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A first week in Iceland does half the Ring Road — south and east, leaving the North and West as a return-trip proposition. Two nights in Reykjavik, a Golden Circle loop, down the South Coast to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, out into the East Fjords, and back via the Highlands in summer or the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in winter. Car hire is non-negotiable.
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Each day is written to balance structure with breathing room. Named hotels, named meals, named activities; logistics noted where they matter.
Land at KEF, Flybus or taxi (50 min) to Reykjavik. Check into a central hotel. Evening walking Laugavegur (main shopping street), the Harpa concert hall on the waterfront, and dinner at Fiskmarkaðurinn or Grillmarkaðurinn.
Morning whale-watching tour (Special Tours or Elding, 3 hours, $100). Lunch at the Old Harbour (Kaffivagninn or Sægreifinn — the famous Sea Baron lobster soup). Afternoon at Hallgrímskirkja (the Lutheran church on the hill, elevator €10), Perlan geothermal museum, and the Icelandic Phallological Museum (if that's your thing).
Pick up car from airport depot (most rentals aren't central). Golden Circle loop: Þingvellir (the continental rift and first parliament), Geysir (the original, erupts every 10 minutes), Gullfoss (the big waterfall). Back via the Secret Lagoon geothermal pool — a better version of the Blue Lagoon. Night in a countryside farm hotel.
Classic South Coast day. Seljalandsfoss (walk behind it, get soaked). Skógafoss. Black-sand beach at Reynisfjara (respect the 'Tetris wave' safety signs — these waves kill tourists every year). Vík for lunch. Afternoon drive east to Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Night at Hotel Skaftafell or Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon.
Drive the East Fjords, the quietest part of the Ring Road. Stop at Djúpivogur (Eggin í Gleðivík, the 34 stone-egg sculptures), Seyðisfjörður (Faroese-style rainbow-painted wooden church), and end in Egilsstaðir. Long driving day; don't rush it.
Long drive back west — either repeat the South Coast (faster) or inland via Route 1 through Möðrudalur and Mývatn (longer but different). Stop at Dyrhólaey (the puffin cliffs, if July), and end in Vík for the night.
Drive back to Reykjavik area. Blue Lagoon en route to the airport (book 4 weeks ahead; it's on the way to KEF) — the classic done-before-flight version of the Icelandic spa ritual. Flight out.
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For the South + East half of the Ring Road, yes. Doing the full Ring Road is 10 days minimum. The North (Akureyri, Mývatn) and West (Snæfellsnes, Westfjords) deserve a return trip.
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