Common Road Signs in Iceland: All You Need to Know

The most common road signs in Iceland. However, there are a few that you will not find anywhere else. Here we have listed some of the more unusual Icelandic road signs and their meanings.

Road signs in Iceland can somewhat be unusual. We have a few signs that are not used in other countries. So it is not a bad idea to get familiar with the most unusual road signs before visiting the country. Here we will go over some of the more unusual road signs and unique Icelandic signs we have. So before you get your car rental in Iceland, take a look at these signs. 

List of road signs in Iceland

• Warning signs in Iceland
• Priority signs in Iceland
• Prohibitory signs in Iceland
• Unique signs in Iceland
• Warning signs in Iceland

We have a few warning signs that you will come across while driving around the island. Below you will find the warning signs we believe is good to be familiar with:

This sign indicates that there is a tunnel ahead. In Iceland, we have a few tunnels you might go through, one goes under the ocean while the others usually go through mountains to shorten the driving distance.

In Iceland, you will notice that we have quite many chips and loose gravel roads. This sign will tell you that loose chippings and stones may be on the road.

We have a lot of sheep in Iceland and I mean a lot. In fact, there are more sheep than people on the island.

During the summer months, the sheep are let loose to explore the mountains and eat the delicious grass. Meaning that they can be close to many roads. This sign will tell you to keep an eye out for sheep on the road.

Horses are a big part of Iceland. So when you see a sign like this, it will tell you „warning for equestrians“.

Raindeers can be seen in Iceland, this can especially be noticed in the east of Iceland when they come down from the mountains. This sign will warn you of reindeer on the road. 

These are all the roadsigns about our dear animals in Iceland. We will continue with more warning signs related to driving:

You will notice that we have many narrow roads in Iceland, even on our number one road. So this sign will warn you of a narrow road ahead.

This sign will warn you about the slippery road surface ahead. Which means slowing down or being careful while driving certain sections on the road. Good to keep in mind when visiting Iceland during the winter. 

The last warning sign I want to mention is this one over here, it's a bit weird. But it simply means that poor road surface is ahead.

Icelandic road signs

Here you will see a sign that will tell you that it's the end of the built-up area.

This sign will tell you that there is a beginning of a built-up area ahead.

This sign will tell you that it's a beginning of a residential area.

And this one means that it's the end of the residential area.

This sign is the sign for national speed limits. Telling you the speed allowed for each vehicle in Iceland.

Priority signs in Iceland

These three signs have all in common that the road bends and the bold line is in priority in these cases. Meaning if you are driving on the bold, you do not have to stop as the others coming from other directions will have to stop.

This sign here will tell you to give way to oncoming traffic, road narrows. It's not the most common sign in Iceland, but still good to know about.

Here the sign means that priority over oncoming traffic, road narrows. Can be seen often during road constructions etc.

This is a simple sign, telling you that there is a roundabout ahead.

Prohibitory road signs in Iceland

This will tell you that motorcycles and cars are prohibited. Meaning they are not allowed to drive on the road where the sign stands.

This will tell you that entry is not allowed or forbidden.

This sign you can come across while driving in cities. This tells you that parking is not allowed.

Here the sign tells you that there is no entry. Since the street is one-way traffic.

This sign will tell you that it's the beginning of a zone with a speed limit. You can see it says 30-50 or 60.

Then this sign will tell you that it's the end of the zone with the speed limit.

It is good to know that if you do not see any speed signs in cities, the general speed will be 50km/h. 

Here the sign tells us that U-turns are forbidden. This can be found in the capital area for example.

These signs will tell you that turning left or right depending on the sign is prohibited.

That's it for the standard signs that are good to be familiar too. Of course, the list of signs are endless, but we feel these are the ones that are important to know about.

Unique Icelandic road signs

On this sign, it says „Blindhæð“ beaning „ a blind hill“ up ahead. These are sometimes single-lane hills so you better drive carefully as you will not see if there is another car coming from the other side.

These signs here mean there is a single-lane bridge or a tunnel up ahead. When driving through, the vehicle that comes first goes through first. However, if you are in any doubt, just wait and let the other one go first. 

In a single-lane tunnel, however, if you have oncoming traffic and there is a passing place to your right, then you will be the one that is obligated to pull in to let them pass. In some tunnels like Múlagöng which is situated between the towns Dalvík and Ólafsfjörður, there is one way who will always have priority.

Speed cameras can be found all around the country. However, always before you get to them, there will be a blue sign to indicate them. Speeding tickets are never fun and especially in Iceland. They may land you a hefty fine so just keep an eye out for the signs and know the speed limit.

These signs will tell you that the road ahead is rough. The two signs marked 4x4 mean that there is a rough road ahead only for 4x4 vehicles. So no 2WD is allowed. This can often be seen when going on F-roads in Iceland.

And the last sign tells you about the water crossing in Iceland. What to consider compared with how deep the rivers are, giving you some heads up and reminding that river crossing is only for 4x4 vehicles.

That's it for the road signs in Iceland. Of course, you can find more and the list could be endless, but we believe it is most important to go over and be familiar with the signs that are not common in other countries apart from Iceland.

If you are looking for more information you can find our Travel Guide and Blogs with great information about Iceland. 

You can also contact us to get our local advice about Iceland.