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Let me inform you about what to not do in Iceland! Iceland is a dream vacation spot for therefore many individuals. Even for me, 11 years after my first of 4 journeys, I’m nonetheless fantasizing concerning the subsequent time I return to Iceland.
And it may be REALLY straightforward to make a significant journey mistake in Iceland. A mistake that may price you cash, time, or embarrassment, whether or not that is your first time in Iceland or your tenth.
I’ve taken the knowledge from my Iceland journeys and have thrown collectively each tip I may consider. Let’s have a look and what NOT to do in Iceland!
(And don’t neglect to take a look at my different Iceland journey planning posts, together with my Iceland Packing List. Open that one in a brand new window!)
Don’t take out a lot (if any) money.
Iceland is a rustic the place you should utilize bank cards for practically every little thing. In truth, on my most up-to-date journey, Amanda and I spent two weeks in Iceland, by no means took out money, and put each buy on bank cards. We didn’t want money as soon as.
If you’re into factors, you’ll be able to earn an insane quantity of factors on an Iceland journey! (Though please don’t try journey hacking until you may have a behavior of paying your invoice off in full each month. If you have already got good habits and wish to begin journey hacking, I like to recommend getting began with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.)
So what is going to you should pay for in money in Iceland? The public buses in Reykjavík, if not utilizing the app. Occasionally you would possibly come throughout a donation-based sizzling spring. That’s about it.
Don’t go right into a swimming pool with out showering bare first.
Icelanders love their swimming swimming pools. Just about each city in Iceland has its personal heated outside swimming pool, and locals collect to soak and chat the way in which different nations’ locals collect at espresso retailers or bars.
And they’re VERY strict about one rule specifically: you will need to bathe bare first. It is a vital requirement. Icelandic swimming pools have restricted chemical compounds, so that they depend on individuals maintaining squeaky clear to maintain the pool clear.
This is the case whether or not you go to an Icelandic swimming pool, a sizzling tub someplace, or a geothermal spa just like the Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, or my favourite, the Vök Baths.
You ought to know that almost all geothermal swimming pools have open showers — as in a giant open area the place individuals bathe subsequent to one another, no limitations, utterly bare. Icelanders will not be ashamed by nudity. Join in, scrub intensely, and get used to it!
If you’re nervous about being bare in entrance of different individuals, select a spa with non-public showers. The Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, and Vök Baths all have non-public bathe stalls.
There is not any different to showering bare. Seriously. As an apparent foreigner, I used to be steadily requested if I had showered bare earlier than coming into a swimming space. Icelanders take this very significantly.
Don’t plan an excessive amount of journey in too little time.
This is the largest mistake I see individuals making in each vacation spot — however notably Americans visiting Europe. The mindset is, “This is the only time I’ll be here, so I need to see everything.”
Please don’t attempt to see every little thing. You received’t be capable to see every little thing you wish to see. Make peace with that truth, early and infrequently, and plan an itinerary that leaves room for serendipity.
If you’re driving the Ring Road in your Iceland street journey, I like to recommend a minimal of eight days to take action. (And even these eight days can be packed stable.) If it’s much less time than that, you’re higher off basing in Reykjavík and perhaps one or two cities inside a number of hours’ drive.
And don’t underestimate the worth of exploring one area of Iceland in depth versus making an attempt to do the entire nation. You’ll be extra relaxed consequently!
Don’t get near the water at Reynisfjara Beach.
Reynisfjara Beach, in Vík alongside Iceland’s South Coast, is likely one of the most well-known black sand seashores on the earth.
It’s additionally one of the crucial harmful locations in Iceland. But you wouldn’t understand it simply by taking a look at it. It seems like a traditional seaside with mild waves.
Reynisfjara Beach is understood for its “sneaker waves.” These rogue waves can sneak in out of nowhere and destroy every little thing of their path, pulling individuals out to sea.
Tragically, vacationer deaths at Reynisfjara Beach will not be unusual.
To keep secure, native officers suggest maintaining a distance of 30 meters (100 toes) from the water. Keep an eye fixed on the water always. And when you’ve got youngsters, carefully supervise them.
Finally, know that loads of vacationers ignore these warning indicators and can be strolling near the water’s edge on the day you go to. Just as a result of different persons are doing it, it doesn’t make it secure. Be sensible right here.
Don’t neglect your head-to-toe waterproof gear.
Packing for a visit to Iceland is critically necessary. You must be ready for all types of climate, it doesn’t matter what time of yr you go. And it’s going to be WET for at the least a part of your journey.
