Iceland (Reykjavík)
Trip Summary
Iceland had always been on our bucket list, but the expense of it always scared us off, so it almost ended up being a pipe dream–a place we might never see–but then Covid happened and then our best dog died suddenly, so we thought what the hell. Life is so short. You never know when there is another tomorrow. You never know if you will ever visit that bucket place country, so just GO. And go, we did!
We decided to drive the Ring Road–the main road that goes all around the island–during the summer (while it is unlikely to see the Northern Lights then, it is the best time to see the entire country without weather mishaps) and spend 10 days seeing as much of the country as we could. All we heard were wonderful things about the country–the landscapes, the wildlife, the nature–and it was everything we hoped for and more!
This post is going to be a long one as I will cover everything from lodging to driving to tipping, because everyone who comes into Iceland most likely flies into Reykjavík, the capital–or rather Keflavik which is where the international airport is. Keflavik is about 45 minutes away, so I will cover both cities in this post as you will likely be experiencing both when flying into Iceland.
Luckily, the Icelandic people are very efficient, so even though my husband and I traveled in the summer of 2022, a madhouse time for flights as everyone in the world seemed to be catching up on their travel, the process of going through customs and getting our bags was very fast and easy. The airport is actually quite small, but even though we got there at a busy time, we were in and out of customs in no time, got our bags without a wait, and were off to see the sights!
Now, if you are driving the Ring Road, you will want to rent a car, and there are so many options. When I had done research (COPIUS amounts of research!) on the best companies to rent a car from, I came up with Blue Car Rental and Lotus Car Rental. We decided on Lotus, because they were slightly cheaper, and they did not disappoint. Rentals are still exorbitantly expensive (our biggest expense other than flights!), so we rented the cheapest, tiniest car available, and it still dug a hole in our pocketbook (you can rent bigger four-wheel drive cars for a much higher price, but if you are just driving the Ring Road in the summer and are not exploring the Highlands, a regular car is fine).
But we got all the insurance (a MUST in Iceland–even if you have insurance through your car insurance/credit card, get the extra coverage, because driving in Iceland is like driving on another planet–wind/sand/ice storms can come at any time, roads are not always paved, and we came across so many people who wished they had gotten the extra insurance because they had either broken down, had a door blown off due to wind, or even a bumper torn off by an angry sheep!). With the extra coverage, you get premium service, including free pick-up / drop-off from the airport, and even though our flight in was delayed, we had a driver waiting for us as soon as we were out of baggage claim. The driver was excellent and took us right to the office where we got our car, our wi-fi puck (an amazing resource that got wifi everywhere–even on hikes and near the active volcano as you could carry it with you to get signal on your phones without international charges), and coupons for cheaper gas/free coffees (though, the coupons are only good for the N9 stations and really only account for a few cents off per liter and the coffees are terrible (and very small) at these places, so that wasn’t really a bonus, but it was still a nice gesture).
Also, the company is extremely honest as my husband accidentally left his sunglasses in the car when we dropped the car off, and they mailed them back to us, free of charge.
So for its excellent service, honest staff, good cars, and considerate extras, Lotus Car Rental gets my recommendation!
Lotus Car Rental: A
We started and ended our Ring Road adventure at Reykjavík (and extended our stay in the city due to the erupting volcano), so I have lots of places to review for you! However, I will say that all of Iceland’s accommodations have some things in common–they are very hot due to the lack of air conditioning and the fact that the windows do not open more than an inch or two. A lot of places have the heat running constantly (if the radiators turn off, it can be bad for the system, so they are kept on even during the summer), and sometimes, even the floors are heated. You can ask for a fan in some places, but most hotels have a very limited supply of these, so just know that before you go–especially, if you go in the summer.
So I will start with our favorite place first, Skuggi Hotel–it was actually our first night in Reykjavík–and we were so exhausted by the long travel day to get there (hours upon hours of travel delays and an overnight flight with no sleep) that we just about died when we laid down in the bed (and honestly, it was only great’s night’s sleep we got during our entire time in Iceland). But exhaustion aside, it was an amazing hotel. It was clean, the grounds immaculately kept, the staff courteous (they even answered questions about parking in the city and getting around). They also had “Happy Hour” every night–a boon as alcohol is exorbitantly expensive in Iceland–our stay even coming with two free drinks (though, I think that was because of my hotel status).
