Discover Iceland in Winter

I am sure you will agree with me, when I say that Iceland is one of the most exciting holiday destinations in the world, offering memorable experiences that can be unique.

This land is not just about seeing and doing, it’s also about experiencing and feeling the beauty of nature and the friendliness of the most happiest people.

Why I went to Iceland in December?

Well, one of the main reasons was the cheap flight that I found. I’ve been following the prices for the plane tickets for a while and after I purchased them, the prices already doubled.

For Aurora – they say the best time to see the Northern Lights is in the winter, because the nights are dark.

How I prepared for my trip?

Warm clothes, hiking boots, renting a car in advance, reservation at the Blue Lagoon in advance, following the weather constantly and the aurora forecast.

Arriving to Iceland

I booked a tour with Reikjavik Excursions  to take me directly from Keflavik Airport to Blue Lagoon and then to my hotel in Reykjavik City.

Blue Lagoon

I red many posts from bloggers saying that Blue Lagoon it’s crowded and it’s too expensive. Totally UNtrue (at least in December 🙂 ) Please, even it’s a bit pricey, the moment is unique. And in winter it’s not crowded at all. Imagine yourself in a hot water and in front of you seeing the mountains covered in snow.

Tips: Bring your own flip-flops and towels and maybe some snacks in your bag. You’ll feel hungry after the well deserved spa. And don’t forget to let them know of your visit in advance.

Exploring Iceland

In the evening, I arrived at the hotel and the car was brought to me there, so around 9pm I went to chase the Northern Lights at Kirkjufell Mountain. On my way there, the weather got really bad, it started to snow and I had to turn back to the hotel.

I had my itinerary written for each day so,  the next day I went to the Golden Circle ( Thingvellir National Park – where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet – , Strokkur,  the Geysir Strokkur (the churn) which is currently the most energetic spouting spring in Iceland. It spouts every few minutes, sometimes to a height of 40 m, yet generally less than 10-20 m and the Gullfoss Waterfall an iconic waterfall of Iceland offering a spectacular view of the forces and beauty of untouched nature.

And me and my partner encountered the fury of the icelandic roads in winter. There are a lot of posts on the Internet about Driving in Iceland in winter and so on. I did my research, but never thought that an accident could happen to us. Well, it did. The road was slippery and even if we had a 4×4 car we still got out of the road. We were very lucky we didn’t plunge into water. Anyway, I don’t want to remember the experience again. Many thanks to a  family from Seattle who stopped and gave us a hand.

After this incident we were a bit scared, so we drove back to city and visited Saga Museum. By night we went again after the Northern Lights. No success though. It was cloudy. I almost forgot: go and see Hallgrimskirkja Church by night. It’s way more spectacular than in the daytime.

The weather is so unpredictable in Iceland during the winter and in our last days we had to stay only in Reykjavik, because there was a weather warning. There were no travelling conditions and most of the roads were closed especially in the south, were we made plans.

It’s a pity we didn’t get to see the south. I am still dreaming of Jokulsaron, the glacier Lagoon and Vik – the black sand beach… Anyway, there’s always a next time.

In Reykjavik, we visited almost every attraction in the city. I strongly recommend the renting of a car. It’s easy and fast to get from one attraction to another instead of walking or taking a bus on a freezing weather.  It’s December and you are in Iceland!

Since our attempts of seeing the aurora failed, we went to visit the Northern Lights Center. It’s not spectacular, but still, it’s better than nothing.

All in all, I think it’s way more better to visit Iceland during the summer. In the winter, everything is covered in snow and like I said above, the weather can be very unpredictable.

I am at your service for any other questions 😀 Stay safe!