Today’s article is an introduction into a 1-week family traveling to Iceland.
Traveling to Iceland is one of the most exciting trips that you could imagine. A cold island close to the Arctic Circle. It’s mysterious, just like tropical islands, but the opposite. And it’s different from everything I know. For Europeans, it makes an impression, that there is a lot of American influence. And probably vice versa – Americans might see a lot of European breath. Which is not surprising at all – due to Iceland geographical location in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. And the historical fact that first Europeans, landing on the North American coast, were actually Vikings, sailing in from Iceland.
Iceland’s history, the way of life and above all, immense wealth of natural resources and attractions attract more and more tourists. Although Iceland looks pretty small on the world map, one could spend months traveling and sightseeing. Unfortunately, we usually don’t have that much time. The good news is that even in one week you can see a lot. Enough to get really enthusiastic about Iceland and start planning the next trip.
My recommendation to the »Iceland rookies« (those visiting Iceland for the first time and for 1 week) would be to go for a round trip around the island, taking the Route 1. It is 1332km/828mi long ring road that connects most of the principal cities and provides access to many of the land’s attractions.
By taking this trip, you can experience most of the key attractions and also taste a flavor of those places, that you will have to plan for your next visit. Here I have in mind trips to the highlands with its glaciers and volcanos.
When to travel
First challenges, when planning a trip to Iceland, are related to travel means. The timing for the Route 1 trip is pretty much fixed to the high summer season, sometimes between June and mid-September, when daylight is pretty long, the temperature is acceptable, and the roads are guaranteed passable.
How to travel to Iceland?
There are two main transport means that will bring you to Iceland – either flying in or by ferry. Taking a ship is an attractive solution if you are traveling by your own motorhome or car, but usually, this only makes sense for longer trips. For a 1 week trip, you should fly-in. Although there are four larger airports in Iceland, a vast majority of air traffic goes via Keflavik International Airport (KEF), located in the vicinity of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. The airport is well connected with both European and North American destinations, especially in the summer season, including several low-cost airlines; therefore it should not be too difficult to find tickets at a fair price.
Getting around Iceland
The next challenge is to decide how to travel and where to sleep. There are several possibilities, but if you want to go around Route 1 in one week, forget cycling, it’s too slow. Although cycling tourism is quite popular – you can meet many cyclists all around Iceland – I am not too fond of this possibility. If for no other reason, then because of the weather – it’s pretty realistic to expect that it will rain at least for 30% of your trip.
The two good options are renting a motorhome or a car. Beware, car or motorhome rental in Iceland is expensive. Much more than in the US or Europe. The reason for that is a short traveling season – it means that rental companies have to cover the costs for their vehicles in only 3 months per year. However the offer is huge, it’s not too difficult to find a suitable vehicle. Roughly spoken there are 4 possibilities:
- Renting a car and staying overnight in hostels, guesthouses, hotels and mountain huts – very convenient, however, be aware that in high season the demand often outstrips the capacity. Therefore you will have to book early in advance, which means, that you won’t have much flexibility for last minute changes
- Renting a car and staying overnight at campsites. An attractive and affordable mean of traveling. There are plenty of campsites around Iceland, so you will have all the flexibility. Beside that camping sites are not expensive. Especially if you buy a CampingCard. It costs about 150 EUR/$ and provides for the whole family access to more than 40 campsites around Iceland. For those without own camping equipment, there are several outfits in Reykjavik that offer rental of camping equipment. Very nice option, although not my favorite. The reason? Again the weather – I really don’t enjoy packing and unpacking the tent every day, especially if it’s raining.
- Renting a motorhome, and of course staying overnight at campsites. A bit more expensive option, due to the high rental prices for motorhomes in Iceland. But it gives all flexibility and proper shelter from the unstable weather. A good message is that there is indeed a lot of competition. There are several companies (eg. Happy Campers, KuKu Campers, CampEasy) offering motorhomes that are actually customized vans, providing an essential comfort for the more affordable price. Having in mind the width of Icelandic roads, they may even be a better choice than full-size motorhomes.
- Renting an off-road car or motorhome. For sure a relevant option, as 4×4 drive may be beneficial at many Icelandic roads, especially if you want to visit highlands. But it will increase the costs. For 1 week Route 1 trip you don’t necessarily need it.
So, we arrived in Iceland, we decided how to travel and where to sleep. Time to kick-off, the Route 1 is waiting.