Driving??
 

I will be in Iceland in mid May, at least 4 of us, and we thought it would be more practical to rent a car and do our own day trips out of Reykajavik. We did this in Spain and it was great. Does anyone know if we should be concerned about weather conditions at this time of year. We will be there from the 12th -16th of May. Also any suggestions on what not to miss would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

The weather should be fine in May, except at higher elevations. We drove around in April, and, although there was a bit of rain/sleet/snow, it did not keep us from driving. Most roads are well-paved, and intersections are very well marked.

Get a guidebook that will direct you to interesting places around Reykjavik, such as Perlan, churches, and museums.

Tours run the, 'Golden Circle' route, which is described in most guide books. This includes visiting the Kerið volcanic crater, Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir geothermal area, and Þingvellir Natnl Park. This is all a do-able drive in one day.

On another day, you can drive the South Shore, from Reykjavik to Vik, stopping at Seljalandsfoss and waterfalls, the Mýrdalsjökull glacier (consider a snowmobile tour), and the beaches near Vik. By then, the shorebirds ought to be arriving. This is a day-trip, but you could do it overnight if you continue along the coast, or take the ferry over to the Westmann Islands, where there are tons of birds and active volcanic features.

You could also take a 'superjeep' tour of the interior highlands - you can't do this yourself, but you can drive to the location where the tour leaves.

Another nice drive is through the fishing towns and coastal areas of the Reykjanes Peninsula. Along the way you can stop at the Blue Lagoon Spa and geothermal power plant.

I rented a car and drove around in March and had no problems. The trips the person above are exactly what we did. It is not a very populous country, so driving is very easy. With the cost of tour packages, with only two people we found it cheaper to rent a car and see all the places we wanted to go, at our own pace.

One word of warning, roads with 3 numbers in them , like 321, are dirt roads and can be very rugged. After heavy rain they can be difficult.

I rented from Avis and it was very easy to park overnight near our hotel in downtown Reykjavik. This website gives some great ideas for driving itineraries:
http://www.nathab.com/Iceland%20Travel/

We too will be there is mid-May for 3.5 days and like the idea of renting a car. Trying to decide if we should base ourselves in Reykajavik and drive out to sites each day or see if we can book a hotel outside of Reykajavik and still keep the discounted rates. How long of a drive is it (time and distance) from R to gullfoss waterfall, geysir, etc? Also did you book the car before you got there or after you arrived?

Reykjavik to Gulfoss is about 125km, and Reykjavik to Þingvellir is about 50km. You should allow at least 6 hours to do the Golden Circle, preferably 8 to do it leisurely.

Reykjavik to Vik is about 175km. Its also about 50km from R to Blue Lagoon.

It might be easiest to use Reykjavik as a hub for several day trips. As mentioned above, you could stay overnight along the south coast in order to see more before returning.

We hired a car before we arrived, but it should not be difficult to do so when you arrive. Might be different in the summertime, but not in May.