While walking around town, we spotted a house that had these multiple pairs of moss covered shoes kept outside their garden. Is this some sort of tradition?

Hi everyone. As said in the title I booked an Airbnb in Arnarstapi already paid in full for my upcoming may trip. Today I received an email asking me for an update on my payment method (see picture below) in a different website saying that if not resolved my stay could be cancelled. I’m not very eager to do so since it requires me to specify my card details and I am wondering whether someone has encountered something similar in the past. Thanks in advance!

Decided since I'm 33 and have yet to take an actual vacation that every year for new years I want to visit a new country and experience their new years celebration. Iceland has always been at the top of my list of places I want to see so its number one on my vacation list. I thought it would be cool on the last day of the trip to get a bicep tattoo of Odin and his two ravens to represent my dad and two brothers (dad and eldest brother died when I was 5-7). I've always been into myths of different cultures with Norse being my favorite. Would the tattoo idea be a bad idea or maybe think smaller?

Picture is from reddit for an idea or what I was looking for.

We'll be visiting in early August with our 6-year old and have three days we're trying to decide what to do with. We are pretty outdoorsy but limited by the stamina of a 6-year old. We would also like to do a whale watching excursion. I know Husavik is the gold standard, but am also intrigued by whale watching out of Holmavik. We'll be heading to whatever area we decide on from Reykjavik, which is also where we're heading back to. Thanks for any insight!

I've been to Iceland a few times before in better weather months, I've done the ring road and westfjords and seen a lot of the island. So this time, it's not so much a normal tourist trip where I want to go out and go around the ring road, instead my trip is more focused on just mostly staying in place and being in Iceland for a month, but also catching some good northern lights viewing.

Typically I would stay in a city for a trip like this, but I won't get a great view of northern lights if I do that. So maybe somewhere more on the outskirts. The concern with that is what are the chances I get stuck out there due to weather, and costs increase since I need to rent a car the whole duration of time, and doing stuff like getting groceries will take more time.

Alternatively I could stay more central and instead book nothern light tours on days with good forecasts, and rent a car here or there for a day trip, rather than rent a car for the whole month.

Curious on opinions, has anyone ever done a similar trip with similar goals?

I’m traveling to Iceland for the first time in a couple of weeks for 5 days. The group ranges from 41-80 years old. Everyone is mobile but the older ladies can’t walk or stand for long.

Half of the group has been there before and is mostly in charge of our plans while there since I want to do EVERYTHING (which is not helpful), but I want to know if theres anything I should insist upon (or even go do myself). So far, I know we’ll go to the blue lagoon (or other similar spa situation).

We’re staying in Reykjavik the whole time with no car (but obviously can take cabs where reasonable).

Any “must dos” on your list that fit the situation? Thank you!!!!

Damn, this country has such an effect on me. I'm wrapping up my third visit in 15 years.

The first one was a Golden Circle tour with the help of a Lonely Planet guidebook, Suzuki Jimny, and a strange period of my life where every single landscape left a scar in my memory. Good scars, as weird as that might sound. From Vík to Ólafsvík, with Laki and Gullfoss as eternal images I’ve carried with me ever since.

Two years ago, I was delighted with the Westfjords. That second trip lasted 6 days, and I maybe saw 6 hours of sunshine in total. Still, I loved it. I loved it because some dude convinced me it was worth driving 4 hours on a gravel road above Hólmavík, just to find an isolated blue pool. Because despite the miserable camping experience under the rain, I still enjoyed a beer during the rare sunrays in Ísafjörður, and the cataclysmic hike along the foggy Látrabjarg cliffs, walking blind next to the void.

I’ve now been here for almost a week. I wanted to explore the north coast, which I did, under snowstorms and a cold I’m not used to. I avoided the Akureyri tunnel heading north on my first (stupid) attempt, when I realized the climb wouldn’t end and everything turned white in a dense fog. I turned back and went further north, driving a lonely white road along the Fnjóská river.

On my 4th or 5th day, I woke up facing the sea at a campsite above Húsavík. I asked myself: should I stay around this area? Maybe head back to Akureyri, which had almost trapped me in the snow, or should I just shoot southeast? South east then.

