If you are planning a holiday in Iceland , there is no doubt that you have seen amazing photos and videos of the country on social media. It’s almost like they are teasing you every day with images of endless blue skies, frozen waterfalls, and snow-capped mountains. Since I have been there multiple times, I will share with you my favorite apps for Iceland to help you plan for your trip.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Iceland
- Veður – the Icelandic Weather App
The Veður app grants you easy access to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, with its weather maps, temperature, wind and snow forecasts, and weather warnings. Checking this app whilst travelling around Iceland will quickly become second nature once you experience the dramatic shifts in weather that Iceland is famous for. Winds, rains and snow might just make you think twice about your destination, whereas bouts of sunshine and warmer temperatures might make you hang around somewhere. If you’re driving, watch out for wind speeds over 15km/h, which are generally strong enough to whip back car doors and do some serious damage. - 112 Iceland – Icelandic Emergency Services
An essential app to have if you’re planning on doing any hiking around the country. Developed by the Emergency Services, the use of the 112 is simple. Two buttons fill the screen, one green and one red. Push the green button to send your location data to the emergency services database; your last 5 locations are stored, and you’re encouraged to do it as often as possible. If need be, the emergency services can dig into the database to check your location in case there’s an emergency in the area. The red button is more serious. Press it to directly text your location information to the emergency services, letting them know that you’re in trouble. It’s important to note that you should do this even if you don’t have enough reception to make a call, as there is generally enough service for text messages. - Aurora Forecast
If you’re in the country between September and April and are looking to catch the northern lights, this app will quickly become your best friend. A world map lets you see where the northern light activity is strongest, while push notifications alert you when they might appear at your location. If you’re not hunting them yourself and looking to join a tour, there’s also information on the best of the bunch. Data geeks will love reading up on solar wind activity, solar flares, and all the other details that go into revealing the northern lights. Happy hunting! - Iceland Road Guide
Iceland’s exotic and surreal landscapes also bring with them a lot of challenges when it comes to the roads. Road trips are one of the best ways to experience Iceland, and this app helps you understand the strange driving signs posted on roads. It also provides plenty of information about road rules in the country, as well as pointing out the best things to see and do. Driving in Iceland can be difficult, with cars contending for space with sheep, reindeer, and even other tourists pulling over to snap a photo; always make sure to drive carefully, and never use a mobile whilst driving. - Appy Hour & Appening Today
The Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s English language newspaper, that you can pick up for free at businesses, cafés and stores around the country. Featuring stories on culture, travel, news and the best events, it’s a good idea to pick up the latest edition when you’re in the country. They have also developed two different apps that will help you navigate the scene in Reykjavík. The first is the ingenious Appy Hour, which tracks all the happy hours of bars in Reykjavík. This is a seriously good tool to have once you start converting the price of that pint back to your home currency. Their other app, Appening Today, lets you know what events are on in the city on that day, be it music, art, or something else. Both are great tools to help you experience the local culture in Reykjavík when you’re in town. - Vegan Iceland
If you’re a vegan and worried about where you’ll be able to find something to eat in Iceland, this app is a complete lifesaver. The dedicated team have researched menus across Reykjavík and the entire country, detailing where vegans can find something to fit their dietary requirements. Open the app and you’ll be greeted by an interactive map of Iceland; zoom in and select the pins to see what delicious vegan food awaits you. You’ll be surprised at just how much there actually is out there, especially in a country so smitten with its lamb and dairy products. - WAPP – a GPS Hiking App
WAPP is an app for the serious hikers out there. Developed by dedicated hiker Einar Skúlason, it contains trail information for almost all of Iceland’s most interesting hiking routes. On top of that, it also delves into the history and folk lore surrounding the area. If you see a trail that you like the look of, a one-off payment grants you access to detailed information about the route. The route is then downloaded to your phone so you can reliably use it when you inevitably go offline. As a bonus, it also features general safety tips and advice for treks into Iceland’s wilderness. - Straeto – Public Transport
