Iceland, 5 Travel Tips Before You Go
Iceland is a land of fire and ice: volcanoes and glaciers, waterfalls fed by ice caps, geothermal springs rising through black rock. Anyone planning a first visit tends to want the same thing: a short, reliable list of Iceland travel tips.
This Iceland travel guide starts with the five that count most: pack for four seasons in one day, time the visit to the right season, get the small practicalities right, embrace the island's geothermal bathing culture, and plan a day ashore around its most recognisable landscapes. Arriving by sea adds a further layer: curated shore time, geothermal wellness, and the comfort of returning to a private Home at Sea each evening, at a pace the island itself seems to reward.
1. Pack for Four Seasons in One Day
Packing sits at the top of most Iceland travel tips for good reason: Iceland’s weather turns quickly, even in summer, and snow has fallen in July at higher altitude. Summer highs sit around a cool 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, so what to bring to Iceland matters more than what to wear at home. Layering matters more than any single item: thermal base layers, an insulating mid-layer, a waterproof and windproof outer shell, sturdy waterproof footwear, a hat and gloves, a swimsuit for geothermal pools, and an eye mask for nights that never quite darken. Winter brings a very different list, with temperatures regularly dropping several degrees below freezing after dark.
Explora Journeys’ generous inclusions, already cover everything guests need on board, leaving packing to focus on what the island itself demands rather than what the ship provides.
2. Time Your Visit: Summer Sun or Winter Lights
The best time to visit Iceland depends on what a visitor wants to see. June to August brings the warmest weather, near-24-hour daylight known as the midnight sun, roughly late May to early August, and full access to the Highlands. May and September offer quieter shoulder months, with fewer crowds at the same headline sights. Guests should not expect the northern lights in summer: the sky never fully darkens, and aurora season runs roughly September to April instead. Most Iceland winter travel tips shift the focus accordingly, from light layers to genuinely warm ones.
EXPLORA III summer Journeys are timed to the brighter half of that calendar, when Iceland is at its most open and accessible.
3. Travel with Ease: Pure Water, Easy Conversation and Quiet Courtesies
Iceland rewards travellers who move through it lightly. The tap water is glacial meltwater, among the purest in the world, so your complimentary Explora Journeys water bottle replaces the need to buy any. Locals speak English almost everywhere, and conversation comes easily, though a warm ‘takk’ (thank you) is always appreciated. Nature here is pristine and fragile. Small habits matter more here than elsewhere: stay on marked paths, follow the spirit of the Icelandic Pledge, and leave each place exactly as you found it. Moss-covered lava fields look sturdy but take decades to recover from a single misplaced footstep.
On board, Explora Journeys quietly handles the practicalities of a day ashore, transfers, planning and curated onboard dining, so every hour in Iceland goes to exploring rather than organising.
4. Embrace Iceland’s Geothermal Bathing Culture
Bathing sits at the heart of Icelandic daily life, less a sight than a ritual most residents keep weekly, in all seasons and most weathers. Etiquette matters for first-timers: a thorough shower without a swimsuit comes before entering any pool, a rule enforced more strictly than visitors expect. Water temperatures typically sit between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius, warm enough to linger through even the coolest afternoon. Beyond the well-known Blue Lagoon near Reykjavík, the Forest Lagoon and Mývatn Nature Baths in the north offer geothermal water against volcanic backdrops. The Sky Lagoon near the capital and ordinary neighbourhood pools, where Icelanders actually socialise, show the same ritual at a quieter pace.
The same instinct for restorative water continues on board, where Explora Journeys’ ocean wellness carries the ritual out to sea.
5. Plan Your Day Ashore Around Iceland’s Icons
Peak season rewards early planning, and popular sites such as the Blue Lagoon can require booking weeks ahead in the busiest summer months. The Golden Circle remains the headline route along Route 1, the Ring Road that circles the island for roughly 1,300 kilometres. It takes in Þingvellir National Park, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, along with the Geysir Strokkur hot spring and Gullfoss waterfall. Beyond it, the South Coast waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, the black sand of Reynisfjara, whale watching and summer puffins round out the highlight reel. Each port shapes what to do in Iceland differently. Reykjavík pairs the Golden Circle with city culture. Akureyri opens onto Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn and the Forest Lagoon. Ísafjörður reaches Dynjandi waterfall and the puffins of Vigur Island. Seyðisfjörður leads to Stuðlagil Canyon and its own rainbow-painted street.
Explora Journeys builds its destination experiences around exactly this kind of port-specific detail, from coastal lagoons to inland routes like the Golden Circle, mapped to where the ship actually calls.
Experiencing Iceland by Sea with Explora Journeys
Arriving by sea shows Iceland’s fjords and coastlines at their most cinematic. There’s no car hire, no daily driving, no repacking between stops: the ship is the moving base for all of it.
Explora Journeys luxury Northern Europe, Iceland and Greenland cruises include overnight and extended stays, Reykjavík among them. The ship calls at four Icelandic ports along the way: Reykjavík, Akureyri, Ísafjörður and Seyðisfjörður, with curated destination experiences built into each one rather than left to guesswork on arrival. Days built around markets, waterfalls and geothermal pools give way each evening to dinner back on board and a quiet return to open water.
Guests ready to explore further can step aboard EXPLORA III for a season built entirely around the Ocean State of Mind, where the island sets the pace rather than the Journey.
Journeys to Iceland
A selection of Northern Europe, Iceland and Greenland Journeys.
Summer, from June to August, brings the warmest weather and near-24-hour daylight, with the midnight sun visible roughly from late May to early August. May and September offer quieter shoulder-season travel, while the northern lights are only visible from around September to April, when the sky is dark enough to see them.
The short answer is layers, since Iceland's weather rarely settles on one thing for long. A thermal base layer, insulating mid-layer and waterproof, windproof shell cover the outside; sturdy waterproof footwear, a hat and gloves handle the rest. Don't forget a swimsuit for the geothermal pools and an eye mask, since the midnight sun makes summer nights reluctant to darken.
Summer highlights include the Golden Circle (Þingvellir National Park, Geysir Strokkur and Gullfoss), the South Coast waterfalls and Reynisfjara black sand beach, whale watching, summer puffins, and geothermal bathing at spots such as the Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon or Forest Lagoon.
Iceland is among the pricier European destinations, particularly for dining and organised activities. Tipping is not customary, since prices typically include the cost of service, though rounding up for exceptional service is always appreciated rather than expected.
No. Summer nights never fully darken thanks to the midnight sun, so the aurora is not visible. Northern lights season runs roughly from September to April, when longer, darker nights return to the island.
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