Things to Know Before Visiting Iceland – Practical Visitor Guide

Fylgja Iceland

A practical companion for travelling in Iceland

Written by a resident, not a booking site. Researched pages, live condition tools, and checklists for the small questions that actually come up: can I drive today, what do I pack, how does parking work, where is an open pharmacy.

Arriving Soon? Take These With You.

Two field-tested checklists to help you pack right and land feeling steady.

First 60 minutes in Iceland

  • • Getting to Reykjavík: airport buses and taxis are available
  • • Most cards work; notify your bank before traveling
  • • Tipping is not expected, service is included in prices
  • • Tap water is safe and clean, drink from the cold tap
  • • Alcohol is sold only in state stores (Vínbúðin)

Internet and connectivity

  • • Free Wi-Fi at Keflavík Airport, hotels, cafés, and public spaces
  • • SIM cards and eSIMs available at the airport and in phone or convenience stores
  • • Offline maps recommended for travel

What if something goes wrong?

23 scenarios, calm answers, real phone numbers.

Visit the What If... page →

Not sure where to begin?

If you want the whole trip in order, from deciding when to come to the day you leave, follow Start Here, Iceland step by step. If you only came for one answer, tipping, tap water, Uber, the emergency number, it is probably already in the questions visitors actually ask.

Summer Roadwork: Delays and Closures Ahead

road.is

Road maintenance season is underway across Iceland. Paved roads, gravel sections, and even parts of the Ring Road may be reduced to single lanes or closed for two to four hours at a time. Delays are common, especially in the south and east.

What this means for you:

  • • Check road.is every morning before you set off. Conditions change overnight.
  • • Build extra time into your itinerary. A two to four hour closure can derail a tightly packed day.
  • • Do not rely on yesterday's road report. Construction schedules shift with the weather.

Source: Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration

Who writes this

Fylgja Iceland is a free, independent preparedness guide written by Victoria R, a resident in Reykjavík. It covers arrival and the first 24 hours, packing for real Icelandic weather, driving and parking rules, costs in ISK, pools and the Blue Lagoon, healthcare and pharmacies, safety, and what to do each month of the year, plus live decision tools for road and weather conditions.

Prices, opening hours, and rules are checked against official Icelandic sources and linked so you can verify them yourself. Nothing here is a booking page, and we do not sell tours. Last reviewed: August 2026.

More about Fylgja Iceland and how pages get verified

For people moving to Iceland: yourcompanion.is is the resident side of the same guidance, covering housing, taxes, and daily logistics after the trip ends.

yourcompanion.is

Before you plan a trip to Iceland

Did you know? 85% of homes here are heated by volcanoes, and that is the real reason Iceland has a pool on almost every corner.

Read facts about Iceland →