At the very least, it’s a good suggestion (if not a necessity) to pack a water-resistant jacket (both an insulated waterproof jacket, or a waterproof shell worn on high of an insulated jacket), rain pants, waterproof mountaineering boots, and a waterproof backpack cowl.
(Incidentally, you’ll be able to depart your umbrella at residence — the aforementioned gear will maintain you dry sufficient, and the fierce Icelandic winds usually destroy umbrellas.)
I’ve seen depressing vacationers in Iceland sporting soaked-through sweatshirts after strolling behind my favourite Icelandic waterfall, Kvernufoss. Hell, I personally was depressing when a mountaineering path was muddy puddles and I started soaking into my non-waterproof mountaineering sneakers.
See my Iceland packing listing for extra info on what you actually must pack — and what you’ll be able to depart at residence.
Don’t purchase bottled water.
There is zero purpose to purchase bottled water in Iceland, ever. The faucet water in Iceland is secure to drink, in addition to scrumptious, and continuously shopping for single-use plastic provides to the air pollution drawback.
My suggestion? Bring a reusable water bottle and replenish everytime you’re close to a faucet. I like my BPA-free Blender Bottle, which is tremendous sturdy and is available in a number of colours.
Don’t go whale watching in Reykjavík.
This is perhaps preventing phrases — however let me communicate actually (albeit anecdotally). Almost each pal I do know who has gone whale watching in Reykjavík hasn’t seen any whales. They’ve returned to shore disillusioned.
Iceland does have whales, however Reykjavík shouldn’t be among the finest locations to see them.
As I used to be penning this, I texted a pal who I do know went whale watching in Reykjavík. “Did you actually see whales in Reykjavík?” Her quote: “No, we did not. It was a terrible experience. We were on the boat for nearly six hours. It was rainy and cold. [My friend] puked. We saw one puffin, I think.”
Instead, go whale watching in Húsavík, North Iceland. The whale watching right here is excellent — one million occasions higher than Reykjavík. Sightings are nearly assured with 98% accuracy. I went on this Húsavík whale watch and had a beautiful time, seeing so many beautiful whales!
Of course, that is solely an possibility when you’re planning to go to North Iceland. And when you’re not going that far, ask your self if you wish to danger not seeing any whales in your tour. Especially when you’re solely visiting for a number of days.
Meanwhile, there are so many higher issues to do in Reykjavík. If you’re an animal lover, I extremely suggest horseback using within the lava fields close to Reykjavík. Icelandic horses are a particular, lovable breed!
Don’t injury the native surroundings.
Iceland is an awfully lovely nation with pure wonders that may stupefy you. Please take the time to maintain the surroundings protected.
It’s particularly necessary as a result of outside sights are hardly ever staffed in Iceland. They count on individuals to behave appropriately. I don’t have as a lot religion in different individuals because the Icelanders do.
Here are some issues to remember:
Don’t disturb moss. Stick to marked pathways in Iceland, and the moss that you just discover in some lava fields may be destroyed when you stroll on it.
Don’t drive off-road. Off-road driving is prohibited in Iceland.
Don’t litter. This goes with out saying.
Don’t disturb pure habitats. I nearly punched this dude at Reynisfjara Beach who was CLIMBING INTO THE PUFFIN HABITAT. And as a result of there have been no employees there, no one was stopping him. Don’t be that asshole.
Don’t count on hopping nightlife earlier than midnight.
Reykjavík could be a nice metropolis for partying, supplied you’re okay paying the sky-high drink costs. But when you exit earlier than midnight, you is perhaps amongst a completely vacationer crowd in a vacationer bar.
Because alcohol is so costly in Iceland, most Icelanders pregame at residence with buddies earlier than heading out for the evening. (Yep, identical to we did in school.) And most frequently they received’t present as much as a bar or membership till midnight or so.
If it’s 11:30 PM and also you’re beginning to flag a bit…simply maintain on slightly longer. Your evening’s about to start out!
Don’t velocity.
You can be tempted to hurry in Iceland — and I get it. Roads are sometimes empty in rural areas. You in all probability received’t see a single site visitors cop in the whole nation. What’s improper with slightly rushing once in a while?
Well, there will not be cops, however there are velocity cameras. Loads of them. And when you’re caught rushing, you may be fined. Often the high quality may be a whole lot of {dollars}.
How will you discover out when you’re not an Iceland resident? They will alert your automotive rental firm, who will then cost you the high quality. There’s no option to get out of paying these tickets.
The velocity restrict in Iceland is 90 km/hour in rural areas, 80 km/hour on gravel roads, and 30-50 km/hour in populated areas. If you get a newish rental automotive like I did, it’d use GPS to enter the velocity restrict proper subsequent to your speedometer. Very cool!
