Solo Female Travel In Iceland Without A Car – How To Make The Most Of It

UPDATED FEB 2020. When I visited Iceland, I wanted to see as much of the beautiful nature as possible, but there was a catch. I didn’t want to do all the driving. When I’m traveling solo I just can’t drive around all day. I don’t know about you but there’s something about driving that makes me so tired. If I don’t have someone to talk to or play car Karaoke with (for the record, I do a pretty great Beyonce performance) then I get tired really fast. When I was planning my trip, I had to figure out how to see it all without having to drive all day and I’m happy to say that I found a way. Here’s a guide for solo female travel in Iceland and how to make the most of your trip even if you won’t have a rental car. 

Solo Female Travel In Iceland Without A Car – How To Make The Most Of It

Disclaimer:

This post was written in partnership with Bustravel Iceland.

Day tours for solo female travelers in Iceland

The best way I could see a lot of the sights was to jump on a couple of day tours. I did day tours for the sights on the Golden Circle and explored Reykjavik on the other days by walking around on my own.

I found Bus Travel Iceland for the tours and took the Glacier Lagoon tour and Grand Golden Circle tours.

Solo female travel in Iceland with a car

Before we get started, I want to mention that solo female travel in Iceland is entirely doable with a car.

It’s a personal preference of mine to avoid most times on my solo trips because I get tired after about 40 minutes.

If you want to rent a car, the most important thing to know is that the weather is harsh and unpredictable. When we were traveling on the bus tour, the wind was pushing the bus!

Stay updated with Safe Travel Iceland to check alerts before driving each day and download their app so that you can check it during the day.

Glacier Lagoon tour

In my opinion, the Glacier Lagoon is the must-do. It’s a 14 hour day that allows you to see so many of the incredible natural sights.

On this tour, you can do it all from standing under a roaring waterfall to holding icebergs on a black sand beach.

It’s hard to pick a favorite part, but I think it might’ve been the Glacier Lagoon because it was such a surreal area. As you stand there with cold air hugging your face, looking out at the silky water broken by the huge icebergs, it feels like you’ve been transported into a travel magazine.

Like one of those places you know exist somewhere on Earth but would probably never be able to see. I was even lucky enough to see seals frolicking in the water.

For those of us who wanted to go, our guide walked us to a black sand beach with icebergs washed up on it which was another unreal beauty.

The Glacier Lagoon was by far my favorite tour and the one I recommend the most.

Grand Golden Circle tour

The Grand Golden Circle tour was an 8-hour day, so a little shorter duration but still impressive when it comes to seeing incredible natural sights.

On this tour, you can see waterfalls, boiling water shooting out from the ground at Geysir, and even a volcanic crater with its own lake.

In hindsight, if I was doing the trip over I would do the Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon tour instead. I mean, why not add in a dip in the heated thermal water to your adventures, right?

Travel Tip: Bring a waterproof jacket if you want to get close to any of the waterfalls. They’re huge so they have a good amount of spray coming from them.

What to expect on a day tour with Bus Travel Iceland

The day tours allowed me to maximize time exploring but it was not at a pace that was too fast to enjoy.

We were given plenty of time at each stop to check out the area and, of course, take pictures before returning to the bus.

For the driving time, I got to sit back and relax in comfort as I looked out the window at the other-worldly type landscapes outside.

The bus was really easy to spot in the carpark too with a big Bustravel Iceland sticker on the side so there was no risk of getting into the wrong bus after each adventure.

There is wi-fi onboard which is handy for uploading photos on the go.

Solo female travel in Iceland was easy and convenient with these tours.

Navigating Iceland’s unpredictable weather

It’s probably a good time for a reminder that the weather in Iceland is quite unpredictable and mother nature doesn’t muck around out there.

We had the weather turn on us during one of the tours and it was intense!

When I was walking outside the wind was strong enough to push me off a footpath then it turned into a rain/wind/snow combination.

I was glad about my choice to take the bus tour because the driver was able to navigate it smoothly and drive through the intense wind without even flinching.

If I was driving by myself, on the other hand, I would’ve certainly been flinching up a storm.

The group tours are fun

The guides on both of the tours were awesome.

As we drove around they shared information about life in Iceland that I probably have known had I driven around by myself. It was interesting and gave new life to the land we were exploring.

Instead of just seeing the Icelandic horses in paddocks I learned about their history, the reason that they are the size they are and the strict quarantine and import rules.

If I was by myself I would’ve just seen a cute animal, taken 3000 photos of them and that would be it so I appreciate having the guides there to share interesting information.

Taking these day tours made solo female travel in Iceland super easy and convenient.

It was the best way for me to maximize time without having to rent a car. I highly recommend it for anyone else planning a trip.

For more information:

Visit the Bustravel Iceland website

Follow them on Instagram for updates

Other guides to help you plan a trip to Iceland

• The No Drama & No BS Guide To The Iceland Plane Wreck Hike

• Iceland Ring Road In 7 Days – Here’s Your Step By Step Itinerary

• A Detailed Guide On Cheap And Free Things To Do In Reykjavik

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