If you’re looking to catch a bus while traveling around Reykjavík, the Strætó Bus app will come in handy. The app tracks locations of buses, helps with planning routes, and of course contains all the timetables for buses in Reykjavík. You can also use the app to purchase bus tickers with a debit or credit card. The buses in Reykjavík are one of the only places in the country that don’t accept plastic, so unless you’re planning on paying with the exact change (490ISK as of 2020) then get the app to buy your tickets. - Icelandic Phrasebook
Icelandic is a notoriously hard language to learn, but even just a few basic phrases will get you a lot of credit with the locals. Icelanders never really expect foreigners to bother with the language, and English is widely spoken across the country. Of course, a few Icelandic phrases will always impress; it shows you’re interested in not only the landscapes, but also the people. For an even better reception, investigate the weird and wonderful Icelandic sayings. Their English translations are often hilariously strange, and Icelanders will love explaining them to you. - Map of Iceland Offline
While it will likely come in handy only a handful of times, having an offline map of Iceland is a must when travelling the country. It’s an all-too-common occurrence in Iceland for phone signal to drop out, always at the most annoying moments. Quickly switching over to an offline map might just save you from an aggravating and unnecessary detour on your travels. You can either download the data on Google Maps or look for the dedicated Icelandic offline map on the app store; both will ensure you’re never lost.
Best app for iceland travel
- Vedur (for weather)
The weather is Iceland can be challenging to say the least; don’t let the skies disrupt your travel plans with the Vedur weather app.
Iceland’s name is somewhat deceptive, putting prospective travellers in mind of a glacial wasteland reminiscent of Alaska, the Poles or even Greenland. In truth, the spring and summer months see Iceland a far warmer country than many expect, offering up the perfect balance to the dark and cruel winter period.
Given the polarity of the conditions here, one of the most important factors to keep in mind before and during your stay in Iceland is simply understanding just how notorious the weather can be. It’s all a matter of awareness. Being so will keep you one step ahead, allowing you the chance to modify your plans should the conditions require it.
With that in mind, it’s always wise to keep track of what the skies are up to given that a storm or heavy bout of snow may easily disrupt your plans. There’s an old Icelandic saying, “If you don’t like the weather in Iceland, just wait five minutes”—sometimes, however, five minutes wait is just too long, especially when an accurate prediction can be found, within seconds, at the flick of a wrist.
See also: Weather in Iceland and Best Time to Visit
The Icelandic Meteorological Office provides rolling information on the weather, be it wind speed, solar activity or weekly forecasts.
Managed by Veðurstofa Íslands (The Icelandic Meteorological Office), Veður is Iceland’s go-to weather application. The app delivers real-time facts and figures on the island’s weather conditions, as well as rolling data, news, weather predictions and hazard warnings.
Aside from providing details such as these, the Icelandic Meteorological Office also works closely with the emergency services to provide care and manpower in the event of an avalanche, earthquake or sea-related accident.
As a public institution, the Icelandic Meteorological Office was established January 20th, 1920 to provide weather information to the country’s population and to further research in meteorology.
Today, the institution’s website is an excellent source of in-depth information relating to the study of weather. Enthusiastic meteorologists could spend hours poring through the many scholarly articles on climatology, hydrology, pollution, earthquakes and avalanches.
See Also: Time In Iceland | A Land for the Present Moment
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Straeto (for public buses)
The Strætó bus app vastly simplifies Iceland’s public transport system, making travelling the country’s city and town a simple and effective pleasure.Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Jóhann Heiðar Árnason. No edits made
Strætó is the companion app to Iceland’s city bus system and is one of the handiest tools for both permanent residents and visiting tourists. Strætó is derived from the longer Icelandic word, “strætisvagn”, the literal English translation of which is “street car.”
See also: Ultimate Guide to Flights to Iceland
The app allows you to explore and plan the most efficient routes from a customised map, as well as book multiple tickets in advance, thus simplifying the commuting process. The app even persuades you to sign up for a monthly subscription, allowing you to avoid paying high sums each time you ride.
Getting to grips with Iceland’s bus system takes time and attention, especially for those with little to no understanding of Icelandic (the street names regularly surpass ten characters.)
