How many days did you spend in Iceland?

We spent 9 days in Iceland, from May 29 to June 8, 2018, road-tripping in a rented camper van.

How do you get around Iceland on a road trip?

We rented a camper van from rent.is and drove more than 3,000 km, following the Golden Circle, the Ring Road, the Westfjords and the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Can you sleep anywhere in a camper van in Iceland?

No. Icelandic law requires camper vans and motorhomes to spend the night at a designated campsite or on private land with the landowner's permission; free roadside overnight stops in a vehicle are not allowed.

Where can you see puffins in Iceland?

We saw puffins at Látrabjarg, in the far west of the Westfjords, which is also the westernmost point of Europe.

Iceland Road Trip: 9-Day Itinerary, Budget & Highlights

Q: How much does a road trip in Iceland cost?

For our family of four, 9 days in Iceland cost 419,100 ISK (about 3,978 USD at 2018 rates), or roughly 46,567 ISK (442 USD) per day, including camper van hire, gas, food and activities.

We spent 9 days road-tripping around Iceland in a rented camper van in late May and June 2018, covering more than 3,000 km via the Golden Circle, the Ring Road and the Westfjords. It cost our family of four 419,100 ISK (about 3,978 USD at 2018 rates), and it became the first, and one of the most awe-inspiring, stops on our round-the-world trip. Here’s our itinerary, our budget, and what we loved most.

Iceland, the small island nation in the middle of the Atlantic that was still off most travelers’ radar a decade earlier, had gone through a phenomenal tourism boom in the years before our visit, thanks to efficient government marketing. What struck us most: the sun never sets in summer, the landscape changes so fast you want to stop every 15 minutes to take a picture, and I never managed to remember more than the first letter of each place name. Elsewhere, you can drive for hours just to admire a single waterfall, glacier, fjord, volcano or beach; in Iceland, you only have to turn your head from one side to the other to see them all. If you suffer from a stiff neck, come to Iceland — it will disappear.

Highlights of Our 9-Day Iceland Road Trip

Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach at Sunset

This is where the edge of a glacier meets the sea. The ice blocks crack on contact with the water — you can hear it — and the pieces drift onto the shore of the beach.

Iceland’s Hot Springs and Hot Pots

We bathed once a day, sometimes up to three times a day! It was our guilty pleasure, and the best way to keep the kids happy — they had zero interest in admiring the landscapes. These “hot pots” are everywhere in Iceland, in towns and in remote spots alike. Some are free, others charge a small fee. See for yourself in our photos below.

Puffin-Watching at Látrabjarg

There are several places in Iceland where you can admire these charming little birds. We chose to see them at the extreme west of the country, which is also the westernmost point of Europe, at Látrabjarg.

The Westfjords

This peninsula in the northwest of Iceland is known for being the country’s most remote region, and the hardest to reach. Between the winding roads hugging the fjords and the gravel tracks over the highlands, we made it through, and our photos capture some of the region’s beauty — though only a fraction of it. You really have to experience it to believe it.

How to Plan a Road Trip in Iceland

Ring Road Itinerary: Golden Circle to the Westfjords

We covered more than 3,000 km. After the touristy Golden Circle near the capital, we took Route 1 — better known as the Ring Road — which circles the island. On day 5, we reached the Westfjords, the northwestern peninsula, and stayed there for 3 days. On our last two days, we visited the beautiful Snæfellsnes peninsula and the capital, Reykjavik.

Renting and Living in a Camper Van

Given the steep price of hotels across the island, we opted to rent a super cool camper van from rent.is. We certainly didn’t go unnoticed in our sticker-covered van, but we never once regretted the choice: on top of having all the comforts we needed, we could stop for the night without worrying about time. The van was well equipped for camping and cooking, with sleeping bags, pillows, a fridge, table, chairs, stove and dishes. A heating system connected to the diesel tank kept us warm at night, and we recharged our devices through the many USB ports. Wifi was included too, which was handy for connecting and quickly looking up places to visit. The 12V-to-110V power inverter I bought before we left let me charge my laptop.

We bought groceries at Bonus supermarkets and ate in the van. The hot springs we visited often had showers, so we could easily keep clean. We used service station toilets, where we could also top up on water and wash the van for free. The van got dirty fast, given all the gravel roads we drove.

Temperatures ranged between 6 and 15 degrees Celsius during our trip to Iceland, which made me think of an ad for Nordic clothing joking that they’d been waiting for summer forever. You might not believe it, but our Icebreaker clothes made from merino wool meant we barely had to do any laundry. I wore the same t-shirt for 9 days and 9 nights, and it still smelled clean at the end! These light clothes kept us warm at all times — I strongly recommend them.

2026 update: Icelandic law limits camper vans and motorhomes to designated campsites (200+ across the country) or private land with the owner’s consent — free roadside overnight stops in a vehicle are illegal (Icelandic Environment Agency).

What to Eat in Reykjavik

There are two places in Reykjavik where you have to queue to eat.

Baejarins Beztu Pylsur: For 450 ISK (4 USD) — you won’t eat for less than this, by the way — you get a delicious Icelandic lamb hot dog. I can safely say I’ve never eaten such a delicious hot dog in my life. It’s a nice change from beef, pork or chicken sausages!

Icelandic Street Food: it was TripAdvisor’s #1 recommendation for Reykjavik at the time of our visit. You eat traditional Icelandic cuisine built around lamb and seafood, and they keep refilling your plate. The friendly owner welcomed us warmly, served our little ones sweet treats and a small gift each, and offered everyone a beer before we left — he even handed out soup to passersby. Incredible, this little gem of a restaurant! No wonder the queue is always so long.

Icelandic Street Food restaurant, Reykjavik

How Much Does a Road Trip in Iceland Cost?

Iceland may be one of the most expensive countries we visited. All in, our trip cost:

419,100 ISK (3,978 USD);
46,567 ISK (442 USD) per day;
11,642 ISK (111 USD) per person per day.

Amounts were paid in krona. US-dollar equivalents use the average exchange rate during our trip (May 29 – June 8, 2018): 1 USD = 105.35 ISK.

2026 update: Since January 1, 2026, Iceland charges a distance-based road tax (kílómetragjald, about 6.95 ISK per km for vehicles under 3.5 tonnes) on top of the existing campsite overnight tax — worth factoring into a camper van budget today (Government of Iceland).

In detail:

Expense Category	Amount Spent
Flights	82,200 ISK / 780 USD
Campervan hire	198,600 ISK / 1,885 USD
Gas	72,500 ISK / 688 USD
Eating out	14,600 ISK / 139 USD
Groceries	27,500 ISK / 261 USD
Activities	23,700 ISK / 225 USD
Total	419,100 ISK / 3,978 USD

Conclusion

This country was a must-visit: photos found online had made us dream of it for a long time. We finally lived that dream, and it was the first destination of our round-the-world trip. Next up: the United Kingdom!