Winter travel in Iceland: Northern lights self-drive tour

A major reason people take on self-drive tours in winter is to see the northern lights. Driving in Iceland is a pleasure at any time, and although winter driving is unpredictable, it can still be rewarding. Self-drive tours are very popular as there is so much to see, plus the roads are usually uncongested and the scenery is just breath-taking.

For northern lights-goers, although you can’t get right into the Highlands of Iceland during the winter, you can get to most of the main landmarks and see the aurora borealis when they make a showing. As you will be driving at night to see this most majestic of natural phenomena, having studded tyres is a must.

Driving in Iceland naturally presents more challenges; even driving along the main highway – Route 1 – can be hairy. Thus, having special winter tyres (with studs) is a big plus. Blue Car rental fits studded tires to its vehicles as standard in the winter – that is, between mid-October and mid-April. That applies to all cars, including two-wheel and four-wheel drive ones.

A few tips for safer winter driving:

• Keep track of local websites through the day as to conditions. Also check with your hotel in the morning.
• The weather can change on a whim, so be prepared.
• Although you can use GPS units while driving, the use of mobiles is forbidden.
• Keep your headlights on at all times, even in the summer when it’s bright outside.
• Animals on the roads are a regular occurrence but are harder to spot in winter. Sheep and reindeer are the most common road wanderers.
• F roads are closed in winter and off-road driving is illegal at any time.
• Iceland’s emergency number is 112.

Contact Information

Magnús Sverrir

Operations

Blue Car Rental ehf.

blue@bluecarrental.is