Iceland in the winter probably sounds fairly daunting. It’s cold and dreary, not to mention the fact that there are only five hours of daylight per day. But it is completely do-able, and lots of people do it every single winter. I LOVED every second of my Icelandic winter wonderland (except the seconds where I thought I might lose a few fingers due to the relentlessly ice-cold rain). As much fun as Iceland in winter is, there are also a fair number of things that I wish I had known prior to hopping aboard the airplane. It takes some preparation, and the more prepared you are, the more you’ll get out of your trip. So here is your ultimate guide for surviving Iceland in the dead of winter, so that you don’t make the same moronic mistakes that I did.
Q: Should I rent a car? What is driving like in Iceland?
Yes, you should 100% rent a car. OH BOY, this was interesting. I’ve never driven in a foreign country before, but thankfully, Iceland’s road rules are exactly the same as the United States’, and Iceland does not require that you have any sort of international driver’s license. Phew. But there still were a few things that I was not necessarily expecting.
Most of the cars are manual transmission. This was somewhat nerve-wracking because the last time I drove a stick-shift I was a 90-pound 16-year-old trying to impress boys with my stereotypically not-girlish stick-shift skills (I can’t tell you how many boys didn’t believe me and made me prove it to them, which I did and then walked away smugly like I was some sort of fucking goddess). It comes back to you, even if you haven’t done it for a while. I drove about 2500 kilometers without much of an issue at all. You CAN get an automatic car from most rental companies, but it is generally a little more expensive, and driving stick is part of the Icelandic experience!
There are a shit-ton of roundabouts. Seriously, roundabouts everywhere you turn. And Icelandic drivers WHIP through those things, so keep alert.
You don’t need a 4WD vehicle or anything monstrous. I had a teeny tiny little white car that suited me perfectly. All cars rented during the winter months come with winterized tires, meaning that there are little studs in the tires to make it easier to drive on wintery roads. If you’re doing a short trip, you’ll have more than enough easily accessible stuff to see in your small, cheap, 2WD rental. Any less easily accessible stuff that requires big, manly tires and a higher chassis can be accessed on a guided tour (which is probably safer anyway, considering winter time weather).
Check road.is before going out on the roads, just in case. The road.is website is updated in real-time with the conditions of the roads, noting which are easily passable, the wind speed, and the amount of ice and fog at any given time. This helped me SO MUCH, because it helped me hit the roads feeling confident that I most likely wasn’t going to run into anything weird or stormy or freakish (but check often, because Iceland weather can change quickly).
Get gravel insurance on your car, also just in case. I was actually surprised by the whole gravel road thing. Most of the main roads are paved, but there are some roads that you have to take to get to certain sites that are many, many kilometers of pothole-laden gravel. I think about 2/3 of all the roads are actually gravel roads. The speed limit on these is 80 km per hour, which I really don’t understand because I was going around 30 km per hour and every time I rolled over a pothole I sobbed a little bit and lamented the probable slow-but-sure destruction of the rental car. Gravel can really mess up your car if you’re not careful, and it can even if you are careful (especially if it is windy, and it often is). Gravel insurance will cost you a little bit more, but the peace of mind is worth it.
Gas prices will make your bank account weep. At the moment the Icelandic Krona is 0.0089 times the US dollar. So when gas is 191 krona per liter, it is really over $7 per gallon. Unfortunately, there is no getting around this, as lots of driving is required if you want to see all the amazing things that Iceland has to offer, but it is good to know beforehand so that it isn’t a shock to the budget.
Q: Is Blue Lagoon worth it?
It depends on how you go about the experience, because it is $40 at the minimum. One of the biggest mistakes I made while in Iceland was absolutely not doing the Blue Lagoon correctly. I mean, I messed that baby up royally. First of all, the Blue Lagoon requires pre-booking, probably because of the insane influx of tourists and the immense popularity of this man-made, geothermal spa. I didn’t know this, even though it says it TWICE on the website’s front page (excellent). I ended up booking two days before I left, and the only slots available were after 6 pm. So I had to cut a day of sightseeing somewhat short to get to the lagoon in time, and the lagoon was dark anyways, with limited time for bathing because everyone had to vacate by 8:30.
In hindsight, maybe I should have saved my $50 and gone back on my next trip to Iceland, but it was hard to justify doing that since you never know when you’ll be back anywhere. If I could have a complete do-over, though, I would 100% have booked far in advance, gotten an early-morning slot for the day I arrived (as my flight got in at 5:30 am), stopped at Blue Lagoon between the airport and Reykjavik (as it is situated perfectly between the two), and soaked to my heart’s content until the sun came up. It would have given me time to wash up and rejuvenate after a 5 and a half hour flight, and I would have only missed aimless wandering through the city in the cold waiting for stuff to open.
