Visas & entry
Iceland is in the Schengen Area. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can enter with valid ID or passport; many visitors including UK, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders can usually visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day Schengen period, but should verify current rules and passport-validity requirements before travel.
Getting in
- Keflavík International Airport: The real international gateway for nearly everyone. It is about 1–1.5 hours from Selfoss/Hveragerði and roughly 2.5–3 hours from Vík before stops; collect a rental car here rather than treating Reykjavík as a necessary overnight.
- Reykjavík / BSÍ bus terminal: Useful if arriving from Reykjavík or joining a scheduled South Coast or Golden Circle tour. It is the departure point for many coach services, but public transport is not a practical substitute for a car if you want to sleep in several South Iceland bases.
- Landeyjahöfn ferry terminal: The gateway to Heimaey in Vestmannaeyjar. Drive or take a bus connection from the Hella/Hvolsvöllur area; reserve the Herjólfur ferry in advance, especially if bringing a vehicle.
- Höfn Airport: A limited domestic-air option for reaching the far southeast, but not a normal entry point for a South Iceland road trip. Use it only if the current flight schedule suits a one-way itinerary; rental-car supply and onward transport are far thinner than at Keflavík.
Getting around
A rental car is the sensible default: it lets you sleep progressively in Selfoss/Hella, Vík, Skaftafell or Kirkjubæjarklaustur, and Höfn instead of attempting punishing return drives. Route 1 and the Golden Circle are paved and manageable in fair conditions, but wind, ice, sheep, single-lane bridges and sightseeing stops make Google-style drive times optimistic. Buses and day tours work for the Golden Circle and western South Coast, but are poor for a multi-base trip or for Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. Do not take a normal 2WD rental onto F-roads; use a Highland bus or guided super-jeep trip for Þórsmörk, Landmannalaugar and Laki unless you are properly equipped and insured for 4x4 mountain-road travel.
Money
The currency is the Icelandic króna (ISK). Cards and contactless payments work virtually everywhere, including parking machines and small cafés; carry a card with a PIN rather than relying on cash. Tipping is not expected, though rounding up or leaving a small amount for notably good service is fine.
Daily budget · ISK (Icelandic króna). Per person per day, excluding international flights; assumes two adults sharing a double room and rental car. Solo travelers pay materially more.
- Value
- ISK 25,000–45,000 value; ISK 55,000–95,000 comfortable mid-range; ISK 140,000–300,000+ high-end.
- Mid-range
- ISK 55,000–95,000: good guesthouse or 3-star rural hotel, shared rental car with sensible insurance, groceries plus a restaurant meal most days, parking, and an occasional standard paid activity.
- High-end
- ISK 140,000–300,000+: premium countryside hotels, larger 4x4 or private transfers, guided activity most days, and full restaurant dining.
- Value travel at ISK 25,000–45,000 means hostels, basic guesthouses or camping, supermarket and bakery food, a shared compact car, and mostly free sights.
- South Iceland’s budget breakers are accommodation, rental-car insurance, summer availability, and guided glacier, ice-cave, boat or Highland activities—not admission to the headline natural sights.
- July and early August are the expensive period: book rooms, cars and Heimaey ferry space early or expect both higher prices and thin choice.
- Do not rent a 4x4 merely for Route 1 and the standard South Coast. Use a Highland bus or guided transfer for Þórsmörk or Landmannalaugar unless the trip is specifically built around F-road driving.
- Since January 2026, Iceland’s kilometre-based road fee may appear as a daily or mileage charge from rental firms. Compare the final invoice terms, not just the advertised car rate.
- Moving east—Selfoss/Hella to Vík to Skaftafell or Höfn—costs more in hotel changes but saves the false economy of huge return drives, extra fuel and wasted sightseeing days.
Eating well
- Book dinner in Vík and Höfn in summer; both have limited capacity relative to the number of overnight visitors.
- Treat Selfoss and Hveragerði as the practical places to stock up or find broader casual choice, rather than expecting every small South Coast stop to provide late dining.
