlavik Airport. This is especially recommended if you have an early flight the following day. If you have a late flight out of Iceland on day 7, save the Blue Lagoon for your very last day.
If you’ve missed city life over the past six days, you may want to drive all the way back to Reykjavik and spend your last afternoon doing some shopping and seeing what Iceland’s capital has to offer.
If you haven’t seen enough waterfalls yet, you could make a detour to Barnafoss and nearby Hraunfossar Falls. Combine the waterfalls with a relaxing soak in Deildartunguhver Hot Springs – this is the largest geothermal hot spring in all of Europe.
Taking a brief detour to see Glymur, Iceland’s second highest waterfall, can also be a worthwhile stop as you return to the island’s south.
If you’d like to get one final hike in, stop on the Akranes Peninsula and hike Akrafjall, a picturesque volcanic mountain. Once you’ve reached the top, you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views in western Iceland – the scenery here is breathtakingly beautiful. Allocate approximately two to three hours for the ascent to the summit, which stands at 643 meters (2,110 feet) in elevation.
Day 7: Departure Day
Head back to Keflavik Airport to return your campervan and head back home, your camera full of photos of Iceland’s most magnificent landscapes, and your head full of memories that’ll last a lifetime. 
Why you should rent a campervan for your Iceland road trip
There are plenty of good reasons why a campervan rental is much better than a car rental in Iceland – let’s break down the main ones:
Save money
Renting a campervan means paying for your transportation AND your accommodation. Rather than adding hotel costs, a campervan offers you transportation and a place to sleep in one. Hotels in Iceland are not cheap, and renting a campervan will save you a lot of money.
Renting a campervan doesn’t just save you accommodation costs, it will also save you a lot of money on eating out, since you can cook your own meals. Restaurants are expensive in Iceland, so being able to prepare your own meals is a huge money saver.
Flexibility
Western Iceland is sparsely populated and towns are far and few between – which is why sleeping in a campervan allows for a lot more flexibility. Instead of rushing from place to place in order to make it to a hotel in the evening, you can take your time and stop for the night wherever you end up (as long as it is a designated campsite). Having this kind of flexibility makes an Icelandic road trip a lot more enjoyable.
Hotels also tend to book up, especially in high season – but with a campervan, you don’t need to worry about that.
You can also spontaneously change your itinerary, since you don’t have any hotels booked and you don’t have to follow a pre-determined route. Should the weather be terrible in Western Iceland, you can simply abort all your plans and head east.
And speaking of the weather:
Shelter!
Let’s be honest – it is widely known that the weather in Iceland can be hit or miss, and it can change very quickly from blue skies to dark rain clouds. When that happens in a remote area, you’ll be even more appreciative of your campervan: waiting out a rainstorm in a campervan with all amenities and a kettle is a lot more comfortable than being stuck in a car.
Feel truly immersed in Iceland’s wild nature
And last but not least: staying in campsites will give you a much stronger sense of being “in the wild”. Iceland is known for its rough and wild nature, dramatic scenery and remoteness. Staying in a campervan brings you a lot closer to Iceland’s extremely diverse and unique landscapes.
