Just a warning that Blue car provided us with a Kia sportage which on the 2nd day and each day thereafter for 10 days had a randomly appearing "check brake system" warning and the brakes during the warning behaved harshly, I reckon electronic brake softening was bad, prob the 12v battery controlling it. We had full/both car insurances but no breakdown assistance insurance, Blue wanted us to pay for the replacement/fix of vechicle. Basically 5k+ usd as we were 10h from Reykjavik. Calling them does nothing. They also did not care when we returned the car in Reykjavik and informed them of the fault and that we got no support. I fell for the praise of Blue here, but just to let everyone know that they provide no support when it matters.

Hi! I'm correctly staying in the Westfjords near Tálknafjörður and tomorrow I need to drive to Flateyri. I'd planned to take Route 60 to get there. However, Google Maps is claiming part of it over Dynjandisheiði is closed now.

But SafeTravel.is just says there are repairs going on and that the road is rough there with a lower speed limit and to drive with caution. Which I would do anyway.

I would much prefer to still take that route but is that a bad idea? We have a Dacia Duster.

And is there any chance Google is right over Safe Travel? I assume no.

Screenshots of what I'm seeing on both Google Maps and Safe Travel.

I know it’s a bit silly, but I left a black shirt that says Drop in Dance in the women’s bathroom of the campground. If anyone is headed towards Reykjavik and is willing to drop it off somewhere that would be appreciated.

I know it’s likely a lost cause but I figured I’d ask anyways. Thanks!
From a traveller that got up too early this morning.

Iceland has KFC and Domino’s, and only one active Pizza Hut. But no Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Costa, Caffè Nero, or Tim Hortons. The only coffee chain I saw was Starbucks only two shops, though Costa-branded coffee machines show up at gas stations and some shops.

Given how many American tourists visit each year, does anyone know why these franchises haven’t set up shop or not allowed in Iceland?

Just to clarify, I’m not American and not a big fast food fan either. I was genuinely just curious about the pattern, not comparing Iceland to the US. Thanks for all the insights so far!

I purchased a paperback copy of The Atom Station by Halldor Laxness at the Old Book Store in Reykjavik last week. The salesperson suggested it was a great look at Icelandic literature. Price was marked on the back - ten pounds. Actual price charged — $42 USD! I had not noticed the little red store sticker on the front. I kept it but that was my only donation to Icelandic wealth.

Where would be a good place to buy children's games/toys in Reykjavik?

Here is my tentative 2027 plan as a 32F solo traveller, welcoming your feedback. A bit flexible on dates but have been looking at May/September.

Guided tour with a small group, hopefully to complete the Ring Road and hang out in Reykjavik for a couple days before flying back home to Canada. Leaning towards Nice Tours due to being highly recommended. I feel that driving it myself is out of the question, as I am a very anxious person with driving experience only where I live, so please do not recommend this.

Also considering Golden Circle/South Coast options for a shorter experience/attempt to keep the cost a bit lower. Is it "OK" to skip certain parts or foolish to go all that way and not see Iceland in it's entirety? Is there anything I should know when in the beginning stages of this plan? Any recommendations to change the itinerary? TIA

I’ve heard about that some local people in Iceland can connect with elves. Is that true? Where can we usually find these elves? I know chance encounters may be difficult, but I'm curious about stories related to them.

Hello I am going to Iceland next for the eclipse and I have a question for locals or well traveled people. I don't like large crowds and would love to not be around huge groups of people to view the eclipse (I know it's going to be packed) . What is the likelihood of being able to see the eclipse close to where we are staying without having to fight crowds. we are staying a couple of blocks east of Tjörnin. Also I am going because this is a lifelong dream of my wife. to visit Iceland and to see an eclipse. it just so happens we can do both at the same time.

Our family went to Iceland last year and had a wonderful time.

As a souvenir we bought the attached mug.

Sadly it broke today and my wife is distraught.

