Why this ride
188 km from Reykjavík to the finish, about 2 h 35 of riding. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Iceland Ring Road: Reykjavik to Vik
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 188 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 35
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the sort of capital that you could walk across in an afternoon, and that is part of the charm. It sits on a windswept peninsula in the southwest of Iceland, with painted corrugated-iron houses, the great concrete spire of the Hallgrímskirkja church, and a harbour backed by the long snowy ridge of Esja across the bay. About two thirds of Icelanders live in this region, so by Icelandic standards it is a metropolis.
Read the complete Reykjavik write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Reykjavík is where the day begins. Next is Selfoss.
2. Selfoss
Selfoss lies on the Ölfusá, the biggest river in Iceland by volume, which comes down from the highlands in a wide grey-green sweep and passes right through the middle of the town. With around 6,500 people it is the largest settlement in South Iceland, a farm and service town on the Ring Road, and for riders heading east from Reykjavík it is the first place with every kind of shop, cafe and fuel station.
Read the complete Selfoss write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Selfoss comes up about 59 km into the recorded legs. Next is Vik.
3. Vík
Vík í Mýrdal is a tiny village on the south coast of Iceland with a red-roofed church on a hill, a long black beach below, and a reputation far larger than its size. A few hundred people live here, mostly in low houses below the cliffs, and the Atlantic crashes onto the sand in front of them with ceaseless force. Offshore, a group of tall basalt sea stacks called Reynisdrangar rises from the surf, and legend says they are trolls who were caught by the sun while trying to drag a ship to shore and turned to stone.
Read the complete Vik write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 188 km.
Leg by leg
Reykjavík to Selfoss
Reykjavík → Selfoss is 132 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Selfoss to Vik
Selfoss → Vik is 129 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
More motorcycle rides nearby
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