Your ESSENTIAL Guide to Iceland - Where to stay and how to get around!
Make sure to research your sunset and sunrise times- this will obviously vary depending on the time of year but for reference sunrise and sunset usually begin about 45-30mins before the published time so if it's winter (where there are only 4 hours of proper daylight) you want to make the most of that daylight so it's worth getting to destinations about 45 minutes earlier and watching the sunrise from a pretty site.
Useful Information for Iceland:
Local Currency - Iceland is Cashless:
Iceland uses Icelandic Krona (kr or isk for short) and is running almost 100% cashless now, most shops no longer take cash so no need to get money exchanged beforehand!
Top Tip: My Wise card wouldn't work in some places and I ended up relying on my Revolute- with Revolute you can open an Icelandic Currency account so it works out significantly cheaper than having exchange fees from a standard bank account & it was reliable.
Free Currency App for easy conversions on and offline:
Get a Revolute Card:
How to get from the International Airport to Reykjavik.
Did you know Icelands International Airport is actually in Keflavik and not the capital of Reykjavik? The capital is actually around 1 hours drive away from the airport. If you aren't hiring your own car from the airport be aware a traditional taxi to/from will generally cost over £100 and there is no such thing as Uber in Iceland.... my suggestion is take one of the following buses which will drop you at or very close to your accommodation.
Public Bus Route 55:
The public bus has 9 departures per day from 6.35am-11.55pm and a trip will set you back around $14/£11. It drops you to the central bus station BSI in Reykjavik.
Flybus:
Book a flybus for around $30/£25 each way and you can be dropped and picked up from or very close to your accommodation in Reykjavik.
Getting around Reykjavik:
Public Bus - Get the Klappid App:
The best way to get around Reykjavik (unless you've hired a car) is to use the local bus system which is frequent during daytime and has a pretty comprehensive route system.
Buses can only be paid for by using the Klappid app, card is not accepted and neither is cash. You can buy 1 ticket at a time or a series (and you can also buy for groups) and then choose to activate a ticket when you want, from which time you have 75 minutes to use it.
Download it here:
Get accurate bus timetables from here:
Taxi's:
There are no cheap taxi's like Uber in Reykjavik but you can use the local company called Hreyfill and they are very responsive. They have an app but at the time of writing it is only accessible if you have an Icelandic Sim Card so it's best to call them: +354 588 5522
or email if it's in advance: hreyfill@hreyfill.is
Driving in Iceland:
General Driving Rules:
- Legally CAR HEADLIGHTS MUST BE ON ALL THE TIME in Iceland (whether of not it's dark, no matter the time of year)
- Driving on the RIGHT HAND-SIDE of the road.
- There are speed cameras!
DRIVING SPEEDS are in kilometers per hour & generally:
30-50kmph (18-30 mph) in built up areas.
80kmph (49mph) on rural gravel roads (but slower recommended)
80-90kmph (49-55mph) on main open roads
Other useful info for drivers:
- Most petrol stations are generally open between 7am and 11pm.
Parking is always paid for by card- either online by scanning a QR code, at a machine or via the app Parka... I recommend downloading Parka App before you go:
Check road conditions/areas before you set off (especially in winter but volcanic activity can impact year round):
Download the Safety Travel App for safe Iceland conditions advice:
Check air quality/safety ahead of travelling to a new area (lots of volcanic gases can make some areas dangerous at times)
Iceland winter packing list essentials:
1) WALKING BOOTS with good ankle support.
2) CRAMPONS -do not skip them, my friend had a horrible time trying to walk around without, and slipped multiple times on the ice... do yourself a favour and just get them, they only cost around £25/$30 and it's 100% worth it just to be able to walk around normally. No one wants to be worrying about falling flat on their face on rock hard ice when there's a beautiful waterfall to view...! Also I don't suggest getting ones that don't have chains with large crampons on the bottom- I tried both, the ones below and another pair that had little studs... below were the only ones that worked properly and didn't fall apart after a few hours.
3) WATERPROOFS or at least lots of layers and a travel mac such as:
4) SNOW BOOTS for walking around in the city or villages in Winter, I have this stylish pair by Sorrel & I ❤️ them:
5) SKI GLOVES (For Winter) -temps get very very cold, you will be struggling to take your gloves off for a photo and rushing to put them back on again 30 seconds later- having heated gloves makes all the difference, best purchase I ever made (after the crampons 😉)
6) A really good HAT that covers your ears- at Gullfoss Waterfall I got brain freeze just from being outside- how crazy is that?!
Northern Lights Tracking:
Northern Light displays are usually between 15-30minutes long. Some are shorter, some longer but whether you see them for 5 minutes or 50, catching a glimpse of the aurora is one of the most magical moments in nature you can witness.
Download the Hello Aurora Forecast App:
Some of the Best places to see the Aurora:
10mins from Reykjavik:
Within 1 hour from Reykjavik:
Within 2 1/2 hrs from Reykjavik:
Apps for Reykjavik Fun:
Happy Hour info in Reykjavik:
(I've included the IOS version but there is Android as well)
Other Useful Apps for Iceland:
Hiking trails in Iceland:
Best for Vegans in Iceland:
Discount Coupons for Activities, Restaurants & Bars:
Amazing Places to Stay:
Luxe:
Mid-Range - Luxe:
Budget:
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