The room, while small (like many things in Iceland–from the cars to the coffee to the beds), was excellent and had comfortable beds and a fan already in the room (the only place that did that in all of Iceland!). They also had a breakfast buffet that was plentiful and offered all sorts of hot and cold options. This hotel was also one of the few that offered parking, so that was a big benefit as well.
The prices are a bit high (as is everything in Iceland and one of the reasons we used up all our free hotel stays for the nights we did stay in a hotel–we would spend most of the trip camping along the Ring Road), but out of all the nights we stayed in the country, this was the best hotel. Super comfortable, clean, quiet, and with a great staff, it is a wonderful hotel that deserves all of its good ratings!
Skuggi Hotel: A
After we finished the Ring Road, we came back to spend a few nights closer to the airport (and the active volcano), though, sadly, those hotels were not as good. I will start with the okay one and then end with the terrible one. We booked Hotel Berg, because of the available parking, good reviews, and value for the price. There is also a hotel pool that looked very relaxing. It is at the edge of the city, close to the airport, so its location is quiet and close to the water. There is also a boatyard nearby and lots of restaurants and grocery stores in the vicinity.
However, the time we checked in was the only time we ever saw the staff, and this made it difficult to check out / ask questions / or take the shuttle to the airport. The shuttle supposedly has 24-hour availability, so we were depending on that to catch our early flight, but despite reserving it, we came down to the lobby to see no shuttle–just a bunch of people who were also waiting for the shuttle they had reserved. No shuttle ever came, and no one was at the desk and phone calls just went unanswered, so at that point, we just decided to have the rental car place take us to the airport (there are no Ubers in Iceland, however, there are public transportation options in Iceland, but these get trickier early in the morning/late at night). It made for a much tighter schedule and was annoying, because the shuttle was one of our big reasons for booking the hotel, so I would not depend on it if you decide to book.
The room was also very hot, and they didn’t have any fans. It also didn’t have an included breakfast like Skuggi did, so the hotel night we redeemed here wasn’t worth nearly as much as the one we redeemed for Skuggi. Overall, a letdown, but it was in a convenient location and offered a quiet night, so those were a plus. However, it still just gets a mediocre rating.
Hotel Berg: B-
Now, I will tell you a place to stay away from, no matter what–and that is Hotel Jazz. We booked this hotel last minute because the volcano had just erupted in Iceland and we wrapped up our Ring Road drive early so that we could hike out to see it before we flew back home. However, booking anything last-minute is always risky in Iceland as hotels book up quickly and usually, the only options left are extremely pricy. My husband and I scoured AirBnB as well as all kinds of hotel sites, and there was just nothing available…nothing except this place called Hotel Jazz. We had even debated camping again, but at the end of our 10-day trip, we wanted a decent night’s sleep and a hot shower after the volcano hike (that we knew would be cold and strenuous), so we booked Hotel Jazz and hoped for the best.
But my goodness, if we thought we never saw the staff at Hotel Berg, they were non-existent at Hotel Jazz, even to the point of being dangerous with their lack of safety considerations. For example, check-in/check-out is self-service, but they just lay out everyone’s hotel keys out on the table for anyone to just grab. All your information is on them, too, and when I picked our keys up, I couldn’t help but wonder how easy it would be for someone up to no good to take someone’s key and get into their room.
The keys were also terrible in that they lost their magnet charge constantly. We took special care to not put anything else close to the hotel keys, but even still, they would either not work at all, or lose its charge immediately after you entered the room (we even tested it as one of us would stay in the room while the other person would test the hotel key, and every time, the key would never work). This made it really difficult if you had to leave your hotel room–to eat a meal, go to your car, or even prop open your door to let out some of the heat–because as soon as the door closed, it would lock and the key would be useless. Since there was no staff, you had to call the main office, and often, no one would pick up the phone. Then, when someone finally did answer, they just said to go behind the desk and get a new key card from the drawer (that was not secured at all) and this would work on any of the rooms. But again, the safety concerns here were huge as anyone could just grab a master key and go into any room. Granted, Iceland is a very safe country, but this made me feel very uneasy, and a reason I would not book this place again.
