The Rough Guide to Iceland 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

David Leffman (Author), James Proctor (Author), Rough Guides (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2007

The Rough Guide to Iceland is your complete handbook to uncovering the delights of Europe’s largest glacier. From Reykjavik’s nightlife to the dramatic Western Fjords and table-top mountains to the rich birdlife of Lake Myvatn, the full-colour introduction highlights all the ‘things-not-to-miss’. For every town and village there are insider reviews of the all best places to stay, eat and drink, both on and off the beaten track, with the new ‘Author’s Pick’ feature highlighting the very best options. There is plenty of practical advice for a host of outdoor activities, from skiing on the Vatnajökull glacier to whale-watching and viewing the Northern Lights. The guide also looks at Iceland''s rich Viking history and its extraordinary geology and wildlife.

The Rough Guide to Iceland is like having a local friend plan your trip!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Leffman is co-author of Rough Guide to Australia, China and Indonesia. James Proctor studied Icelandic at the University of Iceland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 3rd edition (April 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843537672
• ISBN-13: 978-1843537670
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Travel > Europe > Iceland

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good First Effort for a Great Series, September 5, 2001

By 

James Paris "Tarnmoor" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Iceland (Paperback)

The ROUGH GUIDE series has produced some wonderful books -- I am particularly fond of the titles on France and Scotland, which I have used extensively. This is their first crack at Iceland, and it is a commendable, if not outstanding, effort.

As a result of a recent 15-day trip to Iceland, I can say that it is mostly reliable but far from exhaustive. For one thing, the emphasis is on sleeping bag accommodations exclusively. (Okay, maybe I'm not quite so "rough" a traveler: Two weeks in the same smelly down bag is not my idea of comfortable travel.) Also, the book omits many very viable accommodation options, such as the Bolti farmhouse at Skaftafell. Also many oustanding restaurants such as the well-known Bautinn in Akureyri are unaccountably missing.

What did this guide have to say about my guesthouse in Reykjavik (the excellent Baldursbra)? Only that it had "rather narrow beds and unfortunate floral curtains." Good grief! Firstly, the size of single beds in Iceland tends to be quite standard: No extra inches were shaved off. Secondly, the curtains were indeed floral but not so aggressively bad as suggested by the writers of the guide, who appear to have been suffering from a bad hair day.

On the plus side, the "Basics" and "Contexts" sections are both useful and entertaining introductions to travel in this most fascinating of destinations. I've always regarded a good bibliography as an asset to any guide, and this one has an excellent one. Included is a helpful summary of the key Icelandic sagas, a knowledge of which is essential to understanding the uniqueness of Iceland.

You won't go far wrong with this guide, but there is room for improvement in editions to come. For now, I recommend the 2001 Edition of the Lonely Planet Guide as being the most authoritative guide.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loaded with useful information, September 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Iceland (Paperback)

I've not used other Rough Guides before, but a friend swears by them, so I tried this one for Iceland. I also got the Insight Guide, which had pretty pictures and background info but little else. The Rough Guide was infinitely more useful, and I totally relied on it during a weeklong trip around Iceland. We drove all the way around the ring road and out to the Westfjords, and the only incorrect piece of information we found in the entire book was the price at one guest house. Plenty of info on where to stay and eat, what to see and do, and background information was useful and interesting. My one criticism is the maps, they are small and only of small regions of the country (but what are you going to do in such a small book?). It would have been nice to have a large, comprehensive map of the island, so we bought a large road map in addition. The book was particularly useful in the isolated parts of Iceland where 'towns' on maps consisted only of a single house or 2. It was comforting to know the Rough Guide contained accurate information we could rely on to find a place to stop on those remote roads.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So much to see!, June 14, 2001

By 

"swilsen" (St. Louis, MO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Iceland (Paperback)

We had a 3-day stopover in Iceland, and used the Rough Guide as our main source of information. The information in the book was accurate and very useful, especially when driving in the less populated areas. It was nice to know which towns had fuel stations, cafes, guesthouses, etc. It was a little confusing when we drove east from Vik, and the book was written as if driving west toward Vik, but we managed.

The sections on culture and history were also very useful when planning a trip to a place we'd never been before. This book and a good map (1250 ISK at the tourist information desk) is all you should need for a great trip.