How many villages: I would advise
five to seven villages on a trip of about ten days. That gives you one or two nights each without turning the trip into a checklist, and it leaves slack for weather. Iceland’s wind, fog and road closures regularly rewrite plans, so a tight schedule collapses fast. Fewer than five and you miss the contrast between regions. More than seven and you are mostly packing and unpacking.
Which kind to prioritize: Match the village to your travel style. Travelers who want
quiet and solitude should lean toward the Westfjords and East Fjords, where you may be the only guest at a guesthouse and the loudest sound is gulls and a fish-processing plant. If you want easy logistics and a social hostel, pick villages on the south coast or north, where services are denser and …
read more 👉 How many villages: I would advise five to seven villages on a trip of about ten days. That gives you one or two nights each without turning the trip into a checklist, and it leaves slack for weather. Iceland’s wind, fog and road closures regularly rewrite plans, so a tight schedule collapses fast. Fewer than five and you miss the contrast between regions. More than seven and you are mostly packing and unpacking.
Which kind to prioritize: Match the village to your travel style. Travelers who want quiet and solitude should lean toward the Westfjords and East Fjords, where you may be the only guest at a guesthouse and the loudest sound is gulls and a fish-processing plant. If you want easy logistics and a social hostel, pick villages on the south coast or north, where services are denser and buses run in summer. Those on a tight budget should favor places with a campsite and a supermarket. Photographers should aim for harbors with working boats and colorful tin houses at dawn.
What it costs: Iceland is expensive, and villages do not escape that. A realistic backpacker budget is US$90 to 150 a day (about 12,500 to 21,000 Icelandic krónur). Campsites cost roughly 2,000 to 3,500 krónur (US$15 to 25) per person, dorm beds 6,000 to 10,000 krónur (US$45 to 75), and a simple meal 2,500 to 4,500 krónur (US$18 to 33). Cooking from the supermarket cuts food costs sharply. Village entry is free, but swimming pools charge about 1,200 to 1,800 krónur (US$9 to 13) and boat tours or whale-watching run 12,000 to 20,000 krónur (US$85 to 145). A rental car or fuel can add US$50 to 100 daily, and regional buses charge by distance, often US$20 to 60 per leg.
Safety and etiquette: The main danger is weather and roads, not crime, which is very low. Check road.is and safetravel.is daily, carry layers and waterproofs, and never drive into a closed pass. Gravel roads call for slower speeds, and sheep wander onto them. Off-road driving is illegal and heavily fined.
Cultural habits matter in small communities. Shower naked before entering a swimming pool, because staff enforce it and locals notice. Respect private land, since many village edges are farmland, and never camp outside designated sites, which is restricted in most areas. Quiet hours are taken seriously, so keep noise down at night. Greet people, even briefly, as villages are small and everyone sees you. Eating at the one local café matters, since it often sustains the whole place.
Book ahead in summer, carry cash backup for a card failure, and keep a full fuel tank. The reward is silence broken by wind, surf and the creak of a harbor.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.