Sightseeing in Iceland without a car

Is it possible to visit Iceland without renting a car? Yes, but under certain conditions.

If you want to avoid renting and driving a car yourself, you can naturally join road trips organized by both local and Polish travel agencies.

Bus tours in Iceland

Tour bus in the parking lot at the Svínafellsjökull glacier

These most important, or basic, tours that should be taken are:

Of course, several-hour walking tours of Reykjavík itself and its attractions are also available (if you want to explore Reykjavík on your own, see this article: What to see in Reykjavik and how to see it). Naturally, multi-day tours are also available. The shorter ones – 2 or 3 days – usually focus on most of the southern coast and/or parts of the interior. The 6-day and longer tours already allow you to see and go all around Iceland.

Going to Iceland in your own car

Is it possible to visit Iceland and get around by your own car? Yes, although it is only worthwhile for longer trips. Iceland cannot be reached by any land route, so if you want to drive around Iceland in your own car, you will have to cross here aboard a ferry. Currently, the only ferry connection to Iceland is maintained by the Smyril Line running between the Danish port of Hirtshals (about 900 km northeast of Szczecin) and Iceland’s Seyðisfjörður, located in the east of the island.

Unfortunately, both the sheer cost of the ferry trip (at least about €500 per person + another €500 for a car) and the duration of such a crossing (including getting to/from Hirtshals is a minimum of three days each way) make it an attractive choice only if you can allocate at least three, and preferably four or more weeks for the entire trip. The schedule changes slightly every year, but in 2025, for example, ferries run once a week from mid-March, through mid-November, and twice a week from early June through the first week of September. Along the way (each way), the ferries make a brief stop at the port of Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands. The ferry only stands in port for a few hours, but you can buy a ticket that entitles you to disembark and continue your journey on the next ferry (in 3-4 days, a week or even later).

Touring Iceland by bicycle

Cyclists (but also motorcyclists) love and highly praise trips around Iceland. Probably, rather strong fascinators of this form of travel and leisure decide to do it, so people a little less sensitive to various problems and challenges, but it is difficult to meet a cyclist dissatisfied with his trip to Iceland. Among the advantages of exploring Iceland on a bicycle saddle, in addition to the beautiful views, is certainly the freedom of travel, because traveling by bicycle, we can pitch a tent for the night practically anywhere, except on private property and in places where it is directly prohibited.

On the challenge side, the list is unfortunately much longer. First of all, Icelandic roads are really narrow and devoid of shoulders. While cars are not allowed to exceed 90 km/h, and drivers, as a rule, drive calmly and carefully, it’s certainly not a comfortable ride. Many bridges in Iceland are single-lane bridges. A bicycle won’t fit on them next to a car, so you have to negotiate the crossing with vehicles going in both directions However, the biggest problem for cyclists is the wind. The wind in Iceland blows practically always and very often it is really strong. Because of this, cycling is practically always against the wind, and you always have to be vigilant so that a side gust doesn’t knock you over.

It’s because of the wind that all car rental companies warn drivers to be careful when opening their doors, as the wind can rip them out of their hands and then off their hinges. Cyclists have to be doubly careful.

Sightseeing Iceland on foot

Iceland as much as possible can also be explored completely without any (own) means of transport. There are many walking trails on the island. The most popular of these is certainly Laugavegur and the adjacent Fimmvorduhals and Hellismannaleid. These three trails are certainly the most popular, but also the best to visit. Their start and end can be reached by bus directly from Reykjavik, campgrounds and shelters with basic supplies can be found along the route, and help can reach you relatively easily in case of trouble.However, less popular routes are plentiful in Iceland. And although they are concentrated around such places and regions as Kerlingarfjoll, Askja or the West Fjords, in fact their network covers basically all of Iceland. However, it’s important to remember that – especially in the interiors – these tend to be really wild trails, where the path is rarely clear, stores along the way are lacking, and we may have GSM coverage once every few days. If you like such adventures, Iceland is perhaps the last place of its kind in Europe… If you want to go trekking in Iceland, be sure to start by reading this article: How to prepare for a hiking trip in Iceland and watching this video: ALL about Laugavegur, Fimmvorduhals and Hellismannaleid (video).

Hitchhiking tour of Iceland

FINALLY, as much as possible you can also explore Iceland without renting a car, but using local bus lines and hitchhiking

Map of Straeto bus routes

A tour based on local buses and hitchhiking will probably be most attractive in areas where various interesting places to see are abundant and lie quite close to each other, quite densely on the map. Thus, this is the so-called Golden Circle, the southern coast and the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

Top tips for Iceland without a car

If you want to go to Iceland and avoid renting a car, you will definitely find these guides useful: