Iceland: Your Ultimate Winter Guide

Iceland in winter? Don’t let the cold weather deter you. The winter is an amazing time to see Iceland and here is your Ultimate Winter Guide.

Iceland.  What can I say? It’s been on my bucket list for years.  Ring Road in a camper van in August versus Northern Lights in winter.  I elected for the latter.  The search for the Northern Lights was on.  As a bonus, it’s more economical to travel to Iceland in winter.

We flew IcelandAir out of Chicago, direct to Reykjavik on February 11th, 2019.  IcelandAir was reasonably priced and very nice.

Pro Tip:  

• Purchase alcohol in duty free in the airport. It’s open 24-7 and is cheaper than alcohol in Reykjavik.

Arriving in Iceland

We arrived at 6:30 am in Reykjavik, Iceland.  It was dark until 9 am and the grocery stores didn’t open till 10 am.  We stayed in an Airbnb in Hafnarfjadour, just south of Reykjavik.  The first day we slept and tried to recover from jet lag. I had a brief disagreement with European shower heads, but eventually we came to a compromise.

In February, daylight in Iceland runs from 9 am to 5 pm.  Plenty of time for day tripping.

After napping, we decided to roam Reykjavik and ease into our European time zone.

First stop:  Mikkeller and Friends, a bar.  A few pictures and creepy clowns later (avoided the clowns in the picture, but trust me, they were in the bar), we wander around downtown.  I’m a fan.  Check out hot dogs, the church, lava salt (oh my gosh, lava salt!), coffee shops, and Icelandic wool hats and sweaters.

Iceland: Day 1 in Reykjavik

Iceland Day 2:

Skogafoss waterfall, Vik, the Black Sand Beach, and the airplane crash.  All must sees. Ignore the tourists.

Pro Tip:  

• Weather in winter changes frequently.  Driving in snow in the dark was tense.  However, it quickly transitioned to sun and clear skies.  Also, Iceland can be extremely windy.  In fact, the rental car place (Sad Cars) said not to leave the car doors open.  The wind has been known to rip doors off of cars.

Lighting in Iceland in winter is perfect for taking pictures.  No filter needed.  The only skill needed was to avoid the other tourists in the shot.  It was surprisingly more crowded than I expected.  However, the scenery was worth it. Truly stunning vistas.

Pro Tip:  

• Watch out for the Sneaker Waves at Reynisfjara (Black Sand Beach).  Sneaker waves are extremely dangerous and have sucked tourists out to the ocean.  Be very cautious.

Iceland Day 3:  

Seljalandfsfoss Waterfall, Glacier Lagoon, Diamond Beach

Pro Tip

• You can walk behind Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, but not in winter as there is too much ice and the trail was roped off.

Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach are a good 5 hour drive from Reykjavik, so we opted to sign up for a tour.  It was worth the 10 hour round trip tour bus drive.  Both spots are simply breathtaking.  The band, Kaleo, filmed the music video “Save Yourself” at Glacier Lagoon: Kaleo: Save Yourself music video

Pro Tip:

• Consider bringing Yak Tracks to walk on the glacier.

Iceland Day 4:

Golden Circle: Thingvellir National Park (NP), Geysir, Gulfoss and Secret Lagoon

The Golden Circle is a short 45 minute drive from Reykjavik and is a popular tourist spot. Thingvellir NP has an interesting (albeit bloody) history and is the home of the Silfra fissure.  

Geysir was a quick stop and has a great restaurant right across the street.  Soups have free refills and are delicious. Gulfoss is massive and breathtaking.  I would love to see Gulfoss in summer.

Secret Lagoon is not officially part of the Golden Circle, but is a great way to end the day on the way back to Reykjavik or if you continue your trip on the Ring Road.  It is smaller, less crowded, and less expensive than the Blue Lagoon.

Iceland Day 5: Silfra Snorkeling

Silfra is located in Thingvellir NP and is a bucket list item.  Silfra is a fissure located between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.  It is in the only place in the world where you can snorkel between two tectonic plates.  Dive.Is is a reasonably priced tour and very customer friendly.  Silfra is the same temperature year round:  frigid.  It is simply stunning, but I was ready to get out of the water.  I was frozen. To book a tour, check out:  Silfra snorkeling: Dive.Is

Alas, the hunt for the Northern Lights was not fruitful unfortunately.  It was cloudy most of the week.

Lessons learned:

1. Winter is amazing in Iceland.  Would recommend staying in small towns on the Ring Road instead of day trips from Reykayvik.
2. Discount grocery shopping at Bonus Grocery store.
3. Silfra snorkeling with Dive.Is is a must-do.  Give the Frenchman, Alexis, a kiss for me.
4. Iceland is popular.  Be prepared to avoid all the Instagramers and tourists in your pictures.
5. SadCar Rental is reasonably priced.  Take pictures of the car before leaving the lot.  Don’t let the wind blow the car doors off.
6. Secret Lagoon is a great option versus Blue Lagoon.  More low key and is a natural lagoon.  Be prepared to shower naked in front of your closest friends:  Secret Lagoon
7. Swim in a local pool in town.  All hot springs and totally worth it.  Nothing like swimming outside in a geothermal pool in winter.
8. Crushing on the band, Kaleo.  They shot a music video inside a volcano in Iceland:  Way Down We Go

Get your Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mindful Hiking HERE