But that wasn’t all! So we would have camped, but we wanted a hot shower and a nice bed waiting after our hike up to the volcano, but lo and behold, when we finally got back from the hike at 2 a.m., we discovered that the hot water didn’t work at all, the beds were extremely hard and uncomfortable, and the locks did not work…again (this is when we had to use the master key after multiple calls). We ended up grabbing our sleeping mats from the car and just sleeping on those but that was miserable after a grueling hike, a freezing cold shower, and hours of hiking in the dark.
So I would recommend steering clear of this hotel. It was terrible, unsafe, and generally, a waste of money, so I would recommend going elsewhere.
Hotel Jazz: F
Whew, but a lot of people don’t even stay at hotels when they visit Iceland, so let me tell you about that other option–camping! It is seriously the most cost-effective way to see Iceland, and being people who enjoy camping and the outdoors, we decided to rough it and enjoy Iceland’s nature to the fullest.
With camping being so popular, there are several places where you can rent equipment. My husband and I decided we would bring our own sleeping mats and bags and would just rent a tent as we imagined bringing ours would be a bit more difficult with carry-on luggage. Iceland Camping Equipment had a number of options, was cost-effective, and offered after hours pick-up / drop off of their equipment, so we rented one of the smallest tent options and were set for our adventure on the Ring Road!
The company gets points for its central location (the office is in one of the main bus terminals in Reykjavík), the timeliness of their responses to questions, and their cost. However, with such a booming business with hundreds of tents to keep track of, they do get a bit mixed-up as we found that one of the main poles used to hold our tent up was for another tent entirely, so we had to jury rig it to still be functional. This was great to find out at night in the pouring rain as we were convinced that we had read the directions wrong and tried every possible combination…only to find out that we were just given the wrong pole that was way too long and wouldn’t bend enough to hold the tent up.
Then, on our last night, my husband had accidentally left his ebook reader in one of the tent pockets. He didn’t realize this until after we had dropped it off, and when we tracked it, we could see that it was in their office. However, when I emailed to see if we could get it, they insisted that there was no ebook reader in the tent and that we must have been mistaken. Then, we got a notification that our Amazon account had been accessed through the ebook’s reader, and that’s when things started getting frustrating. After reporting the ebook reader as lost and changing the account, we reached out again to the company, but they insisted that they did not have it (despite it still showing up as being in their office) and even got a bit rude about it, so we just assumed it was stolen and that we would never see it again.
But THEN we got a surprise package in the mail, and yes, it was the ebook reader! And interestingly, the language was set to French, and it was clear someone else had been using it in the meantime. I am not sure if the person felt remorse and changed their mind about giving it back or if the manager had been truthful and realized only afterwards that one of the employees had taken it or what, but whatever, we got it back, and that was more than we expected, especially when we had given up on it!
So for its selection, price, and eventual honesty, it gets points, but doesn’t reach full recommendation status because of the faulty tents and the rudeness when we asked about the ebook reader. Renting a tent is a lot more cost-effective than renting out a camper, so even if you do not decide to book with this company, it is something to consider to save money!
Iceland Camping Equipment: B-
Speaking of saving money, you can do that multiple ways in Iceland. Food and alcohol are very pricy, but if you shop for groceries instead, that can help out significantly. The water is also very safe to drink, so you don’t have to buy bottled water anywhere. If you want to go to a restaurant, there are cheaper options if you look. Obviously, the nicer restaurants that serve seafood and delicacies like puffin, whale, and reindeer (though, honestly, the locals don’t really eat these–these places are catered more toward tourists, and their prices reflect that) are going to take a big toll on the pocket book, but if you stick with places like gas stations/food stalls (for their famous Icelandic hot dogs), food trucks that serve fish and chips, or quick bites like a shawarma and fries, you can keep food costs down relatively easy. Some places also have Happy Hours where food and alcohol are not as expensive, and my husband and I kept an eye out for these and either split something or had a small snack, and this worked out well. Many people also buy alcohol at the airport at the duty-free shop, and that is always an option–though honestly, we didn’t drink much as we were always tired at the end of the day and were ready to sleep rather than party.
