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Seljalandsfoss in winter, falling between snowbound slopes hung with icicles

Sample journey · 6–8 days

Iceland in winter light

Reykjavík, the Golden Circle, Vík & the glacier lagoon

Photo: Jonatan Pie / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

In winter, Iceland goes quiet. The sun barely clears the horizon, and for a few hours everything turns pink, gold and blue; snow covers the lava fields, the waterfalls grow collars of ice and fragments of icebergs lie on a black beach. It's a different island from summer: slower, more intimate and very beautiful for anyone who doesn't mind the cold.

This sample route is short and calm: Reykjavík, the Golden Circle and the south coast as far as the glacier lagoon, with stays where you'll want to be inside in the evening, by the window, in a hot tub or over a dinner of local produce. On winter roads we'd suggest a driver-guide or small-group excursions rather than driving yourselves. If the northern lights appear on a clear night, that would be a gift, but the journey is shaped to be worth it without them.

The route

The journey

  1. Reykjavík
  2. Golden Circle
  3. South coast & Vík
  4. Jökulsárlón
  5. Reykjavík
  1. Snow-covered Reykjavík rooftops and Hallgrímskirkja, with white mountains across the bay

    01Days 1–2 · Reykjavík

    A city of short light and long evenings

    The first days are in the capital, which in winter feels like a large, cosy village. A morning walk through snowy streets up to Hallgrímskirkja, lunch by the harbour, a museum or the Harpa concert hall when it grows dark in the afternoon. In the evening, a soak in an outdoor hot pool with steam rising into the cold air, then dinner: lamb, fish, local cheese and bread baked in the heat of a hot spring.

  2. Gullfoss pouring into a snow-covered rocky canyon

    02Day 3 · The Golden Circle

    A rift, a geyser and a frozen waterfall

    With a driver-guide: Þingvellir National Park, where the rift between two tectonic plates shows through the snow, then Strokkur shooting a column of steam every few minutes in the Geysir field, and Gullfoss thundering into a snowbound canyon. The night is spent at a country farmhouse or small hotel far from town lights, where after dinner you can step out to look at the sky if it's clear.

  3. The snow-covered Route 1 towards Vík, fading into a pale winter haze

    03Day 4 · South coast & Vík

    A road into white silence

    East on Route 1: Seljalandsfoss hung with icicles, Skógafoss and the black-sand beach of Reynisfjara with its basalt columns, where the waves are treacherous and we keep well back from the water. In winter this day is short, so the distances are modest and the stops long. Evening and night are spent around Vík, between the ice cap and the sea.

  4. Blue glacier ice inside an ice cave near Jökulsárlón

    04Days 5–6 · Jökulsárlón

    Blue ice

    Across the Eldhraun lava fields, blanketed in snow and moss, to the foot of Vatnajökull. Icebergs float in the Jökulsárlón lagoon, and across the road chunks of ice glint on the black sand of the beach. From roughly November to March, when conditions allow, a certified guide can take you into a natural ice cave; they change every year, and safety always comes before the plan. Two nights here leave room for the weather and for slow mornings.

  5. The lit windows of a farmhouse beneath a snowy hill, with the northern lights overhead

    05Days 7–8 · The southern plains & Reykjavík

    A last night far from the lights

    Back west without hurrying, with a night at a farmhouse on the southern plains or a cabin with an open-air hot tub. This is an evening for warmth: dinner, a book, a look through the window. If the sky is clear and solar activity is kind, the northern lights may flicker above the hill; if not, the silence and the snow are part of the journey too. On the last day, a short drive to the airport, perhaps with one more soak in a geothermal lagoon on the way.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Low winter light

    A few hours of daylight when the sun slides along the horizon and the snow turns pink and gold.

  2. 02

    Ice on black sand

    Fragments of icebergs washed up on the beach by Jökulsárlón, arranged differently every morning.

  3. 03

    An ice cave with a guide

    When conditions allow, a step inside the blue heart of a glacier that re-forms every winter.

  4. 04

    Warm evenings

    An open-air hot tub, dinner by the window and, if the sky allows, watching for the aurora.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • As a honeymoon

    More nights in one place, a cabin looking out to a glacier, a private guide and dinners with nowhere else to be.

  • More active

    A glacier walk in crampons, winter riding on Icelandic horses or snorkelling in the Silfra fissure, when conditions allow.

  • As a long weekend

    Four or five days: Reykjavík, the Golden Circle and a night on the south coast, without the long drive to the lagoon.

  • In another season

    In summer the same country is green and light around the clock, and then it's worth taking the longer road round the whole island.

Practical considerations

  • In December and January there are only about four or five hours of daylight, by late February around nine, so the pace of the route depends on the month.
  • In winter the roads can be snowbound or icy and the wind strong; we'd suggest a driver-guide or guided excursions, and we leave spare days in the plan.
  • The northern lights depend on solar activity and clear skies; they can never be promised, only made more likely by staying far from town lights.
  • Ice-cave visits depend on the season and conditions, and are only made with a certified guide.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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