Self-drive packages in Iceland: 3, 5, 6 or 7 days
Snaeland's self-drive packages bundle a rental car, hotels and a route. The 3, 5, 6 and 7-day versions compared, with prices and what is left out.
The short version
- Snaeland's self-drive packages include the rental car, hotel with breakfast, airport pickup and a written itinerary.
- Prices from €722 (3 days) to €2,165 (7 days), listed per adult.
- Fuel, parking, flights and Blue Lagoon entry are not included.
- The 5 and 6-day versions are the only ones that reach Jökulsárlón; the 3-day stays on the Golden Circle.
A self-drive package is a rental car, a hotel for each night and a suggested route, sold as one booking. Snaeland Travel’s versions run from three to seven days, from €722 to €2,165 per adult. You book once, collect the car at Keflavík and drive the route at your own pace. They suit people who want a plan and a car, not a guide.
What is in the box
Every package lists accommodation with private bathroom and breakfast, a rental car with unlimited mileage, VAT, road tax, CDW, Super CDW, gravel protection and theft protection, airport pickup and drop-off, and a day-by-day itinerary in several languages. The hotels are guesthouses and three-star level by default, with a four-star option. The cars range from a Suzuki Jimny for two to a Kia Sportage automatic for five.
Not included: fuel, parking, flights, personal insurance, and Blue Lagoon entry on the packages that visit it. Add those before you compare with anything else.
The four packages
3 Days Self Drive Stopover (€722, two nights, two car days) takes you from Keflavík across Reykjanes to a night in Reykjavík, then around the Golden Circle and back. It is a fair way to use a stopover if you want the car and not much driving.
South Iceland Highlights, 5 days (€1,443) runs along the south coast to Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón, then ends on the Golden Circle. Four nights, four car days. The days are long: Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón is about 380 km each way, and the suggested route gives you that and the sights between.
Geysers, Glaciers and Waterfalls, 6 days (€1,804) follows the same ground with an extra day and ends at the Blue Lagoon, whose entry you pay for yourself. The extra day is worth the money because it lets you sleep a night beyond Vík instead of doing the whole south coast in two pushes.
West and South Iceland, 7 days (€2,165) adds Snæfellsnes and Borgarfjörður before the Golden Circle and the south coast. It is the only one that sees the west and it covers a lot of road for seven days.
What the packages do not do
They do not add tours. No glacier hike, no ice cave, no whales are booked for you. You still do those separately, and in winter that matters: ice caves and glacier walks need to be booked and need flexible days. A fixed hotel for each night also removes your room to move when the weather closes a road.
Cancellation is 50% of the price within seven days of departure.
Winter
The packages are listed as running all year. A rental car on the south coast in January is a different job from July, with ice, short daylight and wind that can close roads. Our winter driving guide argues for a guided tour in that season, and we still do.
Our honest take
For a first trip with a car, take the 6-day package. It has the pace that the 5-day lacks and does not try to cover the west. Use the 3-day only if you want one good day on the Golden Circle between flights.
Skip the 7-day unless you are happy to drive about 200 km on most days. If you want help from a human on the road, our seven days guide compares this with a guided package. And book the tours that need a guide yourself.
