Planning an Iceland trip and don't know where to start?
Six questions, in the order they matter: when, how long, who with, budget, car or tours, where to sleep. We point you to the answer for each one.
Plan B for Iceland: what to do when the weather, the roads or your tour changes your plans
Plan B, plan C, plan Z
Nobody can predict Icelandic weather, and anyone who says otherwise is selling something. What we can do is prepare you for the moment it changes. Find what went wrong, then take the next step.
Last checked by a resident on .
The weather turned
You woke up to wind, rain or a warning, and the day you booked no longer looks sensible.
Plan A
Check what today actually allows before cancelling anything. The verdict also tells you how to dress for the tour you already booked.
What can I do today? →Plan B
Read the warning properly. Yellow and orange mean different things here, and one of them is not a reason to lose a day.
How to read an Icelandic warning →Plan C
Move the day indoors without wasting it. Pools, halls, food and quiet places that hold up in bad weather.
Things to do when the weather says no →
The road looks bad, or closed
You have a car, a booking somewhere else, and no idea whether setting off is a mistake.
Plan A
Get one plain verdict for the exact place you are driving to: Go, Caution, or Not today.
Can I drive today? →Plan B
Look at the official road picture yourself, including the mountain passes that close before the towns do.
Is my road open? →Plan C
Leave the car parked and let someone else drive. Buses, tours and the honest cost of each.
Getting around without driving →
Your day collapsed and you need a new one
A tour cancelled, a road closed, or you simply have an empty day and no energy to research it.
Plan A
Take a ready-made day built around real conditions, not a wish list.
Day plans →Plan B
Stay close to Reykjavík and keep the driving short. Still a full day, far less risk.
Close to the city →Plan C
See what is actually happening this week: matches, concerts, closures, holiday hours.
This week in Iceland →
The Northern Lights night is not cooperating
Apps disagree, the sky is cloudy, and you are deciding whether to drive out or stay in.
Plan A
Work through the stay-or-go decision: roads first, driver confidence second, cloud third, the aurora number last.
Should I chase tonight? →Plan B
If the drive is the risky part, check it before you commit to a dark road.
Can I drive today? →Plan C
Know how much true darkness you even get on your dates before you plan a chase at all.
Daylight calendar →
Flights, layovers and the day you leave
A delay, a short connection, or a departure day with hours to fill and a bag to carry.
Plan A
Do the time maths before you book anything into a layover. Most regret starts here.
Layover reality check →Plan B
Handle the leaving day properly: luggage, refunds, last stops, airport timing.
Leaving Iceland →Plan C
If something has genuinely gone wrong, this is who to call and what to say.
Emergency and help →
It is costing more than you planned
The card keeps going and you are quietly worried about the rest of the trip.
Plan A
See the honest ISK picture for the days you have left, including the buffer nobody budgets for.
Cost reality check →Plan B
Cut the two costs that quietly eat budgets here: eating out and fuel.
Shops and eating for less →Plan C
Cards, tipping, VAT refunds and the fees that surprise people at the till.
Money and payments →
Why this page exists
Most Iceland disappointment is not caused by bad weather. It is caused by having only one plan. Locals never leave the house with one plan in winter, and visitors are rarely told that. Everything here is free, and every verdict comes from official sources, Vegagerðin for roads and Veðurstofan for weather, read the way a resident would read them.