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Solo Traveler Safety In Iceland

I’m going solo to Iceland for 8 days. I’m sure it’s pretty safe but my main concern is that my hotel is on Laugavegur where buses are not allowed so I always have to go to the Hlemmur Bus Stop #10 for pickup and dropoff for excursions. The Northern Lights tour, in particular, is coming back to the terminal on or after midnight. How safe is it for me to walk by myself that time of the night? The map says it’s about a 10-minute walk.

Posted by
2298 posts

I did a similar thing but different hotel/bus stop and felt perfectly safe. Because I had done a couple day time excursions I already knew the route from the bus stop to the hotel. Most streets are well lit at night, it does get dark there early in the winter months!

Posted by
14809 posts

You'll be fine. Laugevegur is a busy street with lots of restaurants and bars. You won't be the only one out there.

Reykjavik is a very safe city.

Posted by
7049 posts

I've traveled quite a bit and Iceland was truly a piece of cake - no safety issues at all. Had no problems walking at all hours alone. Obviously, wherever you are, be weary of drunk people walking late at night...that's about it.

Also, just be aware that the CDC has given Iceland a Level 4 designation just now and that the country is pretty strict when it comes to COVID (so who knows how that will impact your travel there). "Countries and territories in this group have an incidence rate of covid-19 of more than 500 new cases per 100,000 people over the past 28 days".

Posted by
5506 posts

I was in Iceland alone for 5 days. I felt very safe. I walked alone all over Reykjavik, even at night. I was there in September and it seemed like streets were very well lit.

Posted by
3067 posts

When I was there in 2017 I stayed in a hotel right on the outskirts of town, off Nautun Street, which is off Laugavegur; and both tours that I took picked me up and dropped me off right at the hotel door.
They used a mini bus for this, then you transferred onto the bigger tour bus at a main station point.
I believe it was Gray Line that I booked through.
It was the same on the bus from the airport...big bus to the station, then a minibus right to the door...same ticket.
I'm pretty sure all the tour companies do the same thing, if you check with them.

I was also solo.
You will love Iceland!

Posted by
14809 posts

SJ, the rules about pickup have changed since 2017. They can no longer pick up from hotels. Now it's designated stops around the city

Posted by
14 posts

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful comments. I appreciate all of them and appreciate this forum for always being a useful resource for my trips!

Posted by
3067 posts

Oh, that is too bad they don't pick up at outlying hotels any more.
It was so nice to wait inside your warm hotel lobby/hallway till you saw the minibus pull up!

OP: I found it quite safe to walk around in the dark...I was there one December so it was dark at 3:30 pm!
Perhaps someone else at your hotel might be on your tours and you could walk together?

Posted by
27 posts

Solo traveller here and just returned from a 2 week trip in Iceland. I felt very safe. There was only one time when I was at a bar, a man with a North American accent (could've been American, could've been Canadian) approached me to ask if I was there alone, to which I replied "Nope" and he moved right along.

Posted by
5506 posts

I am female and was in my mid 50s when I stayed in Reykjavik alone for 5 days. I walked around at all times a day (evenings as well)

I found bus drivers to be very kind and friendly. A couple times I rode the bus for an entire route just to see the area. I will say my drivers did not speak much English, but we communicated just fine.

At night, I made a mistake with the bus schedule for return to my hotel from Perlan so I started walking to my hotel. Three people pulled over and offered me rides, the first two I passed on, feeling nervous. When the third car stopped, I decided to take the ride. I had been walking on the grass along a busier road without a sidewalk and the drivers were concerned. The third person was a 30ish woman and we chatted quite a bit on the way to my hotel. She told me Iceland is extremely safe and they try to be helpful to their visitors.

Posted by
3387 posts

I'm a 56 year old female and have been to Iceland twice by myself. It's extremely safe and I never once felt like I needed to look over my shoulder or take extra precautions. I drive all over the island on my own and it's fine! Even with a tour coming in very late, I would not hesitate. That's a very busy part of town - you can also arrange for a taxi if it would make you feel better. I'm sure your hotel can help with that.