Things to do in Reykjavik in Winter

From the basics of ice skating on natural rinks to exuberant spectacles such as the Northern Lights, there is plenty to see and do in Reykjavik and Iceland in general during the winter season, which runs from around September to March.

I'll show you some of the must-do activities you have to try when you visit Iceland during this season. Be sure to bring plenty of warm clothes as the average temperature is usually around 0°C (32°F).

During the winter, Lake Tjornin, which is located in the entire city centre of Reykjavik, freezes over completely, giving locals and visitors the opportunity to try their hand at ice skating on one of the largest ice rinks in the city.

What better way to start the winter than skating? This lake has a depth of only about 60 centimetres, which means that during the winter it is completely frozen and suitable for skating. In this way it becomes a natural rink available to everyone free of charge.

Interesting details

• Price: free.
• Duration: as long as you want.
• Means of transport: you can get there on foot from almost anywhere in the city of Reykjavík because it is located in the city centre.
• Advantages of this activity: it is free and you can go as many times as you want during your stay in the city. It's a quiet plan that doesn't require you to travel long distances. It is suitable for skaters of all levels.
• Disadvantages of this activity: you have to rent or buy your skates to be able to skate on the lake.

It's clear that the Northern Lights are one of nature's most beautiful spectacles, and one of the most iconic places to see them is in Iceland, but it's a fact that only happens during the winter season.

There is no fixed date or place for the Northern Lights to appear, so these night-time Northern Lights tours from Reykjavik depart to different locations depending on where you have the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

Details of interest

• Price: This Northern Lights tour can cost approximately 43 euros per person and upwards.
• Duration: Approximately 3-5 hours for the tour.
• Transport: Transport is included from Reykjavík to the area where the Northern Lights can be seen. It is usually an equipped bus, with wifi included.
• Advantages of this tour: You will explore the vast snowy territories accompanied by a large group of about 100 people. You have the opportunity to request a change of date to enjoy the tour, or a refund if the tour is cancelled due to bad weather. If you do not see the Northern Lights on the night of the tour, you may request to experience the tour again at no additional charge, but you will not be able to request a refund. Child seats are available.
• Disadvantages of this tour: The tour may be cancelled due to bad weather. Not wheelchair accessible. Sightings of the Northern Lights cannot be guaranteed as this is a natural phenomenon.

On this tour you will travel by bus from Reykjavík to the start of the tour, where you will receive all the equipment you need to climb and hike the snowy peaks in Skaftafell National Park. You will be able to see at close quarters how the snow and melting ice form impressive fissures in the ice.

The snow-capped peaks that stand out against the breathtaking landscape of the National Park are a sight to behold. This tour will take you for an hour or an hour and a half on the packed ice, contemplating the snow, the glaciers and the snow-capped peaks. Definitely one of the best tours and getaways from Reykjavík you will ever attend.

Details of interest

• Price: You can do this experience for approximately 80 euros per person.
• Duration: It will take you approximately three hours to walk through most of the National Park and see the glacial fissures. The journey from Reykjavík to the glacial peaks can take 4.5 hours.
• Transport: Transport to the climbing area is by bus with all facilities. Once you arrive at the tour, the climb to the glaciers and snow-capped mountains is on foot.
• Advantages of this tour: You have access to the glacier and the Jokulsarlon lagoon. An expert guide will accompany you on your tour and answer all your questions.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Children under 8 years old are not allowed on this tour. Hiking boots are not included but can be rented at an additional cost.

This is one of the must-do tours when you visit Reykjavík. It's a unique experience where you'll get the chance to experience the wonder of man-made ice caves. Some of Iceland's glaciers form caves during the winter as a result of the cold temperatures.

During the walk inside the caves you will see the large structures that form during the season, and the designs that can be seen inside the caves, which have been formed by the freezing of the water and the winter process. The tour to the ice caves from Reykjavík is accessible for other languages through an audio guided tour via tablet.

