If
you’re not renting a car, your best choice is to go for all-day or multi-day tours that include these attractions. See details further down.
A winter trip to Iceland comes with its challenges and limitations, but at the same time it also offers amazing advantages. Why it is worth going to Iceland in winter, how to organize such a trip and what to be especially careful about: read on.
Advantages of a winter trip to Iceland
There are several reasons why you should go to Iceland in winter, even if you have already been here at other times of the year.
- The aurora borealis and ice caves
The main reason why you need to come to Iceland in winter is that only in winter you can see the most beautiful ice caves (see: Ice Caves – Icelandic Natural Marvels) and the awe-inspiring aurora borealis (detailed guide: Hunting Aurora in Iceland – Complete Guide). Yes, you can see some ice caves even in the summer (see the guide above) and with a bit of luck you can see the northern lights in spring or autumn, but winter is definitely the top season for both of these. - Beautiful winter nature
Beautiful nature – such as in Iceland – is beautiful at any time of the year. But in winter it shows its other, often even more beautiful face. When the mountains, gorges, black beaches and waterfalls are covered by a shroud of snow, they look gorgeous in the full winter sun. And when the day is cloudy, it is often impossible to distinguish where the mountain ends and the cloud begins. Amazing views and amazing emotions. - Hot springs in the snow
Bathing in Iceland’s hot springs is also a completely unusual experience when snow is all around and winter reigns. Especially so in the natural, small hot pools. Admiring a wintertime landscape from inside a hot pool is a truly extraordinary experience. And if you’re so lucky and the aurora borealis appears in the sky, the experience is absolutely magical…
Winter bathing in Hrunalaug
- Low prices and no crowds
Iceland is an expensive country and not very well aligned with low-cost ‘backpacker’ trips. But everything is cheaper here in winter. It’s cheaper to fly in, cheaper to rent a car, accommodation is a lot cheaper. In addition, you don’t have to be in a particular hurry to plan and book everything, because there is significantly fewer tourists, no queues for anything*, nothing* fully booked well in advance [*Sky Lagoon and Blue Lagoon (when/if open) often sell out even in winter, so these would be the two exceptions, where you still want to book your entry in advance]. There is always a large selection of cars to rent, accommodation can be booked as you go, walk-in customers are very welcome in restaurants. If you want to save yourself some money and don’t appreciate crowded places, you need to see the wintertime Iceland.
inside the Jokulsarlon ice cave
Challenges of a winter trip to Iceland
Winter in Iceland has many advantages, but it is the “off-season” for a reason. Contrary to appearances, said reason is not the bitter frost. For although there are indeed times when the temperature drops to -20 ºC / -4 ºF, this is an exception, not the norm. (With the norm being temps around 0 ºC / 32 ºF – see: Weather in Iceland – Temperature, Wind, Precipitation).
The main challenges we face when visiting Iceland in winter are as follows:
- Short days – little sightseeing time
In winter, but especially in December and January, the day in Iceland is indeed very short. The time between sunrise and sunset is sometimes only about 4 hours. Both sunrise and sunset take a long time (up to 2 hours), but still, the days are short. November, February and March are already much better, but even when the day is fairly long, the sun does not rise high, but stays low over the horizon. - Storms that can stir things up
Storms occur all year round in Iceland, but they happen more often in winter and can be much more dangerous at that time of year. In a sense, from a tourist’s perspective, it comes down to the fact that you may have to drive on ice and snow and that you have to account for roadblocks being perfectly possible.Extreme storms are rare, but they can freeze a large region of the country for a few days. For example, in December 2022 a storm and heavy snowfall caused all roads in southwest Iceland to be blocked for several days. It was impossible to get to the airport, and it was impossible to leave Reykjavik at all. The roads were closed even for largest 4×4 cars. Such extreme conditions are rare, but in general, when coming to Iceland in winter, you must be ready and willing to flexibly adjust your plans to the prevailing weather.
