Iceland round trip: Things to know

Discovering Iceland on our own is one of the best trips we have ever made. In May 2022, we flew to Keflavik to explore the diverse volcanic island on a 10-day round trip. But before you travel to Iceland, you need to do some preparation.

F-roads and vehicle selection

The main season in Iceland begins in June, when most of the F-roads are open. F-roads are highland mountain roads that are only open from mid-June to the end of September and can only be driven on with a 4×4 off-road vehicle. These roads are located in the interior of the island and are almost without exception unpaved. Sometimes they even lead through rivers or streams. A list of the F-roads and opening times, depending on weather conditions, can be found here. There you will also find further useful information about driving in Iceland. An overview of the most important driving instructions can be found here. You can also download the SafeTravel app.

Not all off-road vehicles are approved for unpaved F-roads. It all depends on the ground clearance and road conditions. The higher the ground clearance, the easier it is to drive on all roads. We drove a Mitsubishi Eclipse Hybrid and were able to drive on almost all the side roads without any problems.

Our off-road vehicle for the Iceland tour

But even in May, nothing stands in the way of a tour of Iceland. The more than 1,300-kilometer ring road is open all winter long. It is completely asphalted and leads once around the island. The general speed limit is 50 km/h in urban areas, 80 km/h on gravel roads in rural areas and 90 km/h on asphalt roads.

We generally recommend a higher vehicle with all-wheel drive. Side roads, for example to parking lots, are often gravel roads with numerous deep potholes, some of which can be very steep. In any case, we recommend taking out glass and tire insurance with the car rental company. Important to know: it is forbidden to drive cross-country or to stop and relieve yourself in the countryside. There are often public toilet blocks, even in remote locations. From time to time you will also come across sheep on the road, in which case you have to stop and wait until they have crossed the road. Sheep are allowed to roam freely in Iceland, which is why you often see whole groups of sheep at the side of the road.

Sheep cross the road

Weather and clothing in Iceland

In May, you can already be very lucky with the weather and experience some days with bright sunshine and up to 15 degrees. Nevertheless, it is important to be prepared for downpours and icy winds every day. Many sights, such as waterfalls and gorges, are located in impassable areas, so it is important to wear sturdy shoes. In May, we were well equipped with a ski jacket, ski underwear, hat, gloves, water-repellent trousers and sturdy hiking boots. A tip: if the sturdy hiking boots also go over your ankles, you can even use them for glacier hiking. The perceived temperature was often around 5 degrees and you quickly get soaking wet near waterfalls. A waterproof backpack is very helpful when you’re out and about, we recommend the waterproof photo backpack from TARION.

Geothermal baths

There are many hot thermal baths in Iceland. On a round trip, we recommend that you always have a bathing suit, towel and flip-flops with you. If you have a clothes hanger with you on the journey, you can also leave the wet towel to dry directly in the car behind the seat. You always have to pay a rental fee for towels if you don’t have one with you. There is often a drying machine in the thermal bath for bathing suits.

You have to take off your street shoes in the thermal baths before entering the changing rooms and leave them on the shoe racks. There are lockers for clothes in the changing rooms. It is important to know that in Iceland you always have to shower thoroughly naked before you can put on your swimsuit and visit the thermal baths. Shower gel, shampoo and conditioner are available in the showers. You take your towel with you until you enter the bathing area, where there are shelves to put the towels on so that you don’t walk dripping wet into the changing room after bathing.

The water in the geothermal baths has a temperature of 38 to 42 degrees and contains no chemicals, only mineral salts and silica. This is very healthy for the skin, but smells strongly of sulphur. Because of the minerals in the water, we recommend that you tie your hair upwards, otherwise it will become extremely dry.

You are allowed to take cameras and cell phones into the thermal baths and you can usually even buy drinks at a bar, which you can then take into the water. However, you don’t take any money into the thermal baths, but deposit your credit card beforehand and receive a wristband on which the drinks are booked and then paid for at the cash desk when you leave the building. You are not allowed to consume drinks you have brought with you. A tip: Still water is always available free of charge.

Juliet in the Myvatn geothermal baths

Further useful information

Incidentally, EU roaming applies in Iceland. This means you can use your cell phone contract as normal. The network coverage in Iceland is excellent everywhere, so we didn’t need an additional navigation system, but only used Google Maps. To be on the safe side, you can download the maps for offline use beforehand.

When touring Iceland, it is important to know that the cost of living is very high. Simple meals in a restaurant or bistro often cost more than 20 euros. Alcoholic drinks are significantly more expensive than here. A beer, for example, costs between 6 and 8 euros. You don’t pay a tip for this in Iceland. Some restaurants and cafés offer a tip jar at the counter, but this is not a must. We were able to pay everywhere by credit card, as it is a common means of payment there. Cash is rather unusual.

We felt incredibly safe and comfortable in Iceland. You can also explore the country at night. In mid-May, the sun did not set until around midnight and rose again after just a few hours. It doesn’t get completely dark. We went to one or two waterfalls around midnight and photographed the sunset. Some tourists are always out and about at this time of day.

For our trip, we chose hotels, guesthouses and lodges where you can check in as late as possible and independently so that we are as flexible as possible. There are always plenty of free parking spaces available at the accommodation. The only hotel chains that also have locations outside Reykjavik are Fosshotel by Íslandshótel and Iceland Hotel Collection by Berjaya. In the second part of our Iceland report, we are happy to share a list of the accommodation we used on our round trip.

Lodge for overnight stays in the west of Iceland