Iceland – a historical land of Vikings. Maybe You will not find them in this century, but You
will feel a vibe, and emotions of them.
We prepared a list of things You need to know before traveling to Iceland, so You could have
all the necessary information in one place.
First of all – language. You might think if it would be easy to communicate with the citizens
who have their own language (Icelandic). Absolutely yes, almost everyone speaks English
here, even at the “not-tourist” places.
Transportation – there are not so many options for public transportation, as an example,
there are no trains, and the public bus could be not the best option to reach “must-see”
locations in Iceland. That answers the question “Why is everyone renting cars or campers
here?”.
If You want to save money and time, the best option is to choose a campervan or car with a
roof tent, so You can travel around the land and You do not need to return to Your hotel
every evening.
Weather
The weather is so unpredictable here. Your experience when visiting Iceland can be
completely different depending on what time of year you visit. You’ll probably hear the joke
“if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes!” when you’re in Iceland. Many people think
that Iceland is constantly frozen, but that is not the case. Our recommendation is to plan Your
trip from May to the end of September. Summer is the country’s high season and the most
popular time to come to Iceland. Iceland’s summer weather is milder, the days are longer, and
it’s a truly spectacular time to visit.
The weather in Iceland averages about 54 F (12 C) in summer. It can drop as low as 44 F (7
C) and rise as high as 77 F (25 C).
Mobile connection
Even though Iceland is surrounded by lots of mountains and other special nature, the mobile
connection is pretty good here. Remote and isolated areas may have inferior mobile
reception. If you wish to stay connected for most of your trip, it may be wise to purchase a
prepaid SIM card, which will likely be the cheapest way to use your phone during your stay.
Iceland has three mobile providers – Siminn, Vodafone and Nova – with Siminn providing
the best coverage across the country, especially outside of urban areas.
If you are an EU citizen, you may be able to use your current mobile plan in Iceland
Payment methods
The currency of Iceland is the Icelandic Krona (ISK). While prices are always marked in
ISK, you’ll rarely actually need to pay in cash. Pretty much every shop, restaurant, campsite,
and gas station take a credit card.
Roads
Most of the roads that you will be driving on in Iceland are paved, undivided highways where
the speed limit is 90 kilometres/hour (55 miles/hour). Each direction has just one lane. And

there is often very little shoulder on either side of the road in case you need to pull over or
give an oncoming vehicle more room to pass.
Some safety rules when driving a car in Iceland:
Always keep your headlights on, always wear your seatbelt (including passengers in the front
and back seats), and stay off your cell phone (unless you have a hands-free device). You
should also never drink and drive as you can be charged with a DUI even if your blood
alcohol level is only .05%.
Follow all speed limits around the country. The speed limit in cities is 30 miles/hour (50
km/hour). On highways, it is 55 miles/hour (90 km/hour), and on gravel roads, it is 50
miles/hour (80 km/hour).
F – roads
“F” roads are generally open from the beginning of June through the end of September, but
you’ll be forbidden to drive on them with a 2-wheel drive car, only driving a 4×4 vehicle is
allowed on these roads.
Road tolls
99.9% of Iceland’s roads are toll-free, with only one exception–the Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel.
Journeys should be registered within 3-hours of using the tunnel. Payment must be done
through the web www.veggjald.is.

Water
There’s no reason to ever buy bottled water during your trip to Iceland. The water from every
facet is drinkable and delicious. So be sure to pack a reusable water bottle for your vacation
in Iceland!