Interesting details

• Price: The price you pay to enjoy this tour from Reykjavík is approximately 193 euros per person.
• Duration: the tour can take approximately 11 hours from the time you leave Reykjavík to the time you return.
• Means of transport: you will board a bus equipped with every comfort, which will allow you to travel in peace and safety.
• Advantages of this excursion: all taxes are included, as well as the pick-up at your accommodation or at the common pick-up point. Entrance fees to the different glaciers that form ice caves are included. Baby seats are available. The experience is available in all weather conditions.
• Disadvantages of this tour: It is not wheelchair accessible. Food and drinks are not included.

One of the most popular activities for locals in winter is to visit the hot springs that are found all over Iceland. In fact, it is possible to take one of the best tours to the Blue Lagoon from Reykjavík or even to other lagoons from Reykjavík.

Some of these tours offer a guided tour of the Blue Lagoon, while others offer entry to the Secret Lagoon, and to visit either you'll have to embark on a trip around the Golden Circle and tour the volcanic crater of Kerid.

These lagoons are famous for their warm thermal waters. You'll love soaking in them to take a break from the cold and snow. The scenery is also incredible because while you bathe in the hot water, what you see around you is vast snowy terrain.

Interesting details

• Price: if you do this activity in conjunction with the Golden Circle visit, you could pay approximately 52 euros.
• Duration: the duration of this experience can be approximately 7.5 hours.
• Means of transport: You will travel from Reykjavík in a bus equipped with everything you need to travel.
• Advantages of this tour: you will have the opportunity to swim in the Blue Lagoon and visit other interesting places in the Golden Circle such as Thingvellir National Park, Strokkur and Gullfoss Waterfall. This is a tour you can enjoy in your own language as it is available in 10 different languages. Child seats are available.
• Disadvantages of this tour: It is not wheelchair accessible. Hearing aids are not included for each person, so it is recommended that you bring your own. But if you don't, hearing aids are available on board for purchase.

One of the best excursions you can take from Reykjavík during the winter is the one that takes you to the Golden Circle, a tour that brings together some of Iceland' s most impressive natural formations.

Along the way you can visit Thingvellir National Park which is where the divide between the European and American continents becomes visible. A landscape worth enjoying. You will also be able to see the Gullfoss waterfall, a particularly beautiful place because of its great waterfall. Depending on the itinerary you will also visit the impressive volcanic crater lake Kerid and the geysers Geysir and Strokkur.

This is a good walk to do during the early winter months, when temperatures have not yet dropped too low and the wind is less powerful. One of the advantages of enjoying this adventure in winter is that you can see how the landscape changes completely, turning it into a snowy field.

Interesting details

• Price: to do the full tour you will have to pay an estimated 59 euros per person.
• Duration: it will take you approximately 8 hours to complete the whole tour.
• Means of transport: the tour can include pick-up at different bus stops depending on how close you are to the hotel where you are staying. The trip takes place in a comfortable and well-equipped bus.
• Advantages of this excursion: if you are travelling on board a cruise ship and you only have a short stay in Reykjavík, you will also have the possibility to have this experience. Entrance to the different sites and natural parks that will be visited during the tour is included.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Not suitable for wheelchair users. Food is not included, but you will have the possibility to buy it in the places designated for this purpose. The experience may be cancelled if the weather is bad or if the minimum quota of passengers is not reached.

If you're touring the most popular places during the winter, such as the Golden Circle, one thing I recommend you do is hop on a snowmobile and go for a ride. Snowmobile tours from Reykjavik are one of the most fun activities loved by locals and visitors alike.

This activity is often included in many tours to the Golden Circle. If you don't have a licence or don't know how to drive a snowmobile, then try to go with someone who does have the skills to do it.