Go to the Blue Lagoon right after your flight arrives, and don’t forget to book in advance. My Blue Lagoon advice to you. And there are definitely less expensive options if you want to forgo the Lagoon all together, but it is certainly a cool experience that I would recommend.
Q: Are there perks of visiting Iceland in wintertime?
I have a friend who went to Iceland for 10 days in the summertime. She said that it was freezing even in the summer, and when I casually mentioned at brunch one weekend that I was planning on going in December, her jaw dropped to the floor. “You’re going to be so cold,” she said. “I’ll be fine!” I said with a guffaw. Silly friend. I sipped my mimosa calmly and composedly, but inside my nervousness was boiling and raging throughout my entire body. WTF was I thinking, going in the wintertime?? This place has got to be called ICEland for a reason! Dread was washing over me with every subsequent stunned reaction I got from friends, family, and coworkers, but I knew I had to suck it up. And guess what? Here I am, in one piece, my body temperature still sitting pretty at 98.6 degrees. And it was not bad at all! Far less cold than you’d think…I think the coldest it got while I was there was mid 30s, and that was in the dead of night while I was warm and toasty in my hostel bed. Maybe it is time to get some tougher friends?
And believe it or not, there are actually some advantages to venturing to Iceland in the winter months rather than waiting for the ice to thaw.
The lighting is absolutely beautiful…
It’s like the sun is setting always. Even at noon, the sun is just sitting right on the horizon, and the sky is not too bright. I only saw the sun and the blue sky once, on my very last day in Reykjavik, and it was the most perfect lighting I had ever seen. And when it’s cloudy, you don’t have that awful effect of the sun reflecting off the cloud particles and burning your eyes out of your head as you’re driving. Overall, clouds or no, the light was very pleasant and perfect for taking all the pictures in the world.
…which means more time for nightlife.
When it’s pitch black by 5 o’clock, there is literally no reason to feel bad about starting your night off a little early. Keep in mind, though, that while there are bars that stay open until one or two in the morning on weekends, most places close very early. Aside from Hagkaup (the 24-hour grocery store I frequented I think every single day because I wanted to restock on snacks for the road), most stores close starting at 6 until 9 pm. Don’t expect to be doing any of your shopping late-night. But if you’re into nightlife, there is plenty to be had hours (literally HOURS) after the sun goes down.
Things are cheaper, and places less crowded…
This makes sense right? It is the laws of supply and demand (I took only one economics class in college, but I do know that if the demand is low then the supply is cheaper. Or something along those lines). I stayed at Bus Hostel, a 15-minute walk from center city, for only about $20 a night. For Iceland, which generally has the same prices as Scandinavian countries, this is a steal. Expenses like accommodations and site-seeing are far less pricey because there are just fewer people who want to be around for what they see as a horribly unpleasant and cold Iceland winter. That just means there’s more for us brave souls to enjoy!
…but don’t expect desolation.
Iceland has grown in popularity almost exponentially as a tourist destination since 2009, and there are people all over the place all times of the year. You’re not really going to avoid people, even in the wintertime, but the crowds will definitely be a little bit more manageable. Fewer selfie sticks to dodge and curse when they end up in your photo (I feel hypocritical saying this because I actually brought a GoPro stick with me. And I used it to take selfies. THE SHAME! It was a GOPRO stick though, not a selfie stick, and GoPros definitely have a cool factor. So I don’t feel too bad).
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS!!
THE ARE INCREDIBLE! A truly magical natural wonder that should be on every bucket list across the globe!
…well…sometimes.
I mean, I am assuming they are incredible, and they are definitely still on my bucket list. I, of course, arrived one day after the Northern Lights were visible in Iceland, waited for many cloudy, rainy days in fierce anticipation and desperation, and left three hours before they were visible once again! Hoorah for being smited by God! Weather is a fickle, fickle thing in this country. You can’t really show up in Iceland EXPECTING that you’ll see the Northern Lights, no matter how badly you want it. I think in general, five nights minimum will increase your chances a lot, and you need clear, dark skies (this means driving outside of the light-polluted city, but on very clear nights they are sometimes visible even from Reykjavik). But I cannot give anyone false hope. They’ll appear when they want to appear, and you have to be happy with the beauty of Iceland even without them.
Q: What should I pack?
Raincoat
Because rain and sleet and snow and hail are all likely to happen when you’re in an Icelandic winter, and you don’t want to be wet.
Waterproof pants
I bought a pair of Geval windproof pants
Waterproof camera or case
I saw some people taking pictures of waterfalls in the rain with their bare naked iPhones. NO CASE WHATSOEVER. That’s living life a little too on the edge for me. A GoPro
Waterproof hiking shoes
Even if you won’t be doing a lot of hiking (I am in the middle of some alternative regenerative treatments for the tendons in my ankle and knee and hiking is not currently in my vocabulary), you will likely be walking on some uneven surfaces and rocks, many of which will be slippery. Waterproof shoes that are comfortable with a good amount of grip will be your best friends out here. Merrell
Wool socks & mittens
Duh.
