Rough Guide to Iceland

The book is from 2007, so prices have changed so far, but other information is very accurate. I used it throughout all my trip in Iceland and I'm pretty satisfied. There could be more maps inside. Maybe that's the only disadvantage.

It is always hard to read reviews for travel books. One person's treasure is another person's waste of money. For the Rough Guide to Iceland 2, I found this to be a good book for casual traveling through the country. The book's 20 "must see and do things" was helpful and interesting. The maps were good, and from what I could tell, had a pretty thorough list of accommodations and going-ons. While it did provide some information on the popular treks, I was a little disappointed in the amount of information on outdoor activities. I mean, c'mon, this is Iceland! I would recommend this to someone going to Iceland. However, if you are going off the beaten track as I did, you will need to supplement this book with some internet research.

Having spent over three years in motion overseas, I have come to appreciate a guidebook that can blend the practical and cultural in a concise treatment. The Rough Guide to Iceland does this skillfully, and it is well-organized to boot. You'd use the Rough Guide to plan and layout your trip and then keep it by your side as your interpretive companion While the Lonely Planet guide to Iceland contains more detail on logistics, it is not particularly user-friendly. That being said, I'll buy a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to supplement the Rough Guide. Lonely Planet Guides have seen me through more difficulties than I can count, and I'm sure the Iceland edition will get me out of a few jams while I circle the country. But if I could use only one book, it would be the Rough Guide

I'm coming slowly to the conclusion that the Rough Guides may simply be the best series out there. This particular Rough Guide is certainly the best guidebook to Iceland. It lovingly details every section of the country, and has pithy, relevant remarks on accomodations, places to eat, and things to see. What I really love is the logical and thorough way in which it divides up any given area. Any time it introduces a new place, it gives you a comprehensive and sweeping overview, and then proceeds to lay out details district by district. You're left with a very clear picture of the area, and the comfort of knowing that additional details are available to you if you need to refer to them later. The maps are likewise extremely clear, providing plenty of detail while allowing you to get a sense of the overall lay of the terrain at a glance. I've also found that a number of guidebooks for Iceland have a way of speaking negatively or dismissively of aspects of the country - especially Lonely Planet. This Rough Guide honestly mentions problems - hitchhiking is unreliable, cycling is hard, the bus is expensive, etc. - but it never gives you the impression that you might just be better off staying home. The book was written as if the author really loved Iceland, which was quite refreshing.

We had a 3-day stopover in Iceland, and used the Rough Guide as our main source of information. The information in the book was accurate and very useful, especially when driving in the less populated areas. It was nice to know which towns had fuel stations, cafes, guesthouses, etc. It was a little confusing when we drove east from Vik, and the book was written as if driving west toward Vik, but we managed. The sections on culture and history were also very useful when planning a trip to a place we'd never been before. This book and a good map (1250 ISK at the tourist information desk) is all you should need for a great trip.