Iceland’s Ring Road in winter: a sensible guide

Driving Iceland's 1,300-kilometre Ring Road in winter is one of the great road trips — and one that demands respect. Storms can close the road for a day at a time, daylight shrinks to four or five hours in December, and conditions change fast. With a flexible plan, it is also wonderfully quiet.

Before you go

• Rent a 4×4 with studded tyres. In winter they are standard on rental cars, but confirm it.
• Check road.is and vedur.is every morning. The road authority and the met office publish live closures and wind warnings. Follow them.
• Register your trip on safetravel.is. It takes two minutes.
• Leave two spare days. You will probably need at least one.

A ten-day plan

Drive clockwise or counter-clockwise; counter-clockwise puts the south coast's highlights early, when you are fresh. Aim for no more than three or four hours of driving per day so you are off the road before dark.

The northern lights

You need a dark, clear sky and some solar activity. The aurora forecast on the met office website is surprisingly good. Get away from town lights, switch off your headlights, let your eyes adjust for ten minutes, and be patient.

Practical notes

Fuel stations can be 100 km apart in the east; fill up whenever you pass one. Many accommodations close in winter, so book ahead. And bring proper boots with grip — the ice at waterfall viewpoints is a bigger hazard than the road.