FAQ for Holiday Packages
Here are the most frequently asked questions about holiday packages. For further information regarding travelling in Iceland, currency, language, and everyday things along with other interesting and important information, check out our Important tour information.
General information
What do I need to go to Iceland (visa, passport…)?
A valid passport is required for visitors to Iceland. U.S. citizens may, at this moment, enter Iceland for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa. Citizens of certain Asian and South American countries will need a visa. For a list of countries that need a visa for Iceland please click here. For more information about visa requirements, please read here.
I’d like to extend my stay/my car booking, add tours/excursions or make changes to my itinerary.
If you’d like to add to your tour, please contact us at info@guidetoiceland.is or contact your travel planner directly. If you arrive early, we can also assist with nights before your tour starts. Please note that changes to the tour itself are not possible if there is less than seven days to your arrival. Please note that larger changes might be subject to service fee.
I need to rearrange my tour to new dates or make changes to my package.
Please contact your travel planner directly, or write to us at info@guidetoiceland.is
Please note that rearrangement might cause significant changes to all accommodation and tours, and is not possible within seven days of arrival.
Will my phone work?
Most unlocked phones will work just fine in Iceland. If you would like to cut on costs, getting an Icelandic SIM card is a very good idea. You can get them at small markets in town centre, and at the airport. If you have doubts about your phone working abroad, please contact your phone provider for further questions.
I am thinking about getting a SIM card with call/data plan during my trip in Iceland, what are my options and where can I get them?
The largest operators are Vodafone and Síminn, and both offer prepaid cards, both for phone calls and data plans and they can be bought at most stores and petrol stations, along with top-up scratch cards.
Where do I go to see the northern lights?
The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis are one of the most incredible natural phenomenon in the world. You can see green, red, blue or white colours dancing happily in the sky.
To see the Northern Lights, the rules are similar to stargazing: You need a dark night, a clear sky and moreover some Northern Lights activity, which is dictated by atmospheric conditions and solar wind.
They are most visible from September to April when the evenings are dark. During summer there is practically no darkness so seeing them is not possible.
For more information, check out our article What are the Northern Lights?
Can you pick us up from a hotel in Keflavik?
We can arrange a taxi for you to Keflavík airport where you will be taken to Reykjavík. Also, quite a lot of hotels in the Keflavík area offer free shuttles to the airport, from where you can start your tour.
We will be staying at another hotel after the tour and we need a taxi to go to the next hotel, can you arrange it for us?
A quicker and easier way for you is simply to ask the reception at your hotel to order a taxi. They are readily available and arrive within few minutes. If you prefer to call yourself, please contact Hreyfill Bæjarleiðir Taxi Service at +(354)-588-5522.
On arrival
How do I get to Reykjavik from the airport?
You will be taken to your accommodation in Reykjavík on the Flybus. The Flybus first takes you to the Reykjavík Downtown Bus Terminal (BSÍ) where you will get on a smaller bus that will take you directly to your accommodation. The Flybus leaves 45 minutes after all arrivals, but all packages have an open voucher, so you can take whichever bus best suits you and your arrival time. You do not need to worry about flight delays; the Flybus is scheduled around these circumstances. If you need any assistance with the bus, please get in touch with the staff at the Reykjavík Excursion desk at the arrivals hall. The bus will first head to the main bus terminal, where you will take a smaller shuttle directly to your hotel. Ask the driver for assistance if needed to find your shuttle.
If you will start your trip by visiting the Blue Lagoon, there is a bus that will take you from the airport to the Lagoon, the Lagoon is between the city and the airport. Your voucher is valid for your transport from the airport to the Blue Lagoon and from the Lagoon to Reykjavík. When you wish to leave the Lagoon, get on the next bus going to Reykjavík, they run on a schedule.
Day tours and overnight tours
Where do I get picked up for my tour?
The city of Reykjavík does not allow any buses on the inner streets at the city centre. If your hotel is located on the inner streets, there will be a location listed after the name of your hotel. You will have to go to that pick up point in time for your pickup. Some hotels have a specially designated pick up point. Ask at the lobby of your hotel or the tour operator if you are uncertain how to reach your pick up point.
