15 Insider Iceland Travel Tips

So, you are coming to Iceland and, most likely, it’s your first time. So you get the most out of your Iceland trip, we’ve assembled 15 important insider travel tips - the little details that can make your travels easier and that much better.

1. Bring an electrical outlet adaptor for you laptop, phone and other devices. It doesn’t have to be one of those fancy and expensive power converters, just one of the basic adaptors that will plug into an Icelandic outlet, which has two round holes. These adaptors are also available in the duty free shop at the international airport if you forget or are unsure what to buy.

2. All Icelanders speak English. Other common languages are Danish, Norwegian, German, French, Swedish and Spanish.

3. Most travellers DO NOT need a visa to travel to Iceland, just a valid passport.  If you want to double check, here’s a link to an official list of countries that can enter Iceland without a visa. 

4. You will be arriving at Keflavik International Airport which is about a 45 minute drive outside Reykjavik (the capital city). You can take a bus to the city for about $15.  They leave every 15 minutes or so.

5. If you are interested in flying within Iceland, like to Akureyri or Egilsstadir, you will be flying Air Iceland which is located right next to Berjaya Reykjavik Natura Hotel in central Reykjavik.

6. If you are going to be doing any hiking, bring good quality hiking shoes. Iceland’s terrain ranges from soft (but often damp) moss to lava fields that will put your shoes to the test.

7. Don’t bother bringing an umbrella. Iceland is often quite windy and, we don’t mean breezy.  We mean “turning your umbrella inside out windy.”  We wouldn’t want you blowing away.

8. Brings waterproof and windproof layers. And, bring wool socks and a hat or beanie even if you are coming in summer. Iceland isn’t called Ice-land for nothing.

9. If you enjoy watching movies, bring your laptop and your own DVDs or plan to rent from i-Tunes. Most Iceland hotels have televisions but programming is pretty limited and most don’t offer much of a selection of movie rentals. Also Netflix is currently blocked in Iceland.

10.  Night and Day.  In the winter, Iceland has limited daylight.  In the summer, Iceland has very long days.  This is because of its high latitude. For summer travellers, consider bringing eye masks for sleeping.

11. Bring a swimsuit. What?!  Yup. Iceland has dozens and dozens of super-clean, geothermally-warmed swimming pools. Most of these facilities are more like water parks with slides, wading pools, hot tubs, steam rooms and more.

12. Don’t bother bringing a bunch of cash to convert into krona (Iceland’s currency).  You can use your credit or debit cards everywhere - and we mean everywhere.

13. If you want to buy alcohol, the only place to buy it (other than at bars) is at the state run Vin Bud. They do have a website but it's almost entirely in Icelandic. Ask a local for a nearby location.  They are all closed on Sunday.

14. Just to be sure, bring your own pain relievers and such. There are drug stores in Iceland, of course, but there are times and dates when they may not be easy to find and they may not be always open when you need something.  

15. There’s no tipping in Iceland. Don’t even bother, no one is expecting a tip.

There you go folks, 15 insider tips.  We hope they help. Enjoy your stay in Iceland!  Cheers from Berjaya Hotels, Iceland's premiere family of hotels with locations in Iceland's prime locations including two in Reykjavik: Berjaya Reykjavik Natura Hotel and Reykjavik Marina.