- Tough road conditions
In Iceland salt is not used for de-icing the roads. Instead snow excess is removed mechanically only. So there is often a layer of old, compacted snow and often ice on the roads. This requires two things: studded tires (a more or less a standard here) and careful and relatively slow driving. All-wheel drive or 4×4 drive is useful in winter, but studded tires are much more important, as it is them that play a crucial role in breaking and cornering. As to slower driving – unfortunately that means you need to plan even shorter daily routes and fewer attractions for each day (on top of the days being shorter). - Not the time for campgrounds
Although some campsites are open year-round in Iceland, and you can rent campervans with parking heating (webasto) year-round, winter is the time when hotels, guesthouses and hostels work best. Prices of some (neat!) accommodations drop to even approx. $25-$30 per person per night, and they provide you incomparable comfort in winter (vs a campervan). See some specific accommodation suggestions further in the text. At Rumbomundo we love RVs, campervans and sleeping under a tent, but we wouldn’t recommend that for wintertime in Iceland.
winter sunset in Iceland
Top things to see in winter in Iceland
Budakirkja church covered in snow
There is a couple of places you will not be able to visit and experiences that won’t be available or won’t be as attractive in winter, as they are in the summer. But just as well there’s at least two major reasons, why it is a great idea to come visit Iceland in winter, rather than any other time of year.
The top things you can only see in winter, or are much more likely to happen or are just more fun in winter, are:
- ice caves
Icelandic ice caves are a marvel. An amazing feat of nature that makes coming here in winter worth every penny. And yes, you can visit some of them all year long, but the ones with glass-like ceiling near Jokulsarlon lagoon are only accessible in winter (roughly: October through April).
ice cave
We’ve put together a dedicated in-depth guide about them here: Ice Caves – Icelandic Natural Marvels. You’ll find everything you need to know about them there. Which ice caves (or: glacier caves) are the most interesting ones, where are they, what will you see there and how best to visit them, etc.
- northern lights
Aurora borealis is probably the second top reason for coming to Iceland in winter. An amazing spectacle of light and magic (let’s be honest – they can’t be real 😉 ). Again, we’ve put together a dedicated guide about Hunting Aurora in Iceland, where we share lots of practical tips (first handedly verified!) about planning such a hunt, apps to help you with this, places to go, hotels and guesthouses that offer an aurora wake-up call, etc.
For those interested, we have also prepared an in-depth description of the aurora phenomenon itself: Aurora Borealis – a Scientific Perspective. You will read there, among other things, what creates the different colors of the aurora, what exactly does the Kp index measure, how aurora predictions are made, etc.
- snowmobiling
You can go snowmobiling all year long on Icelandic glaciers, but it certainly is a wintertime activity. If you want the extra adrenaline rush and great mountain top views, it’s a great adventure to have. We’d recommend combining it with a super jeep Golden Circle tour, for a perfect adventure day. Here’s a tour like that starting from Reykjavik: Pearl Tour Snowmobiling. - reindeers
While reindeers obviously don’t migrate out of Iceland for any season, they are much easier to spot in the wintertime. They roam free across the island and in the summer they usually hide in the highland valleys. But winter can be extremely cold in the highlands even for the reindeers, so in winter they are often seen coming down to the South Coast and grazing near Route 1. You still need a bit of luck to see them, but it’s just much more likely in winter.
For all these beautiful places and experiences you’ll find in Iceland in winter, there’s also a couple of things you will miss. The top ones are probably the following:
- The interior and highlands
With special gear, from vehicles to clothing, the interior is still accessible, but for a regular tourist it is out of bounds in winter. Access roads are closed, often impassable, so are the mountain trails. And (almost) no hotels stay open from late September to late May. Plus the beautiful colors of the interior are covered in white, so it’s not the same thing in winter. - Puffins and whales
Puffins spend autumn and winter in the northern Atlantic and you just can’t see them on land, including Iceland, in that time. Some whales (like orcas) live around Iceland all year long, but most of the large ones go south, mostly to the Caribbean, to give birth to their cubs. Whale watching tours do sail out from Reykjavik even in winter, but they’re not as successful as the summer ones (and it’s freezing cold out in the sea in winter!). - East, North and Westfjords
While the parts of Iceland far away from the Capital District are (usually) perfectly accessible in winter, the challenge of visiting them lies exactly in said distance. For any storm or heavy snowfall happening in that distance might cut you off from your hotel, airport and civilisation in general. Plus the storms do happen a little more often in the North, then in the South. That is especially true for the mountains and fjords of the Westfjords region. So you can visit these regions in winter and circumnavigate Iceland, but you have to be extra careful for the weather and have a contingency plan for when a storm hits and you’re stranded for a day (or three…).
