To see in the New Year, my best friend and I visited Iceland. We’ve celebrated the past few years together, but never internationally, and had discussed some kind of spa break for 2025. Well, one thing led to another and we ended up booking a wintry trip away to Iceland, to stay in Reykjavik, visit the Golden Circle, and spa at the Blue Lagoon!
After returning from our trip, I wanted to share my top tips for visiting Iceland in winter – and specifically, over the Christmas holidays. Here’s some do’s and don’ts we learned along the way, and I hope you’ll have as magnificent a trip as we did!
7 Tips For Visiting Iceland In Winter
Iceland is an European island nation, located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It’s so far north in fact, that it almost reaches the Arctic Circle, and due to its position on the globe, experiences significantly shorter days during the wintertime. Don’t let this put you off visiting Iceland in the winter, though, as there’s much to be seen even during the darker hours of the day!
We visited Iceland for four days across New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, to see in 2025 in the most spectacular way! Here are our top tips after experiencing some incredible highs, and some unexpected issues on our trip too…
1. Pack Your Best Winter Layers & Performance Gear
Iceland is similar to other Scandinavian countries in that it is incredibly well accustomed to harsh weather conditions. Snow, ice, and minus temperatures do not perturb transport or the local population. I was impressed at how well the roads were cleared of snow each day, and how drivers had adapted to driving on compacted snow as standard.
Saying that, I myself wasn’t quite as well prepared for these conditions. Having visited the Baltics a few years ago at Christmastime, I packed my Paravel suitcase with the same thermals, jumpers, and insulated clothing, expecting to do just fine. Note to self: there is a massive difference between -3°C and -15°C, which is the temperature we found ourselves at in the middle of nowhere during our Northern Lights Tour! Suffice to say, I froze my butt off on our first day.
If you are visiting Iceland during the winter months, I recommend layering up at least three garments at a time. I was much better protected when I wore a thermal top and trousers, two jumpers, insulated trousers, three pairs of socks, my puffer jacket with recycled down filling, a merino wool balaclava, and insulated gloves. And even then, I was just ok, not warm.
Other essentials include hand cream, a deeply hydrating face and body moisturiser, hand warmers, and a flask. My Contigo coffee cup has served me for almost five years now and I still swear by it!
2. Plan & Book Restaurants in Reykjavik
Iceland is an expensive place to visit. While flights and accommodation may be similar to much of Europe, on-the-ground conveniences such as taxis, restaurants and bars are a lot pricier. This is doubly true if you’re visiting Iceland around Christmas or New Year, and should be expected! To help with that, be sure to book in your main meals well ahead of time. Many restaurants in Reykjavik put on a set menu, so you’ll expect to pay a flat fee (we found this averaged to around £110 per meal) and bookings go quickly!
If you’re not able to spend this much, lower cost options are harder but not impossible to find. On our visit, we relied on Deig Bakery, Kaffi Ó-Le, and Le Kock for breakfasts and lunches, and visited convenience stores for anything in-between.
3. Book Your Spa Visit Well In Advance
The same can also be said for spa visits. There are a few main spas in Iceland – the most well-known being the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon. While these have a huge capacity, entry prices increase with demand, and so its well worth booking your spa visit at the same time you book your flights.
If you’re visiting the Blue Lagoon, it’s also a good idea to book your transport to and from the establishment as it’s a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik. We paid for pick-up and drop-off with our spa booking, and this turned out to be a shuttle bus that then brought us to a coach park, where we then settled onto the coach for around 45 minutes before reaching the spa.
Equally, there are smaller, less well known spas you could try. A friend of mine familiar with Iceland shared with me The Secret Lagoon, a.k.a. Gamla Laugin, and noted that this is her favourite geothermal lagoon in Iceland. Just be aware that it’s in Fluðir so you’d need a car or other transport to get there.
4. Don’t Hire A Car (Unless You’re Comfortable Driving In Snow)
We didn’t hire a car on our trip to Iceland, and I’m glad we didn’t. Unless you’re comfortable driving in snowy conditions, Iceland is best explored via taxi or coach. Local drivers are much better at navigating the snowy, two-lane highways, and clearly have a different driving style suited to the conditions.
One tour bus driver also warned us to never stop or park on the side of the road in Iceland. Most roads are two lanes wide, and tourists parking on the side of the road is a major cause of collisions due to this.
5. Choose Your Iceland Tours Wisely
Exploring the majestic natural world of Iceland has to be one of the top things to do while visiting the country. To best do this, we decided to book onto two different tours:
- Golden Circle Tour: a popular tourist route in Iceland showcasing three of the country’s most spectacular attractions: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss Waterfall.
- Northern Lights Tour: a nighttime expedition into the wilderness of Iceland, to hopefully capture the Northern Lights without any light pollution.
There are other tours available, however these two are the most popular, and their timings fit best with our overall itinerary. while the Northern Lights Tours last around five hours, taking place in the late evening and early morning.
The Golden Circle Tour: 10/10
Golden Circle Tours last between six and 11 hours, taking place during the day. Upon booking, you’ll choose a numbered bus stop for collection, and then be shuttled to a coach station to board your coach for the day.
The Golden Circle Tour we went on proved to be very popular, with three coaches operating in tandem to bus us between stops. This ran incredibly smoothly, and with the added commentary from our tour guide, gave us a magical insight into the history of Iceland, the sagas, and the natural world around us.
I’d advise to book the Golden Circle tour well ahead of time after seeing just how popular it was. Plus! Book directly with the tour operator if you can. This tracks with my advice in my guide to having a more sustainable holiday, where you can ensure your money is being kept in the local economy.
Northern Lights Tour: 5/10
The Northern Lights Tour we went on was less well-attended, with three mini-busses working together to bus us around Iceland at night. We learned that some guests booked their tour on the day, which is a great tip as seeing the Northern Lights is often weather dependent. Unfortunately, on our tour, we didn’t see the lights, and we actually had better luck seeing the Northern Lights while in Reykjavik later in our trip. However, the host was very gracious and gave us the option to rebook for another night.
One of the best resources for planning a trip to Iceland is What’s On Iceland, the only tourist info office left in Reykjavik after the pandemic. They offer cost free advice for planning excursions and their Instagram provides lots of inspiration!
And if you have time, also check out:
- Inside The Volcano: a trip into one of Iceland’s dormant volcanoes
- Into The Glacier: an exploration of the world’s largest ice tunnel
- Lava Show: an indoor educational experience about volcanic eruptions
- Reynisfjara Beach: Iceland’s famous black-sand beach
- Whale Watching: take a boat into the ocean to hopefully spot whales!
6. Get Ready For Fireworks!
If you’re visiting Iceland over New Years like we did, get ready for fireworks! The city explodes with rockets, shells, and even the odd flare, from 11:30pm on the 31st December, for at least an hour! You can get a great view of the city’s fireworks from the harbour, or a nearby rooftop, and if you’re lucky, you might even see the Northern Lights at the same time!
7. Make The Most Of Each Day (Even Without The Daylight)
Finally, one worry that I had for our trip was that we weren’t going to be able to do much due to the shorter days and reduced services over Christmas. This isn’t true! Despite the shorter days, Iceland still ticks along like any other European country. Bars, cafes, restaurants and shops will be shut or reduced on Christmas day and New Year’s Day, but there are still tourist activities you can book onto, including the spas and tours.
Have an amazing time in Iceland! It’s one of the most magical places I’ve ever been!
