The Rough Guide to Iceland

Traveling in Iceland using this new edition of the Rough Guide gave me and my wife the impression that the author did not like Iceland. Simply put, there was ample evidence that most of what was written was obtained by an online search or word-of-mouth. There were a number of inaccuracies and omissions that would be unimaginable if the author had actually spent time in Iceland. In all likelihood, it was written from a three-day stay in Reykjavik during July (the height of tourist season). Here are some examples of the lazy writing that caused us MANY headaches:-It is assumed that everyone in Iceland (locals and tourists) has a cellphone. There are rarely any phones available in hotel rooms or B&B's, and many times the phone number listed for a B&B is the cellphone of the owner. This was not mentioned in the book.-Some towns are simply not mentioned. While the towns in Iceland tend to be very small and would not rate a mention in most guidebooks, this is true of 90% of the towns. There are only 320,000 people in Iceland - their towns can all be listed. For example, try finding Suðureyri in the guidebook. Not there. The town is a fairly substantial fishing village near Ísafjörður.-Puffins: it is no secret that Iceland is home to many nesting grounds for puffins. We traveled to Iceland in the second half of August expecting to find puffins. According to the guidebook, the puffins can be found from April to Mid-September. Good luck with that. Any local can tell you (and will, if you ask them) that the puffins all leave by Mid-August. After August 15, you can only expect a few isolated puffins anywhere around Iceland. You might get lucky and find a group stopped at a southerly stop for a while (we did), but don't count on it. Where we saw a flock of puffins (at Vestmannaeyjar), none had been spotted a week prior. Yet another example of lazy, inaccurate writing that could have been corrected by some cursory research.-Opening hours: we found more than one attraction with incorrect hours listed. Don't trust any times that say open after 18:00.-Laugavegur: Everything written about the laugavegur lists it as a four-day hike from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, with no other options. The author clearly pulled all of his information about this trek from other sources and did not try it himself nor talk to someone who had. While it is a full four days from start to end, there are buses that can be hired that reach Álftavatn (and Emstrur), which cut the walk in half - something useful if you wish to go elsewhere. Taking a bus either in or out of Álftavatn also avoids all of the potentially treacherous river fordings. The hike from Landmannalaugar to Álftavatn is also, by far, the most scenic portion of the hike.-Buses: The only bus routes mentioned in the book start and end in Reykjavik. While those routes certainly exist and are useful, there are many other routes that start and end elsewhere. Bus tickets start at ~$50 a ride/person. Knowing all of the possibilities will help with planning more interesting excursions into the interior of Iceland without losing days on a bus.-Roads: the road conditions and experience of driving in Iceland is quite different from the U.K. (including Skye) or mainland Europe. Doable, but be ready for very rough terrain (even the "good" roads). Not mentioned in this book.I leave these bits of advice as examples of why you should find a different guidebook and as helpful tips to those wishing to go to Iceland (which is GREAT!). Good luck!

Rough Guides used to be good. This Iceland book is nothing more than a glorified 200-something page travel brochure, full of mediocre photos and the same kind of info you can get for free on the web or in official tourist brochures. A total waste of money. Go instead for Andrew Evans's Bradt guide to Iceland, which has the in-depth perspective and cultural information you need to make your trip truly memorable.

This book is helping us plan out trip to Iceland in April. The book has bits of history, and ideas for sidetrips, as well as info on the popular sites throughout Iceland. I wish that there were more maps, or a pullout driving map for the island, like many other travel books offer.

This guide, from the pictures to the history, made my journey across Iceland so much more exciting! Friends bought the lonely planet guide and ended up taking my rough guides book since they were staying longer than me. The only thing that I wish was different was the southern coast section... We travelled clockwise like the book does, except when it hits the southern coast and changes to explaining from west to east.

I preordered this book hoping that getting the most recently published book would give me the most up to date information. I was very wrong. There's a paragraph in the intro talking about how gay/ lesbian people aren't welcomed in Iceland, that they all go to Denmark and the Netherlands to be accepted. Huh? Iceland was one of the first countries to legalize gay marriage. Their prime minister is an open lesbian with a wife.The rest of the book is hard to read because it just lists out cities and their important information. I have no way to figure out where each city is in relation to the next. It is organized by territory, but other than that there are no basic maps to help one figure out the distance and relationship of Thingvellir to Mosfellsbaer, for instance. So I spent most of my time reading this book googling each city to figure out where it was in relation to the places I really want to see.There is also no helpful information regarding the Icelandic language and its unique alphabet. I don't want to be the ignorant traveller that walks into a store and asks in English if they speak English. I don't need an Icelandic-English dictionary. Just the basics, plus an explanation of the different letters, would be nice.The author also gets subjective regarding a few Icelandic cities saying that there " is nothing worth stopping for" in several places. I was very excited to find that there's an Icelandic Textile Museum (and Iceland is famous for its textiles) in Blonduos. The author claims that Blonduos has "little reason to stop here." Really? Did he even stop there?The book does list some recommended hotels and restaurants, which is really the only thing I've used out of this book. Otherwise I've been using the Google to plan my Iceland trip.I've used Rough Guides before to plan trips, this one is just frustrating. I don't like relying on the Internet and its wealth of misinformation for travel, but this book leaves much to be desired.

Good overview of Iceland. I used this guide to drive around the ring road, and it was invaluable at pointing out things to do and tips about what to eat and where to stay. (Sparing us from just eating gas station hot dogs, which are good the first few times.)

I found using the web much better. sorry rough guide but the guide was hard to use and it had bad maps. the information about site was very bare.

The best guide to Iceland, its people and the culture.

Awesome! A clear guide to anyone who wants to visit the island, the book is cleverly split into sections for different regions of Iceland making planning a trip easier and gives good advice on best attractions to see. I have been reading this book now for a couple of weeks as I have a trip coming up myself and have found this book resourceful in helping to prepare for my visit. Helpful guide on all areas from transport to accommodation to attractions, and local food and drink too! Don't normally write reviews but this is worthy of one!! Buy it! 😄

Good enough, but I thought it lacked some of the depth and up-to-date reliability of some Rough Guides I've used.

As always the rough guides give a great and complete insight of what to expect in the country you travel to. It is very clear where all of the "hot spots" are, how to reach them and where to stay. Moreover it explains in detail what the top attractions are for each area of the country.

Bought as a gift for a lucky person that was visiting Iceland. I gather it was very useful.

An invaluable source of information when touring this summer. A great supplement to the itinerary information we had been given.

Packed ful of valuable information.

I like this guide - quite detailed and informative.

Thorough, clear, detailed. The sort of book which still works best in physical, rather than virtual, form. This will soon be comfortingly dogeared...

good guide

Look forward to using it on my trip to Iceland in February

Useful guide

Very informative guide, looking forward to going back.

good bpook

Helpful book, found some amazing scenic places, which I may otherwise have missed! and some good advice about the swimming pools!

lovely gift for someone