Is Iceland's Ring Road a Misleading Tourist Idea - The Full Story of The Historical Road

This is the history of our Ring-Road or why it is a misleading concept and not intended to be the simple concept that many tourists use as a guideline while traveling around Iceland today. This was "our ring road "back in 1974 so check out the full story before you do the roundtrip because there might be some better ideas out there for you, and welcome to Iceland.

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With Greetings from Iceland
Gylfi

[bhall]

Drove most of the Ring Road in 2021 in a camper van. Did some detours off of it to see other things. Best vacation ever

[bartjes]

Yes, N1 takes gets you to lots of tourist destinations but when exploring make sure you check more than that. Having done 4 Iceland visits, I try to drive a different route every time to see more of the land. Also a tip is to look back regularly for the landscape behind you might be as beautiful as in front of you. Cheers from The Netherlands !

[r.hill.]

I just love your history lessons. Presentation, content, and your narration all make for a compelling short film. Thank you!

[barrydysert]

Highway #1 is merely the main chain of Iceland's necklace. The jewels are woven to it, not on it !:-)

[derMorgenstern]

The ring road may be misleading only superficial tourists. For me the Ring Road is great, for it helps me to get from A to B fast, sparing my time to explore "the real deal" (last year the West Fjords and the North, this year the North-East and East Fjords). Thank you, Gylfi, for your work, it is an excellent source of information and motivates me to seek for unique places in Islandi.

[sundog]

Brilliant film! Thank you. 35 years ago I spent 16 days trekking across Iceland. It was a fantastic experience. Now I would like to bring my wife and show her some of the wonderful places, probably via the ring road, as we are both past trekking!

[IcelandAdventures]

Love the horse running down the road ! We are between 703 and 704

[andrewsmith]

Drove all the way round it in 1975 - so a year after the last part opened I guess. Back then it was largely gravel roads - and we did take some detours off to see more of your wonderful country. Interesting to see the history of the road - thanks Gylfi :)

[rachelwilson]

I’ve visited Iceland many times but never did the ring road. I only travel in winter and it took 3 attempts to reach Detifoss but it was worth the wait. I love being in the really rural areas much more than the overcrowded tours that leave from Reykjavik. Landmanalugar was stunning beyond words in the winter sun, the aurora danced at night and the barbecue had Icelandic lamb on it. Iceland has those moments that are just perfect.

[Golfnut_]

We were in Iceland last September. We have already started a list of things to do when we come back!!!

[thisisbeyondajoke]

If you did this in Australia you might be here for generations.

[MikeLee-mzzd]

Drove the ring road and a multitude of side trips late June 2023 in a camper van, an awesome experience with waterfalls galore! The several kilometers long tunnels were an unexpected surprise. Watch out for the free range sheep on the road.

[JoshMainka]

I've been to Iceland many times, but camping in the West Fjords last September for the first time was otherworldly and so beautiful.

[sivcam]

I drove the ring road with a few detours and every part of it was beautiful, also the boring parts were fascinating. Now I will plan my next trips on different roads and “smaller” parts of Iceland in future. I feel like there is so much to discover ❤

[dirk]

In 2012 my wife and I were there to drive the ring: surprisingly a part of the ring in the east was just a dirt-road. In the late evening we met there a large trailer. A frightening experience in the dark.
But still a remarkable experience.

[DiscGoStu]

I just got back: had to give up on the north fjords, but I was able to visit Snaefellsness, Trollaskagi, Dettifoss and Seydisfjordur…and I’ll be back to see the detours I missed! Thanks for your wonderful advice and amazing channel, keep up the good work!

[isasala]

The beauty of Iceland is outstanding…❤️❤️❤️

[jangoosen]

Thanks Gylfi. We travelled the ring road in summer 2022, with several diversions ‘off the beaten track’. We found the scenery breathtaking and spectacular whether on the ring road or off it.

[SietzeFliegen]

Good video and great advice! Drove most of the ring road last summer. And indeed did many detours. Detours around Egilsstaðir, drove the artic coastway and Snæfellsnes peninsula. Unfortunately we did not have time for the west fjords.

[MoussaFaddoul]

Thank you for the good and helpful content here. Was getting tired of the touristy videos about Iceland and glad I found you. I'm visiting in a couple of weeks and looking forward to explore more than the "ring road" :)