Self driving vs guided tours in wintertime Iceland
Driving route 1 in winter
On the other hand guided tours give you peace of mind and a lot of knowledge from the guide. Plus – there’s the element of driving. See the video further down on more insights on this, but in a nutshell: if you don’t have much experience in winter driving (or right-hand side driving for that matter), or just want to avoid the risks and focus on enjoying the views, guided tours are a perfect solution for you. Just don’t book a place in Reykjavik for the whole of your stay. You really want to include a 2-day or 3-day tour to Jokulsarlon in your winter visit to Iceland (see recommendations below).
Additionally ice caves visits and glacier hikes are only available on guided tours. So even on a self drive, you need to book those with a touring company (recommendations below).
Self drive itinerary: 3 to 5 days (or more)
Due to the unpredictability of winter weather, it’s not a good idea to stray too far from the airport. You don’t want a snowstorm to cut you off from being able to get back home. At the same time, the short days and potentially slippery roads mean that it’s better not to plan long drives in winter. That’s why it’s also not a good idea to plan for a circumnavigation of the island in winter. It’s doable and with a little luck it can be great, but it is a high risk project in winter.
When visiting Iceland in winter you want to focus on these areas, relatively close to the capital Reykjavik:
- The Golden Circle, with waterfalls, geysirs, tectonic plates and a selection of hot pools and SPAs.
- The South Coast, with more waterfalls 🤷♂️, beautiful black beaches, and the amazing Jokulsarlon Lagoon and the Diamond Beach.
- The Snaefellsnes peninsula, with the most beautiful mountain of Iceland – Kirkjufell, the cutest black church of Budakirkja, Saxholl, Raudfeldsgja and many more.
- The area around Reykholt, north of Reykjavik, with the largest lava cave in the country, the strongest hot water source, a waterfall that’s one of a kind and one of the top, yet not-so-crowded SPAs (Krauma SPA).
- The famous Reykjanes peninsula, where fresh volcanoes are reshaping Iceland’s ground surface while enlarging the island as a whole. But there’s other beautiful places to see there, too.
- Finally – Reykjavik itself. While a single day is more than enough to see all the really important places in the capital city, you will be excused for spending a few extra nights there, just to enjoy the restaurants, hot pools and nightlife.
If you want to go for a self drive in winter, you should base it on our Short Self Drive Plan: 3 to 5 Days. Caveat: there’s ideas on extending it to 7 days there, too.
Short self drive plan: 3 to 5 days in Iceland
This self drive guide will work great at any time of the year, if you want to see the most interesting attractions of the island in a few days. Just remember to stay flexible – you might be forced to re-arrange a 3-day plan to 5 days etc. if the road conditions are unfavorable.
Short winter tours
Even if you are on a self drive, there are some top attractions that you’ll have to hire a guide for or sign up for a guided tour to visit. You will drive up to the meeting point and switch to a tour vehicle there. Or continue on foot…
If
you’re not renting a car, your best choice is to go for all-day or multi-day tours that include these attractions. See details further down.
You have top chances of seeing the northern lights on your own (especially if you follow our comprehensive aurora-hunting guide), but you may also decide for an aurora hunting tour, if you’d rather avoid driving at night etc.
Full-day bus tours
If you’re not renting a car, want to be based in Reykjavik and use day tours as much as possible, these are our top picks for you.
