r/VisitingIceland

What should I pay attention to when renting a car in Iceland, especially regarding insurance for potential car damage?

I’m not sure which insurance is actually worth it: full insurance, zero excess, gravel protection, sand and ash protection, etc.

For tourists who have rented a car there recently, what kind of damage or issues are most common? Windshield chips, tyres, doors damaged by wind, deposits, claims, or anything else?

Also, if you had a good or bad experience with a rental company, which one would you recommend or avoid?

I found some older threads about this, but many are a few years old, and I guess prices, policies and rental companies may have changed since then.

Going to Iceland this week for a 7-day campervan trip. We planned our itinerary using Lonely Planet as online travel blogs and social media posts can get overwhelming. We are trying to avoid googling "best X near me" during this trip. My spouse and I are pretty happy just driving, stopping somewhere beautiful, finding a random café, sitting somewhere scenic or local experience, etc. What were your favorite moments or stops, either planned or unplanned?

Current overnight plan is roughly:

Night 1 — Tröllaskagi peninsula
Night 2 & 3 — Mývatn area
Night 4 — Glacier lagoon / Fjallsárlón area
Night 5 — Vík
Night 6 — Laugarvatn
Night 7 — Reykjavik before flying home

A few anchor things we already have planned:

• whale watching in Húsavík
• glacier hike / ice cave area
• Mývatn nature baths
• black sand beach stops
• random hikes and scenic detours whenever something looks interesting

Detailed itinerary:

Day 1 | Reykjavík → Tröllaskagi area (~5 hr drive)

• Hafnarfjall scenic stop (~1 hr)

Day 2 | Tröllaskagi → Mývatn area (~1 hr drive)

• Kaldi Brewery / The Beer Spa
• Ayukeri
• Goðafoss waterfall
• Hverfjall Crater hike
• Húsavík Whale Watching
• Hiking around Mývatn
• Earth Baths (geothermal)

Day 3 | Mývatn area (full day) (no driving)

• Hverir geothermal area (fumaroles & mud pools)
• Hofn area

Day 4 | Mývatn → Southeast Iceland area (~5 hr drive)

• Glacier Walk
• Black Sand Beach

Day 5 | Southeast Iceland → South Coast area (~1 hr drive)

• Hiking Skaftafell
• Katla Ice Cave Tour

Day 6 | South Coast → Golden Circle area (~2.5 hr drive)

• Seljalandsfoss (walk behind the waterfall)
• Dinner at Dill Restaurant

Day 7 | Golden Circle → Reykjavík (~1.5 hr drive)

• Return to Reykjavík, explore & depart

I don’t mean to be anti social, but singing in a tour bus isn’t really my vibe. I just like peace and quiet. I want a tour bus where I can just journal or something and everyone’s to themselves. Maybe not for me until I can drive. Sadly I don’t have a license or the courage to do it but.. I’m not a sing baby shark or no worries bob marley on the bus kinda girl.

I'm planning a 14 day solo ring road trip to Iceland, counterclockwise. I'm having some issues finding out which places to stay for extra days. I'd like to focus the trip mainly on nature, and seeing the must see destinations. So far my plan is

day 1: sleep in Reykjavik (booked)

day 2: sleep in Hvollsvur (booked)

day 3: sleep in Vik (booked)

day 4: sleep in Hofn

day 5: sleep in Egilsstaoir

day 6: sleep in Myvatn

day 7: sleep in Akureyri

day 8: sleep around Hofsos

day 9: sleep in Snaefellsnes

After this I'm back around Reykjavik, with 5 extra days to spare. Where would you recommend I allocate more days to? Which area has the most things to do or should I just pick somewhere to stay for a few days?

Hi all. I am an emergency photographer in Iceland and I have been documenting the thirteen eruptions we have had here on the Reykjanes peninsula on Icelands southwest corner for the past six years. I have done more than 130 trips to the area and documented the eruptions and their affects on the environment and community. The project is largely self funded and relies on book sales, lectures, print sales etc as well as some funding from agencies and organizations. I hope I am not crossing any boundaries by posting about this here. Viewing all the images is free and open on my website but if anyone wants more than there are books and prints available in my online store and all support to keep the project wheels spinning is greatly appreciated ❤️

Hi travelers! I’d love to get some insight and advice for our Iceland trip next year.

Originally, we planned this trip for this year, but due to some personal reasons we had to postpone it. Since this is kind of a “once-in-a-lifetime” dream trip for us, I really want to choose the best possible time — balancing both weather and budget.

We already have a 15-day Ring Road itinerary planned, and now I’m comparing prices for three different time slots before booking flights/camper/hotels.

Here are the options:

1. 7 August – 21 August
2. 21 August – 4 September
3. 4 September – 18 September

I noticed the first option (mid-August) is noticeably more expensive than the later dates. But at the same time, I also want to experience Iceland with good weather, accessible roads, green landscapes, and enough daylight — basically the kind of trip that stays in your memory forever.

So I wanted to ask people who’ve already traveled around Iceland:

• Which of these time slots would you personally recommend for the Ring Road?
• Is the extra cost in August actually worth it?
• How much does the experience/weather change between August and mid-September?
• Would early September be a good “sweet spot” between price and experience?

Any advice, personal experiences, or “if I could do it again…” suggestions would really help us a lot. Thanks in advance!

we are planning a family trip to iceland this july with our family of four and kids ages eight and eleven. i usually book everything on booking.com but this time i also looked at other sites. we are thinking about staying in akureyri because i found some nice hotels there,

is akureyri a good idea for a family base or should we choose a different location? what are the best hotels or areas you recommend for iceland?

Hey

i am going to a Trip and i need a taxi from keflavik airport to keflavik City.

Do you guys have any advice, where to go and what to avoid?

I tried to register the hyrefill app but you need an iceland phone nummer..

Edit solution: Ah i think i got my failure. I downloaded the "hreyfill taxi" app instead of only "hreyfill". Now an foreign phone number works