Nick

I recently purchased a map of Iceland and it seems like I need to travel on mostly gravel roads to visit some of the waterfall or natural attractions I want to see. Do I need a 4 or all wheel drive vehicle for this? <BR>I don't plan on going off road and I would like to save some money since car rentals are very expensive in Iceland. <BR>Any help would be appreciated.

xxx

Nick-When are you going to be in Iceland? The time of year may determine which type of vehicle you'll need to make your trip. Summer driving vs winter driving?<BR><BR>Iceland is incredibly beautiful. Take lots of film!<BR><BR>EVERYTHING in Iceland is expensive !!

Nick

I'm planning on going there next July because I heard their winters are pretty rough!

stacy

Nick -<BR><BR>We drove all around the main ring road a couple of years ago, with detours on the gravel roads to see the major waterfalls, glaciers, etc., and did OK with just an ordinary rental car. The gravel roads are pretty bad in places, though, and you need to go very slowly - I remember driving around what looked like basketball-sized chunks of lava on one road, since we didn't think that the car had enough clearance to go over them!<BR><BR>While there are clearly roads that you won't be able to take without a 4-wheel drive car if you go further inland, I think that a normal rental car is fine for the main attractions. Just be sure to allow enough time so that you don't need to hurry on the gravel roads. (I seem to remember that local cars have some sort of a screen on the radiators to protect against flying gravel!) The main highway is very good.<BR><BR>Just a comment on the weather - we went the first week in June, and the tourist office told us that it was unusual for the roads leading in to some of the waterfalls to be clear of snow that early in the year, so it really is a short &quot;tourist&quot; season!

mpprh

Hi<BR><BR>I don't know much about Iceland, but I know a bit about gravel roads. I lived in Sweden for several years.<BR><BR>In winter they are scaped flat and you drive on snow. Best to have winter / studded tyres.<BR><BR>Of course after several months driving on snow, locals don't worry too much about driving on gravel.<BR><BR>Take it slowly, and there is no problem<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><B R>

Nick

Would a Subaru Impreza with all wheel drive be ok? Some of those Iceland car rental sites seem to charge over $150 per day for just a small 4 wheel drive vehicle. Do you get a discount for 7 days as opposed to just a 6 day rental?