Visit Iceland - 5 Things You Will Love & Hate about Visiting Iceland

Visiting Iceland & Not Sure What to Expect? Here we have the Best & Worst of Visiting Iceland for tourists & Travelers. Whether you are heading the fjords, searching for Puffins or enjoying the Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik these 5 Love & Hates should help you enjoy a better tourist experience & adventure in Iceland.
5 Things You Will Love & Hate about Visiting Iceland
Hate #1. You will need to rent a car to experience Iceland. The country is sparsely populated and has limited public transport. There are a number of tourist agencies that can help you, but your best bet is to rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle and explore Iceland on your own.
Hate #2 Lack of accommodation. Iceland is getting better with more guest houses and hotels opening around the country, however the tourist boom has made it tough to find some accommodation during peak summer season so make sure you book early.
Hate #3. The distances between gas stations and service areas. Best bet is to have extra food in the car and always top up your gas tank when you can if you are doing the Golden Circle drive all around the island.
Hate #4. The temperamental Icelandic weather. Bring layers as even in the summer it can be very cool in Iceland. Also, with midnight sun in the summer and little daylight in winter sleeping times can be a challenge.
Hate #5. Iceland is expensive. Food, lodging, etc. can be very expensive in Iceland. Flights are a good deal though.
Love #1. The otherworldly beauty of Iceland. Iceland is a travel photographer’s paradise. Waterfalls, glaciers, icebergs, puffins, mountains, fjords, just so much natural beauty.
Love #2. The Icelandic People are amazing. The people are very friendly, helpful, speak great English and the country in a whole is very safe.
Love #3. Visiting The Blue Lagoon or another Hot Thermal Spa. Iceland has amazing swimming pools and calming hot thermal spas that everyone to Iceland must visit.
Love #4. The Amount of Outdoor Activities Available for Tourists. From whale watching, mountain climbing, watching iceberg flows,
Love #5. How environmentally friendly visiting Iceland can be. Whether it is locally sourced food or clothes or how they work on sustainable strategies the environmentally friendly Iceland you see is amazing.
Filmed in Iceland
Copyright Mark Wolters 2016

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[nwsv]

Please be aware that a lot of the "hot pots" are on private ground and a kind of a sanctuary for the family that owns the land.
Recently a lot of these places have been littered by tourists passing by and leaving their trash behind. Please be respectful while exploring.

[bruce]

You don't need a car, and you don't need a tour group. You can take regular public bus routes across the country and they always stop at the top sights anyway. Renting works but it is not required.
Also, wool in Iceland is usually not dyed; instead, they sort the wool by the natural color of the sheep. So all those cool patterns you see tells you that that farm has different sheep in all of those specific colors.

[hallaroundtheworldtravelac]

Without doubt the most amazing trip of my life! There's so many places in the world I want to visit that I rarely visit the same place twice, but Iceland I would visit again and again. It's magical.

[maroulio]

Been there 8 times in the last 23 years- it has changed a lot with all the hype about it the last few years but I still love it.

[AnnaDaisybird]

I'm so glad you made this video. We have been considering an Icelandic holiday for a while and I think you tipped the scales in favor of touring this beautiful country. Thanks so much!

[dfdbbrb]

You are truly blessed man with your wonderful family.

[DriverM]

Just got back. Scenery is absolutely amazing, feels like you've been transported to a different planet sometimes. The only two things that are difficult is the ridiculous prices for everything (at the very least, stay in a place were you can cook your own food) and tourists that can't drive safely on Iceland's roads. Beautiful place.

[Sarge]

Absolutely love your videos, your tips about the different countries are priceless. Please do more about Iceland!

[Dyrlingur]

Thank you for making this beautiful video of my country.

[billmartin]

Just found out 14 days in Iceland cost me $6000 CDN.  That's a medium sized campervan rental, gas, excludes flights, minimal shopping, a few beers, cooking my own food from grocery stores, and campground fees for 1 person.  Add to this, bumping elbows with tourists at nearly every corner of the country and brushed off by almost every local I met.  Would I go again?  Definitely not.  Don't get me wrong, the scenery is beautiful, just like in all the photos. It's a photographers paradise.  But the country has been flooded with tourism to the point of excess. Iceland definitely has something to offer, but solitude is not one of them.