However, there were some restaurants that were standouts to us, so I’ll recommend them here. If you get away from the touristy part of downtown, the prices get a little better, so we stuck with those kinds of places.
One of these places was Issi Fish and Chips. It is a very small set-up right next to a gas station near the airport. It was our first meal in Iceland, too, as my husband and I had just picked up the rental car and were getting oriented with our first gas station coffee when we saw the place and thought, hmm, I am a little hungry, let’s try it out.
And what a good decision! The fiery personality of the restaurant manager was hilarious as he gave his truthful opinion on the drinks he sold from the “recommended” drinks to the ones that tasted “like shit,” haha. And the food was fantastic! It totally took us by surprise as we were expecting some good fried food, but this level of deliciousness took it to another level. Fresh fish, plentiful batter, and a mix of spices cooked to crisp perfection topped off with tasty fries made this a wonderful meal to welcome us to Iceland. Eating our first meal while sitting out on the wooden picnic bench out front as we enjoyed the sun and wind was a great omen, too, so if you need a similar first meal, I highly recommend this place!
Issi Fish and Chips: A
Another place in the airport-vicinity was an Italian eatery, called Fernando’s, and we enjoyed our meal there. The restaurant is small, and they were getting ready for a large dinner party when we visited, so we decided to get our food to go. We didn’t have to wait long, and before we knew it, we had containers of hot food ready to go, and soon, we were back in our hotel room, eating the deliciousness! There was plenty of food, enough to even snack on the next day, so you do get sizable portions, and of good food, no less!
The service was also fast, the restaurant was in a central location, and was open during its advertised hours (more on this later!), so I recommend!
Fernando’s: A
In the capital, the options for finding cheaper food were slimmer, but we still found some good and relatively cheaper places to eat–one of which was Nings. This actually ended up being a happy find, because my husband and I initially wanted to try sushi since we had heard it was so good and fresh in Iceland, but so many places would just not be open during the times they had listed on their website or would be closed down completely. One place with especially good reviews, we tried to visit twice, but they were closed each time–during dinner hours, and on a weekend–so just know that you can’t always depend on what is advertised. So eventually, we pulled up our phones and thought, okay, what IS open nearby, and that’s how we found this place!
It offers all sorts of Asian food, and the food came out hot and fresh, and there was so much that we couldn’t even eat it all. The cashier was also very nice and talked with us through the whole meal about growing up in Iceland, his travels, and even taught us some Icelandic while we were there. The Icelandic people are very nice and helpful, and he was especially so, and it was a very nice meal with good food, good atmosphere, and good company.
So if you want some cheaper cuisine at a place that is reliably open, get a lot of food for your money, and enjoy some good conversation, Nings is your place!
Nings: A-
We also tried some other places in the area, but those were a bit more expensive. One of the places was BrewDog as it was conveniently located in the area when were walking around the city and seeing the sights at night. We actually made it in during their Happy Hour, so we split a sandwich and had a beer.
They offer lots of different food, and everyone sits at a big community table, so we made some friends here and learned about some dos and don’ts of traveling Iceland (and heard the first of many stories about why it is good to get ALL the insurance when renting a car in Iceland).
The service was also good, and it was here that we discovered that Icelandic restaurants have a different policy of paying for your food. Instead of you asking for the check at your table, you just go to the host when you are done and tell them where you were sitting, and they already have the whole check waiting. It was actually super convenient, because it lessened unnecessary wait time, and you could just leave whenever you were ready to pay.
Also, while we just split the sandwich, the food was plentiful and tasted good. They also had a big selection of drinks and generous pours, so I would recommend it if you need a place to stop!
BrewDog: B+
If you find yourself near the touristy area of the capital, the Einstock Brewery has one of their tap rooms there. My husband is a fan of their beers, so he wanted to check the place out, and sure enough, the place had all of its beers on tap, a clean atmosphere, and very friendly staff. The beers are definitely the most expensive I had seen anywhere on the island–at $14 a bottle–so we had just the one and left after that.
The bartender was sweet, though, expanded on the Icelandic we learned at Nings, and was happy to give us stories of her living in Iceland, seeing the volcano (current and past), and traveling. So if you have plenty of money to spend, I would recommend it, but if not, then it might be best to have a beer elsewhere.