Hat
Also duh. All your heat radiates from your head. Trap that heat in there!
Portable USB charger
I bought this mobile power charger
Car charger
In the same vein, toss a USB adapter into your carry-on. My rental car, a Kia Picanto, came with a cigarette lighter and a USB port. I could charge my phone (which was also my GPS) on my long car journeys every day with the USB port, but bringing a USB adapter to put in the cigarette lighter also allowed me to charge my camera battery at the same time. You’ll be taking lots of pictures and want to be all juiced up!
Bathing suit
Not only is there the world-famous Blue Lagoon, which I think everyone should go to once (despite the fact that it is obviously massively catered to tourists), there are also hot springs all around the country that you can hop into to warm up, as well as much cheaper public baths and pools in Reykjavik and many smaller towns.
Debit card
This was necessary, at least for me. Though I did not encounter a single place that did not accept credit cards (so running to the ATM for more cash every day was not a thing), a lot of the Reykjavik gas stations made me put in my pin number, even when I tried to use a chip credit card, which no longer require pin numbers. I ended up using the debit card for all my gas station visits, so I was glad that I had that on hand (plus, having a debit card on hand for cash-only emergencies is important always).
Other tips & stupid stuff to definitely not do
Remember that there is limited daylight and plan accordingly (actually, planning anything AT ALL would be a good start). This is something I was really idiotic about: not making good use of the daylight. It is not the case at all that once the sun goes down, there is nothing to do. But a lot of that activity is going to be more concentrated in the city, not out at the Skógafoss waterfall. If you are trying to see the waterfalls, or the glaciers, or the geysers, or anything outside of the city, you need to schedule those mothers like your life depends on it. I made a general list of things I wanted to see, not realizing until I got there that some of the things (Glacier Lagoon, for example) are on the other side of the country from Reykjavik, and being based out of Reykjavik meant you REALLY have to plan everything out perfectly in order to get all the way out there and back in a day.
On the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, the sun comes up around 11:30 and sets around 3:30. From my experience, you have about an hour of halfway decent light before the sunrise and after the sunset, but that still gives you a maximum of 6 hours to get all your exploring in! Also keep in mind those gravel roads which can really fuxk your car up if you aren’t careful; they will slow you down if you’re in a baby hatchback. I was dying to see both Hraunfossar and Kirkjufellsfoss in one day, but I had to cut out Kirkjufellsfoss because I did not time things well enough. It’s best to get up early, drive in the dark, and time it so you get to your first destination right as the world begins to brighten. It is a science, and making up some schedules will do you well before a winter trip, especially if it is a short trip.
Do not under any circumstances use your limited tour budget that is just enough for one tour on the Golden Circle tour. I am the type of person who, when faced with a difficult decision, tortures myself over it until I am nothing but a shell of a girl, torn and confused and numb. I purchased a tour voucher for the Golden Circle with Reykjavik Excursions for $80 along with my flight through Wow Air months ago, and as the time got closer I became more and more unsure about why the hell I would spend money on that when I was already paying to rent a car for that day and could drive the Golden Circle easily by myself. But then it became an issue of whether NOT going on the tour would be a huge waste of $80. I was truly torn and even asked my mother for her advice, which is biased because she didn’t even necessarily like that I was in Iceland by myself in the first place.
Finally, I decided to go on the tour because of the money I already forked over, and like all tours, a lot of time was spent waiting around. I would not recommend. There are certain things, like visiting glaciers or whale watching, that you cannot do on your own and which are super unique experiences, so definitely spend your money on something like that. I definitely have to go back and get myself inside one of those incredibly beautiful ice caves.
If you want to see the whole country, rent an off-road-approved car and DO NOT base yourself out of Reykjavik. The Ring Road, or Route 1, the mama route to the baby Golden Circle route, is chock-full of incredible sites to see. It circles the coast of the entire island country, and will on average take about a week to complete in its entirety (though it can definitely take longer if you take advantage of every single photo opportunity). There are some F-roads that take you somewhat away from Route 1 and to some awesome stuff, but only 4WD vehicles are approved for these roads. Also, a no-brainer but apparently not for me, don’t book your accommodations in Reykjavik for the entire time if you’re interested in seeing the eastern side of the island. It makes much more sense to take the Ring Road at a pace that allows you to maximize your site-seeing and enjoyment, and to do this you need to be finding accommodations along the way and not worrying about making it all the way back to your bed in Reykjavik every night. It just is not realistic.
I hope that someone will read this and find it to be somewhat helpful. This was my first trip that I’ve taken outside the country completely on my own, with no plans to meet up with anyone, with no plans of any sort really, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride. But definitely one of the best learning experiences I’ve ever had.
Is there anything else you would like to know about Iceland in the wintertime, or any tips you have from your own experience? Post your thoughts below!
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