Don’t count on the Northern Lights in summer time.
So many vacationers come to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. But a lot of these vacationers don’t notice that the Northern Lights are seasonal. They’re primarily throughout the winter months, from September by way of March, when the nights are their longest. You can’t see them throughout the midnight solar!
Additionally, darkish nights are finest for viewing the Aurora Borealis. You’ll wish to keep away from reserving your journey throughout a full moon; as a substitute, intention to reach a number of days earlier than the brand new moon for a number of days of darkish evening skies.
Your finest wager at seeing the Northern Lights is to e-book a tour with an skilled tour information who will take you to one of the best spots for viewing. Keep in thoughts that that is completely as much as likelihood, although. You can’t predict the Northern Lights.
That being stated, if seeing the Northern Lights is super-important to you, I might suggest selecting a extra dependable Northern Lights vacation spot north of the Arctic Circle — like Tromsø or Alta in far northern Norway, or Fairbanks, Alaska.
Either approach, don’t neglect to deliver a tripod (both a digital camera tripod or a smartphone tripod). You must take lengthy exposures to get the colours to indicate up correctly, and they’ll end up blurry when you don’t have a tripod.
Don’t take a taxi into Reykjavík.
What’s the easiest way to get into Reykjavík? Take the Flybus. This airport bus leaves often from the airport, you’ll be able to e-book your ticket prematurely, and you’ll select to both be dropped off on the central bus station or at your lodge.
The typical price of a taxi from the airport to Reykjavík is eighteen,000 to twenty,000 ISK ($126-140 USD), in comparison with beginning at 3,500 ISK ($24 USD) for the Flybus.
There’s no purpose to take a taxi into Reykjavík. It’s one thing solely rich or unaware individuals do. Even if you wish to go to the Blue Lagoon while you arrive, there are Flybuses that go from the airport to the Blue Lagoon.
Don’t splurge on meals.
I like splurging on meals after I journey. Almost in every single place I am going, I attempt to have a pleasant meal to see what the vacation spot has to supply.
I don’t splurge on meals in Iceland. And I say this with kindness. After many journeys to Iceland, many tries of native specialties from fermented shark to smoked puffin to Höfn langoustine, I’ve discovered the outcomes nearly universally disappointing. Most of the time it’s common seafood at finest, and on high of that, restaurant meals have excessive costs.
(I’ll say that one of the best conventional meal I had was a number of seafood dishes at Naustið in Húsavík, and I had an honest fish & chips at Við Voginn in Djúpivogur. Beyond that? Nothing too memorable.)
So in Iceland, I ended up consuming a variety of sizzling canines and soup-and-bread specials as a result of they have been low cost and filling, and since I wasn’t lacking a lot when it got here to the pricier dishes.
Additionally, I don’t assume alcohol is price it in Iceland more often than not. Alcohol is eye-wateringly costly, marked up at a good larger charge than most different bills. I wish to strive a neighborhood craft beer once in a while, and revel in an occasional cocktail, nevertheless it’s positively a rarity and never a norm.
I do know some individuals like to purchase alcohol on the Duty Free on the airport for cheaper. If you don’t wish to get by way of a visit with out alcohol, that’s in all probability your finest funds possibility.
But my advice? Eat low cost and splurge on cool actions. That’s the place you’ll get larger worth.
Don’t day journey to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon from Reykjavík.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is a excessive precedence for a lot of Iceland vacationers. And it’s straightforward to see why — this lagoon is likely one of the most lovely locations in Iceland, blue-and-white glaciers simply bobbing alongside within the water!
Jökulsárlón is situated in southeast Iceland, and certainly there are day journeys to Jökulsárlón from Reykjavík. But individuals don’t notice that Jökulsárlón is a five-hour drive from Reykjavík.
That’s 10 hours in a automotive in a single day.
Is Jökulsárlón price that a lot time in a automotive? I personally don’t assume so, particularly in case your time in Iceland is restricted. The South Coast has so many beautiful pure wonders which are far more simply accessible.
What to do as a substitute? I like to recommend a glacier strolling tour on the South Coast. This approach you’ll get to see cool ice, in addition to some waterfalls, with out spending your complete day in a van.
Don’t drive on F-roads in a two-wheel drive automotive.
When you lease a automotive in Iceland, you’ll need to make a number of selections. Manual or computerized? (Don’t make the error I did as soon as and order handbook when you can’t drive stick.) Sedan or SUV? Four-wheel drive or two-wheel drive?
That final query is definitely fairly necessary, as some roads in Iceland require a four-wheel-drive car. Driving them in a two-wheel-drive car is each unsafe and unlawful, because the street situations are notably gnarly.
