Here are a bunch of useful travel tips and a bit of an FAQ if you are planning a trip to Iceland!

Alongside my Travel blog series and Icelandic Elopement blog, I’ve also written this little travel tips post that should help if you are planning a trip to Iceland. As always drop me a question in the comments if I’ve missed anything!

Driving in Iceland

For me driving is the best way of seeing this beautiful country, you’ll get to come and go as you please and visit the places you want without being constrained by a bus tour. that being said the tours are very good and well worth if it driving isn’t your thing.

A couple of notes on driving:

- You have to have your lights on all the time.
- Only 4x4’s are allowed on F-Roads.
- A lot of the bridges are single-lane - first vehicle has priority.
- Speed + distance is in KM with a top limit of 90kph (55mph) and there are speed cameras.
- When opening the doors hold onto the handle as the wind can rip the car doors off.
- Don’t try to cross water unless you know what you are doing as no insurance covers it.
- Driving off-road anywhere is illegal.

This website: https://safetravel.is/ will have all the road closures and any adverse weather conditions.

Renting a Campervan, & Insurance

If you’re driving then renting a campervan is a good way to mix getting around with somewhere to stay. It’s really nice to have lots of space to sit and relax too as this means you cna wait out any rain and get warm if you do get wet.

We rented a lovely campervan (which we named Betty) from Cozy Campers, pick up was really easy and they were super helpful throughout the trip.

Cozy Campers

Renting a campervan is not cheap! In fact, not much of Iceland is cheap so be prepared to budget a lot for the campervan hire.

Get the insurance. You’ll have a few insurance options, my suggestion is to get the top-tier insurance which covers everything, it does cost a bit more but knowing that you are covered for most things is very reassuring.

Shopping + Supplies

If you are doing a self-drive tour of Iceland then you’re going to need supplies.

Supermarkets can be found in most towns, look out for Bonus and Kronan in particular as these are the cheapest and have a good selection of food.

Things like meat and cheese are very expensive, if you’re looking to budget then go for pasta and cheaper food staples.

The self-service checkouts are easy to use and on the screen is a flag button where you can change the language to English.

For fuel, I’d recommend filling up when you’re at about half a tank so you don’t get caught out on a long drive. All of the gas stations are pay-at-pump and you have to pay before taking fuel, again these have English options on the menu screen and are all paid by card.

Be sure to fill your rental with the correct fuel!

Flying a drone in Iceland

Iceland is a fantastically beautiful country and flying a drone offers a unique perspective on the stunning landscape.

Flying a drone is legal in Iceland, but there are several restrictions on where you can fly.

Aside from the common restrictions around airports etc, it is also illegal to fly inside the National Parks, as well as at several popular sites such as Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Jökulsárlón.

Check for signage first and also beware of birds and other people. I chose to only fly when I had the space and there were very few if not zero people around.

Please don’t be a dick with your drone, you’ll see plenty of people that are and the fines can be up to £1500.

If you’re flying for commercial reasons then you can register your drone here with the Icelandic Transport Authority.

Icelandic Weather

You’ll find that Icelandic weather is all over the place, one minute it’s sunny and the next it’s a downpour.

Prepare for very wet weather and overcast days, we got super lucky on our last trip with lots of sun but that is in no way the norm.

Take lots of layers and waterproofs, you’ll need them near waterfalls regardless of the weather. The temperature in the summer is about 15c and in the winter goes down to 0c on average.

In the summer the Highland F roads are open (only allowed with a 4x4) and you’ll find driving to be very safe, but look out for wind warnings as you can get very strong winds that can make driving a challenge.

In the winter the F roads are closed and you can expect snow and ice on the roads, look out for road closures and be safe.

The Icelandic People + Language

Icelandic people are very friendly and welcoming to tourists and visitors.

The recommendation is to not even try to speak Icelandic because almost everyone speaks good English and it’s a very hard language to get right so you’ll likely be pronouncing it wrong anyway.

A fun game to play on the road is to try and pronounce placenames and get it hilariously wrong.

Lagoons + Hot Pools

Despite what you might see on Instagram Iceland is not full of wild and free hot pools and lagoons. Most of the time these are on people’s land or paid for lagoons to visit.

In my opinion, the paid-for ones are the best as they offer proper changing facilities and are designed for visitors. The most famous ones (Blue Lagoon) get very very busy, but there are lots of others well worth visiting and more and more are opening up each year.

Here’s my ranking of the ones I’ve been to, they all cost around £50-£90 per person and are all well worth visiting.

Hvammsvik
My top choice, a great set of wild feeling pools next to the sea, it’s also out of the way so is quiet in comparison to the others and has a great restaurant for some food.
Sky Lagoon
A stunning infinity pool in Reyjavik, the best feature here is the crystal clear water and the awesome view. Pay the extra for the spa ritual.
Geosea
Located in Husavik, this is a great stop for a post-whale watching boat tour. Enjoy the warm water as you look out into the bay.
Vok Baths
A series of floating pools on a lake in the East of Iceland, well worth a visit if you find yourself here.
Blue Lagoon
The Iceland classic, gets very busy, but if your budget allows book for the spa to enjoy a quieter experience.
Myvatn Nature Baths
Similar to the Blue Lagoon but in the North this pool has the characteristic blue water, but feels more like a public pool than a relaxing spa, hence it being number 6 on the list.

Iceland FAQ

I’m going to keep this section as a growing page for any questions, so feel free to ask below and I’ll add to this, or bookmark this page and check back for more FAQ’s as they grow.

Will I see the Northern Lights?
In the summer it’s 24 hour daylight so there is zero chance of seeing the Northern Lights. In the winter is when you’ll see them, but is still never a guaranteed thing to see.

Is it Expensive?
Yes. Food, transport, accommodation, drinks, etc. Everything is very expensive in Iceland and is the one thing that will catch a lot of people out. If you’re from the UK I’d say everything is about double the price you’d pay here.

What’s the best time of year to visit?
For me it’s the summer, lots of daylight to see lots of things with safe open roads. the winter is when to see the Northern Lights, but it’s about 5 hours of daylight so a lot less time to see everything else. The summer is more expensive for transport and accommodation due to it being peak season.

How long should I go for?
If you want to drive the Ring Road then at least 2 weeks. For shorter trips, you can get loads in on the South Coast and Reykjavik.

Where is best for seeing Puffins?
For me it’s all the way in the East at Borgarfjarðarhöfn, a very quiet place with loads of puffins that you can get very close to, it is a bit of a drive to get here but well worth it.

Where is best for whale watching?
Husavik, hands down, there are lots of tours each day from the harbour, they last about 3 hours and have a very good chance of seeing whales. Last time we went we saw humpback whales right next to the boat, as well as dolphins.

Is there phone signal?
Yes, you get signal pretty much everywhere, our camper came with free Wifi so that’s great for Google maps and watching TV in the evening.

Thank you for reading!

Thanks for reading, do put any more questions below.

This blog goes alongside my Iceland travel blogs if you want to learn more and see where we went on our last trip!

Cheers,
Col-

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Icelandic Travel Tips