Interesting details

• Price: the activity together with the excursion to the Golden Circle can have an approximate price of 280 euros.
• Duration: the snowmobile ride can last from one to two hours.
• Means of transport: if you go on the Golden Circle excursion, you will arrive at the place where you will board the snowmobiles in a properly equipped bus.
• Advantages of this tour: In conjunction with the Golden Circle tour you are guaranteed to be picked up and dropped off at your hotel. Also included is the use of helmet, winter trousers, hat and gloves to drive the snowmobile.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Breakfast and lunch are not included. It is not wheelchair accessible. Not recommended for pregnant women. Children under 6 years old cannot participate in the experience.

If you are a lover of nature, animals and especially dogs, then this activity is for you. This is an excursion through the countryside near Reykjavík aboard a dog sled. The ride will be led by an experienced musher. A musher is a person who is in charge of driving the sled.

You will learn a little about the history of this activity, you will be able to watch and pet the dogs, as well as learn about the different breeds that usually take part in this activity, their care and respect. The ride will last approximately one hour, during which you will experience moments of extreme adventure.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately 215 euros per person.
• Duration: about an hour and a half to complete the whole experience.
• Means of transport: you will have to get to the starting point on your own, which may vary depending on weather conditions. The rest of the trip is by snow sledge or on wheels.
• Advantages of this tour: you have access to thermal and waterproof suits, as well as winter boots if you don't have your own. You will be able to take short breaks to take pictures of everything you want.
• Disadvantages of this hike: You need to have a body mass index of 30 or less. It is important that you are in good physical shape and weigh no more than 95 kilograms to climb. Not suitable for pregnant women or children under the age of six.

In winter it is a good idea to take a guided walk along the entire south coast from Reykjavík. Your itinerary for this experience will start in Reykjavík, where you will be picked up at your hotel to begin your adventure. You will continue on to one of Iceland's most famous volcanoes to see it up close.

You will then continue on to Skógafoss waterfall, only to continue on to one of the island's most important glaciers, which is also home to the glacial lagoon of Jokulsarlon. On the way to the Icelandic waterfalls, you can stop at interesting villages and places to see the black sand that abounds here.

This is one of those must-do walks in the winter season as you'll come across several attractions along the way that are impossible to see in the summer, such as the ice caves.

Interesting details

• Price: this experience has an approximate price of 137 euros per person.
• Duration: This is a full day experience that can last up to 14 hours.
• Means of transport: from Reykjavík and during the whole tour, you will travel by bus with all comforts on board.
• Advantages of this tour: you can choose the option of transfer from the hotel and back. Similarly, you can request the transfer from the port and back if you are on a cruise ship. Wifi is included on the bus and it is equipped with air-conditioning. Regular stops are made during the 14 hour journey. Child seats are available.
• Disadvantages of this tour: This experience is not suitable for wheelchair users. Lunch is not included but you will have the opportunity to purchase lunch on the way. The excursion to the glacier lagoon on board a boat is not included in the price.

If there's one thing the locals love about winter, it's winter sports like snowboarding or snow skiing. In the case of this experience, it's not an excursion, but rather specific places in the vicinity of Reykjavík where you can go snowboarding or snowboarding.

At the different places where you can go for these sports activities, you can rent skiing and snowboarding equipment. They also offer an hourly rate and are often open late into the night.

Interesting details

• Price: the price is determined by each ski resort.
• Duration: You can ski from morning until late at night, for as long as you like.
• Means of transport: Some great skiing spots are very close to Reykjavík, about 20-30 minutes by car.

Despite what you may think, temperatures in Reykjavík during the winter are not always below freezing. What happens is that winter weather is usually accompanied by snow, rain and a lot of wind, which makes the wind chill lower.

In Reykjavík and the entire southern part of Iceland temperatures are a little higher than in the eastern and northern parts of the island, and that's because this is where the warm air currents from North America arrive.

To spend a warm winter in Reykjavík, I advise you to pack plenty of thermal and waterproof clothing that will allow you to maintain a warm body temperature throughout your stay on the island.

It's often difficult to achieve the most comfortable body temperature in such a hostile winter, but to protect yourself from this you should include scarves, hats and gloves in your suitcase. As for shoes, they should be closed-toed and thick, suitable for walking in the snow.