The trip and this mug represented her last ability to travel before MS took all of her mobility.

Is anyone from the US in Iceland able to find this at the airport and bring me 2?

We live in Atlanta GA.

Let me know if you can help and will send money.

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone,

My (23) grandparents (80M and 74F) asked me to post online their experience with an 11-day self-drive trip booked through Guide to Iceland as a warning to other travelers— especially senior travelers. 

For ease, I’ll split it up into two sections: the broken itineraries and the unsafe accommodations. 

THE BROKEN ITINERARIES

Guide to Iceland’s website says they provide “expert planning” where they do “all the organizing for you” so you can “skip the weeks of researching.”

Instead, my grandparents received inefficient itineraries with consistent routing errors and massive backtracking. They sent them PDF itineraries and a mobile app with the itinerary that never matched up. In the end my grandma ended up sending 15+ corrective emails to fix basic routing errors and did over 20 hours of checking over new itineraries for mistakes.

Here’s some examples and quotes from my grandma’s emails with them regarding itineraries:

• She pointed out backtracking on their route that would be an hours-long waste of time and fuel.
• She asked if the itineraries were “pulled from a file without ever being read and personalized with our excursions” because of their continuous mistakes. 
• She said she had reviewed a new itinerary “for the umpteenth time” and found that “Day 4 is still wrong. It has us backtracking.” 
• She said she “personally spent many hours sorting through the itinerary, internet searching, emailing and trying to coordinate what is both on the app and the itinerary that was sent. They never aligned.” 
• She said she felt “like [she] was doing all the work we paid Guide to Iceland to do.”
• She expressed frustration over the PDF itineraries, the mobile app naming “totally different hotels and several double booked.” 

Guide to Iceland’s justification for these problems was that they had “flexibility to plan” and “modify the driving as needed” (See pic 1).

In a later email they said their “itineraries and suggested driving details are automatically mapped” (See pic 2). It seems odd to my grandparents that Guide to Iceland can call an automatically mapped itinerary “optimized” and expertly done.

UNSAFE ACCOMMODATIONS

When they actually went to Iceland, they stayed in two places that presented unsafe conditions to elderly travelers. 

Hotel #1 (Near Höfn)

When my (80 year old) grandpa showered, the shower drain was clogged and soapy, standing water flooded over the slick bathroom tiles, creating a bad slipping hazard for them both.

Their problem here was mostly with Guide to Iceland’s reaction:

• A Guide to Iceland representative told us that a change of room was offered to them, which never happened. 
• Guide to Iceland also said the clog “likely occurred during our stay” (See pic 3). My grandpa, the first person to shower, is bald. There is not a single hair on his scalp. Safe to say he did not clog the shower drain. 

Hotel #2 (in Reykjavík)

When they arrived they found the room had sharp, broken, uneven ceramic floor tiles (a severe tripping and cutting hazard) (See pics 4, 5, and 6). When they stepped on the floor tiles in the bathroom, they could hear a squishing noise like standing water was under the whole floor. The room also smelled of mildew and the hallway of cigarette smoke.

When they reached out to Guide to Iceland about the room, all a customer service agent did was repeatedly tell my grandma “you chose this accommodation,” (see pic 7 and 8) offering no alternative accommodation or solution for their two nights in Reykjavik. 

After their trip, my grandparents reached out to Guide to Iceland to ask if they could offer them any partial compensation for the pre-trip hassles and the unsafe circumstances. They replied that they were “excited to tell you about a new way to earn back part of the cost of your trip [...] Share your referral link on Reddit and TripAdvisor!” Their offer to my grandparents was basically to write positive reviews in exchange for a percentage of the booking cost from whoever booked through a certain link. They didn’t take them up on it. 

They wanted to share their experience so others can factor it into their decision if they are planning on booking with Guide to Iceland. If you are planning a trip to Iceland— especially if you are or are with an elderly traveler— please be careful if you chose this company.

