Iceland – Everything You Need To Know Before You Go

With its countless waterfalls, mountains, lava fields, geysers, unusual rock formations, black sand beaches, hot springs, glaciers and more, Iceland truly is a dream for nature and hiking enthusiasts.

Iceland is one of the most unique countries you can visit, due to its extreme geological contrasts. Often referred to as “The Land of Fire and Ice”, Iceland is home to glaciers (including Europe’s largest glacier- Vatnajökull) and some of the world’s most active volcanoes. Iceland is also the land of light and darkness, with extremes of long summer days, with nearly 24 hours of sunshine, and short winter days, with only a few hours of daylight.

In addition to its impressive nature, Iceland is one of the most modern and progressive countries in the world. It’s continually one of the highest ranked countries for quality of life, gender equality, democracy, health care and education.

 

WHEN TO GO AND WEATHER 

 

IN THE PEAK OF SUMMER, THERE’S 21-24 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT

Which is great for sightseeing because you literally have ALL day and night to sightsee and because you can see hours of sunrise and sunset.  But it can make sleeping a challenge, so bring a sleep mask.  However, it will get darker as you go further east.  

WINTER ONLY HAS A FEW HOURS OF DAYLIGHT

Which is great for seeing the Northern Lights.  But be aware of the amount of darkness and plan your trip accordingly.

SUMMER DOES NOT ENSURE WARM, DRY WEATHER

Rain is inevitable all year in Iceland and if you’re lucky, you’ll experience a summer heat wave of 20C. If you’re lucky.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, BRING RAIN GEAR

It rains A LOT in Iceland, even in the summer. Definitely bring a rain jacket and you’ll be significantly happier if you bring rain pants and waterproof hiking boots as well. See What to Pack for Iceland in the Summer.

THE WEATHER CHANGES MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY

Wind, rain, cloud and sun (if you’re lucky) are all elements you will likely experience on a typical Icelandic summer day. No matter when you visit Iceland, you can experience all 4 seasons in one day. You should always be prepared for rain and strong winds in Iceland. 

THE VEDUR (WEATHER) WEBSITE WILL BE YOUR FRIEND

Vedur will show the temperature, wind and precipitation patterns all over the country, which is key information for your Iceland adventure.

ICELAND GETS EXTREMELY WINDY 

Because it’s a small island, with very few trees, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The wind will make the temperature feel significantly colder and it can get so strong to the point of being dangerous. Take caution when you open your car door (your car rental company will also tell you this). Keep on eye on the force of the wind on the Vedur website. If the winds are 15 or over, do not attempt to drive. We got stuck in winds of 13-14 while driving along the southeast coast and it was a little scary.

BRING GLOVES AND A WARM HAT, EVEN IN THE SUMMER

The wind and the areas around the glaciers can get very cold.

THERE AREN’T ANY MOSQUITOES IN ICELAND!!

Yes, that’s right, there are no mosquitoes in Iceland, ever, at any time of year.  And it’s AMAZING.  There are some annoying flies, but they don’t bite.

PACK A VERY SMALL BOTTLE OF SUNSCREEN 

Your entire body will likely be clothed at all times because it’s pretty much always cold, cloudy and rainy, so you’ll likely just need sunscreen for your face, if at all. But if you’re lucky, you could experience a “heat wave” of 20C. Woo!

CONSIDER PACKING ALLERGY MEDICATION IF YOU GO IN THE SUMMER

If you have bad allergies. I was severely allergic to something in Iceland and it was unbearable. I hadn’t had allergies that severe in a very long time.

 

MONEY AND COSTS

 

ICELAND IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE

It’s one of the most expensive countries in the world to travel. However, if you’ve traveled anywhere else in Scandinavia, Iceland is comparable, but still no less shocking. See How to Travel Iceland on a Budget.

THE CHEAPEST WAY TO TRAVEL ICELAND IS TO CAMP 

You’ll save on accommodation and make all or most of your own food, which is what I did (with a camper van).  Camping options range from super budget tent camping with a rental car to bigger budget 4×4 camper van rentals, along with many options in between. See Everything You Need to Know About Camping and Driving in Iceland.

