Roads in Iceland
Road conditions in Iceland varies a lot.
Road conditions in Iceland varies a lot.
Around the coast and highway 1 it’s mostly paved. Normal passenger cars should be able to drive these roads without any difficulties. However have in mind that the roads have only one lane in each direction so it’s strictly forbidden to turnover unless the vehicle is in a secure area. On the ring-road in Iceland there are a lot of bridges which need special attention. Firstly they tend to have only one lane, so the bridge can only be crossed in one direction at a given time. In that situation it’s very important to be alert to estimate which vehicle should cross the bridge first. Secondly, it’s not uncommon that the road becomes bit bumpy where the road and bridge meet and therefor important to slow down before crossing the bridge.
When driving on gravel roads it’s important to keep in mind that the surface is loose, especially along the sides of the roads. In general it’s recommended to drive in the tire tracks and slow down whenever approaching.
Most mountain roads have gravel surface and tend to be very narrow and windy. Many rivers are unabridged. We do not recommend driving mountain roads (marked F) unless on a SUV. Some of the F roads are in fact impossible to drive without a SUV. If you are planning to drive any such roads bare in mind that they are only open to traffic during the summer. It varies at what time of the year they open up. And they are closed sometimes during the summer due to amount of water in some of the rivers that needs to be crossed without bridges. When you drive over unabridged river you should always drive with the current when going over the river. Not against the current and straight across.
On this map you can see which roads are open and the status of the roads in terms of amount of snow or icing.
