Tips for First Time Visit to Iceland
My wife and I visited Iceland for the second time in April, 2026 and drove around the island on the ring road over 10 days. Our first visit was in 2009 and we found many things had changed since then. Here are a few tips if you're visiting for the first time.
- Credit Cards
- Take a credit card that does not charge currency conversion fees. We use the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card. Many establishments will give you the option of paying in US dollars or Icelandic Krona. If you choose US $ they will charge you a 7.5% currency conversion fee.
- If you are renting a car you will need to know the PIN for your credit card to pay at the pump. Otherwise you will need to go into the store and have them turn on the pump and then go back into the store to pay. This is fine for the more "urban" areas, but out in the less populated areas the gas station may be just pumps without any attendants.
If you use a washcloth/facecloth when you shower then take your own. We stayed in AirBnB's and only 1 out of 8 of them provided wash cloths. We ended up buying some from the grocery store. We have found that hotels in Europe don't provide washcloths either.
If you're driving to the "natural" attractions (e.g. Geysir, waterfalls, beaches, glaciers) download a parking app. We used Parka. You will have to pay for parking at many of these locations. Most were 1,000 krona, which is about $8 US.
We visited the abandoned plane on the black beach at Sólheimasandur and walked out and back. This took quite a bit of time and the road was very rough gravel. It was also very windy. If we had it to do over again we would ride the bus.
We stopped in Myvatn on our way to Akureyri to do laundry at a nice little laundromat. We had a fish fry in the same building as we waited for our laundry. There is also a gas station, grocery store, and liquor/beer store in the same area.
If you're visiting Dettifoss in the spring make sure to wear boots. We had to hike through some snow and were glad we didn't wear sneakers like some people did.
If you're driving around Reykjavik you will encounter two lane roundabouts. There is proper etiquette when driving through these roundabouts so you don't anger the locals. You can find instructional videos on Youtube.
If you're in Reykjavik stop at Brauð & Co bakery. They have amazing baked goods especially their cinnamon rolls. Also stop at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur for a hot dog.
I hope this helps. Have a great trip!