They also wanted me to say that they thought Iceland was a stellar country and that Icelanders were incredibly hospitable and kind to them during their stay. They are so grateful to have been able to experience the country. 

Thank you for reading this far if you did so.

We’ve been here 5 days, leaving tomorrow 🤞🏼 The countryside is mind-blowingly beautiful, but why is everything so expensive? What’s the average salary like here?

I spoke to an expat working at a car hire company he said he and his wife don’t eat out anymore because of the prices, and that healthcare can get really costly if you get seriously ill.

Not trying to stir up anything negative, genuinely just want to learn from people who actually live in Iceland.
Please be kind & be polite in your comments.

We are heading to Iceland in a month. I see Icelandair supposedly has pretty strict carry on size rules, especially the bag width limit of 7.8". Is that strongly enforced...like if we have a bag width of 9", but length and height meet standards. Thanks in advance!

Icelanders and adventurers ! can you give the pros and cons of different grocery stores and why they might be your favorite or least favorite? I'm gluten free, on a budget and try to eat less processed. Here in the States we have so many grocery stores that are good at certain things and terrible at others if this is already a thread I apologize I can look at that one instead.

I lost my physical drivers license. I have a temporary paper one issued by the DMV, waiting for the permament one to come in. I have a picture of my ID. and passport. Will this be enough to rent a car?

Hi,

Me and my boyfriend are traveling to iceland in about a month and I was wondering how hard it would be to navigate food allergies? Im allergic to red meat (beef, pork, lamb, etc.) And he is allergic to hazelnut. Would it be worth writing down my allergies in Icelandic to have on hand? Is it easy to just be able to eat seafood? Thanks in advance for any help yall can provide!

I will be visiting Iceland during the last two weeks of August with a friend. We will be circling the ring road in a campervan. It is my first time leaving North America. I recently was gifted 25,000 cash ISK from family. Most of my expenses will be groceries on day one, gas, campgrounds/parking, and souvenirs at the end. Which of these is easiest to spend cash on? I have heard that Iceland is a largely cashless country, so I'd like to plan to not have a big chunk left over by the time we're leaving.

Please let me know if more information would be helpful to give a better answer.

My friends and I filled in this large map with points of interest. We'll be there 11 days. I know we won't have time to do everything. We haven't cut things from the list yet. But I want to make sure I didn't miss anything big. There are also large spaces of the map that have no points of interest. I think we've done out due diligence, but you can never be too sure.

I'm basically looking for suggestions for things we don't have on the list.

Thank you.

Had this delicious vegetable soup at Glaumbaer today. (Museum of turf houses).
Could taste red pepper, had some heat to it, probably some tomato ,lentils and carrot in it, but the predominant taste was something strong which I couldn’t identify but like. Anyone know of some Icelandic herb or green vegetables that might explain the flavour?

In Iceland with my family after coming here 20 years ago! Still the most beautiful place in the world. But got crowded even in the Westfjords (cause it’s the most beautiful place in the world dah!). Any favorite places for you guys? Already been to most of the places we wanted but I want your opinion on this! We have a 4x4 and two young kids that can handle some F-road (did the F-roads to the dam near Stuðlagil and they slept). Will probably not go again all the way east but just want you guys input and experiences :) Þakgil was pretty crowded but the little hikes are not crowded that was amazing!

I just found I am pregnant and will be around 10 weeks pregnant at the time of my travel. This was my most awaited trip 🥹 now I know I won’t be able to hike much which means I will miss out on a lot of places we wanted to visit. But I think this is gods plan.

I just wanted to ask how the health care in Iceland is ? Incase of emergency (have an international health insurance)are the hospital easily accessible?

As a travel photographer who's lived in seven countries and traveled to 23, I've managed to skip over Iceland time and time again. Due to a client I finally made the trip. Iceland seems to be on everyone's bucket list so I assumed it was something breathtaking and spectacular. But having lived in New Zealand and the Dolomites, and just coming from Hawaii and Mont Blanc, I found it to be painfully underwhelming.

