Hi! I just booked my family and I a spontaneous trip to Iceland from Christmas to New Years (been on the bucket list but never pulled the trigger until now). I know it’ll be very cold, so what should we be prepared to bring?

Any specific brand of pants/coats? We’ll have the wool under layers and fleece mid-layers but is that enough in addition to heavy coats. Would love to hear from someone who has expiernced it!

Additionally, what activities should we do, if we aren’t comfortable renting a car and driving? Are there any highly recommended tours (already have a south ring trip booked)? (I understand renting is usually the best way to see the beauty the country has to offer but I’m not the best driver)

Hello!

My mom and I are planning a trip to Iceland in October of next year and are really looking forward to it. My mom is in avid photographer in her early 70s, and is very active (did a few hikes over the summer that were around 8 miles round trip, 2,000 ft of elevation gain, for reference). We will be there for 3 - 4 days before heading to mainland Europe and are planning to spend most of our time on the South Coast/Reykjavik.

We are interested in the following excursion type activities, and would really appreciate any feedback on any safety considerations and level of exertion. I was in Iceland earlier this year but didn't do any of these activities as we had more limited time on the South Coast/Golden Circle.

- ATVing near Vik

-Snorkeling in continental divide

- Glacier walk on South coast categorized as easy/beginner

Hello everyone. My friends and I will be visiting during the first week of June for about 9 days. We decided not to do the full ring road, as we would prefer to take our time and not feel too rushed. Right now, we're planning on driving from Reykjavík to Höfn and back, staying at hostels along the way. We don't have specific stops planned yet, but that's our starting and ending points. Any tips or alternate suggestions?

Diving from KEF to Reykjavik and day tripping Katla and Hvammstangi. I’m in Upstate NY and pretty used to driving in the snow. Do y’all think I can get around in just a regular 2wd sedan or should I splurge on the rental? It looks like it’s about double to triple the price to get something heavy duty.

Any recommendations for rental sites that guarantee AWD? I have a capital one credit card and get 10x miles for my rentals, but I unfortunately don’t see an AWD guarantee anywhere.

Hello,

My family and I want to book a camper van for our 10 day trip in Iceland. I really am pushing for us to rent a camper van as I think it would make the trip more enjoyable for us. My family is concerned about 4 larger adults (all around 6’2) fitting in the camper van. I know some of the XL camper vans say they sleep 5 but it seems like the top bunk is pretty small with only 16 inches from the mattress to the roof of the van. Does anyone have experience renting this vans and sleeping on the top bunks??

Any advice or input would be helpful. Thank you!

Hi all. We are due to be going on our honeymoon to Iceland tomorrow (Sunday). We plan to visit the geysir and one of the nearby water falls before making our way to hella for the night. The second night we are due to travel to diamond beach and will be staying there for the evening at a nearby hotel.

The issue arises at our next location. We were meant to be driving up to Stuðlagil followed by a visit to the forest lagoon.

However due to the weather conditions and by checking the maps just now, it seems that all roads on the east side of the country are shut, and the only way up, is via a 9 hour drive to the forest lagoon (the canyon is inaccessible due to the roads being closed).

Any advice on what we should do? Tuesday is when we are due to go here. I see that it's -10 on the Sunday, is this the reason as to why they are shut now? Any help would be greatly appreciated

We have checked many museum’s websites - they say “open daily” and don’t seem to indicate that they are closed for typical days off like Dec 25 and Jan 1.

Hello everyone! I appreciate you taking the time to read and answer my question :)

I used this thread while visiting Iceland this summer, and it was handy. However, I plan to return to Iceland for 5 days with my girlfriend around the end of February.

I'd like to get everyone's input on the itinerary and see if anyone would be kind enough to suggest specific stops we can make during that time, especially since it is winter and driving conditions may be difficult.

Day 1 - Blue Lagoon Retreat Spa all day and sleep in Reykjavik.

Day 2 to Day 3: We were thinking of exploring the Golden Circle (please suggest the stops we should make in winter). We would also look into staying at hotels near this area along the road.

Day 4: Head to a cabin in Ytri-Skeljabrekka called "Mirror House." Maybe make some stops at cool spots before check-in at 3 p.m.

Day 5 - Airport

We are renting a car. The starting point is Reykjavik, and the ending point is Mirror House before heading to the airport. Again, I appreciate your time!

Never occured to me while I was there visiting last year, but never saw anything related to adult entertainment.

I'm watching Secret Life of Walter Mitty and there's a joke when they land in Iceland about how he needs to outrun the horny boatmen who want to go to strip club.

Does Iceland have strip clubs? Anyone been? Lol

Hi there! :)

My family and I visited Iceland a couple of months ago, and we hiked all over. When we came to a stop somewhere while offroading, we were at a museum and there was a cafe near it. My mother (celiac - gluten-free) was amazed and she loved the candy she could have. Now we're back home- unfortunately not anywhere near Iceland. I tried to google some candy but I grew wary due to the major sponsorships whenever I googled it and Amazon is.. Amazon and I know there might be some that are like "Oh we're Icelandic (but it actually originate from the U.K). It's also hard because I don't speak Icelandic. (Only 10th grade level Spanish and English)

TL;DR: Trying to give my mom what she liked in Iceland, Is there any Icelandic chocolate -maybe some with licorice- that is both gluten-free and similar to chocolates that are common throughout Iceland? Like childhood chocolates or things of the sort.

Also here's the one photo of the museum that was near the cafe (Absolutely loved it)

https://preview.redd.it/hyrnd3qf934e1.jpg?width=769&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b003d90932474089075057ae3569fe7d0584eef3

We have a 16 hour layover in May. Arrive morning depart early morning. Would like to get a room in the city, wondering about transportation to and from airport. Especially the early morning … need to be at airport by 05:00. Thoughts or recommendations?

