Planning your first trip to Iceland is incredibly exciting. One minute, you’re casually looking at flights; the next, you’ve saved 47 waterfalls, three geothermal lagoons, six black-sand beaches and enough driving routes to occupy you for several months.

We know because we did exactly the same thing.

After travelling around Iceland multiple times, in different seasons and conditions, we’ve learned plenty—sometimes through careful planning and sometimes by getting things completely wrong.

These are the practical things we genuinely wish somebody had explained before our first Icelandic adventure. Some could save you money, others will make travelling around the country easier, and a few could prevent an expensive or dangerous mistake.

You can also watch our full video, 17 Things We Wish We Knew Before Visiting Iceland, to hear us talk through every tip.

1. Google Maps doesn’t tell the whole story

Google Maps is brilliant for working out where you’re going and approximately how long a journey should take. We use it constantly in Iceland—but we’ve learned never to treat its estimated arrival time as a promise.

If Google Maps says a journey will take two hours, don’t build an itinerary that depends on arriving exactly two hours later.

You’re in Iceland. You’ll be driving along when an incredible waterfall suddenly appears beside the road. Then you’ll see Icelandic horses, a dramatic mountain or a view so ridiculous that somebody in the car will inevitably shout, “Look at that!”

Hopefully, the next sentence is, “Let’s find somewhere safe to pull over,” rather than simply stopping in the road.

Unexpected sightseeing isn’t the only thing that affects journey times. Snow, ice, high winds and changing road conditions can make journeys considerably slower, particularly during winter. Roads can also close completely.

Before a longer drive, we check Google Maps, the weather forecast and current road conditions. We’ve also become much more comfortable with changing our plans when conditions aren’t right.

Your itinerary isn’t a contract. If the Icelandic weather says no, it’s a no. That waterfall will still be there tomorrow.

2. You probably don’t need much cash

Before our first trip, we ordered Icelandic króna because we assumed that going to Iceland meant we would need Icelandic money.

Do you know how much of it we used?

None.

Iceland is incredibly card-friendly. We’ve paid by card in hotels, restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, petrol stations and attractions. Even very small purchases are completely normal to put on a card.

That doesn’t mean cash is unusable, but we certainly wouldn’t exchange hundreds of pounds before travelling.

What we would recommend is carrying more than one payment method. If your main card is declined, damaged or lost, you don’t want to be stranded at a petrol station miles away from Reykjavík with no other way to pay.

It’s also worth checking whether your bank charges foreign-transaction fees. If you’re tapping your card throughout the holiday, lots of small fees can quickly add up.

3. Choose to pay in Icelandic króna

Sometimes, a card terminal will ask whether you want to pay in pounds or the local currency.

When we’re in Iceland, we choose Icelandic króna—ISK.

This allows our card provider to handle the currency conversion instead of accepting the conversion offered by the payment terminal. Depending on your card, that can provide a better exchange rate and save money across your trip.

Always check the fees and exchange rates associated with your particular bank or card, but don’t automatically choose pounds simply because the amount looks more familiar.

It’s a tiny decision that you may make dozens of times during your holiday.

4. Don’t trust the colour of the fuel pump

If you’re hiring a car or campervan, this is particularly important: never rely on the colour of a fuel-pump nozzle.

You may associate particular nozzle colours with petrol or diesel at home, but Iceland doesn’t necessarily use the same colour system.

Read the label.

Petrol is normally labelled bensín, while diesel is—mercifully—usually labelled diesel.

When you collect your rental vehicle, make absolutely certain that you know which fuel it takes. There may be a label near the fuel cap or inside the vehicle. If you’re uncertain, ask the rental company.

There is nothing embarrassing about asking. Putting the wrong fuel into a rental car, however, could create a very expensive afternoon.

Many Icelandic petrol stations are self-service. Depending on the pump, you may need a payment card and PIN, and you might be asked to select an amount before filling. A temporary pre-authorisation may also appear on your card.

Finally, don’t wait until the fuel warning light appears. Petrol stations can be much farther apart in remote areas. If we’re heading somewhere isolated and have an easy opportunity to fill up, we fill up.

5. Our favourite money-saving hack is surprisingly simple

Prepare yourselves for some groundbreaking travel journalism.

Make a sandwich.

Iceland has a reputation for being expensive, and eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in restaurants every day can quickly destroy your budget.

One of our first stops is normally a supermarket such as Bónus or Krónan. We buy bread, butter, ham, cheese and whatever else we fancy, then make packed lunches for our days on the road.

Many hotel rooms we’ve used have included a small fridge. You should check the facilities at your accommodation—we can’t promise every room in Iceland has one—but when a fridge is available, it’s ideal for keeping drinks, snacks and sandwich fillings chilled.

This explains one of the stranger things you’ll always find in our luggage: a roll of sandwich bags.

We bring them from home, make our lunch in the morning and put it in a backpack. That means we’re not desperately searching for a café, changing our route because we need food or paying restaurant prices for every meal.

Be sensible with anything that must remain chilled, particularly if it will be sitting around for several hours.