- Choose a farm, greenhouse or local-produce meal around the Golden Circle if food matters; it is more distinctive than chasing novelty fermented dishes.
- If Höfn is on the route, make langoustine the planned meal rather than an afterthought after a long Jökulsárlón day.
Book before you land
Herjólfur ferry to Heimaey, especially a vehicle space in summer and around the Þjóðhátíð festival · Guided Vatnajökull ice-cave tours in winter · Guided glacier hikes at Sólheimajökull or Skaftafell in summer and holiday periods · Jökulsárlón lagoon boat tours in the summer season · Þórsmörk and Landmannalaugar Highland bus or guided super-jeep transfers in summer
- Do not base yourself in Selfoss and day-trip to Jökulsárlón. Split the trip eastward: Selfoss/Hella, Vík, then Klaustur/Skaftafell or Höfn.
- Check road.is and vedur.is every day in winter and whenever winds are forecast. A route that was open at breakfast can become unsafe or closed later.
- At Reynisfjara, warning lights and signs are not theatre: stay well back from the water, never turn your back on the sea, and do not climb onto wet rocks for photos.
- Fuel up before long stretches and do not assume late-night food outside Selfoss, Vík and Höfn. Smaller bases have limited restaurants, particularly outside summer.
- Paid parking is common at major natural sights. Pay where required; enforcement is routine and the charge is cheaper than a penalty.
- Highland roads are seasonal and conditions-led, not merely rough scenic routes. River crossings can invalidate rental insurance, so most visitors should use a specialist transfer rather than gamble with a rental car.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this region.
Season by season
December–February
Days are extremely short around December, and wet wind, ice and intermittent road closures matter more than the near-freezing temperatures; build spare nights into any eastbound itinerary.
ice caves near Vatnajökullguided glacier tripsaurora attemptsquieter hotels
The Highlands are closed, self-driving can become stressful quickly, and fixed same-day connections after a long drive are a bad bet.
March–May
March still behaves like winter, but April and May bring rapidly lengthening days, powerful snowmelt waterfalls and mixed conditions ranging from sun to sleet.
value-minded self-drivesGolden CircleSouth Coast waterfallsphotography
The paved main routes are usually viable, but weather remains volatile and Highland roads normally stay closed until mid- or late June.
June–August
Expect cool rather than warm weather—commonly about 7–15°C—but near-endless daylight, the main Highland-access window and the fullest choice of tours and ferries.
Highlands hikingÞórsmörk and Landmannalaugarpuffins on Heimaeylong self-drive itineraries
July and early August bring the highest prices and heaviest demand for rooms, rental cars, ferries and tours; visit headline stops early or late to dodge coach crowds.
September–November
September retains useful daylight and often makes the best balance of lower crowds, autumn colour and possible northern lights; by October and November, storms, early snow and shrinking daylight take over.
road trips without Highland ambitionsphotographyaurora attemptsquieter South Coast travel
September and October are not empty, while November is a poor choice for travelers who need dependable driving, open tours or stable schedules.
Events worth planning around
Þjóðhátíð festival · Usually the first weekend of August · Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar
The island shifts from a relaxed fishing town to a heavily booked party destination. Reserve ferry seats, vehicle space and accommodation far ahead—or avoid the dates if that is not your reason for going.
What to eat
Eat South Iceland as farm-and-coast country, not as a hunt for Icelandic shock food: lamb, dairy, rye bread, greenhouse vegetables, fish and shellfish are the point. Use Selfoss/Hveragerði for practical choice, seek farm or greenhouse meals around the Golden Circle, and save a proper seafood dinner for Höfn.
Höfn langoustineIcelandic lambDairy products from the lowland farm beltGeothermal rye breadGreenhouse-grown vegetablesFresh fish and coastal seafoodRiver and lake fish
Golden Circle and geothermal lowlands: Farm dairy · Lamb · Geothermal rye bread · Greenhouse-grown vegetables · River and lake fish
Höfn: Langoustine · Shellfish and seafood
Þorlákshöfn and the south-coast lowlands: Fresh fish · Coastal seafood