10 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Iceland: Essential Tips for a Smooth Trip

Volcanoes, waterfalls, glaciers, and black sand beaches – Iceland has it all, and no wonder it’s a top bucket list destination! But before visiting Iceland and diving into planning, here are 10 things to keep in mind for a smooth trip. This guide will prepare you for everything from navigating the unique driving landscape to adapting to the ever-changing Icelandic weather.

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Download these 4 Apps Before Visiting Iceland

To ensure a smooth and safe trip to Iceland, consider downloading these apps before you visit (or on your first day there)! They’ll help you navigate parking and keep you informed of potential safety hazards.

Vedur

Vedur is the official weather app for Iceland, managed by the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

This handy app allows you to view weather forecasts and current conditions throughout the country on an interactive map.

Plus, you can set up notifications to alert you when bad weather conditions are on the way, helping you stay prepared during your travels in Iceland.

Parka

Most popular sightseeing areas that require you to pay for parking can be paid for on the Parka app. While most locations will have a stall you can pay at if you don’t have the app, the app streamlines the process. Once you make an account, it will save your license plate number and credit card number. When you need to pay, just pull open the app, choose the parking location you are at and hit park now.

If you don’t have service to pay while at the location, you have up to 24 hours after to pay to avoid being fined.

SafeTravel

This app will show you a map of the whole country and color codes roads based on their conditions. You can click on roads for more information about their current conditions.. The app is regularly updated and will provide alerts about current road and weather conditions. It’s good to have this app and check it regularly to keep you safe in Iceland!

This app also has an area under menu with road signs so you can familiarize yourself with what they mean.

When we visited in mid May, it snowed while we were in Egilsstadir and this app was a life saver! We don’t have experience driving in snow so we were a little apprehensive about making the drive to Akureyri. Luckily, the app told us what roads were dangerous to drive one, which has spots of ice and even which roads were actively being snow plowed. We waited until most of the roads were either fine to drive or just had spots of ice before leaving our airbnb.

Google Translate

99% of Icelanders speak English so you won’t need the translate app to communicate. Where it will come in handy is when you are at the grocery store or see a sign in Icelandic. The google translate app has an option to take a picture of items and translate the words on it. This was helpful when shopping for groceries and the words were in Icelandic

Things to Know Before Driving in Iceland

While driving around Iceland is fairly straightforward, familiarizing yourself with a few key details beforehand will make your journey even smoother and more enjoyable! One thing that surprised me traveling the Ring Road was how much narrower the lanes were compared to the US. It definitely took a bit of adjusting at first, but overall it wasn’t a major issue.

Roundabouts

Iceland has quite a few roundabouts, especially around cities. They are mainly like roundabouts in the US, but if you have never encountered them, here are a few things to know.

Traffic in the roundabout has the right of way.
In two lane roundabouts, here’s how lane usage works: the Inner Lane is generally for traffic continuing straight or exiting at a later exit (third or fourth exit). The Outer Lane is typically for taking the first exit only. If you’re continuing straight or taking a later exit, be sure to get into the inner lane before reaching your exit.
Be patient, don’t rush into the roundabout if there’s not a clear opening.

One Way Bridges

I saw these mainly in south and southeast Iceland. A few things to know about these bridges:

The car closer to the bridge has the right-of-way. This means the car that arrives first gets to cross the bridge.
If you arrive at the bridge and see another car approaching from the opposite direction, you should stop and wait for them to cross.
Some longer one-lane bridges, especially in remote areas, might have limited visibility due to curves or hills. Proceed with extra caution in these situations.

Tunnels

If you drive the entire ring road, you will have to cross 3-4 tunnels.

You’ll pass through a short one right after Vestrahorn, then again before you reach Egilsstadir. This tunnel will be longer, about 3.75 miles. Before reaching Aukeryi there is tunnel 4.5 miles long that you have to pay a toll for. You should pay online ahead of time, it cost around $11.50 usd. Then again, after leaving the North, headed back to Reykjavik you’ll pass through an underwater tunnel that is around 3.75 miles long.

