Tourist Caught Speeding - Speed tickets in Iceland

A tourist was caught speeding 60 kilometers over the limit along Reykjanesbraut, the road to Keflavík International Airport, earlier this week.

The speed limit in the area, and the maximum speed limit in Iceland, is 90 km/hr (55 mph) but the man was driving 150 km/hr (95 mph).

A total of 11 people were caught speeding in the Suðurnes region where Keflavík Airport is located this week, visir.is reports.

The police in Selfoss also stopped a tourist on the mountain pass Hellisheiði, between Reykjavík and Hveragerði, for speeding 168 km/h (105 miles/h) in a 90 km/h zone last monday. The speed limit outside of urban areas in Iceland is generally 90km/h (55miles/h).

The driver was issued a ISK 112,000 (USD 1000, EUR 770) on-the-spot fine. The man will also be banned from driving for three months.

There have been several cases of tourists being booked for driving much faster than the speed limit in recent months.

Speed limits and tickets in Iceland

The general rule is that 90 km/hour is the maximum speed you can drive at outside of towns and villages in Iceland in perfect circumstances on tarmac and without a carriage. On unpaved roads the speed limit is 80 km/hour Nowhere in Iceland are you allowed to drive faster than that. Somewhere the speed limit can be lower if the circumstances call for it such as steep mountain roads or sharp turns. There are usually plenty of signs that tell you the maximum speed so not knowing is really not an excuse.

The table below tells you how the speeding ticket system in Iceland is built up. The yellow line represent the speed limit on any given road and the pink line represent the actual speed the driver is caught driving at. The numbers in the other boxes represent the fine in thousands (ISK) + the months the license is suspended. We don’t know if the Icelandic police has jurisdiction to suspend foreign licenses but they can and will give out tickets.

How do you get a ticket?

As you may have noticed if you have driven around Iceland there are not a lot of police around. There are plenty of speed cameras though and even thought there are big signs that tell you that they are there, somehow people don’t slow down and end up getting a ticket.

Also, even though there are not a lot of police around they do lurk around and show up when you least expect it. Certain counties are notorious for very efficient speed control and the police knows exactly where to hide so you won’t figure out they are there until it’s too late.

We’ve also heard, and we don’t know if this is true or not, that they just love to bust tourists in rental cars.

But nobody told me I got a ticket when I dropped off my rental car, that must mean I’m in the clear, right?

Wrong. It always takes the authorities some time to process the ticket and then it takes the car rental agency time to put two and two together and figure out who was driving the car when the ticket was issued. What’s more, some car rental agencies will charge you a processing charge on top of the actual ticket.

Soure: Icelandreview
Iceland24, October 2014

Photography in Iceland - A Snapshot of Nature

You've framed the composition. Jagged volcanic rock formations are silhouetted against the crystal glacier horizon. Looking up from the viewfinder of your SLR, reality is confirmed; you are standing shrouded in the ethereal glow of the emerald and violet Northern Lights.

Snap!

It's little wonder why Iceland is seen as the photographer’s paradise. For the seasoned professional or the so inclined amateur enthusiast, there is no shortage of subject matter. With contrasting landscapes covering the island, each one more breathtaking than the last, Iceland is a photographer’s dream destination; from the charming small town islands of Vestmannaeyjar, to the enchanting scenes of nature at the Golden Waterfalls of Gullfloss, your individual photography fairy-tale awaits.

Iceland itself is a unique mix of cultures and traditions that have been refined by a beautiful, yet demanding, landscape. Those who visit cannot help but want to capture a small piece to take home with them. Even those who aren’t normally ‘shutter bugs’ suddenly find a desire to pick up a telephoto lens, a small pocket digital shooter or even a phone, to capture one of the many scenes that touch their imaginations.

Memories preserved on film serve to awaken the spirit of adventure in every naturalist and call one back to the island’s majestic scenes (even for a second to third visit).

Inspired photographers of all skill levels set out into the wilds of Iceland to capture that perfect shot. Iceland may be small, but it has so much to offer in terms of variety. The unique and simple beauty on the island gives photographers the chance to shoot assorted subjects that are suited to every individual’s photographic flare; scenes of nature, wildlife, culture, midnight sun, Northern Lights… you’ll be sure to find your picturesque opportunities in Iceland!

Some quick facts! Iceland has very few trees, making unimpeded wide shots featuring wild, rocky terrain commonplace. Around 11.5% of the country is covered in glaciers. Amazing glass-like structures protruding from the foreground and cascades of ancient ice slides rolling through the mountains are some of the more remote, yet fantastic scenes on the island nation.