Einstok Brewery: B
So those are the eateries we tried, but I know that there are lots of places we didn’t have a chance to try–like Cafe Loki and some of the bakeries in town–but honestly, I would recommend saving your money for the EXPERIENCES! For the things that make Iceland Iceland! We tried to do this as much as possible in getting most of our food from grocery stores, because there were a number of things we wanted to see and do while in the country. One of those things was the lagoon experience! If you have to skimp on the food to see more lagoons, do it! It is so worth it, and the lagoons were seriously one of my favorite things about Iceland. They are also so relaxing and therapeutic and are honestly the best thing for muscles tired from hiking and / or jet lag.
With it being our first time in Iceland, we had to at least visit the Blue Lagoon, so we booked the “Comfort Experience” that came with use of the lagoon, a towel, and a welcome drink/face mask. The lagoon was very easy to find and they have some flexibility in that you can come in slightly after your booked time if your flight is late (we had experienced a lot of delays getting into Iceland, and when I called the lagoon to see what their policy on this was, they were very nice and accommodating). The place is also enormous, and the locker systems in Iceland work so that you have a waterproof bracelet that locks/unlocks your locker (and if you forget your locker number, you can swipe it and the system will remind you of your number). The showers are also private (or at least, there are open stalls with doors you can close to maintain some privacy). However, the dressing/locker area is completely open, but honestly, everyone is so preoccupied with their own clothes/dressing that they don’t even pay attention to those around them. All the showers we went into after this one had less privacy and by the end of the trip, you just don’t care anymore anyway, so definitely still experience the lagoons–even if you are shy!
All the showers also offer shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, so be sure to wash before and after (and wash out your suit, because the silt from the water can stain). Remove your jewelry (or keep it out of the water) and put your hair up, too, because the water is good for your skin, but not so good for certain metals and for hair. I knew this beforehand, so kept my hair and rings out of the water, so be sure to do the same, and nothing will get ruined.
The experience is so worth the precaution, though! A big area, the lagoon has large, open spaces where people can gather or even private little nooks where you can relax in more privacy if you want. They also offer water stations throughout the lagoon, and there is a station that sells drinks/silica masks if you want as well. I know some people in the dressing room were nervous about the heat as they would ask everyone getting out if it was too hot, but honestly, it’s a great temperature, rain or shine. A comfortable warmth, it would get hotter in certain spots, but never too much so. There are also steps and ramps to get in and out, so it was very safe to walk around and explore (there are also lifeguards fully suited up in winter gear which was kind of funny to see, but rest assured, all were being watched and cared for). The water also never went deeper than chest-level (and was more commonly waist-level, so there was never a need to swim).
There is also a highly-rated (though expensive) restaurant next-door and a spa. We didn’t partake of these things, but we did enjoy the hours we spent at the lagoon, just resting and getting over the long travel day to Iceland. So for its amenities, large lagoon, spa packages, and iconic experience, I highly recommend this place! It is one of the most expensive lagoons to visit, but it’s still very much part of the Icelandic experience!
Blue Lagoon: A
But wait, there’s more! An even better lagoon right in the capital! The Blue Lagoon is located closer to the airport, but the Sky Lagoon is not only in the capital city, but it has an infinity pool view, a lovely set-up with what looks like volcanic boulders surrounding the whole lagoon (with a waterfall), and it has a transformative 7-step ritual that you can do to fully immerse your body with all sorts of healing/cleansing steps to feel amazing. I had read about this ritual on all the travel forums when researching for Iceland and decided it would be something to try, so we booked the “Pure Pass”–and I am so glad that we did!
The ritual involves everything from a sauna, cold water plunge, steam room, salt scrub, more cold water, then going back into the lagoon with smooth, soft skin and a revitalized body. The facilities are immaculate, and the sauna even has a large window that overlooks the water. It is very relaxing and the view brings so much more to the experience in how beautiful it is. This is one of the lagoons that have age-restrictions on guests (must be 12 or older), and this led to a quiet, more relaxed vibe, and this was one of the reasons I enjoyed the Sky Lagoon so much.