Side Roads off the Ring Road

You might intend on staying on the ring road- meaning you’ll stay on paved road, but that’s not the case! A lot of side roads to waterfalls, trails, or even to your Airbnb are going to be gravel roads. Most aren’t too bad, just a few pot holes here and there, but be prepared to go off the paved ring road. And don’t skip getting gravel protection with your insurance!

Another thing to note is if you are traveling the whole ring road, there are times when you’re GPS will try to take you on different route to “save time”. One example of this is when you are traveling between South Iceland and Egilsstadir, in the summer Google Maps will take you on road 939, a 11 mile gravel mountain pass. We opted to stay on the ring road, because we read ahead of time that this road can be a bit scary in parts. Only take these “short cuts” if you feel comfortable driving on long stretches of gravel road on top of a mountain.

Also if you are planning to visit Snaefellsnes Peninsula and are driving in from the North, you will likely end up on road 55, which is a long gravel road. To avoid this, take road 55 instead.

Follow the Speed Limit

The speed limit on the ring road in Iceland is 90 kilometers per hour in most places (55 miles per hour). If you’re used to driving on the interstate in the US this is going to be a lot slower than what you are used to. Resist the urge to speed! They do have cameras along the ring road and they will bill you a hefty ticket if you are caught speeding. Also a reminder to be respectful of those going slower than you. Do not tailgate them and give them plenty of space when you pass.

Hold on to your doors

The wind in Iceland can be crazy! If it’s a windy day, be sure to hold onto your car doors when you open them. The last thing you want is for your door to break off halfway through your trip.

You Don’t Need Cash

Iceland is very much a cashless society (like the US) and credit/debit cards are widely accepted. Most places will still take cash if you have it but it’s not necessary to exchange currency and bring Icelandic krona with you. The expectation to this is if you are planning to stay at campsites, I have read that a few small campsites might only take cash.

My dad converted $200 USD to Icelandic Krona and didn’t need any of it! He ended up using it at random places, but we would have been okay to just use our card everywhere.

Get a Credit Card Pin Before Visiting Iceland

Some gas stations in Iceland will require you to put in a pin, even if you are using a credit card. Be sure to contact your credit card company before visiting and set up a pin to use. Not every gas station will ask for it, but it is best to be prepared. Another note about gas stations in Iceland is that they have two options: a set dollar amount to put in your car, or a fill up option. The fill up option will put a temporary hold on your card for a few hundred dollars, but will take it off soon after.

Pack a Universal Charger

If you are traveling from the US be sure to bring a type C or F charger, or a universal adapter for charging.

Get an eSim Ahead of Time

Unless you have an international plan, odds are you won’t have service once you land in Iceland. To avoid paying high fees with your cell phone provide, I recommend downloading an eSim for Iceland using Airalo before arriving in Iceland. Airalo has different plans depending on how much data you need or if you want to be able to make calls too. I personally got 5GB of data for $14 and only used around 3.5 during our 2 weeks. We did have WIFI in our rental car and all of our Airbnb’s, so this definitely help cut down on the amount of data I needed on my phone.

Water is Drinkable

As you have probably heard many times, the tap water is drinkable and very delicious in Iceland. Don’t waste your money on buying water bottles, just pack a reusable one and fill up at your tap! The only time we didn’t like the water was at our Airbnb in Egilsstadir. The tap water in this town had a distinct sulfur smell, which made it less than ideal to drink. Luckily, a quick internet search confirmed it was safe to drink, however we opted to buy bottled water during our visit.

To stay hydrated throughout the day, we brought along water bladders. We filled them up daily and kept them chilled in the cooler for easy refills on the road.

Things to Know Before Visiting Iceland

With these 10 things in mind, it’s time to start crafting your dream Icelandic itinerary!

10 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Iceland: Essential Tips for a Smooth Trip