Hey folks, headed back up for a mid January trip. Last time (August) I drove a jeep renegade from lotus and I planned the same car and company for this trip but I noticed Blue has great discount right now vs lotus. I’d like to get a bigger vehicle this time around for the piece of mind of a larger vehicle in the extreme winds and snow, and just having a more comfortable interior would be nice for the long drives. There’s a nice deal on the Land Rover Discovery, is it much less likely that they put me in one of their nissans or kias given when I’m going?

We are travelling in October 2025 and plan on picking up a hire car at the airport and doing the lap around Iceland in 9 days. Now my question is I have booked our accommodation and silly me forget to check if they have parking in Reykjavik, our option is return the car in the city or pay for parking for 2 days? Also if we return the car and need to get to the airport what companies do you recommend?

I can only do activity of two tomorrow from Reykjavik.

Based on your experience, what would you suggest to do?

Hey everyone, I’m going to Iceland from January 17th to 31st with some friends. We plan to explore and do some light off-roading. We’re unsure whether to rent a 4x4 vehicle or an AWD car. Any recommendations? Also, can anyone suggest an affordable rental company?

I absolutely loved this safety post from Guide to Iceland so I shared it here on Reddit. I personally didn’t know it got that bad!

Not sure where it was taken but perhaps one of you know the spot?

Hello all!

I am doing an extended lay over in Reykjavik Dec. 20-22nd and would love to go to blue lagoon but I have a few questions.

1. Is it even open right now?
2. Should I plan on booking a tour ahead of time or can I find a good one once I’m there? (Or do I not even need a guided tour?)
3. What’s a good company to go with? And if I can go without one, what’s the best way to get from the city to the lagoon? A taxi haha?

Bonus- 4. What’re my chances of seeing the northern lights while I’m there? 👀 5. What’re some other things I should see/do in my short time there?! Volcanoes?? How would I go about doing that?? :)

Super stoked to see Iceland even if it’s just for a few short days, and thank you all in advance for your help!

Hello everyone,

I need your opinions because, I'm struggling with whether it's worth it or not -

Hello everyone, I need your opinions because I'm debating whether it's worth it - so originally I planned to go on a trip to Iceland for 4-5 days, my main goal was to see the Northern Lights (because it's my biggest dream, and I've seen a few "news" that this year is supposedly one of the best to see), but also to see the most interesting places such as ice caves (I don't know if there is a difference visiting them in winter and summer?), or glacier, and try to drive around the island. However, after I started planning - what clothes to wear, where to go and what car to rent - I came across this subreddit and read a few posts about winter driving in Iceland. And here comes my question: is there a good chance of seeing the northern lights within 4-5 days, and is winter driving in Iceland really that dangerous? I'm from central Europe, so I haven't experienced driving on ice like people describe, but (I don't know if it changes anything :D) I'm a truck driver, and I've driven in difficult (for trucks, of course) conditions, through the Alps in winter, etc. (I know that roads there are constantly maintained in good conditions).

Please let me know your opinions, I will be very grateful.

Thank you!!! :) :)

Any chance on seeing aurora tonight near Reykjavik? The apps I’m following show a higher percentage than the last say 5 nights, however it’s quite cloudy. Could be a silly question, but any chance of seeing them despite the cloud cover?

Ciao! :)
provo a farla breve in questa piccola parte qui:

• Siamo una coppia under 30 e stiamo pianificando un viaggio in Islanda di 8 giorni, previsto per il 25 aprile 2025

2. Itinerario: Sud dell'Islanda o Ring Road?

• Ci stiamo chiedendo se ha senso concentrarsi solo sul sud dell'Islanda (8 giorni), che è molto ricco di attrazioni, o se tentare la Ring Road, un percorso più lungo che gira intorno all'isola, ma che richiederebbe almeno 10 giorni eliminando anche dei dettagli del sud.

3. Organizzazione del Viaggio: Tour Operator o Fai da Te?

• Stiamo considerando se prenotare un tour organizzato con un tour operator (ce ne consigliate qualcuno?), che ci costerebbe circa 2000 euro a persona (esclusi i pasti), oppure se organizzare il viaggio autonomamente.
  • Vorremmo capire i pro e i contro di entrambe le opzioni per prendere una decisione più informata.

4. Cucina Locale o Pasti Veloci?

• Siamo curiosi di sapere quanto vale la pena provare la cucina locale, quanto è costosa?
• Potremmo anche mangiare in luoghi come i 7-Eleven, che potrebbero essere un'alternativa più economica e veloce.
  • Cosa ci consigliate?

5. Modalità di Viaggio in Islanda:

• Vorremmo anche sapere quali sono i modi migliori per viaggiare in Islanda, soprattutto se ci sono suggerimenti riguardo i mezzi di trasporto più comodi e convenienti.
  • Con il tour operator che stavamo guardando siamo con i Van

6. Esperienza con Guide Turistiche Italiane:

• Infine, siamo interessati a sapere se qualcuno ha esperienza con guide turistiche italiane in Islanda, perché se no dovremmo prenotare prenotate tramite piattaforme come GetYourGuide e sarebbero esclusivamente in inglese, che non è un problema enorme, ma sarebbe meglio in italiano.

Poi, boh, non saprei, qualche altro super consiglione?

Grazie :)))

Guys, I'm ready to book my tickets, but I'm having second thoughts. I see many posts and videos online that are telling about the harsh weather in February. Is it really like that? Would I be able to see what this beautiful country offers, or is it better to wait May or later?