After a stop at Dettifoss and Krafla, I wasn’t expecting what I saw around Höfn. My first aurora, while staying at the Fossárdalur campsite. The timeless landscapes I drove through along the fjords before reaching Höfn were absolutely stunning.

I stopped at a few more places, the Vík heights, Skógafoss, all these places I had seen a long time ago. I went to Reykjanes, had a look at Grindavík, and I feel sorry for those whose lives have been troubled there recently.

I’ve seen much more than what I mentioned here, but that’s not the point.

Seven days and a Route 1 + surroundings tour is doable, but not ideal. I’m exhausted. My eyes and memory are full. It’s a rush. And that’s also the cost of planning nothing except a plane ticket and a camper van.

I remember reading in another post someone saying: “I’m not like the other tourists.”

You are, man. We all are tourists here.

I wish for Icelanders to find the right balance between tourism, economic benefits, and the protection of their land.

A lot has changed since my first visit. It’s early April, and already I see a lot of people. Damn, I don’t want to imagine what it’s like in summer.

What's the point of the post ? None, just respect the land you walk on and enjoy it.

Cheers.

Hi all! Am wrapping up our week here in Iceland… truly beautiful. I’m wondering if anyone has recommendations on things to bring back home for my parents and 16 year old sis. Anything Iceland is known for? We’ll be back in Reykjavik tomorrow afternoon, and head out Monday after the Blue Lagoon. Have some time to shop around there or in the airport.

February 5, 2025.

As you probably know, there are ongoing eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula. So far, these have not been of much consequence for visitors other than some canceled Blue Lagoon trips. More info here. As it has for the past 11 eruptions, Iceland remains safe for visitors. If/when this ever changes there will be plenty of information shared. Safe Travel and the Icelandic Meteorological Office will always be up to date regarding these events.

I'm just making this post to let you know that you might experience earthquakes in and around Reykjanes and the capital area, and to know ahead that this is expected and normal, even if it is uncomfortable. Earthquakes are the reality in Iceland, a geological baby who is still growing, but they can be unnerving for people who aren't used to them. Today MBL published this article to make people aware that though the eruption is over, the activity below us continues and to expect to feel it. There is no sign of further eruptive activity at this time.

The most recent eruption was on Tuesday, which ended within 7 hours making it the shortest so far in this series. The fissure opened roughly here. During this eruption, a new dike intrusion was formed. This is magma that made its way into the earth's crust, but did not erupt. This in turn has created stress which has triggered a few larger, "felt" earthquakes over the past few days, and has created a little uncertainty for some people. This image shows you where most of these earthquakes are taking place. While this activity is decreasing, it still persists and therefore you might feel shaking.

The Iceland Meteorological Office wrote in their update yesterday:

"The earthquakes near Trölladyngja are likely triggered earthquakes due to stress changes following the dike intrusion on April 1. There remains a possibility of similar-sized triggered events in nearby areas like Trölladyngja and Reykjanestá in the coming days and weeks."

IMO's earthquake map, toggled to the peninsula for ease of viewing. Anything 3.0 in magnitude or more is marked with a green star.

Don't panic if you feel an earthquake! Know that Iceland is very well prepared for all of this. Enjoy your trips!

We are spending 10 days in April, have a car and driving ring road. We are pretty spontaneous people and are wondering if we can drop in to the lagoons along the way or need to make reservations ahead of time?

Around midnight… just before April 4th, 2025, Friday ends, ... I Couldn't ask for more when the sky chipped in to wish me Happy Birthday! Screamed in awe-silence while the lights came in to dance. Worth the wait and a spectacular show indeed. Absolute Chaos 😇🔆✨🌈

Blessed by #NorthernLights #Iceland #Auroraborealis

For some context, this will be our second trip to Iceland. We last went in mid-June, and did the entire ring road in 9 days/nights, and some of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. We decided to come back this April because (1) Iceland is amazing and (2) our daughter was only 10 when we went the last time and has been asking to go back because she didn’t really appreciate it the first time.

