This list of the best tips for traveling to Iceland It will help you organize a trip to a country full of spectacular landscapes that will leave you speechless.
This country, known as the land of ice and fire, in which natural wonders such as volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls and geysers are mixed, is perfect for a circular route by car or motorhome, depending on your preferences.
For us, along with New Zealand, it is the best place in the world to enjoy the wildest nature in its purest form and although tourism has increased a lot in recent years, we consider it an essential for any traveler.
Based on the experience of our trip to Iceland in 14 days for free, we have made this selection of what we believe are the 10 essential tips for traveling to Iceland. We start!
1. What is the best time?
Although everything depends on what you are looking for, in general, we could say that the best time to make a trip to Iceland is the summer months, when the temperature is pleasant and there is less chance of rain and snow. Also during this time all the roads are open and according to the month, you can enjoy 24 hours of light thanks to the natural phenomenon of the midnight sun.
Autumn and spring are also good times, when temperatures are still bearable, there is less tourism than in summer and prices for accommodation and car rental are lower.
In winter the temperature is below zero, many mountain and secondary roads are closed by snow and there are very few hours of light. This season is only recommended if you want to do winter activities such as cross-country skiing, see the icy waterfalls or visit the incredible ice caves.
It is important to remember that if you travel between mid-September and mid-April, you have the possibility to see northern lights in Iceland, one of the best places in the world to observe this phenomenon that illuminates the sky green.
Northern Lights in Iceland
2. Entry requirements
For travel to Iceland, if you are Spanish or from a European Union country, you only need to present your ID or Passport, with a minimum validity of 6 months, since it is a country in the Schengen territory.
For non-EU citizens, they must present a visa if your country is included in this list. In any case, we always recommend consulting the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Icelandic Embassy, to ensure the required documents and if the visa is necessary.
3. Security
Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world, although as in all trips and places in the world, common sense must be used.
One of the moments when you have to be more careful is when you rent the car and choose between tourism, motorhome or 4 × 4.
If you rent the first two you have to take into account that any damage that occurs to the vehicle traveling on unpaved roads marked with an F (very common in Iceland) will not enter the insurance. We also recommend being attentive and not leaving valuables visible inside the car when we leave it parked for an excursion, not because of the danger of the Icelanders, but for other tourists.
Another of the moments when you have to be very cautious is to take a bath in a non-tourist thermal well if you don't see the allowed sign before. If you want to take a bath, before doing so, ask a local to make sure.
The same precaution must be taken when approaching a geyser or fumaroles, as they are unpredictable and can splash boiling water.
In the case of vaccines, there is no obligation to travel to Iceland, but it is highly recommended to have good travel insurance
We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip.
Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.
4. Money exchange
The official currency of the country is the Icelandic krona and currently 1 euro equals about 140 crowns.
Iceland is one of the few countries in the world that we would bet that you do not need to carry cash, you can now fully pay everything by card. As an example we have paid less than 50 cents with a card to enter a sink.
For this it is very advisable to carry a card like the N26 to pay without being charged commissions and with the current change.
And if you want to carry some cash, to get money we recommend the BNext card that instantly returns any commission charged to you and they will also give you 10 euros if you sign up from here.
You can find much more information on this topic in the post of the best cards to travel without commissions.
5. How to start the trip
The most common means of transport to travel to Iceland It is the plane, if you do not want to take long hours of navigation in one of the few cruises that arrive in this country.
From Spain there are several companies that offer direct flights to Iceland at a good price like Vueling or Norwegian. We advise you to use this search engine with the maximum months in advance to find your flight at the best price.
Once the flight is purchased, the most advisable is to rent the vehicle, to have the freedom to stop where and when you want, something fundamental in a country of great landscapes like Iceland that also does not have a wide infrastructure of public transport.
When renting the car, you have to keep in mind that deciding between a tourism, a 4 × 4 or a motorhome to make your trip to Iceland is a transcendent decision that can affect your route and budget.
If you rent a 4 × 4, although it is much more expensive than a tourism, you can reach tourist attractions that with the other two types of vehicles you can only reach if you hire an excursion.
While if you opt for the most expensive option and rent a motorhome or camper in Iceland, you will save the accommodation and the transfer time to the hotels.
If you make a comparative price chart between the 3 vehicles, the camper will surely come out better, since there is not much accommodation in Iceland and the price per night is very high, although you will not be able to access the Highlands areas or drive on unpaved roads.
In our case, for our trip to Iceland we opted for the convenience of renting a tourism and doing a timely organized tour to reach the most inaccessible places like Landmannalaugar and the Askja volcano.
Reykjavik
6. Iceland route
Once you have picked up the vehicle at the Keflavik International Airport, you can also rent it in the city of Reykjavik, start the trip to Iceland for free.
One of the best tips for traveling to Iceland It is to make a circular route on Highway 1, which goes around the island and passes through its most essential places.
The complete route to the island can be done in about two weeks depending on the number and type of excursions you do inside the island and although the direction of the route we could say that it is quite indifferentIf you prefer to see the most famous places at the beginning we recommend you start in the south of the country.
Along the road 1 or Ring Road there are several gas stations and it is always preferable to stop even if you have a full tank, since these are not very numerous or use a GPS to know where the next one is. These gas stations are usually self-service, you have to put the credit card, mark the amount in crowns and fill the deposit. Remember that they will only charge you the amount you have spent.
We must also pay attention to the speed limits (maximum of 90 km / h on Highway 1) to avoid dangerous situations, especially if there is snow, and not take a large fine as a souvenir.
Travel on Highway 1 on a trip to Iceland
7. Travel to Iceland organized
Another more comfortable way to make a trip to Iceland, if you do not want to drive, is to stay in Reikivik every day and take small day trips.
