Why go in June
Open roads, midnight sun, green highlands
About Iceland Ring Road
Route 1 loops 1,300 kilometres around the entire island, and almost every wonder Iceland is famous for sits within sight of the tarmac. In a single day's driving the road slides past thundering waterfalls, black-sand beaches, steaming geothermal fields and glacier tongues spilling toward the sea — then delivers you to a tin-roofed fishing village for the night. It is less a journey between sights than a continuous one.
When to go
June is the moment the Ring Road truly opens up. The last of the highland snow has cleared, every stretch of Route 1 and most mountain passes are reliably drivable, and the midnight sun keeps the sky bright around the clock — you can chase a South Coast waterfalls and glacier tour at 11pm and still have light. Temperatures sit at a brisk 9–14°C, and the worst of the July–August camper-van crush hasn't yet arrived.
What it costs indicative, varies by date
Things to do book tickets & tours
Knock out the Golden Circle — Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss — then follow the south coast to Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and the Reynisfjara black beach before reaching the blue icebergs of Jökulsárlón lagoon. Book a Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon boat tour to glide among the floes, lace up for a guided glacier hike on Sólheimajökull, and end the loop with a long soak in a geothermal spa.
Before you go