These roads are known as F roads, or highland roads, and are primarily restricted to the Icelandic Highlands (mainly the middle of the nation).
If you’re driving the Ring Road, you don’t want to fret about this — the Ring Road is secure to drive with a two-wheel drive car in the summertime months, together with most straightforward detours. You ought to get a four-wheel drive car for winter journey, irrespective of the place you’re going.
On high of that, there are gravel roads. It’s authorized to drive them in a two-wheel drive automotive, and I did so a number of occasions (just like the gravel street to the east facet of Dettifoss waterfall, and the very tough gravel street to Múlagljúfur Canyon). The secret’s to go slowly and look ahead to potholes.
There was one street that we determined shouldn’t be tried in our two-wheel drive car: the drive to the second parking zone on the east facet of Studlagil Canyon. There have been so many potholes and uneven stretches that we determined to stroll as a substitute — which took an additional half-hour every approach however was the suitable choice.
Don’t step off path in geothermal areas.
There are locations in Iceland the place the geothermal exercise is off the charts. Hverir, within the Lake Myvatn area, is a spot the place you’ll be able to watch the Earth sizzle, plumes of steam making their approach by way of cracks.
You don’t wish to step off the marked paths in locations like these. Loads of what seems like stable floor is definitely a skinny layer over boiling water. You may scald your self or worse.
This is one other place the place Iceland operates on the honour system, anticipating individuals to comply with the foundations. Be a rule-follower right here!
Don’t bathe within the morning.
Kind of a bizarre one right here, however hear me out. I feel showering at evening is a good concept in Iceland.
If you’re staying in lodging with shared loos — which is the case at most funds lodging in Iceland — there can be a line of individuals ready to bathe within the morning. This is way worse in case your guesthouse has (gasp!) just one toilet.
That, and you’ll wash all of your mountaineering grime off at evening. Always good earlier than you sleep.
Besides that, it’s a lot simpler to get out very first thing within the morning and hit the street when you roll off the bed, dress, wash your face and brush your enamel, and simply HIT THE ROAD. Make essentially the most of your daylight. And when you head out early, you’ll see locations earlier than they get crowded!
Don’t assume a camper van will prevent cash.
Traveling Iceland by camper van is a highly regarded factor to do. And why wouldn’t or not it’s? Travel the nation on a whim, cease the place you wish to cease every evening.
The drawback is that individuals assume {that a} camper van is a less expensive possibility than staying in funds accommodations. It’s not.
If you worth it out manually, hiring a camper van for, say, 10 days, will work out roughly the identical and even probably greater than a automotive rental and staying in funds accommodations. Keep in thoughts that you just additionally need to pay for campsites, as wild tenting shouldn’t be allowed in Iceland.
Hire a camper van if you need that type of Iceland journey, particularly. Don’t do it since you assume it can prevent cash.
Don’t e-book the Blue Lagoon last-minute.
The Blue Lagoon is the most well-liked attraction in Iceland. As a end result, it books up in a short time, and infrequently sells out utterly.
The Blue Lagoon is situated near Keflavík Airport and a couple of 45-minute drive from Reykjavík metropolis, so I like to recommend visiting the Blue Lagoon both proper while you arrive or proper earlier than you permit. It’s far more handy that approach.
I extremely suggest reserving your slot on the Blue Lagoon at the least a month prematurely, when you’re touring throughout the summer time months. If you’re visiting Iceland within the winter, you will get away with reserving nearer to the date.
Read More: Things People Don’t Tell You About the Blue Lagoon
Don’t solely keep in Reykjavík.
True story — I dated a man who instructed me he had been to Iceland too, and had one of the best time. He went for 2 nights, partied his ass off in Reykjavík, and flew again to New York with out leaving town limits.
Reykjavík is a enjoyable metropolis. Trust me on that. But it’s not what makes Iceland particular. What makes Iceland particular is the pure surroundings. And a bonus — the pure websites are normally free to go to.
This is to not drag individuals who e-book Reykjavík lodging for his or her complete keep — you are able to do that! I’ve completed that 3 times! You do it by reserving numerous cool day journeys, or by renting a automotive and driving your self.
My high suggestions for day journeys from Reykjavik embody the South Coast, the Golden Circle, the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and one thing else that catches your curiosity. I personally liked snorkeling between the tectonic plates at Silfra in Thingvellir National Park; horseback using is enjoyable, too.
Read More: Best Things to Do in Reykjavík, Iceland
More on What NOT to Do:
Planning a Trip to Iceland:
Cool Places to Visit in Iceland:
Have you been to Iceland? What are your suggestions?