And no, we’re not suggesting that you travel to Iceland and eat sandwiches for seven days. Try Icelandic food, enjoy a lovely dinner and treat yourself—we certainly do.

The idea is to save money on the meals you don’t particularly care about, leaving more for the experiences you do.

There’s also something rather lovely about eating a ham-and-cheese sandwich beside an Icelandic waterfall. The lunch might not be Michelin-starred, but the view is probably better.

6. Check supermarket opening hours

Don’t assume a supermarket will be open whenever you arrive.

Opening hours vary between stores and locations, and this becomes particularly important when you travel beyond Reykjavík into smaller towns.

If your plan is, “We’ll get dinner when we arrive,” check first. Look at Google Maps, then confirm the opening hours on the supermarket’s website where possible.

You don’t want to arrive in the evening and discover that the only supermarket closed an hour ago.

When we’re heading somewhere remote, we stock up while we have the opportunity. Drinks, snacks, breakfast food, sandwich ingredients—anything we’re likely to need.

It takes very little planning and can make an Iceland road trip much easier.

7. Buying alcohol works differently

If you enter an Icelandic supermarket looking for the wine and spirits aisle, you might be searching for a while.

Alcohol sales don’t work in the same way as they do in British supermarkets. For alcoholic drinks to take away, you’ll generally need to visit one of Iceland’s dedicated Vínbúðin shops rather than picking up a bottle of wine alongside your bread and cheese.

Many visitors also buy alcohol from the duty-free shop at Keflavík Airport when they arrive.

The important thing is to plan ahead. Don’t assume you’ll be able to wander into the nearest supermarket at any time and find what you want.

8. Respect Icelandic wind

Everyone tells you Iceland can be cold. What people don’t always prepare you for is the wind.

There is cold—and then there is Icelandic wind hitting you sideways cold.

We’ve looked at the temperature, thought it didn’t seem too bad and then regretted that opinion immediately after stepping outside. Wind chill can make conditions feel completely different.

Layers are your friend, along with a good wind-resistant and waterproof outer layer.

The wind isn’t only about comfort. It can affect driving conditions, make travelling unsafe and damage your rental vehicle.

In strong winds, hold firmly onto the car door when opening it, especially in exposed locations. The wind can catch a door incredibly quickly, and you don’t want your most expensive Icelandic souvenir to be a replacement door for your rental car.

We also always pack lip balm. You’ll remember the coat, thermals, hat and gloves, then realise two days into the holiday that the combination of cold air and wind has completely destroyed your lips.

It takes up virtually no room and is absolutely worth bringing.

9. Drink the tap water

Bring a reusable water bottle—or buy one when you arrive.

Iceland has excellent tap water, so there is no need to spend your holiday buying bottle after bottle from shops.

Fill your bottle before leaving your accommodation and take it with you.

One thing occasionally catches visitors by surprise: Icelandic hot water can have a sulphurous, egg-like smell because of the country’s geothermal water supply.

That doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the cold drinking water. Let the cold tap run and enjoy some of the freshest water you’re likely to taste.

10. Download useful Iceland apps before travelling

There are several useful apps and websites that we rely on while travelling around Iceland:

• SafeTravel for safety information, warnings and travel conditions.
• Veður for Icelandic weather forecasts and alerts.
• Parka for parking at supported locations.
• Hello Aurora for Northern Lights forecasts and community sightings.
• Icebreaker for useful Iceland travel tools.

Download them before leaving home. Create any accounts you need, add payment details where appropriate and spend a few minutes learning how they work.

Doing this on your sofa with reliable Wi-Fi is considerably easier than trying to set everything up in an Icelandic car park, in the rain, with 2% battery remaining.

And please don’t look at a small cloudy symbol in your usual weather app and assume everything will be fine. Icelandic weather deserves more respect than that. Check the proper forecast, read any warnings and change your plans when necessary.

11. Never assume parking is free

Just because you’re beside a waterfall—or somewhere that feels like the middle of nowhere—doesn’t mean parking is free.

More Icelandic attractions now have parking charges, while Reykjavík has different parking zones and fees depending on where you leave your vehicle.

Parka can be useful at supported locations, but always read the signs where you are actually parking. Check whether payment is required, which zone you’re in and how you’re supposed to pay.

If you enter your rental vehicle’s registration number, double-check every character. You don’t want to pay for an entirely different car because of one mistyped letter.

Some locations also use number-plate recognition. Take an extra minute when you arrive, read the instructions and deal with the parking before walking away.

A small parking charge is considerably cheaper than a fine afterwards.

And yes, we know that from experience.

12. Check what your hotel booking includes

Depending on how you booked and what was included in the price, you may be asked to pay an additional accommodation or tourist tax when checking in.

Don’t immediately assume something has gone wrong.

Check your booking confirmation and see exactly what was included. If you’re unsure, ask reception to explain the charge.

It’s simply worth knowing in advance so that you aren’t standing at the desk thinking, “Hang on, haven’t we already paid for this?”

13. Ask about an Aurora wake-up service

This is one of our favourite Iceland hotel tips.

If you’re travelling during Northern Lights season, ask your hotel whether it offers an Aurora wake-up service.

