Frequently asked questions

The currency in Iceland is the Icelandic króna (ISK). The Central Bank of Iceland updates the exchange rate of the króna daily on their web page: sedlabanki.is

The only thing that is certain about the Icelandic weather is that it’s completely unpredictable. It is very good to monitor the weather when traveling during off-season and some parts of the country can be particularly snowy. The Icelandic Meteorological Office offers the most comprehensive information about the current weather conditions.

Although the ring road is mostly paved there are spots along the way where special care needs to be taken due to narrow roads and such. At road.is you can find updated information about road conditions all around the country.  

No. It is illegal to drive off-road in Iceland. Only if you have a 4x4 car which is suitable for highland driving you can drive on highland roads and marked paths. If you are driving one of our rental cars you are not insured for water damages, so driving over unbridged rivers is not necessarily  the most clever thing to do, nor does it cover damage on the undercarriage of the car. Please note that if you are caught driving off road the car rental agency is authorized to charge you for breaking that rule.
See – Can all the hostels be reached by a normal car?

The number of Icelandic hostels that are bookable online is rapidly expanding. You can browse through our hostel pages  to see which hostels are already bookable.

It's our hope that soon most of our hostels will be bookable online.

You can also download one of our booking forms and send to our Central Booking Office and ask us to help you with your booking.

Yes you can. However, after we send you a final confirmation we reserve the right to charge a 6000 ISK changing fee if you change your booking. It doesn’t matter whether you have paid for the booking yet or not. Therefore, we recommend that you decide where you want to stay before you send us your booking form.

Below you can find our cancellation policy:

• by cancellation until 4 weeks (28 days) before arrival we will give a refund of 100%.       


• by cancellation 14 - 28 days before arrival we will refund 70%         


• by cancellation 7 - 14 days before arrival we will refund 30%        


• by cancellation with less than 7 days no refund will be given       

Not at all, hostels are a great option for people all ages who want budget accommodation, the chance to meet new people and the opportunity to cook their own meals.

Yes, all but one. To reach Þórsmörk Mountain Hostel you need to have a 4x4 jeep that is high enough to cross all the unbridged rivers on the rock-ribbed road leading into the Þórsmörk Valley .The rental cars we offer are not insured for damage of the tires, the undercarriage or damage due to water.  Therefore we recommend you leave the rental car at Seljalandsfoss-waterfall to avoid any damage to the car and take the bus from there.

Check-in is at 14:00 and check out is at 10:00. This time may vary a little bit between hostels but these are the general guidelines. Please notify the next hostel on your itinerary if planned arrival is after 18:00 to make sure there will be someone available to welcome you in case the reception is closed during the evening hours.

Some of our hostels offer breakfast, you can see which ones at our hostel pages.

Please note that the central booking office does not book breakfast for individuals in advance.

Yes, all the hostels have well equipped kitchens with all the basic utensils to prepare a normal meal. They probably don’t have a wok pan or a deep-frying pot, but the regular things like a stove, refrigerator, plates, cutlery, glasses, cutting board, pots and pans.

You can bring your own sleeping bag if you have one but all the hostels offer duvets and pillows so you can either bring your own bed linen or rent linen upon arrival at the hostel.

Please don’t. According to our quality standards smoking is prohibited in all our hostels.

To help you plan your trip we have made sample itineraries which are available to you, completely free of charge . If you see anything you like you just fill in one of our booking form with the sample itinerary you want and send to us at info@hostel.is

A car rental package is when you book a car and accommodation at HI-hostels in Iceland through our central booking office. We take care of your booking and you make a payment to one single place. More information on our car rental packages can be found at our car rental packages pages.

Each package includes a rental car, unlimited mileage, tax, CDW insurance, 2 drivers and  overnight vouchers for accommodation at our hostels. Numbers of days and nights depend on the customers wishes.

Yes, you can modify the package which ever way suits your needs best.

The pick up places we offer are:

Keflavík international airport
Skeifan 9, Reykjavík (Car rentals office)
Reykjavík City hostel *
Reykjavík Downtown hostel *
Picking up the car at the international airport in Keflavík requires flight numbers. The car rentals branch at the Keflavík airport is open according to bookings and flight arrivals.
Picking up the car at the car rentals office in Skeifan 9 is possible between 08:00-18:00 daily during high season.

* Please note that when picking up a car at the Reykjavík hostels, the car rental provides a shuttle service picking up the customer (driver) at the hostels at 08:15 and 10:00 daily to get the car in Skeifan 9, Reykjavík (car rentals Reykjavík office).

There are 2 drivers included in our all car rental packages. You can also add more drivers to the package for a small fee.

CDW stands for Collision Damage Waiver and is a basic insurance included in all our car rental package. Please read our insurance terms for more information.

The difference is the amount to pay (self risk) in case of any damage on the car. The SCDW lowers the self risk – see our insurance terms. The SCDW also includes gravel protection against broken windows and lights. No insurance covers damage on the undercarriage of the car, tires, damage due to theft or water.

No, it is not mandatory to buy the extra insurance but in our experience it's worth it.