ICELAND IS A PREDOMINANTLY CASHLESS COUNTRY

But it’s necessary to take out a little cash because you’ll need coins for some toilets and showers. And Kerid, on the Ring Road, was a 400ISK (€3) per person cash only entrance fee.

UNLESS YOU’RE VISITING THE FANCY, EXPENSIVE HOT SPRINGS (LIKE THE BLUE LAGOON AND MYVATN), ALL THE SIGHTS IN ICELAND ARE FREE AND OPEN 24 HOURS!

The only sight I paid for during my 10 day road trip was Kerid.

HOWEVER, THE PARKING AND PUBLIC TOILETS ARE TYPICALLY NOT FREE

THE MAJORITY OF PUBLIC TOILETS COST 100-200ISK (€0.70-1.40) PER PERSON

Some take cards, but most are coins only.

BUY ALCOHOL FROM THE DUTY FREE SHOP AT THE AIRPORT

Alcohol is extremely expensive in Iceland, especially liquor.

BRING FOOD AND SNACKS FROM HOME IF YOU’RE ON A BUDGET

If possible. I brought 8lbs (3.6KG) and €70 worth of snacks from home for my 2 weeks in Iceland. I’m not saying you need to bring this much, but I was happy that I did because Iceland is extremely expensive. I brought a big bag of nuts, loads of snack bars, a jar of peanut butter, two large bags of beef jerky and some instant oatmeal.

 

GETTING AROUND

 

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IS LIMITED 

Buses that connect different towns in Iceland will not bring you to the nature sights, so to get around and sightsee in Iceland, you need to rent a vehicle or book a tour.

RENT A VEHICLE TO GO AT YOUR OWN PACE AND AVOID THE TOUR GROUPS

You’ll have the ultimate freedom to pick and choose what you want to see (or not see) and to get off the beaten path. You’ll also have the freedom to explore outside of peak tourist times. In the summer, in the Golden Circle and Snaefellsnes, it doesn’t really get dark, so you can sightsee until late and see the beautiful sunset at the sights with only a fraction of the tourists.

HITCHHIKING IS POPULAR, BUT IT CAN BE DIFFICULT

There is very little traffic, so you could often get stuck in the middle of nowhere for hours. And with the unpredictable weather and strong winds, this is not the ideal way to see Iceland.

PRONOUNCING, SPELLING AND SEARCHING FOR ICELANDIC LOCATIONS IS VERY CHALLENGING

A lot of words and names are VERY long and Icelandic uses accents and a few extra letters in their alphabet.

• Þ is pronounced as “th” and is sometimes written as such. For example- Þúfa can also be spelled as Thufa. This is very helpful when searching and pronouncing location names.
• Ð ( lowercase is “ð”) is also pronounced “th” and it can be written as “D” or “d”. Icelandic words never begin with Ð, and no words end with Þ.
• Æ (æ) is pronounced like “ai” in”Thai”.

FILL UP YOUR VEHICLE WHENEVER YOU ENCOUNTER A GAS STATION

As you get into the more remote parts of Iceland (ie. away from the Golden Circle and the Southwest), you may not see another gas station for a VERY long time.

THE HIGHLANDS ARE ONLY OPEN IN THE SUMMER MONTHS AND YOU NEED A 4X4 TO ACCESS THEM

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TAKE REGULAR VEHICLES ON THE F ROADS (4×4 ROADS) 

It will not end well.  Your vehicle won’t make it and your insurance will be void.

OFF ROADING IS ILLEGAL

In order to help preserve the nature and landscape.

See Everything You Need to Know About Camping and Driving in Iceland.

 

CAMPING

 

IT’S MANDATORY TO CAMP IN A CAMPGROUND, UNLESS YOU’RE TENTING

With a massive increase in tourism in Iceland, it’s now illegal to camp wherever you want. In high season, campgrounds cost 1500-2000ISK (€11-14) per person.

HOWEVER, WILD TENT CAMPING COMES WITH A LOT OF RESTRICTIONS

You need to get permission from the land owner. For more rules and information, see here.