The Strætó app attempts to simplify this and is available in English, Icelandic, Danish and Polish. The app covers all areas of Iceland where the bus service operates, including the Capital Region, the entirety of the south coast—from Reykjavík to Höfn í Hornafirði—and the northern and western regions of the country.
Considering the state of many of the world’s bus systems, it is a pleasure to state that Reykjavík’s is reliable, well-maintained and clean. From 2018, the bus service will also be extending its hours of operation, finishing at 1 am on a weekday (subject to approval from the municipal councils). This will be of particular delight to residents of Kópavogur, who have often been routinely swayed into spending a jaw-dropping 5000 ISK just for a taxi ride home.
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Appy Hour
Iceland’s bars are cheap if you use Appy Hour.
Boozers rejoice! Appy Hour may very well be one of the most important apps during your stay in Iceland, listing the locations and prices of the city’s many happy hours and saving you a pretty penny in the meantime. Thankfully, Reykjavík is known for its daily period of wet financial respite, offering the city’s patrons a few hours to enjoy a few leisurely pints without spending the entire holiday budget.
Appy Hour is managed by Reykjavík’s only English language newspaper and magazine, The Reykjavík Grapevine, a publication you can be sure has their pulse on the city’s drinking culture (…journalists, and all…). The Reykjavík Grapevine also operates two other apps, Craving, which lists nearby restaurants through your phone’s GPS, and Appening, which lists nearby music performances.
See also: Happy Hour | Reykjavik’s Cheapest Beers
The Grapevine’s Appy Hour app allows visitors the chance to bag the best discounts on drink throughout the city.
To make it clear, “Happy Hour” in Reykjavík actually means at least a few hours of discounted drinks, usually from around 04.00 PM to 07.00 PM. Happy hour sees prices roughly cut in half, depending on how sophisticated you wish to go; one can expect a pint or glass of wine to go for around 650 ISK at discount, and 1300 ISK at full price.
The longest happy hour period in the city is offered by the local favourite, Bravo (11.00 AM to 10.00 PM), a popular bar found along Reykjavík’s main thoroughfare, Laugavegur.
Interestingly enough, Iceland has historically had a tempestuous relationship with alcohol, particularly beer, which was banned for the greater part of the twentieth century due to its unpatriotic nature (beer was considered a Danish beverage). Restrictions on beer were lifted on 1st March 1989; the date is now considered “Beer Day” by Icelanders and is celebrated annually with festivals around the country.
Even today, however, alcohol is still nowhere to be found in corner stores or supermarkets; to guarantee you get your hands on some tipple, you will need to make your purchases in the city’s bars and restaurants, Keflavik’s duty-free or the state-owned liquor store, Vínbúðin.
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- 112 Iceland (for emergencies)
112 Iceland is an important app to have if you’re planning on travelling off the beaten track. The app’s GPS system allows the emergency response centre to know where you are at all times.Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Dickenbers. No edits made.
112 Iceland is the application for the Icelandic Emergency Services, a necessary download for all serious and respectful travellers to the country. In short, the Police, fire and ambulance services are all available at the click of a finger, maximising one’s precious time in an emergency situation.
The app has two major functions. Users will first see a large RED button which, if pressed, will send your GPS location directly to the 112 response centre. 112 advises that, if necessary, one should click this button regardless of whether or not your phone displays any signal. Even though you may not be able to make a call, there might be enough signal to send a text message.
The app’s second function can be utilised by clicking the GREEN button marked with the words ‘Check In’. This is a security feature, sending your location into the emergency services database to ensure they have the most information available should anything happen.
Users are urged to use this feature liberally; the computer database only stores the last five locations in which you checked in, creating a temporary backup that might alleviate any personal anxieties.
Iceland’s coast guard uses ships and helicopters.Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Kjallakr. No edits made
On the other end of the spectrum, you may be one of those people who believe that you, personally, won’t need this application. After all, what could possibly befall you that might require the attention of the emergency services? What’s really the worst that can happen?
