Whether you’ve already booked your trip or are just starting thinking about it, we hope our travel guide to Iceland helps you find answers to many of your questions and can be a great source of inspiration to plan your adventure!
Why Iceland?
Oh Iceland, where should we begin with…
When we’ve decided to take this journey, the country was still blooming and slowly beginning to attract tourists from all over the world. Our friends kept asking us why we had decided to exchange the summer in Portugal for such a Nordic destination. We started to feel a little unsure about it ourselves, especially when we realized how expensive everything in Iceland.
For the record, it was one of our most memorable trips. We saw places that we had only imagined on our wildest dreams. And we couldn’t recommend it enough.
– Landscapes: From the moment we left the airport, our jaws dropped and never came back up. If you love Nature and out-of-this-world sceneries, you’ve chosen the right place. Iceland really has it all: volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, lagoons, craters filled with water, and more waterfalls than you can count. It’s like someone took the most beautiful landscapes of the world and put them all in this small country.
– Remoteness: It’s no secret how much we hate crowds. We really try to avoid packed places, and Iceland was the perfect choice to do that. It has indeed become more popular, but it’s still quite a secluded location compared to a summer in Greece or a week in the Amalfi Coast during August. Adding that to the fact that it has a population of less than 400k, you’ll have the opportunity to disconnect and appreciate the surroundings (almost) by yourself.
– Road Trip Paradise: Renting a car and exploring a country at our own pace is our favorite way to travel. And, if there’s one destination where you must absolutely do so, that’s Iceland. The Ring Road is an over 1300km-long circular highway that circumnavigates the island, passing through all the major highlights. The scenery is constantly changing, and the awe-inspiring landscapes will blow your mind! Be sure to create an outstanding playlist and hit the road! We help you plan your itinerary in this blog post.
– Safe: It’s always a relief when we travel to a safe country. After all, we’re supposed to be having a relaxed and fun time. Unfortunately, in many incredible destinations, you must be extra careful with yourself and your belongings. And while we recommend you never let your guard down, is very unlikely that you’ll find yourself in a dangerous situation during your time in Iceland: petty crime is rare, and violent crime is almost non-existent!
best time to go
We know how the white landscapes may seem appealing to you, but we do recommend avoiding the winter months on your first trip to Iceland. During the summer, everything is so much easier: no roads closed, you can drive much safety throughout the country, and not to mention that you have many hours of daylight to fill with as many outdoor activities as you can – actually, you can even witness the midnight sun when there is practically no nighttime darkness!
We went by the end of August, and while the temperatures were quite similar to a December day in Portugal it was totally ok. Opt to pack a lot of layers, since you might get hot halfway through a hike, or when the sun is directly overhead. And you’ll definitely need a jacket for the evenings.
Of course, everything has its downsides. During summer months you’ll be looking into much higher prices and an increased number of visitors. Oh, and you probably won’t get to see the famous Northern Lights. But when it comes to Iceland, we wouldn’t recommend it any other way – at least for your first time in the country.
HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD YOU SPEND IN Iceland?
It all depends on the kind of journey you have in mind. If you’re planning on renting a car and hit the road (which you most certainly should!), then make sure you allow enough time to complete the famous Ring Road (since it is a circular route, it’s really not efficient having to drive all the way back to Reykjavik to catch your flight back home).
To do so, spare at least 7/8 days – you won’t spend two nights at the same place, but you’ll cover the best parts of the country! In an ideal world, we would have ten days to explore everything at a slower pace.
If you want to complement your Ring Road trip with an adventure through the WestFjords, try to have at least three more days!
Of course, you can always opt to stay in Iceland just for a long weekend. Visiting Reykjavik and going on some day trips around that area can be a great introduction to this beautiful country!
Health and Safety
We could easily skip this one! According to the Global Peace Index, Iceland was considered the safest country in the world for the past years. It has a ridiculously low level of crime, and its laws guarantee to enforce legal equality between all individuals – namely through same-sex marriage, same-sex adoptions, religious freedom, and equal pay for both men and women. Even pickpocketing is an uncommon thing!
