Self-drive tours in Iceland

On a self-driving tour of Iceland, you get to explore the Land of Ice and Fire at your own pace. You can steer clear of the big coach tours and get Iceland’s beautiful scenery all to yourself.

Our self-drive holidays are perfect for independent travellers with a sense of adventure. But if a self-drive holiday isn’t what you had in mind, we have lots of other northern lights holidays in Iceland to choose from:

• Classic short breaks in Iceland
• Escorted tours in Icelandd
• Luxury aurora holidays in Iceland

Driving around south Iceland is a joy at any time of year. But we only recommend self-driving in north Iceland in summer and early autumn. In winter, the roads in north Iceland are likely to be icy and snowy.

Of course, if seeing the northern lights is your priority, you should travel to Iceland between September and April. During these months, nights are longer so you have a good chance of seeing the aurora borealis.

Yes. All our self-drive holidays in Iceland include 4×4 car hire and insurance. Just let us know if you need any extras, like child seats or additional named drivers.

There’s just one main road around the whole of Iceland. This ring road — called Route 1 — offers access to Iceland’s most popular attractions.

Driving around the ring road is easy. There’s just a single lane in each direction and very little traffic. However, you need to stay alert to changing weather conditions, particularly in winter.
There are also more challenging mountain roads, which are marked “F” on maps. They have loose gravel surfaces and are only open in summer months. These roads are only suitable for 4×4 vehicles.

Book with Aurora Nights and we can give you the right equipment and advice for a safe self-drive tour in Iceland.

Read more: Self-driving tips for your northern lights holiday

Travel to Iceland between September and April and you have a good chance of seeing the northern lights. Of course, weather and solar conditions sometimes have other ideas. But we do everything we can to ensure you get to see nature’s most spectacular light show.

On our Iceland northern lights self-drive holidays you stay in remote hotels in dark-sky regions. You’ll get aurora wake-up calls. You can also choose to stay at Hotel Ranga, which has its own observatory, high-tech telescopes and resident astronomy experts.

But you don’t have to wait for the aurora borealis to come to you. With our experienced northern lights guides, you can embark on exciting aurora excursions each evening. Using the aurora and weather forecasts, our guides will take you to places where the northern lights are most likely to make an appearance.

What can I see and do on your self-drive tour packages?
On our self-drive holidays in Iceland, you can enjoy a mix of self-guided touring and organised excursions. Here are a couple of highlights:

• Drive to the Blue Lagoon. Relax in the geothermal waters and in sauna and steam rooms carved from lava.
• Visit museums and landmarks in Reykjavik — and soak up the capital’s arts and food culture.
• Travel to places no hire car can go on a guided super-jeep tour. Race through glacial rivers and up steep mountain slopes to see secret ice caves and volcanic craters.
• Explore Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. Experience Thingvellir National Park, the Strokkur Geyser and Gullfoss Waterfall.
• Go hunting for the northern lights, travelling to remote, dark-sky regions with your expert aurora guide.
• Make a pit stop at the black sand beaches of Vik. Spot seals off the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. Or learn about Iceland’s geology and history at the interactive LAVA Centre.
• Relax after a day on the road with a spa treatment at your hotel. Or soak in your own private hot tub, a glass of fizz in hand and the aurora borealis above.

On a self-drive tour of Iceland, you’ll stay in a selection of hand-picked hotels.

Boutique hotels in Reykjavik. Self-catering apartments, perfect for families. Luxurious lodges out in the wilderness. A spa retreat on the shores of the Blue Lagoon.

Whatever kind of Icelandic holiday you’re looking for, we can suggest and book the ideal accommodation. We’ll ensure that exceptional food, drink and a comfortable bed await you after each day of adventure.

Yes, absolutely. We can customise any of the tours listed above to meet your requirements. We can adapt them to combine the destinations and activities, budget and schedule you have in mind.

You can also combine an Iceland northern lights holiday with adventures in any of our other Nordic destinations:

• Northern lights holidays in Sweden
• Northern lights holidays in Norway
• Northern lights holiday in Finland

Book your Iceland driving holiday with Aurora Nights and you can count on:

• A hassle-free adventure — we organise car hire, your itinerary, accommodation and guided activities so you can focus on making unforgettable memories
• 24/7 support — if you run into any problems on your self-drive tour, we’re on hand to help, providing directions and adapting your itinerary where necessary
• Insider knowledge — our Iceland experts can advise on the country’s best restaurants, bucket-list adventures and hidden gems
• Bespoke itineraries — we can customise any Iceland itinerary to suit you, so you get to experience your ideal destinations and activities

Select from the Iceland self-drive tours above. Then make an enquiry. The Aurora Nights team will get back to you soon. We’ll chat about your budget, schedule and wish list activities to create a custom tour just for you.

Don’t see a tour you like? Then just get in touch to create something completely bespoke.