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Car rental in November

Hello, I will be traveling to Iceland 11/4-11/9. I would like to see many things. However, I do not know if I should book the site seeing tours (Golden Circle, Snaefellsnes, Southcoast) or rent my own car and site see at my own pace? I have read many different things on whether or not to rent a car in November. Thank you.

Posted by
1972 posts

It depends. The weather can be good or bad, and the forecasts are not very accurate until sort of the last minute there. I would have a plan A and plan B. That way, if the weather is good, you can rent a car at the last minute and go on your own. You do need to keep checking the road conditions etc as it changes frequently. On our February trip we did a mix of taking a tour and renting a car at the last minute and that worked well for us. Blue Car Rental has an office right in Reykjavik in the harbor area, so it is really easy to pick up and drop off for even just a day trip. It is walkable from the main area of Reykjavik where the bulk of the hotels are.

Posted by
658 posts

You only have five days, including arrival and departure days I assume. That doesn't give you a whole lot of time if weather turns bad. Look at some videos on YouTube that people have posted while driving in Iceland in the winter. Is that something that you'd want to try, or would you rather leave the driving to someone who is a local and used to driving in complete whiteouts. And there is also the possibility of roads being closed due to snow and/or high winds, and then you could be stuck somewhere.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you so much. So it is easy to rent a car at the last minute? I was just worried that the cars would be sold out.

Posted by
6794 posts

November is low season, and a fewer % of people travel by rental car then, so cars selling out is not an issue.