So you’re finally crossing Iceland off your bucket list. Congratulations! Now what? Luckily, Iceland has prepared for tourists that aren’t sure what to do, where to go, or what they want. After some research and a few trips to the magical land myself, I’ve compiled a list of the best apps for Iceland travel.
Appy Hour
There are happy hours every day at many bars and restaurants around Reykjavik! The free Appy Hour app helps you hunt them down. Appy Hour is the perfect app for all party-seeking beer-lovers! Share on X You can find all the information on daily happy hours to help you save a few Krona and find awesome new spots. You can sort the happy hours based on time or location, or see a map with happy hours closest to you. It even tells you the average price of happy hour drinks so you can choose based on price! A must-have app for those ready for a cheap drink in expensive Iceland.
Icelandic Film Locations
Iceland’s otherworldly landscape unique to the country makes it a hotspot for movies in otherworldly settings. From Game of Thrones to James Bond to Thor, there are some really big name tv shows and movies filmed in the exotic country. Take your own film locations tour with the Iceland Film Locations app to see some of the most famous sites Iceland has to offer!
112 (aka SOS Iceland App)
112 is the emergency phone number in Iceland, equivalent to 911 in the U.S. Share on X The 112 app is the official app for Iceland emergency services. If you’re renting a car in Iceland, this app should be a must. It’s easy and simple to use with two options: Check In and Emergency.
Check In allows you to leave your trail. Every time you press it, it will create a trail and save your last 5 check-ins. If someone worries you are lost, they can easily track you based on your check ins. The Emergency button calls 112 and submits your location, making it easy to rescue you if necessary.
Remember, in the Icelandic wilderness, cellular service can be spotty so don’t rely completely on this app if you’re worried about safety, but it’s definitely a great app to have if you’re traveling around Iceland.
Veður (Vedur)
Iceland’s weather app is a must. Iceland has such volatile and wild weather; one minute it might be bright and sunny, and 3 miles down the road it might be wildly snowing every which way. Vedur helps you keep track of Iceland’s ever-changing weather right on your smartphone, provided by the Icelandic Meteorological Office. You can check temperature, precipitation, wind speed, forecast, and radar. Perfect for planning an outdoors trip around magical Iceland.
Aurora Forecast
One of the biggest attractions in Iceland is the northern lights. Don’t book that tour or start your own search party until you know if you’ll see them! The free Aurora Forecast Service app lets you easily see real-time solar activity, geomagnetic activity probabilities, auroral predictions, and aurora nowcast. If the aurora level is low, the lights might look like a white wispy cloud and might not be worth chasing. If the aurora level is high, get out there and find those lights!
Hot Spring Iceland
Feeling cold in Iceland? The free Hot Spring Iceland app will keep you warm – in one of the country’s naturally heated springs, hot tubs, or pools. The app uses your location to find these pools near you and guides you there by map. You can see pool temperatures, hours, fees, and facilities like saunas, water slides, or steam baths. You can’t go to Iceland without visiting one of these unique hot springs!
NightCap
After you find out whether the northern lights will be highly visible, download the NightCap app to capture them with just your phone! Many people will tell you a cell phone can’t capture the northern lights and you will need a professional camera and tripod to get them. It is true that a professional camera will get you the best photos, but you can still capture them on a smartphone with the NightCap app. An Icelandic tour guide shared this little secret with me and helped me configure the settings and my iPhone 6 was actually able to see the northern lights with a low aurora level better than my naked eye! (The free version of the Nightcap app no longer exists. It’s now $1.99 – and totally worth every penny.)
Iceland Ring Road App: Guide, Map, & Tours
If you’re considering traveling the ring road, this app is the best way to create your own tour guide and never miss a thing. You can catch the northern lights, hotels, gas stations, camp sites, nightlife, nature, volcanoes, and more. Get audio commentary for a self-guided tour and read about travel experiences right from your smartphone. I haven’t used this app before but it has gotten great reviews from other travelers!
FlightAware Flight Tracker
If I haven’t said it enough, weather in Iceland is unpredictable. Flights get delayed often, whether coming to or leaving from KEF airport. Why waste a day in the airport when you could track your plane’s progress throughout the day? If you see it’s going to be delayed at the previous stop, odds are it’s going to be delayed getting to you. Push that airport transfer back and enjoy a few extra hours in Reykjavik!
So there you have it, the best apps for Iceland travel based on my experiences. I’ve used Appy Hour to find nearby cheap happy hours, BeIceland to find ATMs and places to buy phone charger adapters, FlightAware to track my flight, and the Aurora Forecast Service to determine whether I should push through exhaustion and go on that Northern Lights tour or skip it and get some much-needed sleep. I highly recommend them all!
Have you found any other apps that you can’t live without in Iceland? Let me know so I can download them and be ready for my next trip to Iceland!
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P.S. You might also like Christmas in Iceland and Tips to Decide Whether to Rent a Car or Take a Tour Bus in Iceland