Is driving in Iceland difficult?

An Icelandic gravel road.

Some tourists are not sure how difficult driving in Iceland will be, in terms of unpaved roads and bad weather. Of course many opt for the bus tours for pure convenience but there is no denying that they take away much of the freedom of being you own driver.

The fact is you are very unlikely to come across unpaved roads on the main tourist routes and navigation is fairly easy with a simple road map. As ever, you need to keep an eye on the weather and take sensible precautions as you'd do at home.

Your own car (or rental) is perhaps the best choice if you are visiting many attractions. Also, when you are your own driver you can spend as much time at the attractions as you want, not as much as the bus schedule gives. And some say Iceland's beauty is something to be experienced without crowds and if that is true, a bus trip is perhaps not the right choice. 

Driving in Iceland is easy, during the summer months at least, but many tourists are not accustomed to unpaved roads. Each year we see a few accidents that can be traced to the driver’s unfamiliarity of car handling on gravel roads. Most attractions can however be reached on paved roads, so don’t worry if you are not used to gravel roads.

Weather is another big concern for some because Iceland's weather can be very unpredictable, with rapid changes coming with little warning. You need not worry about this during the summer months (you could have rain in the morning and sun in the afternoon, but that’s about it) but during the winter months you would be well advised to take a good look at the weather forecast. The weather forecast is very accurate up to three and even five days ahead. Here is a link to the Icelandic Met Offices’ web. 

Road signs are plenty and follow European standards for the most part. This means that the signs contain symbols but not words which means you do not have to understand Icelandic to get around. 

Rest stops, as known on Europe’s highways, are not that frequent but you can pull over almost anywhere you like, if you for some reason are not comfortable driving. 

As for Icelandic drivers they are for the most part very considerate and courteous but be aware they tend not to use their blinkers very often.