In summertime, specifically in June and July, the island experiences 24 hours of day light. The merging of sunrise and sunset make for some magical images of glaciers, beaches or waterfalls bathed in pink and orange light.

Wildlife

For wildlife photographers, Iceland boasts a rich birdlife. Puffins are exceptionally popular models. Stunning bird cliffs can be found around the country with breathtaking sunsets over the sea in the distance. The Icelandic horses provide a graceful subject, if not a tricky one; better snap fast, those ponies are quick!

Whale watching is a popular attraction that doesn’t disappoint. No need to take long trips out to sea, the huge water-dwelling mammals swim very close to the Icelandic coast. If you feel more like capturing images of domestic animals, there are also plenty of sheep and cows - in fact, the sheep outnumber the people 2 to 1! Of course, Iceland is also famous for Santa’s flying friends. Reindeer herds roam freely in some areas.

Northern lights photography in Iceland

In addition to Iceland’s night life, there are the “night lights”. The Northern Lights are another natural wonder that is unique to regions lying in the Arctic Circle. Streaking the night’s sky with vivid color, the Arora Borealis can best be seen in the winter months away from populated areas.

The sight of the northern lights were considered a sign of something sacred to the Norse people; seeing the breathtaking sight today, it is easy to see why.

Culture 

There is no place better for quirky images of culture, food, architecture or people than Reykjavík! It is known for its colorful houses, arts, great nightlife and a personality all of its own. The Icelandic population is a mix of Scandinavian as well as Irish heritage, which is reflected in their food, architecture, and character. Dotted around the coastline of the country are a few towns and numerous small fishing villages. Some are very remote and in idyllic settings. The traditional turf houses are small cottage structures covered with earth and make for a rustic, quaint picture.

Iceland’s individuality, diversity and remoteness are what make it such a desirable destination for the amateur or the professional photographer. From its natural wonders, to its animal life and the people who call it home, this island nation has so much to take in, and so much to capture on film. One thing is for sure, on your next Icelandic adventure, you shouldn’t forget your camera!

Photo tours and photo workshops in Iceland

Iceland24 can get you in touch with the talented Florent Gast (info@landmannalaugartours.com), a fully licensed tour operator in Iceland.

Florent Gast is a fantastic photographer that has years of experience in photographing Icelandic nature and both organizes photo tours and workshops in photography. The workshops are small and personal and include information about long exposure methodology, concepts of landscape photography, visual design and composition, working with filters, post processing for web and prints, basics of time-lapse and more.

All the pictures in this article (and most of the pictures on this website) are taken by Florent, many of them during photo tours, such as this one that appeared recently in The Icelandic Times.

Photography in Iceland
Rachel - Iceland24
July 2014

Midnight sun in Iceland

The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months at places north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Around the solstice (June 21 in the north and December 21 in the south) and given fair weather the sun is visible for the full 24 hours.

The number of days per year with potential midnight sun increases the farther towards either pole one goes. Although approximately defined by the polar circles, in practice midnight sun can be seen as much as 90 km outside the polar circle, as described below, and the exact latitudes of the farthest reaches of midnight sun depend on topography and vary slightly year-to-year.

During summer the nights are bright in all of Iceland. In the month of June the sun never fully sets in the north. There are even special excursions to the island of Grímsey on the Arctic Circle where you can experience the midnight sun. Keep in mind, however, that the sun at midnight is not as warm as at midday, so bring along a sweater.

Sun hours per day

	Reykjavík	Ísafjörður	Akureyri
January	11:19 / 15:44	12:01 / 15:11	11:32 / 15:00
February	10:08 / 17:15	10:29 / 17:04	08:25 / 16:47
Mars	08:36 / 18:46	08:46 / 18:45	08:25 / 18:26
April	06:46 / 20:19	06:47 / 20:28	06:28 / 20:07
May	05:00 / 21:52	04:50 / 22:12	04:33 / 21:49
Juny	03:23 / 23:30	02:42 / 00:23	02:34 / 23:50
July	03:05 / 23:57	-	01:57 / 00:32
August	04:33 / 22:59	04:16 / 22:59	04:01 / 22:34
September	06:09 / 20:44	06:06 / 20:56	05:48 / 20:35
October	07:36 / 18:58	07:42 / 19:00	07:22 / 18:41
November	09:10 / 17:12	09:27 / 17:04	09:04 / 16:47
December	10:45 / 15:48	11:19 / 15:23	10:52 / 15:10

The northernmost coast of Iceland is just kilometres below the circle, and during the months of June and July the sun barely disappears below the horizon. This period of ‘golden light’ is perfect for some creative photography and allows for longer days of exploration!

