Lonely Planet Iceland

by Lonely Planet, Alexis Averbuck, Egill Bjarnason

Lonely Planet's Iceland is our most comprehensive guide that extensively covers all the country has to offer, with recommendations for both popular and lesser-known experiences. Drive the Ring Road, glimpse the northern lights, and swim in the Blue Lagoon; all with your trusted travel companion.

Inside Lonely Planet's Iceland Travel

Lonely Planet's Top Picks - a visually inspiring collection of the destination's best experiences and where to have them

Itineraries help you build the ultimate trip based on your personal needs and interests
Local insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - whether it's history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, politics

Eating and drinking - get the most out of your gastronomic experience as we reveal the regional dishes and drinks you have to try

Toolkit - all of the planning tools for solo travellers, LGBTQIA+ travellers, family travellers and accessible travel

Colour maps and images throughout
Language - essential phrases and language tips

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Covers Reykjavik, Blue Lagoon, Southwest Iceland and the Golden Circle, Southeast Iceland, West Iceland, The Westfjords, North Iceland, East Iceland, The Highlands and more!

eBook (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones)

Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges

Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews

Add notes to personalize your guidebook experience

Seamlessly flip between pages

Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash

Embedded links to recommendations' websites

Zoom-in maps and images

Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing

About Lonely

Lonely Planet, a Red Ventures Company, is the world's number one travel guidebook brand. Providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973, Lonely Planet reaches hundreds of millions of travellers each year online and in print and helps them unlock amazing experiences. Visit us at lonelyplanet.com and join our community of followers on Facebook (facebook.com/lonelyplanet), Twitter (@lonelyplanet), Instagram (instagram.com/lonelyplanet), and TikTok (@lonelyplanet).

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' Fairfax Media (Australia)

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, Guidebook, Adventure, Ebooks, Guides

851 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

OUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.

Reviews

[Paular Bear · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I, along with two friends just returned from a 13 day ring road trip around the country of Iceland. Iceland is Stunning. I read this book front to back over the summer and then we brought it with us on our trip. It was a huge help, we basically planned our entire trip off this book and then used it while in Iceland to help narrow down where to eat and shop. It is well organized and easy to use. The maps in each section also were a great highlight and reference for quick checks while we were driving. We used lots of sticky notes to help map out our trip.
No travel book can be perfect, however, as a lot of the important sights can be opinion based. These were the few things I felt the book missed.
-Gjain: This place was barely mentioned in the book, it was a small paragraph noting it as a small oasis and Game of Thrones filming location. The only reason we stopped here was because it was within walking distance of Stöng (viking ruins). Gjain was gorgeous, it was unlike any of the other waterfall places we had been (and there are A LOT in Iceland) you can do a full 360 and have waterfalls in every view. It was also one of the most plant and tree heavy places we went (and we drove around the entire country).
-Driving: This was probably this biggest frustration I had with this book. I felt like I couldn't get clear answers on where I could and couldn't drive with a 4x4. Sometimes the book said it was required, other times the book said even a 4x4 couldn't get you there and you need to hire a guide (for the same location). I ended up having to read a couple blogs and travel question sites to get a clear answer on this. It also did not prepare us for the nasty roads into the West Fjords: Hair pin turns on gravel roads, steep grades, at one point it was a 16% incline & 15% decline, the roads are narrow and you may have to pull over for the local truck drivers, and it's all on cliffs with no guard rails. Not a fun surprise.
-Weather: There is very little information about the weather in Iceland. Part of this I am sure is because of how unpredictable and quick it is to change, but this book offers barely anything.
-Shops: Some of the places that are rated highly to visit, just ended up being a disappointment for us. My best example was in Akureyri. The book lists the Geysir souvenir shop as a highly rated spot to stop. We stopped in the city specifically for this, and were extremely disappointed. It was mostly a clothing store with an emphasis on leather and wool goods that were extremely expensive. There is also a larger store in Reykjavik, which should have been a comment. This also happened in Borgarnes with another shop for us as well. Expectation is the root of all disappointment I guess.

I will note that this book was written in 2014, and advertised for 2015, and we went in 2016. For most places this probably isn't that big of a deal, but Iceland's tourism is rapidly increasing and there for so are the accommodations for tourists. Some of the information was a little outdated.
What I did really like about the book is the historical or relevant information that was included with most sights, as well as resources and links to find more information.
The book did not lead us astray on the food places it recommended. It also listed some sights that were not really advertised that ended up being some of our favorite spots, Landmannalaugar being one of our treasures, the arctic fox center, and several of the geothermal pools.
Overall this book was worth every penny and I would highly recommend to anyone travelling to Iceland, with the disclaimer of doing some extra research on the side. Reading blogs of other travels was very helpful.

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great travel guide that is going to be really helpful planing my summer trip to Iceland. Well organized, lots of important and interesting info, good maps. Well done!