[dunnowy]

I think people underrate the Midnight Sun. It's always talked about like a nuisance or a thing to watch out for. Frankly, I think it's worth the trip all by itself. It's such a cool phenomenon that happens in very few places around the world, you can stay out driving late because it's always bright out (no worrying about those dark rural roads and no lights) and it makes you feel like you can party for days. I fell asleep fine and COME ON, who goes anywhere relying solely on the sun for time anyway? 🇮🇸

[Bigwave]

Love your videos and following the adventures of your wonderful family.

[Pining_for_the_fjords]

Such a great video. I visited Iceland a few years ago in the winter where I saw the northern lights. I would love to go back in the summertime when everything is green and lush.

Mark, you should do a video on northern Norway. I visited Tromsø in the summer and winter a few years ago. It's further north than Reykjavik and above the arctic circle, so it's properly light all night in the summer and properly dark in the day in the winter. It's supposed to be one of the best places in the world for seeing the northern lights and it's surrounded by mountains and fjords. I think it's slightly cheaper than Oslo too. If I was to go back to northern Norway, I'd see Lofoten and Senja island, which look even more beautiful.

[starcruiser]

I'm a new subscriber and have been enjoying your videos!! Thank you for sharing all your tips and sharing your travel experiences!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Reynir.]

The boys at 8:08 were spraying on a wall where it was allowed. Reykjavík has a bunch of these walls where it is legal to spray on. :)

[carlena]

This is timely, I'm heading to Iceland soon! Thanks :)

[huxley]

loving your videos! i went to iceland in march 2016 w/ a friend and we absolutely loved it! i'd say that it's the best place in the world to go if you have an interest in nature and geology. when you're there you Have to see the blue lagoon. it's almost a surreal experience... you're sitting in 30 degree celsius blue water, surrounded by snow-topped mountains, when all of a sudden it starts snowing. (pro tip: get a waterproof cover for your phone before you go there, then you're allowed to take photos while in the lagoon. or you can buy one there, i think it's about 12, 000 krona.) lol you do get used to all water smelling like sulfur/eggs

you will see some amazing weather whilst you're there as well. we went in march, and it rained most of the time (which is pretty average for a northern irish person tbh lmao). but in no time at all the weather can switch to a blizzard, or hurricane winds. there was maybe 6 foot deep snow in the country while we were there (and we saw someone riding through that on a quad bike!!!) if you go in winter you might have to put off some of your plans because the weather might just be too dangerous to go out in. the wind can be quite insane too: our tour coach was blown off the road.

the shops are a bit like a best-of-both-worlds between US stores and European franchises. there's no mcdonalds, but there are taco bells lol.

no but really, iceland is a stunningly beautiful country that you have to see.

[crimsonarc]

It's so great to see your audience grow so much.

[liambarrett]

Thank you for the information. I'm in the process of organising a trip and this was very useful.

[Keldingull]

Sure our country can be great to visit but if you want to come here please do so with respect, there's been a huge wave of tourists leaving their mess (and even feces) all over the place (lack of toilets is no excuse, especially since in many cases people simply aren't looking well enough, for instance i've heard of them pooping at a harbour 30m away from a public wc) or coming here just to harass the locals at the pubs, as nice as the people can be we do not take kindly to littering and violence :/ (oh and you can still go to the pubs allright, just respect one and other, don't come here just to pick fights to see if icelanders can handle themselves in a fight..)

Also, a lot of people come to iceland, stay only around reykjavík and don't like the stay... to those people : Why didn't you stay in the east or north then? the water's even better and less smelly there. Check out Akureyri or Egilstaðir out or any spot in between, don't just stay in the capital, the capitals are usually the worst places to stay in any country :/


also also : Pro-tip, the beers in the grocery stores? non-alcoholic variants. (everything over 2.25% is illegal to sell in a grocery store and the only place you can get alcohol is in vínbúðin/átvr
I don't know how often i've laughed at tourists buying like 30 light-beers. i've stopped them if i heard them speaking english though, told them where they can buy the beers they want but i wonder how many have gone and bought these light-beers thinking they'd get some awesome party going...