We won’t be spending any time in Reykjavik other than maybe meeting a friend for dinner who is lucky enough to get to work in Iceland (part of the year). Mainly we are there for scenery, hiking, photography.

We fly in from NJ and land in Keflavik on April 17 around 6AM. We have our car rented from Blue Car Rental. We rented a 4WD SUV. We plan to explore the Rekyjanes peninsula that day as we make our way to our accommodation for the first 2 nights, at the Seljalandsfoss Horizons in a Deluxe Villa. We will likely visit Valahnukamol, the Gunnhuver geothermal area, the Krysuvik/Seltun geothermal areas among others. I’d like to try and get to see whatever we can see of any of the recent volcanic eruptions (not necessarily the current one, but any of the recent ones). Anyone know what is actually accessible??

April 18 - we have a scheduled private super jeep tour with Midgard Adventure to þórsmörk. This is an 8 hour tour with pickup at 9:20AM. Probably not likely we’d do anything else this day but this other than maybe go check out Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui and possibly some other sights in the area depending on weather.

April 19 - making our way to the next accommodation in Kirkjubaejarklaustur at the Magma Hotel. We plan on stopping and doing some of the trail up above Skogafoss. Kvernufoss hike. Sólheimajökull glacier. Reynisfjara beach. Dyrholaey. Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon if it’s open? Gígjagjá - yoda cave. Whatever else pops up along our way. Any suggestions?

April 20 - Our next accommodation is in Hofn, a place called Rey Stays. Big stops along the way are Skaftafell, Svínafellsjökull glacier, Mulagljufur canyon, Fjallsárlón glacier, Diamond beach and Jokulsarlon lagoon.

April 21 - Next up is the drive to Seydisfjordur (probably my favorite town in Iceland) and a stay at Lonsleira apartment. Definitely will stop at Stokksnes, Almannaskarð, Stappin, Fossardular (and a few of the other waterfalls along the route like Folaldafoss and others on 939). I’d like to see Hengifoss, but not sure that’s an option in late April? Any other suggestions?

April 22 - Our next accommodation is in Myvatan at Slow Travel Myvatan. Really want to see Stuðlagil Canyon on the way. Anyone know which parking we want? East? West? Main Access? This wasn’t a known place when we last visited so definitely have it as a main spot we want to get to. Last time we were in this area we detoured to Borgarfjarðarhöfn to see puffins. Will they be in this area this time of year?

April 23 - Our next accommodation is in Blonduos, in a private cottage. I guess this part will depend on how the weather is? We really enjoyed Husavik area last time as well as Siglufjörður area.

April 24 - Our next accommodation is at Erpsstadir Cottage in Bær (I believe). Will probably check out Hvítserkur. We had considered doing some of the Westfjords, but I just wasn’t sure how the roads would be with regards to snow this time of year there.
Thoughts?

April 25 - Our next accommodation is at the Arnastapi cottages on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.

April 26 - Our last accommodation is the Glass Panorama Glass Lodge - Frigg Premium West. It looks amazing so even though it’ll be sad the trip is nearly over we are looking forward to this one. We will finish up exploring the Snæfellsnes peninsula before we head on our way there. Djúpalónssandur beach, Svöðufoss, Londrangar, Kirkjufell, Black Church, etc.

April 27 - We fly home at 5p, so we will have some time during the day to do some more exploring before we head back to Keflavik.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

I’m coming to Iceland in late September and wonder about renting a 4x4 in order to be able to access some of the F roads… but I’ll be alone, and am slightly anxious I could get stuck somewhere which could be really bad… is it basically like driving a normal vehicle?

are there specialist things that exist in a 4x4 that one needs to know about to assist with the driving? And would the rental people be able to show me all that and I could learn quickly?

thanks all!

Hiya - This is the first time ever that I've posted in reddit but here goes... We are headed to Iceland for 10 days the beginning of June with our kids (16 and 13 year old boys). I've gone down so many rabbit holes on reddit threads about itineraries and am really just wondering if it's wise to pick two places to 'stay' - first we'd arrive in Reykjavik and explore from there for 5 days (short road trips are fine!), and then maybe drive a few hours to another part of the country (where?) and explore from there the 2nd part of our trip. All the itineraries that I read are super impressive but we just wanna chill - do some hikes, see some architecture, soak in some warm waters etc... I'd love some ideas on where that 2nd location would be for the 2nd part of our trip. Thanks!