You don’t need to worry about poisonous animals nor any specific disease. But do keep an extra eye on the road and check out the weather forecast regularly: strong winds, floodings, or unexpected sand storms can catch you off guard. Mother nature is ruthless here!
Costs and currency
There’s no other way to say this: Iceland is f* expensive. It’s actually the most expensive country we’ve ever been to! But don’t let this stop you from visiting this incredible country! We’ve written a blog post with some tips to save money and still make the most of your trip – believe us, you’ll want to read this!
Regarding money itself, we never saw a coin or a banknote. So stick to Revolut as credit cards are accepted everywhere!
must see
When we first did a brainstorm regarding the places we should include in this section, we ended up with a full list of pretty much everywhere we went during our trip. So keep in mind that this was not an easy task!
- Waterfalls: There are more than 10.000 waterfalls around the island. You read that right. This means you’ll be super excited for the first six you catch sight of, and then you’ll start wondering if the 7th is worth the 10 minutes detour. Kind of the same feeling you get with impalas during a safari. But while you don’t get bored, do visit as many waterfalls as you possibly can. They are among the most beautiful things you’ll ever see in this world! Check out the list of our favorite ones to make sure you make the best decision!
- Glaciers: they cover around 11% of the land area of Iceland, including the Vatnajökulll, the largest of Europe. If you’ve never been close to one of these wonders, don’t miss your chance while you’re in the country! We’ve even done a fantastic guided hiking and it ended up being one of our best life experiences!
- Jökulsárlón: We were just about to call it a day, when we saw this place on the map. It was one of the stops we had planned, but after a long day of driving, we were so tired we almost skipped it – so glad we didn’t! It was golden hour and we got to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. Maybe it was just perfect timing, but this place had to be on this list. See it for yourselves and let us know your thoughts.
- Blue Lagoon, or even better, Myvatn nature baths! While you certainly recognize the first one from all the Instagram pictures you’ve already seen, the latter might come up as news to you. Just imagine the same dreamy scenery of Blue Lagoon but without the crowds! Perfect, right?
- Seydisfjordur: The drive alone is worth the visit! This was the most charming town we’ve visited in Iceland and we’ve advised it to all of our friends who were planning a trip to the country. Many of them have later confessed to us it was one of the highlights of their days as well!
- Geysers: This is a fairly rare phenomenon that you can only witness in a few places on Earth. For us, that’s reason enough to take the opportunity and watch this astounding show of nature.
- Mývatn Area: We feel like this area is very, very underestimated! We absolutely loved to explore Víti Crater, the out of this world landscapes of Hverir, and one of the best-preserved circular volcanic craters in the world: Hverfjall!
Secret tips
Swap the tourist traps!
Nowadays, Iceland is on everyone’s bucket list. And while it’s good that the country is finally receiving the credit it deserves, this also means that those spectacular spots you see on Instagram will probably be crowded. However, for each tourist trap, there’s an off-the-beaten path option you can go instead:
Blue Lagoon → Mývatn Nature Baths
Kerid Crater → Myvatn crater
Golden Circle → Diamond Circle
Basically, the further away you go from Reykjavik, the fewer tourists you are likely to find.
(Don’t get us wrong. These “tourist traps” are all worth your time anyways. It’s hard to go wrong in Iceland!)
No Tipping
There’s no tipping in Iceland, so save those extra Kronas – we’re sure you’re going to need them!
No alcohol in supermarkets
You won’t find any alcoholic drinks in supermarkets. To buy them outside bars and restaurants, you need to go to some special stores named Vinbudin. We found out that some travelers decide to stock up at the airport, where alcohol is duty-free ( there are rules regarding the amount you can buy there, so be sure you follow them).
Explore Airbnb options
We’re big fans of Airbnb. But even if you’re not, we recommend you to take a look at it if you’re considering a trip to Iceland. There are many guesthouses there, who are run by families and give you a true feeling of the Icelandic life. Also, they are usually much cheaper than hotels.
Leave your umbrella at home
The weather is always changing. However, an umbrella won’t be that useful, since the rain is usually followed by strong winds. Just pack a rainproof jacket, and you’ll be fine.
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