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 sin acabar la guía, sin abarcar la isla.


Islandia es blanca, negra y verde.

Glaciares gigantes que lamen el mar. Espuma salada que besa la arena volcánica. Tierras calientes y campos de lava. Rocas basálticas, refugio de aves infinitas. Manto de hierba de terciopelo salpicado de granjas, ovejas y cascadas enfurecidas.

Noches blancas
en verano.

En invierno
isla blanca de cielo oscuro iluminado de madrugada por la verde aurora.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candid and helpful resource for us while planning our first trip to Iceland. I haven't read another Iceland guidebook yet, so I have nothing to compare it with, but I liked its easy reference format and its tongue-in-cheek perspective. It impresses me that a guidebook like this is so much more valuable and helpful than Google when planning a trip to an unfamiliar country.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing guide to a spectacularly beautiful country!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iceland needs an expanded edition of this! So many things to do in Iceland, a lot of the things we found to do on google didn’t even make the book! Excellent tool for spouting random facts as we sightsee.

[Manon Scholte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I'm used to former LP's this new concept is okay. One could better read it before the trip (as I did) and get the tips, activities and highlights one likes best out of it.

The interface is more modern, the information is more storylike than practical information when you're there. There are fewer restaurants and hotels in it than the former planet which was, in my opinion, a better traveling guide on the trip.

I did enjoy the reading and I learned much out of it, but that's because I read it before going to Iceland. If you'd like to find restaurants/ hotels on the go, I would advice you to go with a previous book.
When you've got interested in stories and activities beforehand, this is rather interesting.

Overall, the LP isn't what it used to be, I think that's a downgrade in quality. But if you're okay with the different approach, it's a nice book with a lot of activities in it. This contradiction, for me, gives it 3 stars.

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent guide so far, we'll see how I feel about it after the trip to Iceland ;)

[Kaspars Koo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, great help for the preparation and a great companion for the actual trip.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So excited for my trip!!!

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I would never finish this book! I am off to Iceland next week and I read this entire book. Unfortunately the time of year we are going a lot of areas are off limits due to icy conditions. So I paid particular attention to the places I think we can go. Anyway, this is an incredibly detailed book about all aspects of Iceland. Despite its small size and sparse population, this island has so much to offer culturally and scenically. It is gorgeous with staggering waterfalls, calderas, boiling mud hot spots, geothermic pools, active and inactive volcanoes and so much more. The writers insisted that at parts of the Westfjords and the Northeast coast makes it feel like you are at the edge of the earth.

Iceland is not technically part of the arctic, it is just South of the arctic circle. The islet of Grimsley is the only part that is in the arctic. The writers of this guide split Iceland into sections. This way you can plan your trip by going to whatever area you want, or you can read straight through like I did. Just make sure you have highlighters and book marks.

I wish there were more pictures, but I guess with Iceland you just have to be there. I think the book did a really good job discussing basic cultural things with advice how to not be insensitive. Apparently a lot of Icelanders believe in trolls and hidden people but they don't like to be asked about it because they don't like to be made fun of. I am a person who loves folklore and I could see myself asking someone about it with genuine interest. Now I know not to. Iceland is a weird place that builds weird stories and festivals and music and this book gave a great introduction.

The only complaint I had was it seemed like place names would show up but then not be repeated or there wouldn't be enough details. I got a little lost sometimes. But it is a reference book so I can always go back. Unfortunately for me the new version of this guide comes out in June, and I am going at the end of April. Oh well. I hope the information is still accurate.

[Anders Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are going to Iceland, I highly recommend this travel guide. Although people have complained, about it now having enough pictures, I don't think that matters to this book.
I am travelling to Iceland this Winter, and having read the chapter with Reykjavik, I feel like I am ready to take on Iceland.
It really have all the details, I find supply-able for a journey.
It has both restaurants, points of interest, places to see like museums and galleries etc.
It doesn't only contain details of Reykjavik, but also of other parts of Iceland.
I must admit, it really awoken my interest for travelling to Iceland in the summer time, to experience the West Fjords and attain the various festivals.
I'm glad I bought this book, I wouldn't be without it, when I am leaving. If you are going to Iceland, or have an interest in seeing it, buy this book.

9/10

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally, this was good. Lonely Planet is not my favorite travel guide, but it is always more than adequate. I wish it addressed winter travel more. I also felt like it could be a lot longer and explore some more things outside of Reykjavik. I felt like a lot of the sights were the same types of things over and over. Usually in a tour book I find a lot of things I am wild about doing and also a bunch of things that are somewhat less interesting to me, but most of this felt like it fell in the middle somewhere without a lot of variation. But maybe it just really is all hiking and is more fun in person than to read about. :) Either way, it was still very helpful and I am excited for my trip! (And I will be checking out more guides.)

