The short version: pay for parking at popular nature sites (most use cameras, so pay in the Parka app or at the machine the same day), pay the two road tolls online within 24 hours, park in the direction of traffic, and respect the speed limits — cameras are everywhere. Anything you don't pay doesn't disappear: it comes back to the rental company weeks later, and from there to you, with fees on top.
We see these charges every week at our desk in Keflavík. Almost none of them come from people trying to dodge a fee — they come from travellers who simply didn't know how it works here. At pickup we always walk our customers through where parking costs money, how to pay it the right way, where the toll roads are, and why the speed limits are there (mostly for your own safety). This guide puts all of that in one place, so you can read it before you land.
1. Paid parking at nature sites (the most common surprise)
Iceland's most visited waterfalls, beaches and glaciers now charge for parking. Most car parks have cameras that read your number plate when you drive in and out. There is often no barrier and no ticket — which is exactly why people miss it.
How you pay:
In the Parka app (most sites), or
At the payment machine in the car park, or
On the operator's website (for example Check-It at some sites).
You can usually pay during your visit or up to 24 hours after you leave. If you don't, the operator bills the car's owner — us — and we pass it on.
Typical prices (check on site — they change)
Seljalandsfoss — ~1,000 ISK. Machine on site or online; one of the most common charges we see
Reynisfjara (black sand beach) — ~750–1,000 ISK. Two car parks, different prices
Skógafoss — ~1,000 ISK. Parka
Sólheimajökull glacier — ~750 ISK. Parka
Þingvellir National Park — ~1,000 ISK. Machines or online; larger vehicles pay more
Geysir — ~1,000 ISK. Parka
Skaftafell / Jökulsárlón (Vatnajökull) — ~1,000–1,100 ISK. Second Vatnajökull site the same day is often discounted
Lake Mývatn area — varies by site. Several camera car parks — some of the most expensive charges we receive come from here
Prices are approximate and based on 2025–2026 information. Always check the sign at the entrance or the app.
The 5-minute trap
Many camera car parks give you a few free minutes (often around 5) — enough to turn around or drop someone off. Travellers drive in "just to have a look", walk to the viewpoint, take photos… and 20 minutes later the free window is long gone. The camera doesn't know you only meant to stay a moment.
Rule of thumb: if you get out of the camper, pay.
2. Parking in Reykjavík
Downtown Reykjavík is divided into paid zones. The centre (P1, around Laugavegur and the old harbour) is the most expensive — roughly 660 ISK per hour with a maximum stay of a few hours. Zones further out (P2, P3) are much cheaper.
Pay with the Parka or EasyPark app, or at the street machine.
In most zones parking is free outside paid hours (evenings and Sundays) — but check the sign on the street; hours differ by zone.
Campervans are bigger than city parking spaces. You'll have an easier time in a larger car park just outside the centre and a short walk in.
Downtown parking is one of the most common fines our customers bring back.
Never park facing oncoming traffic
This one surprises a lot of visitors: in Iceland you must park on the right-hand side of the road, facing the same direction as the traffic. Parking on the left, nose-to-nose with oncoming cars — or crossing the road to grab a space on the "wrong" side — gets you a parking charge, even if the space itself is free. We see this regularly from Reykjavík and from small towns.
3. The two road tolls
Most roads and tunnels in Iceland are free. Two are not, and both work the same way: cameras read the plate, nobody stops you, and you pay online within 24 hours.
Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel (near Akureyri, North Iceland)
The tunnel just east of Akureyri on the Ring Road (Route 1) is a toll tunnel — around 2,200 ISK per trip for a vehicle under 3.5 tonnes (2026 price). Pay at veggjald.is (or the Veggjald app) within 24 hours. Going through and back is two trips. Enter the plate carefully — payments to the wrong plate are not refunded. If a trip isn't paid, the tunnel operator notifies us and we pass it on with our administration fee.
There's a free alternative over the old Víkurskarð pass, but it's slower and in winter it can be closed or dangerous.
