The Iceland Camping Card: Is It Worth It?

Every campervan rental desk in Iceland seems to have a stack of Camping Card leaflets on the counter, and the pitch sounds simple: pay once, camp for up to four weeks. Whether it actually saves you money is less simple.

It depends on how many nights you camp and how many of you are travelling. Above all, it depends on whether the campsites on the card are the ones on your route.

For some trips it pays for itself within a week. For others it ties you to campsites you would not otherwise choose, and you would have been better off paying as you go.

What Is the Iceland Camping Card?

The Iceland Camping Card, called Útilegukortið in Icelandic, is a prepaid pass that lets you stay at participating campsites around the country without paying the nightly camping fee. In 2026 it costs €179 and covers two adults and up to four children under 16 for a maximum of 28 nights, according to the official Camping Card 2026 page.

The card is valid for the summer season and expires on 15 September each year. Around 30 campsites accept it in 2026, spread across all the main regions outside the capital area.

What the Camping Card Includes

The card covers the basic camping fee for one unit, such as a tent or a campervan, plus the people the card is issued to. In practice:

• *Who:* two adults and up to four children under 16 travelling together.
• *How long:* up to 28 nights in total across the season.
• *Where:* only at participating campsites, listed on the card's website and in its booklet.
• *When:* the summer season until 15 September, though some sites open later or close earlier.

A campervan parked below jagged coastal peaks in the south-east, a region with several participating campsites.

Most campsites limit Camping Card holders to a few consecutive nights at the same site, typically four, so you need to keep moving. That suits a road trip but not a week based in one place.

What the Camping Card Does Not Include

Several costs are on top of the card, and they matter when you do the maths:

• *The national accommodation tax,* a small charge per pitch per night that every campsite must collect.
• *Electricity,* which most campsites charge separately for campervans.
• *Showers,* which are often coin-operated or charged per use.
• *Washing machines, dryers and other extras.*

Some campsites also charge the card holder for extra adults beyond the two named on the card. If you are travelling as three or four adults, you will need either a second card or to pay for the extra people at each site.

Iceland Camping Card Price: Does It Pay Off?

Whether the card is worth it comes down to a simple sum. Divide its price by what you would otherwise pay per night for the people on the card.

A traveller sitting in a rooftop tent below steep green mountains, the kind of trip where camping costs add up.

Campsite prices in Iceland vary, but two adults typically pay several thousand krónur a night between them before extras. At €179, the card usually pays for itself after roughly five to seven nights for a couple. Families with children reach that point sooner, as long as every night is at a participating site.

The catch is the phrase "if every night". Nights at campsites that do not accept the card, nights in guesthouses and nights back in Reykjavík all count against you, because you pay for those separately.

A Worked Example

Imagine a couple on a ten-night campervan trip in July. If eight of those nights are at participating campsites and two are at sites that do not take the card, the card covers eight nights. At typical campsite prices for two adults, that is comfortably more than the €179 the card costs, even after paying the nightly tax and a few showers.

A campervan crossing green lakeside country, typical of a summer road trip between campsites.

Now imagine three friends on a five-night trip around the south-west. They pay extra for the third adult at each site, and only two or three of their preferred campsites accept the card. In that case, paying per night is simpler and cheaper.

When the Camping Card Is Worth It

The card makes most sense when:

• you are camping for at least a week, ideally two or more,
• you are a couple or a family with young children,
• your route follows the Ring Road or the Westfjords, where participating sites are spread out,
• you are happy to move every few nights.

Coffee with a view of a green crater from the back of a campervan on a summer road trip.

On a two-week Ring Road trip or a 7-day Westfjords campervan route, for example, the card can easily cover a dozen or more nights and save a noticeable amount, especially if you favour simple, quiet sites over the larger ones with lots of facilities.

When the Camping Card Is Not Worth It

Skip the card if:

• your trip is shorter than about five or six nights of camping,
• you are travelling as three or more adults,
• you plan to stay mostly in the south-west, where some of the most popular sites do not accept it,
• you want hot showers, kitchens and electricity every night, which add costs anyway,
• you are camping outside the summer season, which is also the cheapest time to travel for hotels.

Many of the larger and better-equipped campsites are not part of the scheme, including several on the Golden Circle and around Reykjavík. If those are the sites you want, paying per night is simpler.

Iceland Camping Card Campsites Map

The card's website lists participating campsites by region, with a map and each site's opening dates. Check it against your route before you buy, and remember that the list can change from year to year. The tjalda.is campsite directory also lists most campsites in the country with their opening dates.

A campervan on a fjord road in the Westfjords, a region where the Camping Card is particularly useful.

For a wider view of campsites across Iceland, including those that do not accept the card, the Icelandic Tourist Board's camping pages on ferdalag.is help you compare options.

A morning view of a waterfall from the back of a campervan, parked at a campsite nearby.

Our guide to the best camping spots on the Golden Circle covers sites near Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, many of which charge per night rather than accepting the card.

How to Buy the Camping Card

You can buy the card online from the official website, and physical cards are posted from March, with international delivery taking around ten days. Some rental companies also sell the card or include it with campervan rentals, so ask before you buy separately.

Keep the card with you and show it at check-in at each participating site, where staff will record your stay against your 28 nights.

Camping Rules in Iceland

Whether or not you buy the card, some rules apply to everyone camping in Iceland.

A campervan parked in a field under a vivid sunset, on a campsite rather than at the roadside.

Overnight stays in campervans, motorhomes and caravans are only allowed at campsites or with the landowner's permission. Leave no trace, use the campsite's facilities and keep noise down after 23:00 at most sites.

Outside the summer season most card campsites are closed, so plan your nights around the few sites that stay open. Our campervan route around the Golden Circle shows how to plan stops and campsites on a shorter loop.

Alternatives to the Camping Card

If the card does not suit your trip, you have other ways to keep accommodation costs down:

• *Pay per night* at the campsites you actually want, with no commitment.
• *Mix camping with guesthouses* on cold or stormy nights.
• *Travel outside peak season,* when guesthouses and hotels drop their prices.

Our list of cheap places to stay covers hostels, guesthouses and budget hotels if you decide camping every night is not for you.

Planning a Campervan Trip Around the Card

If you want a campervan trip with the campsites already arranged, our 14-day campervan self-drive includes a 4x4 campervan, a route guide with GPS coordinates and campsite bookings around the Ring Road. It takes the guesswork out of where to stop each night, with or without a Camping Card.