P
lease remember not to book all of your nights in Reykjavik as you definitely want to see the Jokulsarlon ice caves and it’s difficult to do that on a single-day trip out of Reykjavik (see more below).
Multi-day guided tours
Staying in Reykjavik for the whole length of your journey means you’ll be doing a lot of repetitive driving back and forth to see all the interesting places. The top example is visiting the diamond/sapphire/blue ice cave near Jokulsarlon lagoon which is located some 5 hours east of Reykjavik (380 km / 235 mi). So just driving there and back (in good weather!) takes 10 hours out of your day.
So if you’re doing a self drive, plan for a night or two somewhere further east (around Vik, preferably) and another one or two up north (Borgarnes / Reykholt / Fossatun / Grundarfjordur). And if you don’t want to drive, but prefer the comfort of guided tours instead, do plan for one or two multi-day tours from the list below (#1 and #2 overlap a lot – pick one of them, not both):
For more attractions accessible from Reykjavik, click here: Tours from Reykjavik, and our guide to visiting Iceland’s capital city itself and a walking tour plan is here: Sightseeing Reykjavik – Top Things to See and Do.
Best month for a winter trip to Iceland
If you ask WHEN exactly it’s best to go to Iceland in winter, the answer is quite simple: the best months for a winter trip to Iceland are February and March. February will be a bit better if seeing the northern lights is your clear, top priority. And March will be better for a more balanced winter trip with better chances for good weather and more time to visit the attractions. You will always need a little bit of luck with the weather, but February and March can be absolutely beautiful in Iceland.
Winter Lights Festival in Reykjavik
What to bring and how to pack for Iceland in winter
Many guides on how to pack for Iceland in winter are, in our opinion, completely wrong. They suggest stocking up on heavy winter gear almost as if you were going to the North Pole in a dog sledge. And yes, it can get cold in Iceland, but most of the days it doesn’t and you always spend a better part of your day INSIDE a warm car or bus. You really need to take this into account when choosing your outfit for the trip.
Of course, winter is winter and you need to be prepared for cold and snow. You may not experience it, as on average the air temperature stays above freezing even in the winter months in Iceland, but you need to be prepared for it. So you need warm and windproof clothing. But since you go everywhere in a car (or on a bus) and for every half hour of walking around craters or waterfalls there is at least another half hour of driving from one of them to the other, the optimal clothing for such a trip will be somewhat different from what would be optimal for a multi-day winter mountain hike.
Don’t overdo the ‘onion layers’
winter jacket (women’s)
An additional note: because of the incessant, strong and cold wind, long jackets with large, warm hoods are your best choice. So a winter parka, rather than a ski jacket or a typical hardshell hiking jacket. It should also be waterproof, so probably not down. Down jackets are (generally) designed for deep frost and stand up poorly to cold drizzle or walking along a waterfall in high winds…
Examples of good Iceland winter trip jackets: women’s version, men’s version, men’s version 2.
Complete your gear with thick winter gloves and a not too thick hat – one that will fit comfortably under the jacket’s hood. A scarf will be useful, too.
You don’t really need waterproof pants, as you’re unlikely to walk outside in rain and a drizzle shouldn’t be a problem even if you’re wearing sweatpants (like many people do). But you do want to stay warm, so do pack your long johns or warm leggings for the colder days and for the nights when you’ll be hunting the northern lights.
Choose optimal shoes for you
Salewa Crow GTX
S
ightseeing in Iceland overwhelmingly involves driving (or being driven). Of course, you need to be comfortable when sightseeing, but you really shouldn’t forget about your comfort while driving.
As a general rule you always walk on flat, fairly level and snow-covered, but heavily trodden paths. You will often find snow on the ground, and it might be slippery, but not deep. It will most likely be hard, compacted and heavily windblown. Pay attention to the photos in this article – even on a trip to an ice cave we do not walk in mounded snow. In such conditions a high shoe has very little advantage over a low shoe.