Well, over recent months, Iceland has seen: glacial flooding in the east, a troupe of Boy Scouts stranded in the middle of a rushing river, a series of beached whale pods, the grisly murder of an innocent lamb and a prison assault. Though that may not sound like a whole heap of danger, each incident was aided by Iceland’s emergency services.
There are no two ways about it; Iceland is a particularly dangerous country, especially in regards to the wide-open space, challenging conditions and small population. Quite often, one can spend hours out in the countryside without seeing another living soul. If a situation were to arise, 112 is an application you may spend the rest of your life being thankful for.
See also: Dumbest Things to Do in Iceland.
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Aurora Forecast
The Northern Lights are one of Iceland’s biggest attractions, drawing visitors from around the world.
One of Iceland’s biggest attractions is the chance to see the rare solar phenomena, the Northern Lights, otherwise known as the Aurora Borealis. Appearing only in the winter months when the nights (and days) are long and clear, the Northern Lights attract visitors from around the world, offering the unique opportunity to witness the green, yellow, red and purple light, shimmering majestically across the sky.
This application offers a number of interesting features to suit both tourists and serious aurora hunters. One of the major features is the world map, showing where aurora activity is at its strongest around the planet. The application will also send push notifications when the northern lights are expected to appear, readying you for any sudden opportunity to catch them.
There is also a large amount of data to explore relating to solar wind activity and sun imagery, and hourly forecast predictions that may help you better organise your nightly excursions. On top of that, one can read about tour information for such countries as Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Alaska.
Still, even with the app, there is no telling for sure when the Northern Lights will make an appearance, though all of the information is readily available for you to make an informed decision as to when to set out.
Insider tip
Top Northern Lights Tours & Holidays
See more
See also: Northern Lights in Iceland.
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Flight Aware
Flight Aware allows you to keep up to date on the most relevant flight information, offering details on gate changes, delays and diversions, and much much more.Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Milan Nykodym. No edits made
Again, considering Iceland’s aptitude for unreliable weather, it is sensible to be aware that flights to and from the country are often cancelled should the conditions prove unsafe.
Even if the flights themselves are not cancelled, a delay or setback of some kind is still a possible outcome. And if there’s one thing that can dampen the holiday spirit like nothing else, it’s wasting precious time sitting around in an airport.
One surefire way of easing your worries as is to download the Flight Aware flight tracker app. Particularly useful during Iceland’s unpredictable winter season, Flight Aware allows you to track flights by their aircraft registration, airline, city pair, flight number or airport code. The data received shows full flight information, the aircraft’s route on an interactive map and any diversions or gate changes that may have occurred.
This interactive map is particularly engaging on its own. Flicking through the app for little more than a few minutes, one will immediately find the pleasure in seeing the planet’s flights in real time. For those users in the United States and Canada, the app even allows for tracking civil aviation and private charters, giving you full scope over what’s happening in the airspace above.
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Iceland Road Guide
Have you ever been driving merrily down the road when you’ve happened upon a traffic sign that stumps you? Fear not, for the Iceland Road Guide app is here to bring you up to speed, offering a full encyclopedia as to what each sign means and how you should act accordingly.
There is a lot of information out there regarding how to drive to Iceland. However, driving can be challenging at the best of times and is quite a different experience to simply researching it on the computer. By keeping your mobile handy—though not too handy (driving whilst on your mobile is illegal in Iceland)—you can keep aware as to the hazards whilst journeying the country.
One aspect that is often left to the wayside is how to read Icelandic road signs. Iceland has a number of road signs that are foreign to visitors to the island, often leaving them confused and, at certain times, unaware on the nation’s roads.
Driving in Iceland requires care and attention given the difficult weather conditions and lack of infrastructure out in the countryside.
This is one of the major ways that road deaths occur, and so it is imperative that you at least have a solid grounding of the road rules in Iceland. The Iceland Road Guide app is perfectly suited to filling in these mental blanks, giving simple answers to some of the more potent driving-related questions.
The app also provides a wealth of information on Iceland itself, with GPS markers showing over 3000 of the country’s major natural attractions. You can also read about the various activities available to you along the way, including horse riding, glacier hiking, bird and whale watching and hot spring hunting.