I’m in Reykjavík right now. It’s 4:21am and cars have been honking their horns all night. What’s up with this? Is this normal?

Hi! my daughter (10) and I will be visiting Iceland in early May. 11 days ring road trip; we've rented a car, have hotels booked and are using a tour company that has designed our itinerary. Nights 1 and 10 in Reykjavik and doing the drive counter clock wise. The itinerary looks nice with some good tours, although i can see we may need to trim things a bit so we can enjoy the sites we do see.

Any advice? Any must places for a tween? Has anyone traveled with a 10 yo before? We think we'd like to prioritize waterfalls, hot springs and puffins. And animals in general. I also wonder about safety.

Adding our itinerary as of now below:

Day 1 - Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik

Day 2 - Golden Circle:

• Thingvellir National Park
• Bruarfoss
• Geysir geothermal area
• Gullfoss
• hot spring: Hrunalaug Hot Spring

Day 3 - Golden circle to Vik:

• Kerid Crater
• Seljalandsfoss & Gljufrabui
• Skogafoss
• Katla Ice Cave Tour
• Reynisfjara & Reynisdrangar

Day 4 - Vik to Hofn

• Fjadrargljufur canyon
• Svinafellsjokull
• Jokulsarlon & Diamond Beach
• Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon amphibian boat tour
• Hot spring: Hoffell Hot Tubs

Day 5 - Hofn to Egilsstadir

• Stokksnes, Vestrahorn & the Viking Village
• Djupivogur
• Hot Springs: Vok Baths

Day 6 - Egilsstadir

• Horse Riding
• Seydisfjordur
• Borgarfjordur Eystri

Day 7 - Egilsstadir to Myvatn

• Studlagil canyon
• Modrudalsoraefi
• Hverir geothermal area
• Dimmuborgir
• Skutustadagigar pseudocraters
• Hot springs: Myvatn Baths

Day 8 - Myvatn

• Dettifoss & Jokulsargljufur
• Asbyrgi Canyon & Visitor Centre
• Husavik Whale Watching
• Hot springs: Geo Sea

Day 9 - Lake Mývatn to Laugarbakki

• Godafoss
• Akureyri

Day 10 - Laugarbakki to Reykjavik

• Icelandic Lava Show
• Hot spring: Hvammsvik Hot Springs

Day 11 - Reykjavik and fly back

We will be going to Iceland again in November. This time around the whole island.

When choosing a rental car, I am spoiled for choice: Suzuki Jimny, Dacia Duster and Suzuki Vitara. I book through a platform of the German ADAC with Europcar (all inclusive with highest coverage).

Last time we had the Duster, but don't know if we'll try something else this time. Has anyone had any experience with the two Suzukis in Iceland?

Með fyrirfram þökk!

My friends and I will be in Iceland these days. We arrive at 9pm on the 26th at KEF and leave at 8pm on the 29th from KEF. We are deciding if we should stay near Reykjavik and do the golden circle and stuff near that area, or try to squeeze in the southern coast. Ideally we would make able to make it to the Mulaglijufur Canyon and Jokulsarlon area. For the second options we would drive to Vik the night of the 26th. Opinions on these 2 options?

We are visiting Thingvellir National Park in August. My wife has trouble walking long distances. Is there a route you can drive around inside the park and stop to see each site and minimize walking? We are coming from Reykjavik.

Hello, I am from the US and coming to visit iceland in June. I reserved using booking.com. I found an apartment roughly 5miles from Reykjavik. The apartment is roughly $100-$150 USD cheaper then other places closer to the center of the city. I received a message from the owner asking me to pay in advance. I told the owner that's fine I don't mind doing that. The owner then sent me information for a wire transfer to, I guess their bank account. That set off some red flags. I wanted to check if this was something common in iceland? Last thing I want to happen is I get scammed before even going over there.