Traveled to Iceland for 9 days May 2019 and it is the most amazing places. Below is a breakdown of our itinerary, feel free to use it. I'd be happy to answer any questions I can.
Wow. This looks like an awesome trip.
I'm planning ahead to a trip there next summer, so I have couple questions.
I've been told that gas is expensive - to budget $400 or more for the ring road. Is that what you found?
Did you find it difficult to find hiking paths each day, or did you plan ahead for your hiking? Same with campgrounds and lagoons?
I'm a good planner, but I'm finding it a little overwhelming to plan Iceland becuase there is so MUCH to do!
It cost us 300 to do the ring road in fuel. Remember to put a pin on your credit cards before going over, we didn’t and almost had a bad night lol.
We didn’t find it hard to find hiking areas but it really depends on how many days you’ll be there and what you want to get out of it. We only did 1 hike I would say. There were 3 others we thought of doing but they were either closed or didn’t fit in the time line. You can really see a lot by driving, pulling over and just stare at amazing landscape. We were also there just before the summer and not everything was open that went more inland.
Lagoons, we went to the two listed. We attempted to find others via the vans gps but found it difficult or access was blocked.
Campgrounds are everywhere. If you go in summer, past June 1st I think every one is open.
quick question. I will be in Iceland from 8/14/19 to 8/14/19. Why do I need a PIN on my credit card? I didn't need it when I was in other countries. Please add some details. thanks
To pay at the pump, you have to put in your PIN number when using your credit card.
Thanks Erik. That is something new 🙂
We didn’t find it hard to find hiking areas but it really depends on how many days you’ll be there and what you want to get out of it. We only did 1 hike I would say. There were 3 others we thought of doing but they were either closed or didn’t fit in the time line. You can really see a lot by driving, pulling over and just stare at amazing landscape. We were also there just before the summer and not everything was open that went more inland.
@islandinthemist Comparatively speaking, everything in Iceland is expensive so I would just count on spending more than you anticipate. I rented a vehicle, brought my camping gear, and spent a month exploring the country. I was there from September 15-October 15 2017 which is getting into Iceland’s “off season”.
As of 7/15/19, the average price per gallon in US dollars was $7.22 per gallon. What I found to be the most expensive was food. Budget more for food. A basic burger and fries cost me right around $25 whether I was in Reykjavik or one of their many tiny (and beautiful) towns. The only meal I found to be consistently cheaper was the fish soup that could be found everywhere too.
If you’re used to being on the road and car camping or hiking you shouldn’t have a problem finding the many trails and camping spots. Depending upon the time of year that you’re there, it may be a little more difficult to find an “open” camping spot.
I’m not a big planner so when I arrived in Reykjavik I went to a bookstore and bought two small pocket photo books of Iceland. They were filled with nothing but pictures and the location of each photo. If I liked one, I would mark it on my map. That is basically how I planned my route around the country. I really liked the National Geographic map of Iceland I bought too although I did buy this map prior to leaving for the trip. I don’t remember if I saw it in Iceland although they did have the Lonely Planet guidebook which I bought too and did have some helpful tips for finding food.
I would recommend renting a vehicle that is classified as approved for F Roads. Even if you don’t plan on driving any F Roads, most of the roads in Iceland are gravel once you leave the main road and there are numerous river crossings if you start to get into the interior of the country. Also, make sure your vehicle has a full size spare and that you check that it’s fully inflated before you leave the rental shop. There’s a lot of open country once you leave the few big towns.
If you’re camping, I found that almost all the communities, no matter how small, had great community pools/bathhouses. For a few dollars you can take a shower or for a few more dollars you can have access to the pools as well. They’re great and they’re everywhere! Some even have washing machines.
Hope this helps someone. Iceland is great!
Oh, you’ll see a lot of people on forums saying don’t go to the Blue Lagoon because it’s too touristy and overrated....well there’s a reason for this and it’s because it’s beautiful (especially at night)! Have fun!
If you're looking to save some money, bring food from home! You can bring in 6.6lbs of food/person into Iceland with some restrictions (I think no meat and cheese... but honestly customs didn't even bother weighing nor looking at what food we brought). I checked a small cooler in a box (no extra fee but even if it costs $25 that's a great savings!) We brought granola bars, nuts/dried berries, PB and Almond butter packets, crackers, and dehydrated foods (most places have a microwave but you will get the weirdest look asking for one!). It was awesome having a base supply of food and saved a lot of money and time. Most hotels had breakfast so we would load up in the morning!
Iceland is amazing... enjoy the midnight sun!
The go-to place for groceries in Iceland is Bonus. There are stores all over the island. Decent prices (for Iceland!) with everything a visitor might need.