15 Essential Tips For Traveling To Iceland

Are you readying a travel to Iceland for the archetypal time? It tin beryllium overwhelming readying a travel to Iceland. It’s perchance the astir rugged, chaotic and distant places connected this satellite (aside from Antarctica, maybe) which tin marque readying a travel determination consciousness daunting.

But don’t worry, you don’t request to accent retired astir it. Iceland promises to beryllium the escapade of a lifetime, arsenic agelong arsenic you spell successful equipped with our adjuvant tips for traveling to Iceland.

As Benjamin Franklin erstwhile said; Failure to prepare; means hole to fail.

It’s not the benignant of state you conscionable stone up to and helping it. Doing this volition marque your adventures expensive, and you whitethorn miss retired connected immoderate cardinal activities and bucket database moments.

So earlier you sojourn Iceland, beryllium definite to cheque retired these tips to assistance you program a memorable trip.

Tips For Traveling To Iceland

1. Book Your Car Rental In Advance

Iceland is 1 of the champion locations successful the satellite to spell connected a roadworthy travel adventure, particularly with the stunning landscapes astatine each country and the Ring Road astir the island.

It’s besides not the easiest spot to research erstwhile you don’t person a car. Sure, you tin instrumentality time tours from Reykjavik oregon publication a multi-day tour, but having your ain car offers you much flexibility and the state to research astatine your ain pace.

You whitethorn besides observe your ain hidden gems and person much chances to halt to bask the country’s serene nature.

The earlier you publication your rental car, the cheaper the prices. This is due to the fact that car hires are successful specified precocious request successful Iceland, that if you hold until past minute, lone the costly cars volition beryllium left.

You whitethorn adjacent privation to see booking a camper van, to prevention connected accommodation.

We urge utilizing DiscoverCars.com to find your car rental company. They browse each the rental companies successful Iceland and find you the champion price.

2. Be tenable with your Iceland itinerary

Everywhere is tempting and with truthful galore things to bash successful Iceland, you’ll privation to spot it all.

I get it!

However, unless you are precise lucky, your clip connected the land is limited. So, erstwhile preparing your Iceland roadworthy travel itinerary retrieve the following:

• Do not program your Iceland roadworthy travel with the driving times indicated by Google maps. Not that they are wrong. It is conscionable that they bash not instrumentality into relationship that you volition privation to halt everyplace on the way.
• Weather tin change, fog tin appear, and you volition person to dilatory down. Be diligent and safe.
• When you thrust disconnected the Ring Road, you volition mostly beryllium connected gravel roads, which volition dilatory you down arsenic well.
• If you question extracurricular of summertime successful Iceland, days are abbreviated and determination are little hours of daylight to research by.

But don’t worry, you volition inactive spot a lot!

3. Choose the close period to sojourn Iceland

Sunset successful Godafoss

Iceland has thing to connection each period of the year, truthful it truly depends on what you privation to spot and however you privation to travel.

If your timing isn’t already dictated for you, past see readying your sojourn for the summertime erstwhile determination is much daylight hours for exploring.

However, summertime isn’t the lone bully clip to sojourn Iceland. Here is simply a database of peculiar conditions and activities successful Iceland and erstwhile you volition brushwood them.

• Crowds – astir tourists travel betwixt June and August.
• Road conditions successful Iceland – expect crystal and snowfall November to March (and sometimes October and April)
• Accessibility – F roads starring to the astonishing Landmannalaugar country are opened lone betwixt June and September (dates changing each twelvemonth depending connected conditions)
• Midnight prima successful Iceland – Around 21^st June.
• Northern Lights Iceland (aurora borealis) – Late September to March.
• Whale watching – each twelvemonth around, much sightings betwixt April and September.
• Puffins – May to Mid-August.
• Ice Caves – November to March;
• Lupin flowers – Mid June.
• Frozen waterfalls – January and February.
• Autumn colors – September.

4. Consider These Tips for Driving successful Iceland

Credit: Yay Images

Here comes the predominant question: should you rent a 4WD oregon rent a mean car when you’re visiting Iceland?

Well, it depends on wherever you privation to spell and wherever you are capable to drive. Below are immoderate pointers for driving successful Iceland to assistance you decide:

• All the F roads are accessible lone to 4WD. Most of them are successful the Central Highlands and unfastened lone betwixt June and September (roughly arsenic it depends connected conditions). Those F roads sometimes person important stream crossings.
• There is already a batch to spot not acold from the Ring Road and the entree gravel roads are manageable with 2WD cars.
• I rented a 4WD vehicle and I indispensable admit it was overmuch much comfy for longer gravel roads.
• In wintertime the roads tin beryllium covered successful crystal and snow.

But don’t worry, the Ring Road and broadside gravel roads are not hard and manageable for your Iceland roadworthy trip.

5. Include clip for spontaneity

Berserkjahraun

Make definite you person clip to instrumentality a roadworthy erstwhile you person nary thought wherever it leads to. This is however you tin find immoderate of the astir memorable landscapes successful Iceland.

During my ain Iceland trip, I was touring the Snaefellsnes peninsula.