It also had plentiful locker rooms and showers, and this place had the best wristbands for the lockers in that they were adjustable, stayed snug on your wrists, and were less clunky than the wristbands at other places. My husband and I visited this place the morning after we hiked up to the volcano, so our muscles were tired, and this was the perfect way to rest. The only minor drawbacks were how crowded it was (a smaller lagoon will make for more crowds) and with the crowds come absolutely packed sauna rooms, steam rooms, and sections of the lagoon. It was hard to find a spot at times, and with all the people going in and out of the sauna, the door slammed constantly–ruining the relaxing vibe–but that is just going to come with the territory of a popular place.
Even so, still go. My husband and I enjoyed this lagoon even more than the Blue Lagoon and would go back in a second, so definitely make this a priority to visit! The design and the 7-step ritual set it apart so much from the Blue Lagoon–and in a good way–and the older clientele also made it better, so these are things to consider if you are trying to decide between the Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon.
Sky Lagoon: A+
However, not all experiences have to cost money! We walked around a fair bit of the city to see popular sights like the Hallgrímskirkja church and the Sun Voyager.
The Fagradalsfjall volcano had just erupted when we were there, so we cut the end of our Ring Road trip a bit short so that we could see it. And hiking is free! And how often do you get the chance to see a live volcano?
Unfortunately, it is no longer erupting, but the site is still quite popular if you want to see the dried lava and its previous eruption sites. It costs to park there (you can pay via your phone–if you don’t, then you are still charged as pictures are taken of all the license plates and you/your rental car place gets a bill, so definitely pay online, and that will be cheaper). But hiking up is free–just be sure to take it slow and only go if you are in shape/sure-footed. I say that because the hike to the eruption site was brutal. The path was still being created as tractors were digging 24/7 and every day, there were stories of tourists who had broken an ankle/twisted a leg and then had to be airlifted back. We knew that was a situation we didn’t want, so we brought lanterns (all the headlamps all over the island were sold out as many tourists–like us–hiked the volcano at night for the best views) and took our time getting to the top. When we reached the boulder field closer to the top, I could see why there had been so many injuries, because even in hiking boots and with light from the lantern, it was easy to trip and lose your footing. A lot of people skipped the boulder-field altogether and walked along the old eruption site to get to the new one faster, but this is extremely dangerous. You can fall through old lava fields and really hurt yourself (and depending on how close you are to the eruption site, the lava is still hot and very dangerous, so just use some common sense when hiking out there)!
But oh, my goodness, after hiking all night, you get closer to the site and can start to see the smoke from the erupting lava. The moon was out that night, too, so the orange glow of the smoke with the full moon in the background was just eerie.
And then…although you knew what it was going to look like, nothing prepares you for when you crest that last mountain peak and look below…to actual real-life lava–a whole sea of it with more spewing out of the ground. It takes your breath away.
The wind takes your breath away, too, and my husband and I had spent the hike so flabbergasted at all the people coming back from the volcano–thinking, why wouldn’t you stay? Why wouldn’t you just watch the volcano all night? Well, I’ll tell you why–the wind! And even in the thick of summer, it was absolutely freezing on the top of that mountain. Add in low temps at night, and you were just powerless against the force of nature.
We had brought long underwear, several layers, a windproof jacket, hats, and gloves, and it did nothing against the cold, so after about 40-minutes, we, too, decided to head back. It was a little sad as we had planned to spend more time up there, but it was a long hike back, and even at the crest of the mountain, it was still a bit dangerous as the soil was very loose and other tourists kept kicking down rocks every time they would walk across the mountainside, so those further down would be in the path–and there were a lot of people on the mountain so rocks were constantly falling and hitting people.
But the memories we have will stay with us forever. Nature is so powerful, and a volcano is such an impressive display of it. A bucket-list experience for sure! SO my rating of the trail is going to be for when the volcano was erupting–obviously, if you were to go now, the pay-off won’t be near as big, but the old lava fields are still cool to see. We had initially booked a helicopter tour to see it, but the weather had cancelled it, but the hike was so worth the sights we could still see. It is a hard hike, though (and even the road to get to the parking area is a bit iffy–I wasn’t sure if our little rental car was going to make it), and the boulder field is awful to cross, but the volcano was everything. Everything and more.
