Iceland · Whole country · Premium route guide
Iceland Ring Road Grand Tour
1,327 km of Route 1: glaciers, black sand and fjords in one loop.
The full Route 1 loop around Iceland, built from our own track and split into a 7 to 10 day tour. Wind, gravel shoulders and long empty stretches between fuel stops, and some of the most dramatic riding in Europe.
- Distance
- 1,327.2 km
- Peak elevation
- 580 m
- Elevation gain
- 5,196 m
- Best months
- Jun–early Sep
- Iceland · Whole country
- Multi-day
- Mostly paved
The route
A clockwise loop on Route 1 from Reykjavik: Selfoss, the south coast to Vik, across the sands to Hofn, round the eastern fjords to Djupivogur and Egilsstadir, over the highland desert to Myvatn, down to Akureyri, west to Blonduos and Borgarnes and back to Reykjavik. Between Djupivogur and Egilsstadir we follow Route 1 along the coast, not the steep gravel shortcut over Oxi.
Works with Garmin, TomTom, BMW Navigator, Calimoto, Kurviger, komoot, MyRouteApp. Import as a track to ride the exact line. Road data from OpenStreetMap (ODbL); elevation from SRTM.
Track vs. route, how to load this into your GPS
What you are downloading is a GPX track, a dense, road-snapped breadcrumb of the exact line, with elevation on every point. It is not a GPX route (a short list of turn waypoints your device re-plans between). Tracks preserve our road choice; routes let the device pick its own way and can send you down a boring motorway shortcut.
How to use it on your navigator:
- BMW Navigator / Garmin Zumo / zumo XT: import as a track, then Convert to Route (or Trip Planner, new trip from track) if you want turn by turn prompts. Keep Recalculation off so it stays on our line.
- TomTom Rider: import the GPX in MyDrive, it loads as a track / itinerary. Enable Follow the exact route so it does not re-plan.
- Calimoto: open the GPX and choose Import as tour, Calimoto follows the track line.
- Kurviger / komoot / MyRouteApp: open the GPX and pick Import as track to keep the road choice. Only choose Import as route if you want the app to re-plan for your bike profile.
- Google Maps / Apple Maps: these do not read GPX. Use the map on this page for turn cues, or import the file into a GPX capable app first.
Rule of thumb: if your device asks "track or route?", pick track to ride our exact line, pick route only if you want the device to re-plan.
Elevation profile
From ~0 m at the base to 580 m at the top, 5,196 m of total climbing across the route.
Our track is 1,327 km with about 5,200 m of climbing, around 30 hours of riding. Visit Iceland gives about 1,322 km for Route 1. Plan 7 to 10 days so you have spare days for wind and weather.
Route 1 is paved almost everywhere, but shoulders are loose gravel and short gravel repairs appear every summer.
Why ride it
Glacier tongues next to the road, black sand plains, waterfalls, the eastern fjords and the lava fields around Myvatn, all on one road that goes all the way round the island.
Hazards
Crosswinds, single-lane bridges, sheep, loose gravel on the road edge and sudden rain or fog. Tourist cars stop on the road for photos, so leave space.
Fuel
Fuel is self-service with a card and PIN. Fill up in Hofn, Djupivogur, Egilsstadir, Myvatn and Akureyri. Do not pass a pump on half a tank in the east.
Best months and difficulty
June to early September. Difficulty: moderate. The roads are easy, the wind and the distances are not.
What to see along the way
- Reykjavik - Start and finish.
- Selfoss - Fuel and supplies at the start of the south coast.
- Vik - Black sand beaches and the windiest stretch.
- Hofn - Harbour town under Vatnajokull. Fuel.
- Djupivogur - Fishing village at the start of the eastern fjords.
- Egilsstadir - Main town of the east. Fuel and food.
- Modrudalsoraefi - Highland desert, the highest part of the loop.
- Myvatn - Lake, lava fields and geothermal areas.
- Akureyri - Capital of the north. Fuel, workshops and stays.
- Borgarnes - Last fuel stop before Reykjavik.
Rent a bike
Rent a motorcycle or scooter for Iceland Ring Road Grand Tour
Flying in? Pick up a bike near the start of the route. We've pre-filled the pick-up city with Reykjavik / Akureyri - change it if you're basing elsewhere.
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