If my pick-up doesn’t come, what I do? Who should I contact?
Tours have a pick up interval that can last up to 30 minutes. The reason for this interval is that each morning the locations differ and due to multiple changeable pick up spots it is impossible to give the timing down to a minute. The time listed on your voucher is the start of the pick up interval time. Please be at your pick up point at that time, as your location might well be first on the list. Please allow 20 minutes from the start of pick up for the bus to reach your location. This is to allow time to pick up everyone at different hotels and guesthouses. If the bus has not arrived 20 minutes past stated pickup time, please call the number of the tour provider on your voucher.
For more information about tour pick-up locations and the pickup process, read our article Getting On Your Way: Hotel Pick-up and Meeting Places for Tours.
My tour was cancelled because of the weather. What should I do?
If there are weather cancellations, you’re eligible for a full refund. Usually, this refund is automatically processed, and you will receive an email regarding this. If an email has not reached you within a day, please write to us at info@guidetoiceland.is, stating your booking number and your tour.
Part of my tour was cancelled because of the weather. What should I do?
If there are weather cancellation for portions of your tour, you’re eligible for a partial refund. Usually, this refund is automatically processed, and you will receive an email regarding this. If an email has not reached you within a day, please write to us at info@guidetoiceland.is, stating your booking number and your tour.
Are there restaurant options available for the evening of my overnight tour?
Most tours stay overnight at country hotels which do have a restaurant on site. In some cases, they do overnight in towns, where you will have more than one restaurant to choose from. There will always be a restaurant for dinner, so you do not need to bring your own food. If you have special dietary needs, or would prefer vegetarian, pescetarian or vegan options, please alert your guide at the start of your tour.
I’m on an overnight tour. Where do I leave my main luggage?
As many overnight tours request that you only pack an overnight bag, you might have to leave your main luggage in town. If this is the case, please contact your travel planner directly. They can either arrange a storage through the operators for you, or arrange for the luggage to be kept at the hotel during your overnight tour.
I want to add a tour that is not included in the options, can I do that or could you arrange it for me?
If you would like to add a tour, please contact your travel agent to check how the tour aligns with your itinerary. Then, you can either book it directly online through the site, or contact your travel agent and they will do so for you.
Hotels
I have an early flight in - is there an option of an early check in?
Some hotels offer early check ins for a minimal fee. This differs from hotel to hotel, and is always based on availability. The only way to secure an early check in is to book an added night, that is, the night of your arrival. If you wish to do so, let your travel agent know so they can arrange that for you.
We will be arriving very late at night in Reykjavik, will we have trouble finding food around the hotel after midnight?
In downtown Reykjavík, you will not have problems finding basic food. There is a small general store in the very centre which is always open. Restaurants usually close between 22:00 and 23:00, but the smaller fast food locales are often open longer. Some hotels offer late snacks as well.
Is breakfast included?
In all package bookings that are set to comfort level or higher, breakfast is always included. Budget accommodation options and cabin options, however, do not include breakfast.
Will I have a private bathroom?
In all package bookings that are set to comfort level or higher, you will always have a private bathroom in accommodations booked by Guide to Iceland. If you are on an overnight tour with a tour operator, these categories will not apply. You can contact the operator directly for information about their lodgings for the tour.
Can you change the hotels you booked for me?
If you would like to change hotels, we will do our best to change your accommodation for you. Please note that due to low availability and high demand, we cannot make guarantees for specific hotels. If you would like to request a specific hotel, we naturally will do our very best to secure it for you, but please note that additional fees may apply.
I was told a hotel was fully booked, but see online that they still have rooms available.
Sometimes, hotels appear available online when they are not open for bookings by agencies. Sometimes, it simply is an information lagging in the site update, but it can also be due to locked room allotment by i.e. sites like Booking.com or Hotel.com. The rooms you see there are not registered as available by the hotels, and thus cannot be booked or reserved by a third party.