Video: What shoes will work best in Iceland (English subtitles)
Low hiking shoes
As to all the “city” winter shoes and boots – the likes of moon boots, EMU, Inuikii, Sorels etc. – you’ll be fine if you like them, just consider these usability points:
- Make sure they are not too warm. You need to be comfortable in them for hours (sic!) of driving, too. And the outside temperatures might well be above freezing.
- Make sure their sole is not slippery. You need good grip on hard, compacted snow. City shoes are often optimised for wet sidewalks, rather than proper snow. Or be prepared to using crampons a lot.
- Make sure you can use crampons with them as sometimes there’s just too much ice for any type of sole. So your shoe needs to be rather rigid and stiff to make for good support for the crampons. Bare in mind that when visiting the ice caves you will always have to put crampons on [they will be provided by the tour company].
D
on’t forget your flip-flops for SPAs and swimming pools and water shoes for the wild hot springs!
Lastly – you really want to equip yourself with crampons.
good crampons
But it can be slippery, too. Some paths (Grabrok) have steep parts in them. Others lead near waterfalls, so are often iced over, from the water spray. Others still become slippery, when enough people walk them. And finally – you will see a parking-lot-turned-ice-rink in the video above. These things do happen occasionally.
If you’re in top physical condition, you should be fine without the crampons 99% of times. But if you’d rather not risk slipping and falling over, crampons are amazingly effective in keeping you up-right and safe. And they are small, lightweight, inexpensive and easy to use. And they give you a near-perfect grip and a very confident stride. There’s really no reason not to use them.
Other winter gear
Other equipment – aside from boots and jackets – is essentially uncontroversial and entirely up to your preferences or habits. Just remember that it may be cold and the wind will almost certainly be strong and relentless. Especially if you have plans to hunt for the aurora (and you certainly should), be prepared to stay out in the cold for quite a while.
So take along insulated pants or thermals for your legs. Warm gloves will certainly come in handy. A winter beanie will be great, especially if it can easily fit under the hood of your jacket (because jackets with a thick, large hood are the best).
If you want to take a dip in wild hot springs, take into account that often there are no changing rooms at them or they are completely symbolic. So water shoes and a large towel will be great to have.
It’s also worth taking a thermos with you. Although we are always warm in the car, a sip of hot tea (or chocolate) allows you to increase the comfort of the tour brilliantly. Definitely worth it. And also a flashlight – just in case, as the days are short.
On the other hand a face mask or trekking poles are rather excessive. You leave the car only for a short time, and if the weather is really bad, you’ll stay home at all and wait until it gets better. If the weather requires wearing a face mask or goggles, it’s certainly better to stay home and wait it out. And it’s probably safer that way, too.
Safety in winter
Should anything happen to you while traveling in Iceland, remember that the nationwide emergency number is 112. The emergency center handling this number handles ALL matters for which you may need help. As the website https://www.112.is/en says: If you’re not sure whether to call or not – don’t hesitate: call 112. A chat room is also available on the emergency service’s website.
To check the weather forecast (and possible alerts) use vedur.is. This is the website of the Icelandic Institute of Meteorology, which gives the most accurate and up-to-date forecasts. The site also offers a weather app for your phone, but unfortunately that is far from great.
It is however absolutely worth installing the safetravel app on your phone. This is an app run by the Icelandic Civil Service, which is responsible for, among other things, ensuring safety and possibly helping victims of weather disasters. It’s worth following the messages of this app, but it’s also a good idea to enter your information on the safetravel.is website indicated above. The system will send you automatic weather alerts in designated dates. This is the best source of information about current bad weather warnings and possible tourist restrictions.
The final site where you will always find up-to-date information about the condition of roads (including their passability) is road.is. After a recent update, the site shows not only information about whether a road is passable and what are the conditions there, but also, for example, how many cars have driven on it recently. Photos from webcams on major roads are also available. In winter, you need to keep up to date with information from this site.
studded tire tread
Studded tires not only work great on snow and frozen asphalt, but also perform very well on ice. In practice, when driving we often don’t know if we’re driving on ice or not. The so-called black ice is a thin layer of ice, which simply can’t be seen on dark asphalt – see the “road rink” on the video below. Studded tires are phenomenal in such conditions and you really want to have them on your car.
