15 Essential Tips for Driving in Iceland!

There is sooo much to see in Iceland and there’s no better way than by car! Iceland still has an extremely low population (under 350k!), so the roads are too easy to navigate because, well, there’s literally one main road.

And the best part….. NO traffic! I know all you LA readers are just jumping out of your seats right now!

Iceland is very similar to driving in the USA, but you should definitely note these 15 culture tips/laws to avoid hefty fines & a lot of angry Icelandic drivers, ha! I didn’t read any of these tips online before I went, and I researched A LOT, but I really wish I did because I could have saved myself a lot of hassle.

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1. Get a GPS
   This was the number one tip I read before traveling to Iceland. I did a short, 6 day road trip down the southern coast and was on the main roads almost the entire time. There was only one time where I had a scare of my phone maps not working but other than that, I had service pretty much the entire time!

If you plan to do the entire ring road then I would definitely suggest buying one ahead of time. The service is far more scarce once you start heading towards the east and north side of the island. One thing I want to mention is if you plan to use a GPS, buy one in advance. Car companies will charge you an arm and a leg for a one week rental! I would recommend something like this! 15 Tips for driving in Iceland – Getting a GPS

2. Stop Everywhere
   I know this seems like a DUH statement, but there are so many undiscovered stops in Iceland. I stopped everywhere that had parking and/or people stopped at. Like I said before, there is only one main road along the southern coast of Iceland, so if you stop to check out a spot, it will be very easy to get back on the main road.

I know how tempting it is to rush through your drive because there’s sooo much to see, but take your time, stop and smell the Nootka (literally)! It will be so much more enjoyable, promise.

For example, this picture was at a random Nootka field in the middle of no popular spots! I just pulled over on the side of the road and my goodness, looks like a movie set!