Best Towns for a First Ring Road Trip in Autumn

Where to stop, where to stay two nights, and which stretches of Route 1 to drive past in September and October.

Reykjavík and the Golden Circle edge

Start with two nights in Reykjavík, ideally in the 101 downtown postcode near Laugavegur and Hallgrímskirkja, where you can walk to dinner and skip the rental car for a day. Autumn room rates in the capital ease noticeably after mid-September, and you feel the drop most on weekend nights. From the city it is roughly 45 minutes to Þingvellir on Route 36, and about two hours to Geysir and Gullfoss if you leave before nine. Book downtown rather than in Kópavogur or Hafnarfjörður: the suburbs save little once you add parking and taxis.

Selfoss, 60 kilometres east on Route 1, is the practical second base. It sits where the Golden Circle meets the south coast, so you can do Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss one day, then Flúðið in the Flúðir greenhouse village or the Kerið crater the next. Guesthouses and small hotels here cost less than Reykjavík and include easier parking. I would book Selfoss over Hveragerði for a first trip, simply because Hveragerði is a 25-minute backtrack west when you are heading for Vík in the morning.

The south coast: Vík and Höfn

Vík í Mýrdal, 180 kilometres from Selfoss, deserves two nights if you want Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, the Sólheimajökull glacier tongue and Reynisfjara black sand beach without rushing. Note that Reynisfjara has strong sneaker waves, so keep well back from the waterline. Autumn is when the first serious storms arrive, and Vík is small, so book early and choose accommodation in the village itself or on the road toward Reynisfjara. Driving Vík to Höfn is 270 kilometres with no fuel for long stretches around Skeiðarársandur, so leave with a full tank.

Höfn, in the southeast, is worth one night as a break before the Eastfjords. It is a working harbour town with langoustine restaurants and views toward Vatnajökull, and it makes an easy half-day trip to Jökulsárlón and the Diamond Beach, 80 kilometres west. Autumn here is quiet, with fewer tour buses and softer light on the glacier. If your schedule is tight, skip the extra night in Höfn and push on to Egilsstaðir, but the 260-kilometre run through the Eastfjords is slow and winding, and doing it tired is a poor trade.

Eastfjords, Mývatn and the north

Egilsstaðir is the natural overnight for the Eastfjords, with Seyðisfjörður 27 kilometres east along a mountain road that is spectacular in autumn colour and occasionally closed by early snow. One night is enough unless you plan hiking in the Hengifoss area. From Egilsstaðir, Route 1 turns inland across the high heath to Mývatn, about 160 kilometres, and that stretch can see sleet in October, so check road conditions at the petrol station before setting out.

Mývatn and Reykjahlíð make the best two-night stop in the north. You are within minutes of Hverir, Dimmuborgir, the Mývatn Nature Baths and Krafla, and 45 minutes from Goðafoss. Autumn midges are gone by late August, which matters more than most guides admit. Akureyri, 100 kilometres west, is the larger town and a reasonable one-night alternative with better restaurants and a full-size pool complex. I would still choose Mývatn for the landscape and Akureyri for comfort on a rainy day.

West Iceland and the return

On the way back, Snæfellsnes usually needs its own day. Stykkishólmur, Borgarnes and Hellnar are the obvious bases; Borgarnes is cheapest and only an hour from Reykjavík, while Hellnar puts you under Snæfellsjökull. If you have ten days, include it; on a seven-day loop, skip it and spend the time on the south coast instead. The same goes for the Westfjords, which are wonderful but add two days of gravel and ferries that a first trip rarely has room for.

October brings the first widespread road closures on the high routes, and Route 1 itself can close briefly around Blönduós or the Öxi pass in bad weather. Build one spare night into the plan, ideally in Akureyri or Reykjavík. For autumn, the second half of September is the sweet spot: still open, cheaper than summer, and with enough daylight for six hours of driving. The northern lights are a bonus, not a plan.

Questions, answered

How many days do I need for the full Ring Road in autumn?

Most first-timers do it in seven to nine days. Ten days lets you add Snæfellsnes and a spare weather night. Fewer than seven days means driving most of the day and missing the stops that make the loop worthwhile.

Is September or October better for a first Ring Road trip?

September, particularly the second half. Days are still long, most mountain tracks and services are open, and room rates have dropped from summer. October is quieter and cheaper but brings early snow and shorter daylight, especially in the north and Eastfjords.

Where should I book two nights instead of one?

Reykjavík at the start, Vík on the south coast and Mývatn in the north. Those three give you the densest sights with the least driving. Höfn, Egilsstaðir and Akureyri work well as single overnight stops.

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