Fagradalsfjall Trail: A
Whew, this turned out to be a very long post, but you can see why! Iceland is a place that I can see revisiting (possibly multiple times), so put this country on your bucket-list if you haven’t already done so! So incredible, powerful, and beautiful!
Favorite Experiences
Well, you know what the favorite experience had to be–the volcano! That was such a wonderful surprise, because in the months leading up to our trip, Iceland had been experiencing a lot of earthquakes and the eruption was imminent, but no one knew for sure when it would blow. Well, the literal day before we left, it went off! And what luck!
The eruption was also very safe as Iceland is no stranger to volcanos so they always have a lot of safety measures in place. Whether it be working on the trail to make it safer, releasing daily gas/wind reports so you could plan on going when the fumes were blowing away from you, or giving suggestions on warm clothes to wear (wear moisture wicking clothes–no cotton, because once you sweat and get your clothes wet, you’ll get twice as cold in the wind), the officials were wonderful and made for a good trip.
What I Wish I Knew
While Iceland requires a ton of research in order to have the best time possible, there were still things that would have been nice to know! So I will give you the full scoop here:
Camping
In Iceland, wild camping is not allowed, and tourists get fined quite heavily if they break the rules, so if you camp, be sure to stay at the designated campgrounds. Fortunately, there are a lot of these–some in the city as well as in more rural areas–but they work on a first-come, first-serve basis. A lot of campers get in late a night, especially in the summer when everyone wants to enjoy the Midnight Sun to its fullest and use the daylight to see as much as they can. However, the risk of doing that is that there are just no spots left, and we ran into this issue on the north side of the island when we passed by four different campgrounds before we finally found one with availabilities.
The rate for using the campgrounds is usually pretty reasonable and cover a basic tent fee (more if you have an RV and need electricity/septic hook-up). We just had our tent, so we just booked the basic site each time, and in the bigger campgrounds, this fee covers a shower and use of the laundry facilities as well (though, sometimes, they give you tokens to use for this). Showers are open with no lockers, so you just put your stuff on a bench and do your best when its crowded. Some showers have shampoo, but you will be best off bringing your own (I saved up a big bag of hotel shampoos/conditioners/soaps to use for this trip, and it worked out very well).
Out of all the campgrounds we stayed at, only one had a washer and dryer (most people wash their stuff in a sink and hang it to dry–so you’ll see rooms just packed full of drying racks). Iceland can get very wet, so when we finally spotted a dryer, it was a godsend, because line drying wasn’t doing anything, and walking around in wet clothes/wet socks was getting old. However, with all the clothes just lying around, theft was a big issue as we constantly saw people looking for their things and bemoaning their lost towel or lost shoes or whatever, so just keep an eye on your stuff. This counts for using the washer/dryer, too, because other tourists would stop a cycle while it was still running, take out someone else’s wet clothes, and hog the whole dryer to dry…a single glove. Seriously, when my husband and I saw that, we looked at each other, like what?
Other Tourists
While the Icelandic people are wonderful and so welcoming, the tourists who visit…are another breed entirely, so just brace yourself. I have noticed that people in general have gotten so much ruder since Covid–doubly so when traveling, but it really threw us for a loop this trip. Whether it was walking five people across on a hiking trail and refusing to move to allow you to pass or yelling and slamming doors at 3 a.m. when setting up camp, the tourists are rude and don’t give a flip about anyone else. So just don’t let it bother you, bring good ear plugs to the campsites, and still have a good time!
Driving
Along with heavy fines for camping outside of designated areas, the fines for speeding are also quite spendy. Granted, people speed like no one’s business on the Ring Road and there are not very many police cars about–however, there are a lot of speeding cameras, and this is how tourists get tickets! Luckily, we knew this beforehand and we very careful with our speed, but honestly, the country is so beautiful that you don’t want to be speeding anyway, but instead just look around and enjoy the views! The roads are also not always in the best shape (some are not even paved), and the weather is very unpredictable, so the speed limits are for your safety as well.
