Iceland fun facts to know before your trip
By Eva Alkemade
Aug 28, 2026
Did you know Iceland celebrates Beer Day every year because beer was once banned for 74 years? That already tells you Iceland gets a little more interesting once you look beyond the waterfalls, glaciers and northern lights. Here are a few more Iceland facts we think you’ll want to know before you go.
Nature and Natural Wonders
Iceland packs an odd mix of ice, fire and open ground into one small island, and it rarely does anything by halves. Here are a few of the more interesting facts about Iceland that show just how strange this place gets.
Where Fire Meets Ice
You'll find volcanoes right next to glaciers, sometimes within a short drive of each other. That's rare almost anywhere else, and it's part of what gives the country its nickname, the land of fire and ice. Sitting out in the North Atlantic, far from any neighbour, hasn't slowed the place down at all.
A Country Still Being Made
Iceland is one of the youngest bits of land on Earth, geologically speaking, and it's still growing. New lava fields form after eruptions, and the ground shifts more than you'd think for somewhere so calm to walk around.
If you're driving the Iceland Ring Road, build in extra time near the south coast. The stops there are close together but each one deserves more than a quick photo.
Glaciers, Volcanoes and Geothermal Wonders
This is the part that gets people booking flights. Iceland's underground heat and its ice sit right on top of each other, and together they've built some genuinely odd places to visit.
Vatnajökull, Europe's Icy Giant
Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Europe, covering roughly 8 percent of Iceland on its own. Underneath it, active volcanoes sometimes cause floods when the ice melts too fast, which locals just call a glacier run.
Want to add some wildlife to the trip too? Take a look at our guide to animals in Iceland, with the species you can spot and where you’re most likely to find them.
Volcanoes That Never Really Rest
There are more than 30 active volcanic systems across the country, and Iceland has had several eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the last few years alone. You can drive the Golden Circle route and see geysers, hot rivers and old craters within a single day, including a stop at Þingvellir National Park, without needing a guide for most of it.
Guided tip: pick one or two of the big sights rather than trying to squeeze in everything, since the drive between them takes longer than the map suggests. Our guide to Iceland Mountains covers a few good stops along the way.
Icelandic Language, Letters and Words
Icelandic looks intimidating on a signpost, but there's a story behind why it looks the way it does. Here are some fun things to know about the languages spoken in Iceland.
Old Norse Never Really Left
Iceland's language has barely changed in a thousand years. Modern Icelandic is still close enough to Old Norse that locals can make sense of the old Viking sagas with far less difficulty than you'd expect, which isn't something most countries can say about texts from that far back.
Letters You Won't Find in English
The alphabet includes letters like Þ and Ð, both used in Old English and dropped centuries ago. You'll also spot long compound words that string several ideas into one, which is part of the reason the language has a reputation for being tricky.
Most locals speak English well, and a genuine attempt at Icelandic usually gets a smile rather than a correction.
Handy Icelandic Phrases for Your Trip
A few simple Icelandic language phrases can help you during your trip. A simple hello and thank you go a long way. Locals notice the effort, even if your accent is nowhere close.
A few to try:
Halló: hello
Takk fyrir: thank you
Já / Nei: yes / no
Fyrirgefðu: sorry, or excuse me
Skál: cheers
History and World Firsts
You don’t need a huge population to make history. Iceland has managed quite a few impressive firsts over the years, including some that happened surprisingly early. Here are some cool facts about Iceland’s history:
The Oldest Parliament Still Standing
The Althing, Iceland's parliament, started meeting in 930 AD at Þingvellir, and it's considered the oldest surviving parliament in the world. It moved to Reykjavik later, but the original site is still open to walk through.
Closing tip: Þingvellir is worth more than a drive-by stop. Read more in our full guide to Iceland before you plan your route around it.
The Safest Country in the World
Iceland has topped the Global Peace Index for years running, making it the safest country in the world by that measure. Locals leave prams outside cafés while they nip in for coffee, which says a lot on its own.
Folklore, Elves and the Hidden People
This is where things get genuinely strange, and where a good chunk of Iceland's charm actually comes from.
Meet the Huldufólk
Around 30 to 40 percent of Icelanders won't fully rule out that the hidden people, or Huldufólk, live inside rocks and lava fields. That's a surprisingly high number for something most countries would file under pure legend.
Trolls, Rocks and Diverted Roads
Road construction has been rerouted around certain rocks that locals believe are homes for these beings. Whether or not you buy into it, it makes for a good story on a long drive.
Guided tip: ask a local guide about folklore if you get the chance. The stories are far better told out loud.
Christmas Traditions and the Yule Lads
Forget one Santa. Iceland does Christmas differently, and kids there get thirteen chances at a gift instead of one.
Thirteen Lads, Thirteen Nights
The Yule Lads visit one by one over thirteen nights leading up to Christmas, each with a different personality, from mischievous to downright odd.
Shoes on the Windowsill
Children leave a shoe on the windowsill each night. Behave well, and you get a small gift. Behave badly, and you might get a rotten potato instead.
A few of the Yule Lads:
Stekkjastaur: bothers sheep
Pottasleikir: licks leftover pots
Hurðaskellir: slams doors at night
If you're visiting in December, look out for Yule Lad decorations around Reykjavik. They're everywhere once the season starts.
Wondering when you’ll have the best chance of seeing everything on your list? Our guide to the best time to visit Iceland compares the seasons, weather and daylight hours, so you can pick a month that actually works for the trip you have in mind.
How to experience these Iceland facts for yourself
Reading about Iceland’s volcanoes, glaciers and slightly strange traditions is one thing, but quite a few of them are easy to experience while you’re there. Around the south coast and Golden Circle, you can walk between tectonic plates at Þingvellir, see geothermal areas up close and drive past glaciers and old lava fields, sometimes all on the same day.
Once you’ve got a few favourites, add them to the Guided app and start building your Iceland trip around them. You can save the places you want to visit, see where they are on the map and turn all those volcanoes, glaciers, and hot springs into a smooth trip.
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