CAMPING RESERVATIONS ARE NOT NECESSARY, EVEN DURING HIGH SEASON

You’ll see why when arrive to your first campground because the campgrounds are huge, wide open grass fields. They’re basic, but very civilized because they all have facilities, most have showers and some have restaurants.

YOU COULD SPEND 10 DAYS JUST IN THE WESTFJORDS

Very few tourists explore the Westfjords because they’re very difficult to get around due to the predominantly potholed dirt roads and the fjord-y-ness. It’s recommended to visit the Westfjords in the summer only.

REYKJAVIK IS WORTH AT LEAST A DAY AND NIGHT OF EXPLORING

It’s a vibrant small city that’s brimming with art, life and Icelandic culture.  It also boasts some of the most beautiful sunsets in the summer time, with over 5 hours of continuous sunset and sunrise. Because the majority of trips to Iceland are nature based, this means you don’t get to interact with many Icelandic people (this is especially true if you’re camping), so that’s another great reason to spend a little time in Reykjavik and experience some of the Icelandic culture.

ICELAND IS EXTREMELY TOURISTY

The majority of visitors go to Iceland on an extended layover for a few days, then they take day tours from Reykjavik to the Golden Circle, Snaefellsnes and the southwest and then leave. Myvatn in the northeast is also very touristy. These areas are very touristy due to their accessibility, meaning there are a lot of sights within a short distance of each other and each sight is only a few hundred metre walk from the parking lot.

TO GET OFF THE BEATEN PATH AND AVOID HUNDREDS OF TOURISTS, CHOOSE LONGER HIKES AND VISIT THE WESTFJORDS AND THE HIGHLANDS

And if you’re traveling Iceland in the summer, try visit the busy and popular sights later at night because the midnight sun makes this possible and everywhere is extra beautiful at sunset.

HOT POT ICELAND IS AN APP AND WEBSITE WITH A MAP OF ALL THE “HOT POTS” (HOT SPRINGS) AND GAS STATIONS ALL OVER ICELAND

Which is extremely useful!

IT’S MANDATORY TO FULLY WASH IN THE NUDE IN THE COMMUNAL SHOWER BEFORE YOU ENTER MANY OF THE HOT SPRINGS (OR PUBLIC POOLS)

Seriously.  It’s a major faux pas to not get naked in the communal shower and the Icelandic people will frown upon you and maybe even tell you off.  There are even signs stating this is mandatory.

THE REAL ADVENTURE BEGINS ONCE YOU LEAVE THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, SNAEFELLSNES, MYVATN AND THE SOUTHWEST

The Majority of tourists go to Iceland for a few days and visit these areas on day tours from Reykjavik (this excludes Myvatn, which is in the northeast). These areas are beautiful, but they’re also a little underwhelming in comparison to the rest of what Iceland has to offer. If you’re an avid hiker and nature enthusiast, I dare say that these areas are borderline skippable. At the most, I wouldn’t allocate too much time in these areas and to manage your expectations.

MANY NATURE SIGHTS ARE EITHER 200M FROM YOUR CAR OR MULTI-DAY TREKS

Of course there are also 1-2+ hour hikes, but I personally did not find there to be many 3-5+ hour hikes to choose from on the Ring Road, without a 4×4 vehicle.

RESPECT THE NATURE AND LEAVE NO TRACE

This should always be practiced, but the massive increase in tourism in Iceland has caused a massive problem because it has damaged their fragile ecosystem.

THE COLD TAP WATER IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD 

It’s completely pure and so cold and fresh! And this is coming from someone who is from Canada, which also has world class tap water. Pack a water bottle or two and fill up!

THE HOT WATER FROM THE TAP HAS A SULPHUR SMELL 

Due to its source from their geothermal power plants. It’s safe to bathe in and it won’t make you smell like sulphur after, but it’s not recommended for drinking.

ICELAND HAS HOT SHOWERS! 

This is so important and appreciated after exploring all day outside in the cold.

