When I travel I have found that I enjoy my time so much more when I can choose my own route. This usually means setting our own schedule of activities with the choice of walking or taking public transportation at our destination. After our cruise in Europe, we flew Icelandair on our return from Copenhagen to the US and choose to have a 48 hours stopover in Iceland. However, there is no extensive public transportation in Iceland and the sites are quite a distance from each other, therefore renting a car in Iceland was our only option.
I had read several horror stories about people renting cars in Iceland and was really nervous before our trip. But we went ahead and rented a car so that we were in control of what we saw, where we stopped and how long we stayed at each stop. Spoiler alert: we didn’t have any problems with renting a car in Iceland. We found driving around the island to be very easy!
If you would like to see our 48 hour Iceland stopover itinerary click here. Below is our experience with renting a car in Iceland:
No International Drivers’ License Needed
Great news is that you only need a valid drivers’ license, but not an international drivers’ license.
Drive on the Right Side of the Road
In Iceland, they drive on the same side of the road as the United States, the right. This makes driving in Iceland so much easier for Americans.
Book in Advance
With more and more tourists visiting Iceland every year, the further in advance, the cheaper your car rental will be. In addition, you want to make sure that you get the vehicle and size that you need.
Easy to Navigate
The roads in Iceland were all clearly marked and we had no problems navigating to our destinations. We were so impressed with the ease of driving.
Get the Insurance
This is what I think made our experience with renting a car in Iceland an easy process and allowed us not to have to worry when we returned the vehicle – get the insurance. Spend the extra money and add on the Ash and Sand Insurance and the Gravel Insurance. When we returned the car they did not nick pick every scratch or mark on the car.
Have you visited Iceland? Is it on your bucket list?
I’ve never tripped to Iceland before. But, I am planning to visit. This post will save my time finding a car at this place.
You will have a wonderful trip to Iceland! We did not have any problems driving on the island.