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Iceland is a country that features on lots of people’s bucket lists, including mine. Lots of my friends had already been and so when I got the chance I visited Iceland as a solo female traveller.
Iceland is a great place to travel to as a solo traveller, especially if it’s your first time travelling by yourself. Most Icelanders speak very good English, it’s easy to find your way around and everyone is very welcoming and friendly.
Read on to find out where to stay, how to get around, and whether Iceland is safe for solo female travellers.
As a caveat, this is my personal point of view as a solo white female traveller. I’m aware that this may not be everyone’s experience of travelling in Iceland.
Is Iceland safe for solo female travellers?
Iceland has actually been rated the safest country in the world (source: World Population Review) and is regarded as safe for solo female travellers due to its small population and climate. It has one of the smallest gender pay gaps (source: Government of Iceland) and low scores of the solo female travel safety index.
It’s essential that you plan for your trip, due to the changeable weather in Iceland. Here are some things you need to know before your Iceland trip.
Is Reykjavik safe at night?
Often one of the big concerns for me as a solo female traveller is being by myself at night time. Often cities can become a bit more scary after dark.
During winter in Iceland, it can be light for as little as four hours a day and so chances are you’ll find yourself walking around in darkness if you visit at this time.
I visited Iceland over a weekend and so there was a lively atmosphere in the city centre at night time with the bars full of people enjoying a couple of drinks. I felt totally safe walking around and didn’t get any comments or approaches from anyone.
I sat inside one of the bars for a drink and some food and, as I was on my own, they sat me at the bar. This was really nice as it gave me the chance to talk to other people and I met someone travelling from Hungary and a woman from Keflavik who was in Reykjavik for the evening.
I also felt very safe when walking back to my accommodation at night time, which I had to do straight away as my flight got in quite late in the evening. There weren’t many people around but the roads were well lit and I felt comfortable walking with all of my luggage.
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Getting around in Iceland as a solo female traveller
There are a few different options for getting around Iceland including hiring a car or taking organised tours. Hiring a car and driving around the island is probably the easiest, however, before I visited I didn’t feel comfortable driving on my own.
Now that I’ve been, it looked pretty easy to drive with the roads being well maintained and quiet. Driving in winter is more difficult due to the changeable weather conditions but if you’re a confident driver and used to driving in snow you should be fine.
I decided to book organised tours including a Golden Circle and northern lights tour. These included pick up from the BSI bus terminal in Reykjavik and so were very easy to navigate.
I was only in Iceland for a weekend so I based myself in Reykjavik where all of the sights of the city are within walking distance and there are lots of options for day trips.
Accommodation for solo female travellers in Iceland
When I’m travelling on my own, I like to stay in hostels. They have a friendlier, more relaxed atmosphere than a hotel and you can end up chatting to people and even making plans to travel with them – if you want to, that is!
Another great thing about hostels is that they are usually much cheaper than hotels, and there isn’t a single traveller supplement so you’re not penalised for travelling on your own. Travelling in Iceland is expensive so it’s a good idea to save money where you can.
During my trip to Iceland I stayed in Baldursbra Guesthouse Laufasvegur which is hostel-style accommodation with shared bathroom and kitchen facilities, but private bedrooms. This was a great choice as a solo traveller as it was close to all the sights of Reykjavik.
Check out my review of Baldursbra Guesthouse Laufasvegur to find out more.
Lots of hostels host social events and sightseeing trips which are great places to meet other people travelling solo. A couple of other hostels which I thought looked good are Loft – HI Hostel (part of the Hostelling International network) and Laekur Hostel.
Meeting people
One of the things about solo travel is that it can get lonely and you may find yourself craving conversation. I found Iceland to be great for meeting people and connecting with others.
Icelanders are a very friendly bunch and I found that they struck up conversations with me in bars and out and about.
Also, there are a lot of other people solo travelling in Iceland from all over the world. I met people on organised trips and when I was having dinner.
My top tips for meeting people are to stay in hostels, ask to be seated at the bar when you go for a drink, be confident and strike up conversations with people during tours, and make yourself seem approachable. Eye contact and smiling goes a long way.