See also: The Ultimate Guide to Driving in Iceland
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Icelandic Film Locations
Iceland’s tourism boom is, in large part, due to the enormous number of cinematic and television productions that have chosen to use the island’s majestic and dramatic nature as a shooting location.
Thanks to excellent financial incentives and a budding domestic industry, Iceland has become something of a ‘Nordic Hollywood’ over recent years, attracting some of the biggest production studios and talent from across the world.
From Game of Thrones to Oblivion, the rugged shorelines, cragged mountain-scapes and desolate meadows of Iceland have all served as a fantastical stage for Hollywood and European productions. It should come as no surprise then that visitors to Iceland are often eager to experience these otherworldly locations for themselves, hence the ever-growing number of tour operators offering ‘Movie Location’ day trips.
As part of the Iceland Film Locations app, users can while away hours flicking through the various photographs, video clips, trivia facts and customised maps that paint a picture of Iceland as a prime shooting location. The app uses GPS technology to pinpoint film locations in the user’s vicinity.
There are also two self-walking tours included within the app; The Reykjavík City Centre Tour and The Reykjanes Film Locations Tour. The first will take you directly to locations from such Icelandic films as Angels of the Universe (2000) and The Hullabaloo (2010). The Reykjanes tour will take you to locations from pictures like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) and Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
See also: The Story of Icelandic Cinema
For an idea as to the extent of Iceland’s newfound place in the world of cinema, you will find a list below of the most important international productions that have been shot here over the last three years.
Game of Thrones. (HBO, 2017
Justice League. (Directed by Zack Snyder, 2017)
The Fate of the Furious. (Directed by F. Gary Gray, 2017)
Star Wars: Rogue One. (Directed by Gareth Edwards, 2016)
Money Monster. (Directed by Jodie Foster, 2016)
Star Wars: Episode VII. (Directed by J.J Abrams, 2015)
The Last Witch Hunter. (Directed by Breck Eisner, 2015.)
See also: Movie Locations in Iceland
Myvatn was used as a Game of Thrones shooting location.
Before visiting Iceland, why not take the time to watch a few of the domestic films that have been made here over the last half-century? Iceland has produced a number of talented and committed filmmakers who have contributed enormously to the world of international cinema. Amongst them, one could cite such directors as Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, Baltasar Kormákur, Guðný Halldórsdóttir, Dagur Kári and Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.
Amongst my personal recommendations are Hrafn’s “When the Raven Flies” (1984)—the first film in his ‘Raven Trilogy’—Dagur Kári’s coming-of-age story “Noi the Albino” (2003) and Baltasar Kormákur’s “101 Reykjavík” (2000), one of the best insights into the underground culture of Iceland’s capital city.
See Also: Reykjavík 101 | The Ultimate Guide to Reykjavík’s City Centre
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Thingvellir National Park App
The Thingvellir National Park app offers hiking trails, audio guided tours and treasure hunts.
The Icelandic software company, Locatify, recently released the app ‘Þingvellir ‘ for iOS and Android, offering a handy guide for your time exploring the national park. The company was founded in 2009 by Steinunn Anna Gunnlaugsdóttir and Leifur Björn Björnsson.
See also: National Parks in Iceland
The app uses GPS technology to provide audio-guided tours—available in English, German, Icelandic and Danish—as well as offline maps that display nearby hiking trails and points of interest. The app even has a treasure hunt game included, adding a further touch of fun to your time in Þingvellir. But just why is it that Þingvellir is so significant to the Icelandic people?
Þingvellir National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site found forty minutes drive from Reykjavík. The park makes up just one stop along the highly popular Golden Circle sightseeing route and, thus, is one of the most well-visited spots in the whole of Iceland. Aside from the area’s natural and unblemished beauty, Thingvellir is important to Icelanders for a number of reasons, ranging from its cultural history to its fascinating geological makeup.
See also: Iceland’s Golden Circle | Ultimate Guide and Top 9 Detours
Not only was the world’s first democratically elected parliament formed in Thingvellir in 930 AD, it is one of the only places on the planet where you can see both the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates exposed from the earth.