Regarding the relevance and performance of studded tires in winter, we recommend the video below. But you’ll find lots of other videos on the internet showing how much a regular car with studded tires outperforms a 4×4 car with regular, or regular winter tires. It’s a world of difference…
Video: Winter driving in Iceland (English subtitles)
On the other hand, an all-wheel drive is useful in winter, but its advantages are often overrated or exaggerated. Of course it is useful, but mostly only on stronger climbs and in deep snow. On a typical tour of Iceland in winter, we shouldn’t have to deal with neither of these. That’s why if you’re not going to the West Fjords or planning to go all around the island, you should be perfectly fine in a front-wheel drive (FWD) car, which can be quite a bit cheaper to rent (see Renting a Car in Iceland – a Complete Guide).
4×4 drive does not improve your safety. It gives you a little more flexibility or autonomy in driving and may be useful, but it is certainly not essential. Therefore, if you find an offer for a 4×4 car rental at a slightly higher price, take it. But if the difference in cost is significant, then no worries – a front-wheel drive is also great for exploring Iceland in winter (as long your tires are studded).
N
ever forget the wind! Actually, this is a tip for every season, but certainly for winter as well. If the wind is strong and you happen to park with your car back to it, a strong gust can rip your car door out of your hand and damage or break its hinges altogether. It is not unheard of. Therefore, when getting out of the car, remember to hold the door really tightly – even the strongest wind sometimes cannot be seen nor felt at all, from inside the car.
Accommodation, meals, day schedule
As mentioned earlier, for a winter trip we strongly recommend stationary accommodation. At this time of year, life in an RV in Iceland is quite difficult. Mundane camp activities – cooking, eating, washing up, drying shoes or playing cards – become cumbersome in the wind and cold. Just walking to the camp kitchen or showers and back is probably not worth the savings you can get, when in winter the prices of nice accommodations start from as low as $25/person/night (see, for example, Fossatún Camping Pods or The Barn).
R
emember that if you are traveling by car then wild camping (i.e. outside of a campsite) is ILLEGAL in Iceland, regardless of whether you sleep in an RV, a roof tent, or just in the back seats (or the trunk) of your car. That is all illegal.
You are only allowed to spend the night at a campsite (or, of course, a guesthouse or hotel).
Only the classic ground tents are excluded from this prohibition and you can pitch them (almost) wherever you like.
Of course, it’s great to have an overnight stay that allows or facilitates aurora watching. That’s why, in an article about aurora hunting – Hunting Aurora in Iceland – Complete Guide – we provided a list of recommended accommodations in several ‘categories’:
- Places that have a glass roof and allow you to observe the aurora without leaving your bed – such as Hlid Fisherman’s Village or Golden Circle Glamping;
- Hotels that offer a wake-up call if there is a visible aurora in the night sky, such as: Hotel Vík í Mýrdal, Hotel Hamar or the slightly cheaper Lighthouse Inn;
“Aurora wake-up call” is a great service because it allows you to sleep soundly while not missing the aurora, which will appear at, say, 4 AM. Of course, only guests who have requested the service in advance are woken up. - Places that, even if they do not offer such a wake-up call or a glass roof, lie in good locations for aurora hunting (and sightseeing in general) and offer good value for money.
In the article on northern lights we list many more such places – do have a look into that.
As
mentioned above: don’t limit yourself to staying in Reykjavik only if you’re coming for more than 3 days. Spend at least one night in/near Vik and use that as a base for exploring further east. And plan for one night north of Reykjavik to comfortably explore Snaefellsnes peninsula and the Reykholt region.
From the meals perspective probably the only reasonable model is breakfast + dinner. It’s just that the day is short and while the sun is up, you want to be out and exploring. Gas station hot dogs will help you survive the day, too.
In hostels and guesthouses, we almost always have access to a shared kitchen and, of course, it’s worth using it. And if you want to go to a restaurant, the evening will also be the best time for that.
