Iceland

Holidays by Destination Europe Iceland Getting Around 

Towns are not large and even Reykjavik, although it sprawls a bit, is small enough that you can cover most of what you might want to see on foot or with local buses. If you need something extra taxis everywhere are metered and some drivers accept credit or debit card payment. Tipping is not expected.

When you want to explore further you could drive. Although expensive, this gives all the flexibility you might want with children.

Assuming that you are not going to venture far from the main Ring Road which circles the whole country for 1,500 miles, a standard car will be all you need. Except for parts of the east and northeast (where brutal weather means the roads are not of the standard they are elsewhere), most of the road is tarmacked.

If you do want to be more adventurous you will see plenty of 4x4s around (there are almost as many cars in the country as people). However, they are not just relatively expensive to hire, you are not insured to drive them on much off road terrain and even numerous roads are restricted. Worse still the excess - even in a minor road incident - is as much as £600. Given that off roading, especially if you are inexperienced, is intrinsically likely to result in bumps and scratches, this could add significantly to the cost of the holiday.

If you want to get into the interior or up by a glacier, the recommended option is to take a jeep tour - and enjoy watching the experts at work.

Seat belts are required for both driver and all passengers or your risk being fined.

The bus and air network, and organised tours remain popular alternatives.

Bus

BSI
bsi.is
Is the main long distance bus operator covering the whole Ringroad May to October plus other routes and tours to the interior when those roads are open in summer.

Air

Alternatively for long distances (and Iceland is the second largest island in the Atlantic after the UK) take the internal flights rather than road trips of up to two days. The airports are so close to the centres you can pretty much walk from the plane to your accommodation in most places. Flights operate throughout the summer months and are not too expensive.

Flugfelag Islands
airiceland.is
Is the main carrier and for those with limited time can organise day trips to all the main pointers of interest:
South to the Westman Islands
North to Akureyri and the twin waterfall of Godafoss, Lake Myvatn, Europe's largest bird sanctuary, the still active Krafla volcano, Hverarond and its sulphur mud pots, and Dimmuborgir, a surreal lava park.
North for whale watching from the fishing village of Husavik and a stop in th Whale Museum
Northeast to Karhnjukar and the highlands and National Power Company's visitor (and largest electrification project to date) Hafrahvammagljufur canyon and warm stream at Laugavalladalur.
East for Europe's largest glacier the Vatnajokull ice cap and the glacial lagoon with its giant ice caves.
Northwest to the West Fjords seeing birds and seals, and either kayaking and visiting maritime museums or taking a trip to Vigur island and Iceland's largest colony of eider ducks, and maybe taking a swim in a hot pot before returning.

Islandsflug
islandsflug.is
Operates to the more remote areas and offers air and land tours of a day or more from Reykjavik, including Husavik for whale watching, Myvatn for the lake and nearby hot springs, and Vestmannaeyjar for puffins and more volcanoes.

Note that although booking is relatively easy, cancellation at short notice is a possibility because of bad weather.

Organised Tours

Even when based in Reykjavik, organised tours are in many cases the only practical way of reaching certain attractions.

The classic tour is the one known as The Golden Circle. There are also express versions but the full trip is of about 200km and visits the Pingvellier National Park - now a World Heritage Site, the place where the first settlers held their annual parliamentary assembly and where the European and American plates are slowly pulling apart. The tour also goes to the Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir geothermal area.

Other options include the Porsmork Nature reserve, an area between three glaciers, and a trip along the south shore, an area where the Icelandic Saga of Njall occurred.

The two main operators are:

Reykjavik Excursions
re.is
Owned by Icelandair. Under 12s are free and 12-15 years at a 50% discount.

Iceland Excursions
icelandexcursions.is

For shorter trips jeep and super truck tours (reinforced suspension, raised chassis, giant tyres etc) are fun as you slip and slid over ice and ruts, knowing you are in the hands of an expert. Indeed, for some children simply climbing into one of these things is almost adventure enough. Among the operators are:

Activity Group
activity.is
Uses super trucks for its tours, some fairly standard and others including options like snowmobiling, river rafting and ATV driving,

Mountain Taxi
mountaintaxi.is
Again offering the Golden Circle as well as south coast and glacier experience, Porsmork area east of Reyjavik, a trip to Hekla with views over eight glaciers, plus hot bath at Landmannalaugar, and others. A subsidiary of Icelandair.

TourIs
tour.is
Superjeep safaris including Golden Circle and areas closer to Reykjavik, plus glacier trips the nature reserve of Thorsmork, and Landmannalaugar highlands and Mount Hekkla, plus the option of tailormade trips.