ICELAND HAS A FEW VERY ACTIVE VOLCANOES LYING BENEATH GIANT GLACIERS

Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, which caused flooding and evacuations of the area and also halted air traffic in Europe for over a week. There’s also a very active volcano beneath Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier 🙃

 

THE PEOPLE AND THE CULTURE

 

ICELAND HAS A VERY SMALL POPULATION OF 337,000 THOUSAND PEOPLE

And about 217,000 thousand people live in and around Reykjavik.  The entire country is basically a small town.  The second biggest town in Iceland is Akureyri in the north, at 18,600 people.

DUE TO THEIR TINY POPULATION, MANY ICELANDIC PEOPLE ARE DISTANTLY RELATED, SO THEY CREATED A DATABASE ON AN APP TO AVOID ACCIDENTAL INCEST

The app features a “bump” function where two people tap their phones to see how closely they’re related. If it’s too close a match, an “incest alarm” will sound. Yes, this is real life.

A STRONG LITERARY TRADITION STILL THRIVES IN MODERN ICELAND WITH THEIR ANCIENT ICELANDIC SAGAS (folklore)

These are tales of feuds, families and traditions where elves, trolls and many other mythical beings play a big role.

ASIDE FROM REYKJAVIK, YOU DON’T GO TO ICELAND FOR THE NIGHTLIFE

Outside of Reykjavik, your nightlife will be the northern lights or midnight sun, depending on what time of year you visit.

 

COMMUNICATION

 

ICELANDIC PEOPLE SPEAK ENGLISH EXTREMELY WELL

ICELANDIC IS A NORTHERN GERMANIC LANGUAGE, WHICH MEANS IT SHARES SIMILARITIES TO GERMAN, NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH, DANISH AND EVEN ENGLISH

So if you speak even a little bit of any of these languages, it’ll be very useful for reading Icelandic. I speak a little German and I discovered that I could read a little Icelandic, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish when I was in each of these countries.

SETTING UP AN ICELANDIC SIM CARD IS THE EASIEST SIM CARD TRANSACTION YOU WILL EVER EXPERIENCE

You literally insert the SIM card into your phone and it works immediately. No special set up or codes or nonsense is required. And getting an Icelandic SIM is highly recommended. I went with the Siminn, with has the biggest network in Iceland and you can get 10GB of data for around €20.

 

THE FOOD

 

LAMB, DAIRY AND FISH ARE A HUGE PART OF ICELANDIC CUISINE

Hearty soups, rye bread, fermented shark, skyr (thick yogurt), cheese and hot dogs are also popular Icelandic food to try.

THERE AREN’T ANY MCDONALD’S IN ICELAND

But there are a few KFC and Domino’s in and around Reykjavik.

THERE IS A COSTCO IN REYKJAVIK!

This was the greatest news because Costco has the cheapest food.  Some items were comparable prices to home (Canada), but many things were double the price. However, the prepared fast food area has the cheapest food you’ll find in Iceland, with pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches and ice cream etc. You do need a membership to shop at Costco.

 

SAFETY

 

SOCIALLY, ICELAND IS AN EXTREMELY SAFE COUNTRY

And the Icelandic people are really nice.  Your biggest safety concern in Iceland is the elements and the cold.

 

FUN FACTS

 

ICELANDIC SURNAMES FOLLOW OLD NORDIC TRADITION

Children take the given name of their father (and/or mother) with the suffix “sson” for males and “dóttir” for females. For example, if Jón Einarsson has a son and a daughter, their respective surnames would be Jónsson (Jón’s son) and Jónsdóttir (Jón’s daughter). As of 2019, Icelanders who are officially registered with non-binary gender can use the suffix “bur” (child).

THE ICELANDIC NAMING COMMITTEE HAS TO APPROVE ANY NEW GIVEN NAMES (WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY USED IN ICELAND) TO ENSURE THE NAME IS SUITABLE FOR INTEGRATION INTO ICELAND’S LANGUAGE AND CULTURE 

Meaning, you can’t give your kid a foreign name or a strange, hipster name. They got rid of the law that required a foreign person, who moved to Iceland, to change their name to an Icelandic name.

 

MORE ON ICELAND

 

Everything You Need to Know About Camping and Driving in Iceland

What to Pack for Iceland in the Summer

How to Travel Iceland on a Budget

24 Free and Cheap Things To Do in Reykjavik