15 Day Trip Iceland

Yes we have done this. With two weeks you can do a really good ring road plus Snaefellsness trip. We prefer to go clockwise as most people go the other direction, so you have fewer vehicles ahead/behind you. Since you are talking about this summer, you will want to get things booked asap. In normal years places book out 9-12 months in advance but with the eclipse loads more people are headed to Iceland, even outside of the eclipse date. You can adjust things from here, but the first night in Reykjavik is good to get over jet lag. Then somewhere on Snaefellsness, maybe 2 nights around Akureyri/Husavik, then Seydisfjordur, Hofn, Vik, Westmann Island, the Golden Circle and the Reykjanes Penindula. That still leaves you a few nights where you could go into the highlands etc or make a coupe places 2 night stays. If you like to hike at all, look at Thorsmark. You can stay there at the Volcano Huts and do some great hikes. This is a pretty basic ring road trip. Honestly the two best sources I have found for planning are the Lonely Planet Ring Road Trip book and then Iceland With A View. IWAV has a website as well as a you tube channel and her info has always been spot on.

Agree with Mikliz on many points.

Do some internet searches on 15 day itineraries (or 12, which is common). Look at guidebooks for what interests you. Our trip was 12 days around the Ring Road, and Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Some people also like to go to the Westman Islands.

You don't need a 4x4 unless you plan to drive some of the F roads.

This is a good time to get your plans in order so that you can find lodging. Outside of Reykjavik and Akureyri, there's not a lot of hotels. We did a lot of looking on Booking.com and there is also bungalo.com that a lot of people use. We also found lodging by visiting a place on Google Maps and zooming in on all the "bed" icons that indicated lodging. You can find a real variety of cabins, farm stays, and guest houses.

I read that rental cars are forbidden on F roads.

Also self driving into the Porsmork area is not recommended for visitors. You have to ford rivers as you drive into the valley. I took a guided hiking tour in there and the tour guide had a huge 4X4 and had trouble in a few spots. He said visitors attempt to drive in there and get stuck. There's quicksand in spots. The local guides know the trouble areas and report to each other about changing conditions. The sands are always shifting and conditions are constantly changing. Our tour guide was adamant that it's not safe for travelers to drive in there.

I myself rented a small economy car and was fine. I stayed on the main roads.

Driving off road in Iceland is not the same as driving on a dirt or gravel road in the US.

When I took the guided hiking tour in Porsmork, he took a side road that was basically dirt but I thought it would be hairy if I was driving it myself. It was deeply rutted and narrow. I don't know if it was a F road.

Even if one of the rental companies allows you to drive a F road, just remember that driving off road can cause stones to fly up and ding the car and you will be liable for that. Even sand from high winds can abrade the car finish. They advise about this when you rent the car. Most of the car rental companies don't allow driving on F roads, but there are other unpaved roads that aren't F roads.

I read that rental cars are forbidden on F roads.

That's incorrect. You can take a rental car on F-roads but it has to be a specific type; usually a 4x4 vehicle, and you have to let the rental company know that you will be traveling on F-roads.

Thorsmark is wonderful, but yes the roads to get there are F roads and depending on just what road in you take, you may or may not be able to drive it yourself. FWIW, we have been many times and been on F roads many times, but Thorsmark is not a place I would even consider driving to. We parked at the Bru Base lot and took the Southcoast Adventure bus in and stayed at the Volcano Huts for a few nights to hike.

A small car is fine for route 1, but there are a number of places that you will want to veer off, and even just some parking lots that are chuck full of potholes etc, make having a 4x4 with a bit of extra clearance more comfortable.