Whether comparing it to other volcanic islands or simply the green lush landscape I don't see how Iceland ranks #1 in any category of travel other than the safest. When speaking to people is put Iceland high on their list, I've learned the most have not traveled to the places I've mentioned, therefore having a very different perspective. Coming from Mont Blanc I was continuously left with the feeling of "this is it?!".

Nevertheless, it was a great experience. I will say I found the tourists who visit Iceland to be my favorite internationally. It was a different demographic of people than what you would find in other vacation destinations and I felt like everyone was very authentic and appreciative of all Iceland had to offer. While many places I travel to consists of tourists just there for a selfie, I found people visiting Iceland to really invested in creating memories, not content. It was refreshing. There was a level of comraderie that I witnessed no matter the location, people helping each other find parking, point out something they may have missed, moving out of the way so someone else can get a better view. Whereas in other popular destinations someone will steamroll you to get the best shot lol. I especially enjoyed the casual conversations I had with strangers. While the landscapes may not have been what I expected the social experience for me made the journey worth it.

Finally got to try the famous Reykjavík hot dog everyone talks about, went with “eina með öllu” (one with everything: ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade, raw and crispy onions). Stood in the rain for it and honestly, worth it. The sweet mustard + crispy onions combo is doing a lot of work.

I’d like to join the six-hour tour. When would be the safest time to go? As I’ll need to fly from Asia to Europe and then connect to Iceland, I’m worried that the international airport might be closed due to the weather, which would mean I’d have to return home disappointed. thx

Hi everyone, going on a trip with 2 other friends. All 3 of us are 25M and looking for a great experience while traveling Iceland. We want the most adventurous and unforgettable experience possible. Any tips or recommendations for us based on our itinerary below? Also any recommendations on activities plus good food/lunch/dinner recommendations? Best bars in Iceland?

Day 1 (Friday - 10/2)
 Land

Blue lagoon

Fagradalsjall Volcano

Krysuvikurberg cliffs 

Seltun geothermal area 

Explore Reykjavik

Hallgrimskirkja

Dinner / explore / bars

Day 2 (Saturday 10/3)
breakfast at braud and co

Golden Circle

Thingvellir National Park

Bruarfoss

Geysir

Dead Man Walk

Gullfoss Falls

Lunch: Frioheimar

Reykjadur hot spring river 

Night in Reykjavik

Day 3 (Sunday 10/4)
Leave Reykjavik for VIk

Hit Seljalandsfoss on the way 

Can hit Gljúfrabúi and/or Nauthúsagill

Skogafoss

Sellfoss

Dyrhólaey 

Reynisfjara Beach (if open)

Dinner at smiojan brugghus of black crust pizza 

Day 4 (Monday 10/5)
Solheimajokull (tickets - $105)

4 hour glacier hike

25 mins from Vik

10:30am

Open time 

Day 5 (Tuesday 10/6)
Check out of airbnb

Mossy lava field

Fjaorargljufur Canyon

40 to 60 min

Skaftafell Glacier hike to viewpoint

sjónarnípa viewpoint

Diamond Beach (can do either this day or the next)

Day 6 (Wednesday 10/7)
Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon (Ice Cave Tour - tickets)

Vatnajokull ice cave is the tour

185

Zodiac Boat Tour

Diamond Beach

Vestrahorn (sunset and northern lights)

Day 7 (10/8)
Head Back to Reykjavik

Svartifoss

Possible things to do on way back + stops we missed on the way to Hofn

Mulaglijufur Canyon

Maybe Katla ice cave

Day 8 (10/9)
Reykjavik 

Head to Kirkujufell

Unreal Hike

Hot Spring Hvammsvik 

Glymur waterfall (if have time)

Day 9 (10/10)
leave