Iceland, ice, lava and open road.

Which Iceland to choose?

Iceland is a volcanic island a little larger than Portugal, with about 400,000 inhabitants, almost two thirds of them in the Reykjavík area. Outside the capital almost everything is nature: waterfalls, glaciers, lava fields and black sand beaches. One road, the ring road or Route 1, goes right round the island, and almost every trip consists of driving a stretch of it.

The full circuit is about 1,300 km and needs at least ten days. With a week or less, what works best is to pick one area and not rush:

• If it is your first trip, head for South Iceland. It is the stretch with the most sights in a row: the waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, the black beach of Reynisfjara by Vík, Skaftafell National Park and the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, with icebergs floating out to sea. You can do it in four to six nights, there and back from Reykjavík.
• If you only have a long weekend, stay in Reykjavík and do the Golden Circle: Þingvellir National Park, where the American and Eurasian plates drift apart, the geysers at Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall. It takes a day.
• If you are after the northern lights, travel between late September and March and sleep outside the city, away from the lights. The south works, as long as the sky is clear.

How do you get there from Spain?

By plane. All international flights arrive at Keflavík, about 50 km from Reykjavík. From Barcelona there are direct flights all year with Vueling and Icelandair, taking a little over four hours. From Madrid, Iberia Express operates a direct route in summer; the rest of the year you have to change in another European city. Buses to Reykjavík leave from the airport, and car and campervan rental companies pick you up there.

Paperwork. Iceland is not in the European Union but it is in Schengen: the Spanish national ID card or a passport valid for at least three months will do. The European Health Insurance Card covers urgent care; for outdoor activities travel insurance with rescue and repatriation is advisable.

Money. The currency is the Icelandic króna (ISK). Almost everything is paid for by card, including self-service petrol stations, and cash machines accept Spanish cards. You do not need to carry cash.

How do you get around?

A car is almost essential outside Reykjavík. The rules people forget most: headlights on at all times, even by day; limits of 90 km/h on tarmac, 80 on gravel roads and 50 in built-up areas, with very high fines; and driving off the signposted roads and tracks is forbidden. Mountain tracks, the F roads, only open in summer and require a 4x4.

The campervan is the other classic way of touring the island: it saves you looking for accommodation, which is expensive and scarce in the countryside, but in Iceland you cannot sleep anywhere except campsites.

Before each leg, check the road conditions at road.is and the warnings at safetravel.is, where you can also leave your travel plan. The weather changes within an hour, even in summer. Avoid driving at night and rest often: the distances between petrol stations are long.

When to go and what it costs

June to September is the easy season: everything is open, the days are very long and the roads are free of snow. In June and July it hardly gets dark. May and September are quieter. From October to April there are northern lights, but also storms that close roads, ice and few hours of daylight: in December the sun does not rise until after eleven.

Iceland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. Accommodation and car hire weigh most; eating in restaurants does too. What helps: booking months ahead, shopping in supermarkets and cooking in apartments or at campsites.