Many find it difficult to fall asleep during the night when the sun is shining. In general, visitors and newcomers are most affected. Some natives are also affected, but in general to a lesser degree. The effect of the midnight sun, that is, not experiencing night for long durations of time, is said to cause hypomania, which is characterized by persistent and pervasive elevated or irritable mood.

During the summer months of the midnight sun, Icelanders and tourists alike can enjoy special events and regular daytime activities such as golfing, swimming and running throughout the night. The 2013 Suzuki Midnight Sun Run will be held on June 24, 2013 in Reykjavik, and runners can participate in 5k, 10k or half marathon races. After the races, runners celebrate at the outdoor geothermal swimming pools at Laugardalslaug. Visitors can also experience midnight golfing at the Akureyri Golf Club's Arctic Open Golf Championship a few days later on June 27-29, 2013.

Peter

Iceland24

May 2013

24 Hours in Reykjavík - Trip to Iceland

How to make good use of your time in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. Good food, whale watching, swimming pools, a bit of culture and shopping should do the trick.

Breakfast

If I was a tourist I’d probably go to Perlan (Öskjuhlíð. It’s that globe-y thing you see on the hill.) and enjoy a wonderful 360° view of Reykjavík in a perfectly kitsch location and have breakfast in the cafeteria. Although I do have the sneaking suspicion that food wise Grái kötturinn, a hole in the wall on Hverfisgata 16a, known for luxurious brunches, would be a better choice. It’s perfect if you have a big hole to fill and it opens ridiculously early. Or just head to the next Kaffitár (Bankastræti 8, Höfðatorg and more) and have amazing coffee and something breakfasty on the side.

Morning

Whale of a time

There’s nothing like spending your morning spotting those “gentle giants”. From April through September there are tours a few times a day, the first at 9am and they last 2.5 to 3.5 hours. In winter there is one tour a day at 1pm and lasts a bit longer. In June and July there is also a midnight tour, leaving at half past eight, which sounds like pure delight. Dress accordingly (although some gear is provided), and understand that you might be on one of the unlucky boats (an even better reason to do some giant-eating later). But if you are lucky there is nothing quite like it! Check out Elding, a local whale watching company.

Or a different kind of splashing….

the swimming pool. If you’re an early bird, I recommend you sneak this one in before breakfast, that’s when the regulars go. If you don’t like to swim, don’t worry, just soak your traveling-sore muscles in steaming hot water in one of the whirlpools and talk politics with some strangers. But please, please wash first, without your swimwear that is, or you might expect a lashing out from one of the locals.

Every Reykvíkingur (a person from Reykjavík) will have their preferred pool and there’s bound to be one near you. Note that Sundhöllin (Barónsstígur 45a), the one closest to the city center has an indoor pool (the whirlpools however are outside), whilst traditionally Icelandic swimming pools are outdoors, heated of course, but on the other hand the architecture of Sundhöllin is wonderful.

Lunchtime

If you’re in the mood for a rustic seafood experience, Sægreifinn (Geirsgata 8 ) is the place. The lobster soup has a Thai feel to it and is delicious. Here you can also taste some barbecued minke whale. I find this particularly fitting if you just got off the boat and saw some alive ones. It’s also perfectly convenient as it is right next to the whale watching pier.

If you want a different kind of seafood, the more upscale Fiskmarkaðurinn(Aðalstræti 12) does an excellent lunch menu and for extremely reasonable prices. The spider maki is drop dead good.

Afternoon

If you are in the mood for culture, the Reykjavik Art Museum (Tryggvagata 17) at Hafnarhúsið is one of the best places in town to see art, and just a skip and a hop down the street is Gallery i8 (Tryggvagata 16), a nice little private art gallery.

If it’s weekend, head next to Kolaportið (Tryggvagata 19), the Reykjavík flea market, located on the same street. Browse through second hand records and buy some gravlax, salmon cured in sugar, salt and dill, or whatever else takes your fancy.