To get from the Keflavik International Airport to the capital you can take the Flybus bus that leaves you at the BSI bus terminal or book the Airport Express, which includes the transfer to most hotels in the city.
Once staying in the capital, we were at Guesthouse Aurora, you can spend a day completing this list of places to visit in Reykjavik.
From the second day you can book some of the best excursions from Reykjavik among which are:
If you prefer to make a complete route through the country you can book this 8-day tour of the best of Iceland with a guide in Spanish.
See the Seldjalanfoss Waterfall, one of the best tips when traveling to Iceland
8. Where to sleep?
It is very important once you have bought the flight and booked the car, trace the route through the country as soon as possible and book the hotels.
Keep in mind that accommodation is quite limited and it is essential, especially if you are traveling to Iceland in summer, book hotels as many months in advance to avoid running out of space or pay astronomical prices.
The hotels are almost prohibitive to exceed many 200 euros per night in high season and only Reykjavik has a more varied hotel offer, which allows you to find some cheaper.
Most of the accommodations, located outside the cities, are guesthouses or bed and breakfasts where the owners have adapted one or more rooms in their house to rent to travelers. Although many do not offer the services of a hotel, most have prices of more than 100 euros a night in high season, even booking well in advance.
If you are looking for something cheaper you can stay in farms or hostels with shared bathrooms, campsites or wooden cabins, a new type of accommodation that can be profitable if you are several people.
Most accommodations are located near Highway 1, so you won't waste much time traveling.
You can use this popular search engine to find the best hotels at the best price.
Iceland
9. Most interesting places
Another of the best tips for traveling to Iceland It is to complete this list of 50 things to see and do in Iceland, which are mostly near Highway 1.
If you want to make a good route through the country leaving from Reykjavik, you can start in the southern part of the island visiting the nearby Golden Circle. In this tourist area there are three jewels: Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir geysers , and another minor as is the Kerio Crater.
The next stop will be Landmannalaugar, one of the most impressive natural landscapes and one of the best treks in the world for several days. To get to this place located inside, if you don't have a 4 × 4, you need to take a bus from Reykjavik Excursions or hire an excursion.
Continuing along the Ring Road you will reach the Seldjalanfoss, Gljúfurárfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls, three of the most spectacular in Iceland.
A few kilometers from Skogafoss is the Mýrdalsjökul glacier, perfect for an excursion with crampons above the ice.
The route through Iceland continues to search for a crashed American plane on the beach of Solheimasadur and stopping at the Cliff of Dyrhólaey, one of the best places to spot puffins.
Very close to the cliff is the town of Vik that has a famous church and a black sand beach with several interesting rock formations.
From here you will have to drive more than 100 kilometers to reach the Skaftafell National Park that has the Svartifoss basalt waterfall, its most prominent place
The next visit is to one of the country's icons, the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, a lake full of small icebergs, which is our favorite place in the country.
Before reaching this point you can go through Fjallsárlón, another glacier lake with icebergs, which although less photogenic than Jökulsárlón, is equally attractive.
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
If you have more time you can visit the eastern fjords to the fishing village of Seyoisfjorour and take a trip inside the island to see the Askja Caldera and the Viti Crater.
Already in the north of the island, we recommend you stop in the geothermal area of Hverir and the spectacular waterfalls of Dettifoss, Selfoss and Hafragilfoss.
Further north of this area is the fishing village of Husavik, the best place in the country to take an excursion to see whales.
The next stop will be in Godafoss, the waterfall of the gods and another of the most famous on the island, which we are sure, will leave you speechless.
To end the route, if you have days left over, you can tour the less tourist peninsulas of Vatnsnes and Snaefellsness, and take a relaxing bath in the Blue Lagoon before catching the plane back.
10. More tips for traveling to Iceland
Other of the best tips for traveling to Iceland They are:
- Buy food at Bonus supermarkets, they offer good products at a reasonable price. It is not necessary to take food from Spain, the little price difference does not compensate for the risk of being requisitioned at border control.
- Most gas stations offer basic products, fast food and soups at a good price, you can also get a good glass of coffee.
- Check this Icelandic weather page every day for weather conditions and road conditions.
- If you go in time of northern lights consult this web page to know the predictions and visibility.
- If you have any problems on the road, call 112, the Icelandic emergency telephone or ask a local for help, they are very nice.
- Do not be scared if you pass in a moment of a beautiful clear sky with sun to a dark sky with heavy rains, in 5 minutes the good weather can return. Remember the saying: in Iceland you can live the 4 seasons of the year in a single day.
- Even if you go in summer it is advisable to wear windbreakers, gloves, waterproof shoes and dress in layers, since the weather, as we said before, is quite unpredictable.
- If you do not have a mobile phone with the Vodafone company, with which you have roaming included, we recommend you buy a prepaid SIM card at the airport or in the city, although the vast majority of hotels and venues have free Wi-Fi.
- The plugs are the same as in Spain, so you should not load adapters.
Viti crater
Do you want to organize travel to Iceland?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to Iceland here
The best hotels at the best prices in Iceland here
50 things to see and do in Iceland
Book the best tours and excursions in Iceland in Spanish and English here
Book your Reykjavik Airport transfer here
Rent your car in Iceland at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
The best offers of Flights to Iceland here
The best hotels at the best prices in Iceland here
50 things to see and do in Iceland
Book the best tours and excursions in Iceland in Spanish and English here
Book your Reykjavik Airport transfer here
Rent your car in Iceland at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount hereIf you feel like helping us expand the list 10 essential tips for traveling to Iceland, add yours in the comments.