First and foremost, Þingvellir is situated directly atop the Mid-Atlantic Rift; it is one of the only places on the planet where one can see both the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates standing exposed from the earth. The space between these two tectonic plates is characterised by dried volcanic meadows, covered with a thick blanket of fragile Icelandic Moss.
Secondly, Þingvellir is where the world’s first democratically elected parliament, the Althingi, was formed in 930 AD. Settlers from around Iceland once travelled weeks by foot and horseback to congregate at Þingvellir to hear the new laws and customs of the land. The law-speaker would stand below what is now known to be the North American plate, using it as a sounding board so that the huge crowds could hear his words clearly.
Third of all, Þingvellir National Park is home to the world-famous Silfra Fissure, regarded as one of the Top 10 scuba diving and snorkelling sites on the planet. Silfra is a glacial stream, the water inside having travelled for centuries from its origin point, Langjökull Glacier.
Throughout this journey down the region’s underground and unexplored cave networks, the water is filtered and made crystal clear—on a good day, visibility in Silfra can reach up to 100 M. If you want to scuba dive in Silfra, you will need to have prior dry suit experience, a PADI Open Water certificate and be in good health.
Insider tip
Top Snorkeling Tours
See more
See also: Diving and Snorkelling in Iceland.
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
- Wapp (for hiking)
WAPP delivers hikers what they want; hidden trails, gorgeous scenery and relevant information on the environment.
WAPP is an application developed by hikers for hikers; amongst the applications, many features are on-and-offline trail maps, information on hike lengths and locations and even advice, both in English and Icelandic, on how to stay safe out there in their wilderness.
The app’s development was financed through crowdfunding at Karolina Fund. Now fully implemented into the digital market, those using WAPP as their own handheld tour guide will have the possibility to explore and conquer new and unexpected trails.
Conceived of by Einar Skulason, an impassioned and lifelong hiker, WAPP was designed to connect visitors to the Icelandic nature. In his own words, Einar describes: “For 30 years it has been my main interest to explore the outdoors of Iceland. It‘s not only about reaching the destination, I need to know the stories connected to the area I’m travelling through.”
“I was greatly inspired by my grandmother Hulda Þórisdóttir. She used to take me on long hikes along the beaches and the hillsides and she had countless stories to tell where nature was put in context including mystical stories about elves and hidden people that only gifted people can see.”
You can download the app for iOS and Android.
Other Useful Apps for Travelling
Smartphones make Iceland’s nature accessible.
There is a wide range of applications on the market that can be utilised fabulously whilst abroad, even though that may not have been the developer’s original intention. Travelling, however, requires making the most of the tools we have available to us and considering the physical distances so inherent in travel, apps dedicated to communication and organisation take on a whole new importance.
Facebook Messenger:
Facebook Messenger; an application that almost every Facebook account holder has already downloaded. A basic messaging service connected to your Facebook profile, Messenger is one of the best ways to check in with loved ones back home. This is especially the case for solo travellers who may have family members quietly anxious about their travels.
Skype:
Skype is a video messaging service, offering free face-to-face calls with any other Skype user on the planet. Skype is one of the better channels for a serious catch-up, allowing you to communicate naturally with loved ones. Seeing the faces of those you miss is one of the most therapeutic ways of dealing with the travelling blues, especially if you’re on an extended trip. Skype is available for all handheld devices.
Kindle:
Kindle in app form brings the pleasure of reading directly from your handheld, meaning that, effectively, you can bring your entire library on holiday with you. Through Kindle and Amazon, bookworms can purchase or download for free a wealth of e-books in every genre. This comes in extremely useful for, say, learning basic Icelandic phrases or finding information from the same source.
SAS Survival Guide:
Written by a real life ex-SAS serviceman, the SAS Survival Guide app will come in handy should you find yourself stranded and out of reach in the wild Icelandic nature. Alternatively, this app comes in handy for simply getting instructions on how to start a campfire, erect a tent or keep warm when the temperature begins to drop.
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