[Ryne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently used this book for a week long trip I took with my wife to Iceland. I found the information accurate and helpful. The Lonely Planet series always does a great job of giving historical tidbits. This book was no exception. I highly recommend buying a copy before visiting Iceland. As an aside, do not try to see all of Iceland in one trip. Focus on a particular area, and you will thoroughly enjoy taking your time in that area. This book will help you decide what area is best for you. (Note: I personally loved the southern part of Iceland, especially Heimaey!)

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful and exhaustive guide to visiting Iceland for a wide range of budgets (SPOILER: Iceland is expensive no matter what). Great suggestions, useful maps, phrases, etc. etc. If you are planning a trip this is indispensable.

The ending will surprise you!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book to be my companion on an Iceland trip in late March. It was useful for finding beautiful sites to visit and yummy food to eat. I would recommend it to others, and I will use it again when I get back here some summer!

[Ashley]

woohoo! excited for my trip. thought this was a nice primer to Icelandic culture and history, and plan to check out the referenced books and films at some point in the next few months. left lots of bookmarks.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

We took this on our trip to Iceland last year, and found it a fantastic resource. Not only does it extensively cover Reykjavik; there are sections on every Icelandic district, as well as ideas for planning your trip.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're going to Iceland download this book onto your kindle app- I really appreciated being able to click the links to websites and google maps directions.
I expected some of the info to be out of date and that was the case but it still came in handy.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

20150730 ◊ It's Iceland. READ THIS BOOK AND GO.

[Jaclyn Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lonely Planet did not disappoint. We had a fantastic week in Iceland, from the more touristy spots, to hidden canyons, glacier hikes, and everything in between.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book proved invaluable on our recent trip to Iceland. My only complaint was font size. Apparently I’ve reached the age that I need to start traveling with a pair of readers…

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the Lonely Planet Guide for Iceland. Anyone that has used Lonely Planet guides before, doesn't need any introduction. They are consistent in their forms, dividing the country in areas and analysing the bigger cities (or villages if there are no cities). For each city, they give some interesting or historical information, the most important landmarks and activities around, some suggestions for accommodation, eating and night life and, last but not least, information about how to get there.

Well this is not actually a book, but it has been occupying me for the last week almost exclusively, so it deserves to be included in the books I read this year. We are in the process of planning our roadtrip in Iceland and I read it from first page to the last, although I skipped a few pages about the Highlands, as they are not going to be part of our trip. These guides serve as a base for our roadtrips, but they are not the only source of information. This particular one is from 2017 and there is a new one coming out next month, but that would have been a bit late for us and the main updates concern prices, opening hours and maybe some new accommodation or eating possibilites. Landmarks and Activities do not tend to change within 5 years.

[Ninja Neko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 2015 edition - the new 2017 one came out just as we left for our trip, so missed out on that one. Still pretty good when it comes to attractions and some of the restaurants, but bear in mind that the prices have risen so much over those last few years...
We also found the maps somewhat lacking (a common problem with Lonely Planet in my experience). And the order of chapters was quite odd, didn't follow either the clockwise or anticlockwise ringroad order so had to flip back & forth a lot.
If you go camping it's better to check online for a map of spots, but this guide is a good one for the sightseeing along the way.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 2015 version, apparently a newer one was just released. This travel book had a lot of good information, but the organization was confusing. It mostly followed a clock-wise orientation around the island, but not always. Things were often hard to find within each chapter, and the "personal details" like "talk to this particular person" seemed a bit odd. We used this book to get an overview of each area of the island, but found internet sources were better and more accurate when planning our actual itinerary.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonely Planet guide books are excellent for all the details you need for a trip: where to eat, where to sleep, sites to visit, how to get around. What i miss in these is the more personal tone of a Rick Steves’ guidebook, and the way he will delve more into the culture of a place and those differences that make travel so exhilarating. LP is great for planning, but pick up Rick Steves’ for the walking tours and cultural insights that these books lack.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I planned most of my trip with this book.
I know it's not the latest edition, so I expect some changes from what I read, but I always double check info, just in case.
If you only had to read one book to prepare for a trip to Iceland, I would say this one!

[Maria Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Adoro le guide Lonely Planet ma questa lasciava davvero a desiderare.
Non era aggiornata e i riquadri con le varie curiosità erano piuttosto insignificanti.

Il viaggio è comunque stato splendido, uno dei posti più belli che abbia mai visto.

[Inga Narijauskienė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ši knyga buvo puikus kelionės draugas mėnesio kelionėje po Islandiją 2018 metais. Turėjom ir daug kitų informacijos šaltinių, bet šioje knygoje visada galima buvo greitai surasti trumpą ir aiškią informaciją bei reikalingus žemėlapius.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well organized and thorough as always. Will look at the newer one in another year before a trip. In addition to the traditional restaurant and lodging suggestions, they do a really good job at highlighting outdoor recreation possibilities.