Hornafjörður bridge (Southeast Iceland, near Höfn) — new in 2026
The new Ring Road bridge over Hornafjarðarfljót, just east of the Djúpá junction, is a Spölur toll: 1,500 ISK per crossing for a camper under 3.5 tonnes. Pay at spolur.is within 24 hours.
At Foxie, our campers have GPS. If you cross and don't pay, Spölur bills us — so we add 3,000 ISK to your rental (the toll plus handling). Show us your spolur.is receipt and we remove it. We'll usually send you a text reminder right after you cross.
4. Speed cameras and speeding fines
Iceland's speed limits are low by European standards — 90 km/h on paved rural roads, 80 km/h on gravel, 50 km/h or lower in towns — and they're enforced with fixed and mobile speed cameras, including in tunnels and at the entrance to villages. Police also patrol the Ring Road.
Cameras catch small excesses, not just extreme ones.
Fines are high: tens of thousands of ISK is normal, and more than 40 km/h over can mean losing your licence. Heavier vehicles and vehicles towing pay more.
The Icelandic police publish an official fine calculator ("sektarreiknir") if you want exact amounts.
Paying quickly usually gets you a discount (around 25%) — the notice tells you the deadline.
How it reaches you with a rental: the camera photographs the plate and the police email us as the registered owner. We are required by law to give them the renter's details, and the police then contact you directly. They usually offer an early-payment discount — pay within the deadline on the notice and you pay less; pay later and you pay the full amount. We charge an administration fee for handling each police request (see below).
Most speeding tickets we see are not for wild driving. They're for going around 10 km/h over the limit — a moment of not watching the speedometer on an empty road.
The cheapest fine is the one you don't get: Iceland's roads are narrow, windy and full of distractions. The speed limit is usually the right speed anyway.
5. What happens if you don't pay — and what it costs
Unpaid parking charges, tolls and fines don't expire when you fly home.
Parking: our system is connected to Parka, so we see unpaid Parka charges almost immediately. Other operators (the Akureyri tunnel, Spölur, some car parks) email us. Most of the time we know within 24 hours — often while you're still on the road, so you can still pay it yourself. If you have already returned the camper, we charge the card on file.
Speeding: the police deal with you directly, as described above.
For every case we have to handle, we:
Email you with the details (where, when, how much).
Pass on the original charge.
Add an administration fee of 5,000 ISK, as stated in our rental terms. It covers the staff time to go through the tickets or police requests, answer the authorities and make sure the payment is settled correctly.
How the administration fee is counted for parking: it's once per parking operator per booking, not per ticket. Three unpaid Parka charges on the same trip = one administration fee. One Parka charge plus one from a car park run by a different operator (for example at Mývatn) = two.
Unpaid parking also gets a late-payment fee of around 1,000 ISK added on top of the original parking charge.
That means a 1,000 ISK parking fee you forgot to pay can end up costing you around 7,000 ISK: the parking itself, the late-payment fee and the administration fee. Paying 1,000 ISK in the app on the day is always the better deal — and it's a two-minute job.
We don't make money on fines and would much rather you never get one. That's why we tell you about them at pickup and wrote this guide.
6. Where can you park overnight?
Paid parking is about stopping during the day. For sleeping, the rules are different: in Iceland you can't simply park a campervan anywhere for the night. Read our guide Can you sleep in a campervan anywhere in Iceland? and plan your nights at campsites.
Quick checklist before you drive
Download the Parka app (and EasyPark for Reykjavík) and add your camper's plate number.
At nature sites: if you get out of the camper, pay.
In towns: park on the right, facing the traffic direction.
Akureyri tunnel: pay at veggjald.is within 24 h (each direction).
Hornafjörður bridge: pay at spolur.is within 24 h.
Keep to the speed limit — cameras are everywhere, including tunnels.
Keep payment receipts until the end of your trip.
Questions about a charge? Call or message our team any time — we're in Keflavík, 24/7.
Ready to plan your trip? See our campers and live prices →