Parking
When you are driving along the Ring Road, some places will be free to park and others will charge a small fee (the places I remember charging fees were the Silfra Fissure parking lot and the lots to see some of the waterfalls). Most of these areas have a little booth where you can pay, but in others, there is a camera that takes a picture your license plate, and you pay via an app. Cash is actually used very little in Iceland–something I was worried about when we didn’t have time to get some currency, but using a card worked fine everywhere (though, make sure that your card does not charge international fees and if you have to use a debit card–more on this in the next section–make sure you have good signal to approve the charge, because your bank will flip out and raise all sorts of red flags if not).
Getting Gas
Okay, so mentioning a debit card reminded me of the gas stations and how to figure them out. While the gas stations are bigger and have cashiers in the capital, the further you go on the Ring Road, the more rural things become, and the gas stations at that point are all unstaffed. So when you go to fill up, you will need to use a card with a pin (very likely, this will be a debit card as a lot of credit cards don’t have one). However, when you use your debit card, select a set fuel amount (always estimate low–you can always do several transactions, but if you overestimate and don’t use all that fuel, you are charged regardless, and gas is very expensive in Iceland). Your bank will also send you a text alert, and that’s when you can approve it (so be sure that if you get a wifi puck from the rental car place, it is turned on and working well). You can also just buy some prepaid gas cards when you arrive and pay that way, but we didn’t want to risk overestimating what we needed and wasting that money or getting stuck at a gas station where we couldn’t use the card (there are several gas station chains, and they all have different cards). Anywhow, this was a big topic on all the travel boards I basically lived on before our trip, so just take those precautions, and you will be good!
Dining
Eating in restaurants is very similar to other European countries where the pace is slower. The prices are similar to other European countries and bigger U.S. cities, but if you avoid alcohol and stick with smaller/less fancy plates, you can make your meals less expensive (and when the bill comes, keep it in Icelandic krona, because otherwise, you will lose more money with the conversion rate). Also, tipping is not required, but more places, especially in touristy spots, are becoming more open to it. Sometimes, you’ll see tip jars at the bars or at the host station, so do what you are most comfortable with–though everyone was always happy to get a tip. I think a lot of the tourists who visit do not tip at all, so they always seemed surprised when getting something extra, but happy nonetheless!
You can get by even cheaper by avoiding restaurants altogether and just getting groceries (which is what we did when traveling the Ring Road). The capital as well as some of the bigger cities (like Selfoss) have grocery stores. There is one Costco in Reykjavík as well as several Icelandic supermarket chains (Bónus, Krónan, and Nettó were the most common ones we saw). There are plenty of goods to be found at each, but much like at other European grocery stores, they do not provide bags at check-out (for good reason to protect the environment), so just be prepared to carry everything out to your car (or better yet, bring in an empty tote or two).
VAT Tax
This is actually a tax that you can get refunded to you when certain criteria are met. There is an office in the Keflavik Airport as well as a place in Akureyri up north. However, these refunds only qualify if the purchase is over $33 (multiple items can be on one receipt) and it is something you can take out of Iceland–so think purchased goods and souvenirs and such. It does not apply to excursions, hotels, rental cars, food, medicine, or anything like that. You also have to specifically ask for a VAT form with your receipt when you buy something (stores do not do this automatically) and it has to be stamped. When we were in Iceland, we realized that my husband’s jacket was just not going to cut it in Iceland’s weather, so we bought a new one and thankfully, got the VAT tax back on it (after you turn in your paperwork at the VAT office, you get it credited on whatever card you used within a few weeks–it took 6 weeks for us).
So I think that’s it–if there is anything else I can think of, I will add it here (and if you have questions that you want to see answered here, please let me know)! I also have a number of other Icelandic posts on this blog so that if you do decide to venture out of the city (which I recommend!), you know where to go and what to see! There are also a ton of travel forums like this one that will help you plan! And there’s a ton of things that we didn’t have time to do or see–like visiting the Lava Show, Perlan Museum, or FlyOver Iceland–but that just means we have to go back someday, right?
I also post reels and TikToks regularly of all the places I’ve reviewed on here, so if you want to see some videos of what to expect, check out my social media here:
TikTok: @touristyteacher
Instagram: @touristyteacher
Facebook: @touristyteacher
Happy travels!
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