Some hotels will alert guests when the Northern Lights become visible overnight. That means you can actually sleep instead of spending six hours staring through a tiny gap in the curtains, wondering whether every cloud has a slightly green tint.

Not every hotel provides the service, so ask when you check in. If yours does, use it.

Being woken by a middle-of-the-night telephone call might not normally sound appealing, but when the person on the other end is telling you that the Northern Lights are outside, you’ll be surprisingly happy to hear from them.

14. Keep your headlights on during the day

When driving on public roads in Iceland, your vehicle’s lights must be on during the day as well as at night.

This improves visibility and safety when conditions change quickly.

Be careful with automatic daytime running lights. Some modern vehicles illuminate the front lights without necessarily switching on the rear lights.

When collecting your rental car, familiarise yourself with the controls and check how to activate the proper lights. If you don’t know, ask the rental company.

That conversation is much easier in the rental-car compound than halfway through a snowstorm.

15. Slow down and don’t try to see everything

It’s easy to begin planning a trip and suddenly find that Reykjavík, the Golden Circle, Vík, Jökulsárlón, Snæfellsnes, Akureyri, Húsavík and the Westfjords have all appeared on a five-day itinerary.

Iceland may look relatively small on a map, but racing around the country and ticking off attractions isn’t how we recommend experiencing it.

Google Maps doesn’t account for every stop. Weather happens. Roads change. You’ll discover places you hadn’t planned to visit.

If you only have a few days, choose an itinerary that gives you enough time to experience the places you’re visiting.

Don’t treat Iceland like a checklist.

We’ve returned multiple times and there are still countless places we haven’t seen. That’s part of the reason we keep going back.

16. Plan around daylight—and give the Aurora time

The difference between Icelandic summer and winter is enormous.

In summer, the days can feel almost endless. In the depths of winter, daylight is limited and needs to become part of your itinerary.

If there are attractions you particularly want to see in daylight, don’t plan only around driving times. Check sunrise and sunset too.

When you have six or seven places to visit but only a small daylight window, something may need to be removed from the plan. That’s fine. We would rather properly experience four places than race between eight and enjoy none of them.

Arriving at the viewpoint you’ve dreamed about for six months after complete darkness has fallen isn’t terribly useful.

The same patience applies to the Northern Lights. If seeing the Aurora is one of your main reasons for visiting Iceland, give yourself several opportunities.

The Northern Lights are never guaranteed. You need darkness, suitable solar activity and enough clear sky. Sometimes everything appears perfect—then the clouds arrive.

Nature hasn’t read your itinerary. Writing “Northern Lights, Tuesday at 9pm” doesn’t mean they’ll cooperate.

Avoid becoming obsessed with one number such as the KP index, too. Aurora forecasting involves much more than a single figure. The longer you have and the more flexible you can be, the better your chances.

17. Claim eligible tax back—and always respect Iceland

Visitors from abroad may be able to reclaim some of the tax paid on qualifying purchases that they take out of Iceland.

Minimum spending and eligibility requirements apply, so check the current rules when you travel. Most importantly, keep your receipts and ask the shop about tax-free shopping when making a qualifying purchase.

You’ll need the correct paperwork and must follow the export-validation process before leaving Iceland. If the relevant goods are packed in checked luggage, you may need to present them before checking the bag in.

Check the current procedure before travelling to Keflavík Airport and leave enough time to complete it.

Our final piece of advice, however, has nothing to do with saving money.

Respect Iceland.

Iceland is remarkably accessible. You can stand beside enormous waterfalls, walk across black-sand beaches, travel through volcanic landscapes and experience places that barely look real.

That accessibility can make people forget that these are powerful natural environments.

The ocean at Reynisfjara doesn’t care that you’re on holiday. The weather doesn’t care that you booked an excursion. A closed road doesn’t care about your itinerary, and a safety barrier hasn’t been installed to spoil your photograph.

If there’s a warning sign, read it. If there’s a barrier, remain behind it. If a road is closed, don’t drive along it. If the forecast says travelling isn’t safe, stay where you are.

We’ve changed our plans because of Icelandic conditions. It can be frustrating when there’s somewhere you desperately want to visit, but no attraction is worth endangering yourself—or the people who may have to rescue you.

Respect the weather, roads, landscape and ocean. If something doesn’t feel safe, change your plans.

Iceland will still be there tomorrow.

What do you wish you’d known?

Those are 17 things we genuinely wish somebody had told us before our first Icelandic adventure.

No matter how many times we return, Iceland always teaches us something new. That unpredictability is occasionally frustrating, frequently humbling and a huge part of why we love the country so much.

If you’ve already visited, what do you wish you’d known before your first trip? Share your advice in the comments—it could genuinely help somebody currently planning their first Iceland adventure.

For more detail, watch our complete video: 17 Things We Wish We Knew Before Visiting Iceland.

You can also explore more honest Iceland travel guides, itineraries and planning resources here on Icelandic Adventure.

Your itinerary doesn’t need to be perfect. Leave space for the unexpected, make sensible decisions and enjoy the journey.

Those unplanned moments often become the ones you remember most.