Yes, Iceland is one of the easiest countries to backpack independently: English is spoken everywhere, crime is very low, and hostels, campsites and bus stops are clearly signed. The real challenges are cost and weather, not logistics.
Plan on ISK 6,000 to 9,000 (US$50 to 70) for a hostel dorm and ISK 2,500 to 3,500 (US$18 to 25) per person at campsites. Bónus and Krónan supermarkets keep food costs down. Strætó buses link
Reykjavik with
Akureyri (about 6.5 hours) and the south coast to
Höfn, mainly in summer. Check safetravel.is and the road map at umferdin.is before any hike or highland trip, since conditions change within hours.
Most travelers need 7 to 10 days for Iceland to see the south coast and glaciers properly, and about two weeks to circle the country. Five days is enough for one region done well.
With 5 days, stay around
Reykjavik, do the Golden Circle and ride the bus to
Vik (about 3 hours). Ten days lets you continue east to
Skaftafell,
Jokulsarlon and
Höfn, 5 to 8 hours from the capital by bus. The full 1,322 km Ring Road takes 14 to 16 days without a car, and the four-day
Laugavegur Trail adds another 5 to 6 days with transfers.
Yes, you can travel Iceland without a car between June and September, using Strætó buses, highland buses, domestic flights and day tours. In winter the network shrinks and tours carry most of the load.
Strætó route 57 runs
Reykjavik to
Akureyri in about 6.5 hours for roughly ISK 11,000 to 14,000 (US$80 to 100), and route 51 follows the south coast to
Vik (about 3 hours) and on to
Höfn. Summer highland buses reach
Landmannalaugar and
Þórsmörk. Flights to Akureyri, Egilsstaðir and Ísafjörður take 45 to 60 minutes. The Golden Circle has no regular bus, so budget ISK 10,000 to 15,000 (US$75 to 110) for a tour.
The places you shouldn’t miss in Iceland are the Golden Circle, the south coast waterfalls and beaches, and the glacier lagoon at Jokulsarlon. With more time, add the north around Akureyri and Husavik.
Do
Þingvellir and
Gullfoss as a day tour from
Reykjavik, then follow the coast past
Seljalandsfoss to
Reynisfjara near
Vik, about 3 hours by bus.
Skaftafell,
Jokulsarlon and
Diamond Beach sit 5 to 6 hours from the capital. In the north,
Dettifoss and whale watching from
Husavik (ISK 11,000 to 14,000, US$80 to 100) justify the 6.5-hour bus to Akureyri. Hikers should plan 3 to 4 days for the 55 km
Laugavegur Trail.
If you are short on time in Iceland, skip the Westfjords, the highland interior and the far east, which need several days each just for transport. Keep to the southwest and south coast instead.
Hornstrandir requires boat connections from
Ísafjörður and multi-day camping, and
Askja volcano is a long summer-only super-jeep trip from the north. Smaller roadside stops like
Kerid Crater,
Akranes Lighthouse and
Hraunfossar can go if days are tight.
Grindavík has been mostly empty since the Reykjanes eruptions, and access can close at short notice. If the Blue Lagoon’s ISK 11,000 (US$80) entry stings,
Laugardalslaug in Reykjavík gives you hot pots for around ISK 1,300 to 1,600 (US$10 to 12).
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Iceland in seconds. Try it out!
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