Driving in Iceland

Are you having an Iceland Wedding or Elopement? Are you going to be renting a vehicle? Do you plan to drive around our beautiful island? A good thing to know before you plan to rent a car is that most of Iceland’s rental cars are manual.  Of course an automatic can also be rented, but usually at a higher price tag.

Our beautiful country has in recent years become quite a popular destination. Who can resist all of our breathtaking waterfalls, lava craters, geysers, glaciers and not to mention our famous hot springs. Our country is not called the land of ice and fire without reason. That being said, to get the very most out of our one of a kind country we highly recommend getting a rental car if you are able, and taking the ring road around the country.  This months blog will inform you on all the things you will need to know about driving in Iceland for your Iceland Wedding or Elopement.

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In Iceland we drive on the right side of the road and pass on the left side.  It is required by law that all passenger wear a seat belts at all time while the vehicle is in operation.  Iceland has zero tolerance regarding drinking and driving and can result  in very high fines.

 

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Iceland is a very sparsely populated country, there for the roads in the countryside were not built to service a large number of vehicles, indeed many roads outside the ring roads and capital area are not paved, roads are classified according to how passable they are. All though the road might be small it is important to know that these roads are our highways and that they usually have the maximum speed limit of 90 km per hour, however you always need to take precautions in case of bad weather or ice. If at anytime you feel the need to stop the vehicle to photograph our beautiful landscapes, please look behind you for any other cars then slowly and safely pull over to the side of the road without damaging any greenery.  It is crucial that precaution be taken while pulling over on a country road in order to prevent an accident.

 

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Another thing to look out for while driving in the countryside are one-way bridges. The vehicle closer to the bride has the right of way. One way bridges are quite common and it is very important that the driver takes the right precautions before driving through. Some of the bigger bridges however tend have shoulders you can pull off to the side if there is oncoming traffic.

 

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It is important to know that driving off-road is both very dangerous and also illegal, resulting in high fines and causes much damage to our nature that can often be seen for decades. You should also be on the look out for animals, commonly sheep, while driving in the countryside of Iceland. If accidentally you happen to hit a sheep or another larger animal it is crucial that you call the police and they can connect you to the farmer to whom the animal belonged. The phone number for the police in Iceland is 112.

Before going out out for an adventure around Iceland it is highly suggested looking at the following websites for weather conditions or the chance of roads being closed . You can also call 902 0600 for weather or 1777 for the roads.

Iceland Weddings and Honeymoons highly suggests for all of their customers to hire a coach for the day of their Iceland Wedding or Elopement so they can take in the whole range of experiences Iceland has to offer. We make sure that you are connected with the best vendors Iceland has to offer.

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Has this months blog intrigued you to take the leap and finally make your Iceland Wedding a reality? Contact Us and we will be more than happy to start planning your adventure today!

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