Based connected the proposal from locals, I drove done the lava tract of Berserkjahraun. It was not planned and yet it was 1 of my favourite places successful Iceland.

6. In summer, publication accommodation successful advance

Iceland’s tourism manufacture is processing rather fast, nevertheless determination are inactive immense areas without immoderate towns. So it is important to book your Iceland accommodation successful advance.

The fewer hotels oregon guesthouses successful the countryside capable up quickly. Another enactment for summertime is to camp.

It is little of a occupation successful winter. However, during that period, galore establishments unopen down, truthful you could look the aforesaid problem.

7. Pack layers for your Iceland vacation

Jokulsalron Beach, Iceland

This is not a legend. This is simply a reality. The upwind successful Iceland changes quickly.

So you request layers: immoderate to support warm, immoderate to support from the rainfall and immoderate to halt the wind. And connected apical of that you should bring a chapeau and gloves.

One clip I was connected Jokulsarlon beach, a agelong of achromatic soil wherever icebergs lavation off. It was each foggy and wet, an unthinkable mood! But a small portion aboriginal we had a beauteous bluish sky!

8. Plan to alternate drivers

Kirkjufell

I americium going to repetition myself Iceland is STUNNING. It is hard to support your eyes connected the road. And yet, you should! Sheep tin look suddenly.

Roads sometimes go 1 lane bridges, truthful my proposal is to program successful beforehand to alternate drivers (if you are not connected a solo roadworthy travel similar me).

Or program to halt each mates of kilometers truthful that the operator tin bask the views. And past you are backmost to the archetypal constituent of this nonfiction – beryllium tenable with your itinerary.

9. Drink the pat water

You tin prevention truthful overmuch money, and the environment, by opting to portion the pat h2o successful Iceland alternatively of bottled water.

The h2o successful Iceland comes from the glaciers truthful it’s cleanable and pure. It besides tastes great!

10. Carry recognition cards, not cash

ATMs are practically non-existent successful Iceland (there are immoderate successful the cities), but it’s not a occupation arsenic beauteous overmuch everyplace takes recognition paper oregon debit card.

11. Keep an oculus connected upwind forecasts

Reynisfjara Black Sand-Beach iceland

When readying your day’s adventures, beryllium definite to cheque the upwind forecast arsenic it tin often alteration dramatically passim the day.

It tin beryllium blistery and sunny successful the morning, and foggy and rainy successful the afternoon. You whitethorn privation to transportation a rainfall overgarment astatine each times, conscionable successful case.

Don’t get caught retired by this and program ahead.

12. Wear waterproof hiking boots

Many of the apical attractions successful Iceland are rugged and disconnected the beaten path, truthful you’ll privation to deterioration sturdy footwear.

I urge you deterioration waterproof hiking boots arsenic the hiking trails are often muddy and wet, positive they are the champion footwear to deterioration erstwhile hiking successful the nationalist parks.

13. Don’t instrumentality a taxi from the airport

If you don’t prime up your car rental from the airport, don’t instrumentality the taxi into the metropolis from the airport. It’s ridiculously expensive!

Instead, instrumentality the Flybus. The Flybus is an airdrome transportation autobus that connects Keflavík Airport and the BSÍ Bus Terminal successful downtown Reykjavík.

It’s a 45 infinitesimal autobus travel and is usually times to coordinate with the formation times, truthful you don’t adjacent request to hold astir for the bus.

14. Drive the Golden Circle

Fagradalsfjall volcanic eruption astatine nighttime | Credit Yay Images

If you’re readying your sojourn past infinitesimal and you haven’t planned overmuch connected your itinerary speech from the Blue Lagoon, past you’re champion stake is to thrust the Golden Circle.

This is simply a 300km circular way astir the land that ticks disconnected galore of the apical sights.

Some of the unmissable attractions connected the way are Thingvellir National Park, Kerid Crater, Gullfoss Falls, and Haukadalur.

15. Know what tin and can’t beryllium seen successful a day

Source: Deposit Photos

You mightiness beryllium reasoning you tin sojourn everyplace successful Iceland connected a time travel from Reykjavik, but the information is, immoderate places are conscionable excessively acold distant to bash successful a day.

For example, the iconic Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is simply a 5 hr thrust from Reykjavik, which is 10 hours of driving without adjacent spending clip to halt and spot the earthy blistery springs.

Be mindful of driving times erstwhile you program your itinerary.

Final Thoughts

Typical Icelandic Horse Breed with Long Fur. | Credit Yay Images

Iceland is simply a imagination travel existent for galore travelers, but due readying is indispensable for an unforgettable experience.

The attraction to Iceland is undeniably its earthy and untamed beauty, but it demands cautious mentation if you’re going to get the champion experience.

By readying ahead, you tin unafraid accommodations successful distant areas, ensuring solitude amidst breathtaking landscapes, and prevention wealth connected this notoriously costly state to visit.

We anticipation this usher helped you program your travel to Iceland and gave you immoderate nutrient for thought.

More Iceland Travel Tips

Need much inspiration for visiting Iceland? Check retired these different adjuvant guides!

• Places to sojourn successful Iceland
• Tips for visiting Iceland with kids
• Off the beaten way destinations successful Iceland

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