The Rough Guide to Iceland (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

We bought or borrowed various guidebooks to bring to Iceland but this was the one we used most as we travelled around the country.

It has a nice mix of practical details and interesting background. The maps are clear and the descriptions of places are accurate. The "highlights" at the start of each chapter are well chosen.

If you are only bringing one guidebook on your trip to Iceland, this is the one to have.

Probably the best Iceland Guidebook (20/20 people found this helpful)

Some other guidebooks tend to go a bit mad with the colour photographs, and skimp on the information. The Rough Guide majors on information, and has just a couple of small sections of photographs.
For me this is better, and certainly more useful if you want to know which bus goes to Hafnafjörður, for instance. If you want to look at pretty pictures there are other guides.
As always the Rough Guide is the one to get if you're touring around. The various regions of Iceland are described in some detail, with good advice about where to stay if you are driving around.
I've been to Iceland a couple of times. The information in this book seems to tie up pretty well with what I know, so I would be inclined to trust it, on the whole. I wasn't particularly impressed with the pronunciation guide though which seemed to have a couple of errors in it.
The book is well laid out, attractive, easy to follow, has reasonable maps, though not in colour, and is packed with relevant information.

But if you're planning to stay in or around Reykjavik on your trip, most of the book will be of no practical use to you though it may be of interest. If that's the case, I would recommend the excellent pocket-sized Footprint Guide to Reykjavik instead.

Doesn't keep up with the standard other RGs have set (10/11 people found this helpful)

This guide came out just before I set out to Iceland, and thank G-d for that because I wouldn't know what to do without it. As usual, RGs are the best guides around, beating the competition hands down. (In this case I only found another guide to Iceland and it was very good - Insight to Iceland. It's full of great pictures and has a lot of information, though not as much as the RG).
Almost all of the information you'd need to travel around the country is there. Unfortunately, some of it is completely incorrect. For example, I found it quite disconcerting to be effortlessly driving through some roads that it said would be muddy even in the height of Summer. Or to be paying (much) higher prices for some attractions than stated in the guide.

This guide is good and though not to the RG standard I've been used to, it is still better than the competition. But the authors must do better to fix these minor, obvious, mistakes...

Clear lay-out and relevant information makes it good value. (6/6 people found this helpful)

The Rough Guide is light and easy to carry around. The lay-out is clear with place names emphasised for easy location on the page. The main sections cover each region in turn and everything is relevant and useful. If you need some background information this is met by some well-written articles at the back of the Guide. I found the information remarkably accurate for the situations encountered on my recent visit eg the impromptu appearance of Þóröur Tómasson at the folk museum at Skógar (p114) and the description of the rooms at the Við Tjörnina restaurant in Reykjavík (p67). Although being up-to-date in most respects, there is no mention of the 5 minute shuttle service by air from a coastal airstrip at Bakki to Heimaey on the Westmann Islands. Arriving in a Partenavia P68 is a good way to see the Westmann Islands from the air.

The colour photographs are of the high quality expected of a Rough Guide and serve as an appetiser to the real thing. Don't miss the boat ride on Jökulsárlón.

The language section on p305 is useful but if you are going to attempt to speak Icelandic then try out your pronunciation on a helpful native first. Also check out the appropriateness of the greetings - some are for familiar use only.

Although the Rough Guide lacks the colourful glossy impact and the in-depth articles found in some of its competitors, it scores well on content and value-for-money.

made iceland feel like a home away from home. (11/11 people found this helpful)

A thoroughly well researched book with a valuable insight into the character of the country and its people. As students on a shoestring budget I found their accomodation section second to none (after having compared it to other travels books on the same country!). My friends and I hired a car whilst over there and the directions given in the Rough Guide book were even more accurate than the ones given by some Icelandic maps and, in some cases, even some Icelandic hoteliers - a real life saver. A must buy for all those people who want a hassle free trip to one of the most enjoyable holiday destinations ever!

The Rough Guide to Iceland (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

David Leffman, James Proctor

Reader Reviews:

The pick of the bunch (4/4 people found this helpful)

Probably the best Iceland Guidebook (20/20 people found this helpful)

Doesn't keep up with the standard other RGs have set (10/11 people found this helpful)

Clear lay-out and relevant information makes it good value. (6/6 people found this helpful)

made iceland feel like a home away from home. (11/11 people found this helpful)

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