{"id":39081,"date":"2015-10-08T10:28:23","date_gmt":"2015-10-08T15:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=39081"},"modified":"2018-02-28T14:25:11","modified_gmt":"2018-02-28T20:25:11","slug":"the-best-of-icelands-ring-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/","title":{"rendered":"Circular logic: The best of Iceland’s Ring Road"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roughly the size of Kentucky, diminutive Iceland nevertheless captivates with its lunar-like surface, volcanic landscape, glaciers, waterfalls and hot springs. Treasures abound everywhere you look, provided you have the gusto to rent a car and venture outside of the country’s admittedly charming capital city Reykjavik<\/a>. The best way to take in all the sights is via a circular loop that connects most of the inhabited parts of the island. Here is the best of Iceland’s Ring Road. Hint: Get a 4WD vehicle.<\/p>\n

Also: Your three best days to book holiday travel.<\/a><\/p>\n

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
\n<\/strong>If you’re circumnavigating the island counter clockwise, the first detour-worthy sight is this magnificent cascading chute just an hour and a half southeast of Reykjavik<\/a>. The falls crash into a pool below from an impressive 200 feet above what is now Iceland’s former coastline. You can also hike behind the falls.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\nSkogafoss Waterfall<\/strong><\/div>\n
Another waterfall? Yup, and like Seljalandsfoss you’ll want to have your selfie stick ready. This one is a mere 30 minutes past Seljalandsfoss and she’s a mighty impressive one given her width of 82 feet. Climb the nearby stairs and treat yourself to a view from the top.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a>

Photo: Ryan Bakerink<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Solheimasandur Plane Crash
\n<\/strong>A mere 10 minutes down the road from Skogafoss<\/a>, swerve your vehicle onto the dirt access road to Solheimjokull glacier and make the trek toward the coast to see the remains of this fascinating 1973 crash. The crew survived, but the site of the abandoned craft on a remote black sand beach is a haunting one.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a>

Photo: Ryan Bakerink<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Vik
\n<\/strong>This tiny hamlet claims a population of just under 300 people, but consider stopping at a local restaurant called Halldorskaffi which serves up a justly famous and delicious lamb sandwich. Also, check out the black sand beach featuring Reynisdrangur\u2014basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon<\/strong><\/div>\n
One of Iceland’s most famous attractions, this photogenic stop on Ring Road brings visitors face to face with a gorgeous glacial lagoon which covers an impressive area of nearly 7 miles (and is expanding as the glaciers melt). The lagoon is visible from the road, but get up close and personal by taking a boat tour.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a>

Photo: Iceland<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Seydisfjordur<\/strong>
\nToto, we’re not in Reykjavik anymore. A full day’s drive from the capital city brings you to this charming fishing village located on a fjord (hence the name). Simply detour off Ring Road at Egilsstadir and you’ll come to this oh-so-picturesque hamlet surrounded by mountains. The fjord even includes a puffin colony.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a>

Photo: Ryan Bakerink<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Lake Myvatn<\/strong><\/div>\n
The entire country of Iceland offers volcanic activity in action and Myvatn is a perfect example given that it was created more than 2,000 years ago by a balsaltic lava eruption. The wetlands are a paradise for ducks and waterbirds, and the Myvatn Nature Baths are Northern Iceland’s answer to Reykjavik’s famed blue lagoon.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Akureryri<\/strong>
\nYou’ll be glad to encounter people again at this real charmer of a town. It’s the fourth largest city in Iceland, with a population of just under 20,000 and includes a lovely downtown area. Pay attention to the traffic lights: When they turn red, they’re in the shape of a heart.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Blue Lagoon<\/strong>
\nAfter the exhausting return drive to Reykjavik where you’ll want to spend a couple days shopping, bar hopping and enjoying the city’s excellent eateries, spend an afternoon at the sublime and relaxing Blue Lagoon<\/a>. It’s not on Ring Road, but it’s close to the airport where you’ll drop your car off anyway.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Iceland\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Orbitz<\/a><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Waterfalls, glacial lagoons and charming fishing villages are just a few things you’ll see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":39105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[2250],"class_list":["post-39081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","tag-icelandic-vacations"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":[{"name":"","description":"","thumbnail":"","address":"Seljalandsfoss, Iceland","latitude":"63.61562319999999","longitude":"-19.98856879999994","icon":"\/images\/icons\/marker.png"}],"yoast_head":"\nIceland's Ring Road<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Iconic Iceland: How to see the best of Iceland's Ring Road.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iceland's Ring Road\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Iconic Iceland: How to see the best of Iceland's Ring Road.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-10-08T15:28:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-02-28T20:25:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"809\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"470\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jason Heidemann\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jheidemann\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@orbitz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jason Heidemann\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jason Heidemann\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/13baee32443537cb2a544b6fe5402f24\"},\"headline\":\"Circular logic: The best of Iceland’s Ring Road\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-08T15:28:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-02-28T20:25:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/\"},\"wordCount\":634,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Icelandic vacations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Europe\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/\",\"name\":\"Iceland's Ring Road\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-08T15:28:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-02-28T20:25:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/13baee32443537cb2a544b6fe5402f24\"},\"description\":\"Iconic Iceland: How to see the best of Iceland's Ring Road.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg\",\"width\":1265,\"height\":735},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Circular logic: The best of Iceland’s Ring Road\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Orbitz\",\"description\":\"Travel Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/13baee32443537cb2a544b6fe5402f24\",\"name\":\"Jason Heidemann\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Heidemann_headshot.sm_-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Heidemann_headshot.sm_-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Jason Heidemann\"},\"description\":\"Jason is a Lead Content Specialist for Expedia Group, and manages content initiatives across numerous Expedia-owned brands. His work has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Time Out, the Huffington Post, Chicago Magazine, Passport and many others.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/jheidemann\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/jheidemann\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Iceland's Ring Road","description":"Iconic Iceland: How to see the best of Iceland's Ring Road.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Iceland's Ring Road","og_description":"Iconic Iceland: How to see the best of Iceland's Ring Road.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/","og_site_name":"Orbitz","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/","article_published_time":"2015-10-08T15:28:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-02-28T20:25:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg","width":809,"height":470,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jason Heidemann","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@jheidemann","twitter_site":"@orbitz","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jason Heidemann","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/"},"author":{"name":"Jason Heidemann","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/13baee32443537cb2a544b6fe5402f24"},"headline":"Circular logic: The best of Iceland’s Ring Road","datePublished":"2015-10-08T15:28:23+00:00","dateModified":"2018-02-28T20:25:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/"},"wordCount":634,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg","keywords":["Icelandic vacations"],"articleSection":["Europe"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/","name":"Iceland's Ring Road","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg","datePublished":"2015-10-08T15:28:23+00:00","dateModified":"2018-02-28T20:25:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/13baee32443537cb2a544b6fe5402f24"},"description":"Iconic Iceland: How to see the best of Iceland's Ring Road.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg","width":1265,"height":735},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/the-best-of-icelands-ring-road\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Circular logic: The best of Iceland’s Ring Road"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/","name":"Orbitz","description":"Travel Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/13baee32443537cb2a544b6fe5402f24","name":"Jason Heidemann","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Heidemann_headshot.sm_-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Heidemann_headshot.sm_-150x150.jpg","caption":"Jason Heidemann"},"description":"Jason is a Lead Content Specialist for Expedia Group, and manages content initiatives across numerous Expedia-owned brands. His work has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Time Out, the Huffington Post, Chicago Magazine, Passport and many others.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/jheidemann"],"url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/jheidemann\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Iceland12.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}