Which Direction Should You Drive the Ring Road?

Should you drive the Ring Road clockwise or counter-clockwise?

Short answer: both directions work.

The Ring Road is a loop, so you’ll see the same main regions either way. But if this is your first time visiting Iceland, I usually recommend driving counter-clockwise.

Not because clockwise is wrong, but because counter-clockwise usually gives the trip a better rhythm.

Why I like counter-clockwise

You start with the South Coast, where many of Iceland’s most famous places are: waterfalls, black sand beaches, glaciers, glacier lagoons, green hills, lava fields, and those big first “this is why I came to Iceland” moments.

It also makes the first few days easier.

The stops are closer together, there are more towns, more fuel stations, more places to eat, and more chances to stop without driving for hours at a time.

That matters, especially if you just arrived after a long flight and you’re still getting used to the car, the roads, and Icelandic weather.

How the trip changes after the South Coast

After Vík, Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón, and especially Höfn, the trip starts to change.

You enter the Eastfjords, where the roads get more winding, the traffic drops, and the landscape becomes more fjords, farms, coastline, and mountains.

For me, that’s one of the best parts of driving the Ring Road counter-clockwise.

You get the iconic Iceland first, then the trip slowly opens up into the quieter east and north.

What about driving clockwise?

Some people recommend driving clockwise because most travelers go counter-clockwise, so in theory you’ll be going “against the traffic.”

I understand the argument, but I don’t think it matters as much as people make it sound.

The busiest places in Iceland are busy because they’re close to Reykjavík, easy to reach, or included in almost every itinerary. Driving the other way won’t magically make places like Skógafoss, Reynisfjara, Jökulsárlón, or the Golden Circle empty.

My recommendation

If you still have flexibility, choose the direction based on the weather forecast, road conditions, or your accommodation.

But if you’re planning from scratch and everything is equal, don’t overcomplicate it.

For most first-time visitors, I would drive the Ring Road counter-clockwise.

Start with the South Coast, get that first big taste of Iceland, then let the trip slowly open up into the quieter east and north.