Perhaps you’re more in a shopping kind of mindset. Take a stroll upAusturstræti, which changes into Bankastræti and then Laugavegur, up to Hlemmur bus station. This is our main shopping street, and also the main restaurant and bar street, well it’s actually simply our main street. Just remember to look down the streets cutting through, some gems lie hidden there.Skólavörðustígur, leading up to Hallgrímskirkja, the landmark church of Reykjavík is also stroll-worthy. Once you’re up the hill you can go up to the bell tower and admire the surroundings from there. It costs a few hundred kronur to go up in the elevator but the view is good and the wind will enliven any spirit.

Late afternoon

If it’s summer and the weather is good, do as we do and hope for an outside table somewhere at Austurvöllur (a grassy plaza in the city center) and have a little something and do some people watching. No table, no worries! There is plenty of grass, a liquor store around the corner or coffee to go from anywhere, Te og Kaffi in the Eymundsson Bookstore on Austurstræti being the recommended choice.

When there, gaze in the direction of the house of parliament – Alþingishúsið – and imagine it’s dark and snowy and the whole plaza is filled with furious, screaming protesters, Austurvöllur’s christmas tree (an enormous Norwegian gift) is on fire and history is happening. Ask people about it if you dare, you will get emotional sagas or boring speeches, but probably both.

Evening – Eating time again

It’s a little tricky to suggest something that is cheap but still a showcase of Icelandic food culture, unless it is something that shows how we have adopted other nations’ food cultures. So here goes:

Budget

My favorite burger joint is the B5-branch of Búllan (Bankastræti 5). You enter a fancy schmancy cocktail bar-type place, but on the right side of the bar there is another world, the Narnia of burger-joints. You can eat in there or get your burger served in the über cool bar area. The ketchup comes in plastic containers in the joint bit, but glass bottles in the bar, but it doesn’t matter because what you really want to do is substitute it with the best ever Béarnaise.

Osushi is a sushi-train restaurant up the escalator from Iða, the bookstore (Lækjargata 2a) and is a surprisingly comfortable place where you can easily control how much you spend and indeed how much you eat.

Mid Range

Tapas barinn (Vesturgata 3b) is perfect for a varied meal. There’s puffin on the menu here, don’t miss your chance, it’s divine! There’s also whale and kangaroo if you’re feeling adventurous. Booking ahead might be a good idea.

Íslenski barinn (Pósthússtræti 9) offers the tastes of Iceland, from herring and shellfish to lamb carpaccio and foal in a relaxed setting.

Splurge

I would recommend the aforementioned Fiskmarkaðurinn (Aðalstræti 12) for Asian fish fusion or Sjávarkjallarinn (Aðalstræti 2) or Dill (Norræna Húsið, Hringbraut) for Scandinavian cuisine. Sjávarkjallarinn, or the Seafood Cellar, is located, as implied by name, in a chic yet rustic cellar in the city center. Dill is situated in the Nordic House, overlooking a beautiful bit of central moorland and beyond that the city itself. Booking ahead is advised for all three.

101 Bar (Hverfisgata 10) is the perfect place for a post-restaurant drink. Essentially a hotel bar for the ever so fancy boutique Hotel 101, this is designer chic where you still feel at home, and probably the least hotel-bary bar you’ll ever go to.

Night Cap

I have to also mention here that if you happen to pass by Hafnarfjörður, Fjörukráin (Strandgata 55, Hafnarfjörður) is one of my favorite places to have a pint, or perhaps some Brennivín, THE shot of Iceland.

Out on the town

Tastes in places, crowds and music differ greatly so I’m not going to recommend any one place. Just take a stroll up or down Laugavegur and walk towards the tunes you like. Another trick would be to stop people in the street that look like they would frequent a place you would like and ask them for advice. Drunk Icelanders are normally quite helpful, although they might not always want to share their favorite place with newcomers, afraid that they will overcrowd it.

The party starts between 1 and 2am, and after 2am you’ll see which places are the popular ones judging by the massive queues outside. We don’t really do clubs but rather overfilled bars, which might happen to be where you had your breakfast or a cup of coffee earlier in the day.

If you’re ready to experience modern Iceland in a sip, ask for a licorice shot, Topas or Opal, we drink it like candy, which is really what it is, with some vodka added.

Early morning hours

If the bar you’re in is chucking you out, it’s surely time for a snack. Head down to Bæjarins Bestu the best Icelandic hot-dog stand in town. It is located across the street from the aforementioned flea market (if you get lost everyone knows where it is). Just look for a small shed with a long queue of hungry people in front.

Iceland24

May 2013