5 Tips Planning Your Winter Holiday Trip to Iceland

3 minute read - 03 Jan 2022

Are you planning a trip to Iceland? You’ve come to the right place! In this post, I’m going through the most important things you need to consider for planning the perfect Iceland vacation.

This post covers a lot. We go through the different ways to visit and get around Iceland, as well as some of the regions you might want to consider visiting depending on how long you are staying in Iceland.

Weather In Iceland in December

With temperatures ranging from -10°C to 4°C, December and January in Iceland are pleasantly cold and bearable. Being the darkest time, the days are the shortest, and the nights are utterly gorgeous. While this gives a good time to look for the dancing Aurora Borealis the daylight stays for only four hours. It is, therefore, good to know exactly how to make the most of the daylight. To sum it up, in January, the weather can be really cold and snowy.

Apart from the northern lights, the darkness in January is still lit up by the Christmas lights, which makes the place look all the more magical. If you plan to visit Iceland during winter, make sure you don’t forget your warm woolen and clothes with extra layers.  Or like my grandpa used to say “you can take off the clothes you are wearing if it gets too hot but should it get too cold you can not put on the clothes you left at home.”

Reasons Why You Must Visit Iceland During Mid Winter

• It is one of the most beautiful times of the year in Iceland
• You can fly to Iceland and stay anywhere without spending too much money
• The long nights are optimal to see the Northern lights
• Iceland is less crowded during this time
• A backdrop for popular shows like Game of Thrones, Iceland, during this month will give you the right feels
• There are many winter activities that can be tried out

You might have thought the weather of Iceland in winter would be nothing other than snow. Colorless! But, no. You could get a bit of both. Surprisingly you often feel the warmth out of nowhere. The people in Iceland also have a saying that if you are not pleased with the weather just wait for 5 minutes, and everything will change. That’s how unpredictable the climate of Iceland is in winter.

Clothing Tips: Obviously, you should pack some warm and waterproof clothes, and winter jackets. Don’t forget to take waterproof shoes or boots. If you are going hiking, wear a warm hat, thick gloves, and if you are going glacier hiking, you might want to wear polarized sunglasses.

Iceland Travel Tip: During winter, not all roads in Iceland will be accessible. So, don’t be upset if you get restricted from traveling on some of the road trips you planned. Most importantly, make sure you avoid the Highlands, F Roads, and H Roads to avoid tripping or accidents.** **

Don’t give up on the Northern lights!

If you are traveling in Iceland in the winter months, chances are that you are at least a little interested in seeing the Northern lights. While it is important to remember that they are a natural phenomenon, and therefore you may be unlucky and not see them, it is equally important not to assume the worst. They can be seen from early evening to the middle of the night, so make sure you don’t give up hope of a sighting and keep an eye out on the forecast for predictions.

Make use of the hot springs

It can be cold in the winter in Iceland, but this land of natural contrasts has an answer to that: the geothermally heated water that is so readily accessible. You are never far from warm water to defrost in, whether one of the many hot swimming pools you will find in almost every village in Iceland, the hot tubs that most hotels offer, or even one of the country’s natural hot springs. And most of them are outside, too, so you can enjoy the fresh air and stunning scenery while you have a soak!

Now that you know a bit about how special Iceland in winter can get, you might be thinking about how you want to plan your trip to Iceland. You can be a solo traveler who seeks adventure or a traveler who likes to get the best with your gang. Iceland got everything to give you a quintessential vacation. So, wait no more because you can pick the best and most personalized Iceland travel agency for private tours after checking reviews on TripAdvisor and other online sources. If you want to make the most of your time by hiring a private guide, don’t hesitate to send us an email and we will do our best to give you good advice.

Dofri Hermansson