North and Northwest itinerary suggestions?

Posted by jordanvakn on 08/02/23 08:50 PM

Ring road trip in late September.
On this day we are driving west from Husavik in plans to reach Snaefellsnes.
So far I know we want to see:
-Akureyri for a little bit, nothing too long.
-If it's a nice day, go north from Akureyri for that scenic ocean drive.
-Hvitserkur

Questions:
-What else can you recommend to see on the way west?
-How long do you reckon this drive will take? So we can know where to look for accommodation (I still haven't figured out if we will be able to do something in Snaefellsnes or if we will be driving for too long and call an early day.

I'm really having trouble figuring this day out, any help will be great!

Posted by AVogan

North Carolina

08/06/23 12:09 AM

98 posts

That which follows is probably not going to be of much help to you, but perhaps someone will reply with a response that will be instructive for us both.

Second, my disclaimer--I have never been to Iceland. My husband and I leave on August 23. I have put together our itinerary based on the research I have conducted (which I hope will prove to have been good). With this stated, ... I think your day seems challenging. Our longest "planned" day of driving is somewhat similar to yours: ours from Borganes to Akureyri with a detour from the Ring Road to pass through Siglufjörður. With the stops I have planned (not counting the time spent at those locations), Google estimates the travel time to be 5 hrs, 43 mins. I am not super pleased with this particular day with so much time on the road, along with stops I do not want to miss, but we have two nights in Akureyri and in Húsavík and are willing to back track and/or make hard choices to cut some stops to minimize feeling too rushed.

This is what we have tentatively planned for our way east from Borganes to Akureyri: Grábrók Volcano Crater, Kolugljúfur Canyon and Waterfall, Glaumbær Farm and Museum, Grafarkirkja Turf Church, Staðarbjörg basalt columns, the Herring Museum at Siglufjörður.

Posted by naalehuretiree

Big Island of Hawaii

08/06/23 03:58 PM

759 posts

AVogan, you have a very long day planned. When we went to Iceland a couple of years ago, we did that same drive in two days, spending the night near Laugarbakki.

Jordan, I suggest that you also post on the TripAdvisor Iceland forum. It is a very busy forum with helpful posts from both locals and visitors.

Posted by mikliz97

Snohomish, WA

08/06/23 07:16 PM

2690 posts

We just got home this morning from our 5th trip, 17 days this time. I agree that that is easily a two day drive, vs one. Drive times in Iceland always take longer for several reasons. One, you always fine cool places to pull over and check out, and secondly the roads are two lane, no shoulders, slow going. It is not like here at home where say a posted speed limit is 60 and people routinely go 70 or 80. In Iceland, there are numerous cameras and if the speed limit is 80Km/h then that means 80, not creeping up. Also, Tripadvisor is a great suggestion as well as it is a very active forum.