Does it makes sense to travel to Iceland during winter?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 18 Jul, 2023
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I have travelled in Iceland during February (twice), April and August. I hire a car and have never had a problem. This last February it was a lot milder (and wetter) than in the UK. The interior is basically closed in winter but you can still travel the whole of route 1 (the ring road that follows the coast around the whole of Iceland) without issue. If it snows a snow plough is not far behind. In February I hired a car with good tyres and 4WD. There are other routes that are always open eg to Geysir and Gullfoss – tourism is important to the economy and the tour buses need to keep moving.
Bear in mind that there’s a lot of stuff you probably can’t do during the winter easily – travel to the interior being an obvious one.
I suspect travelling anywhere out of the vicinity of Reykarvik would be difficult/expensive. It’s a pleasant small city to visit, but if I were you I’d save my money and visit during the summer when you’d have much more choice of places to visit (and if you go at the end of the summer there’s a reasonable chance of seeing aurora).
The winter is a great time cause everythign is cheaper and there are less crowds. For the most part doing a self guided tour might be more difficult because of the chance of roads closing due to the snow. As someone else mentioned, winter is the best time to go if you want to see the northern lights.
I’m actually going to Iceland at the end of February and found enough mainstream things to do to fill a whole week.
You can also go scuba diving in the winter!
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It depends on what kind of trip you want. Reykjavik is still an amazing time, especially if you want a party. There is always the nice hot baths, that are perfect during the cold winters. And most importantly of all, the natural beauty. It is truly a sight to see during the winter, very very pretty. I hear the views are totally different during the summer months. Plus the added bonus of hoping to see the northern lights. I would highly recommend it, if you want a relaxed slow paced trip.
I guess it depends on what you want to do, and how long you’re staying. Traveling around the country might be a little more difficult, but if you’re just staying in the Reykjavik area you should be fine.
I just got back from a short trip to Reykjavik, and had a great time. As another commenter said, more darkness means more time for the Northern Lights. Also more time for drinking and partying, if that’s your thing – Reykjavik has lively, non-stop night-life during the weekends.
There is also good food, and lots of public heated swimming pools to explore (my blog entry about my visit to some of those pools should be up in the next day or two). Have fun!
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Well one good reason to go would be more darkness. And more darkness = more hours during which to see the Northern Lights!
If you do go, make sure to go when it’s a new moon for even more darkness, and have a look at our question on aurora sightings.
Also check our question on the best time of year to visit Iceland.
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