“When you open the car door” the attendant at the car rental kiosk said with his stern blue eyes “Make sure you hold the door with both your hands”
My husband nodded his head but I could read his mind
“What on earth did I sign up for?” were the sum of his thoughts in that moment
“Our winds can get pretty violent here, so you’ll want to make sure you’re holding the doors tight, because they can blow off.”
And with that warning he gave us the keys to our rental, and off we were on the journey from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik.
I’ve never seen my husband nervous about getting behind a wheel. His dad was once a driving instructor, a really great one at that, so driving was second nature to him.
But as we walked towards the car he turned to me, and asked “Are we crazy?”
Iceland is the kind of place where you have to take weather warning serious. Nature runs the show, and it doesn’t make any exceptions for its adoring tourists.
We knew this going into the trip, but it’s one thing to read about it, and a totally different thing to live it.
The truth, at least from my experience, is if you’re experiencing Iceland on a bit more of a budget, and you’re not visiting in the middle of winter, Iceland is a place you can absolutely drive through yourself. It really depends on how comfortable you are navigating changing weather and long stretches of open road.
Iceland’s main routes are well maintained, signage is clear, and outside of Reykjavík there is very little traffic. Instead of busy highways, most of your drive is spent moving slowly through wide valleys, lava fields, and waterfalls suddenly appearing beside the road.
As luck would have it, we were blessed with a beautiful day. Peaks of sunshine, light winds, and weather so mild we didn’t even need our jackets.
The drive to Vík í Mýrdal, often simply called Vik, is one of the most popular routes in the country. Along the way you pass some of Iceland’s most famous landmarks, including Seljalandsfoss (the waterfall you can walk behind) and Skógafoss, a 200ft gentle giant.
There’s also the dramatic coastline near Reynisfjara, where strong Atlantic waves crash against volcanic black sand and towering basalt columns rise from the shoreline. Today, parts of the beach have become restricted due to dangerous sneaker waves, which makes me feel especially grateful I had the opportunity to run across it’s shores.
As lucky as we were, the warnings we heard at the car rental desk were not exaggerated. While we didn’t experience it ourselves, we heard many stories from other travellers and locals that the wind in Iceland is no joke. In stronger conditions, gusts can reach speeds that actually make opening a car door dangerous.
In other words, Iceland is a place where preparation matters.
Practical Tips for Driving in Iceland
If you’re considering renting a car, here are a few things that helped us:
Check the weather before every drive.
The Icelandic weather service provides excellent updates, and conditions can change quickly.
Watch for wind warnings.
Strong winds are one of the most common causes of car damage in Iceland, especially when opening doors.
Take your time.
Distances in Iceland can look short on a map, but you’ll want to stop constantly. Waterfalls, cliffs, lava fields, and glaciers appear almost without warning.
Pay attention to sunset hour
Driving back to Reykjavik in the dark can be overwhelming for drivers who didn’t take this into consideration.
Travel Tip
If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, I always recommend renting your car ahead especially if you’re travelling in the summer, when tourism peaks.
The case for driving yourself through Iceland.
There’s something uniquely freeing about driving through the primordial looking landscapes of Iceland. The freedom of being able to stop whenever you want will allow you to mould the experience exactly the way you want to.
Of course, nothing beats being chauffeured. But when it comes to Iceland, you’ll value the option to hit the breaks and take it all in as often as you like, without having to ask.
After all, it’s the most beautiful place on earth in my humble opinion. Even when you’re simply looking through the windshield, not stopping at a waterfall or pulling over for photos, the view ahead feels extraordinary.
Which makes it easy to understand why people fall in love with this place.
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