Go to content 
7-day Iceland winter itinerary
We tell you day by day what for us is the best 7-day itinerary through Iceland in winter by carAnd the one we did. We'll also share our best tips for spending a week traveling around Iceland in winter.
In this one-week itinerary through Iceland in winter we give you all the information to organize a winter trip and alternatives to suit you. You will also find links to other articles with much more information such as tips for going in search of auroras.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING TO ICELAND IN WINTER
Before starting your trip to Iceland you have to make some preparations so that nothing is left in the air. First of all, Decide the style of travel you are going to do and the budget what you want to allocate.
Climate and daylight hours in winter
One of the biggest drawbacks of traveling to Iceland in winter is the hours of daylight, especially In December and January they are really scarce. It will not prevent you from enjoying your trip, but it is something to keep in mind to carefully organize the trip.
As for the weather, for a one-week itinerary through Iceland in winter you have to go prepared for any inclement weather. You may have a day without wind, clear skies and an eternal dawn with temperatures close to 0 degrees, or the next day the thermometer plummets to -15 with a thermal sensation of -25ºC.
The key is to be well prepared, later we will tell you everything that should go in your suitcase. If you are well prepared, the weather I promise you will not be so tragic..
Travel insurance
To travel 7 days in Iceland as a European citizen, travel insurance is not mandatory but it is highly recommended, especially with how easy it is to fall in winter.
We have written an article explaining what the differences are with the European health card, with which Healthcare in Iceland is not free.
And for being a reader you have a 5% discount when you sign up.
Budget to travel to Iceland in winter
Winter in Iceland It is low season which will make your budget be considerably lower What if you travel in summer. Likewise, Iceland is not a cheap country any month of the year.
We have a full article explaining how much does it cost to travel to iceland, but I'll take this opportunity to give you some references; you can find mid-range cars or SUVs for €60-€80/day and double rooms in a guesthouse with a shared kitchen for €70-€120.
In case you want to travel to Iceland for a week in camper van In winter it is also cheaper, but you need a van that can cook inside and set up the bed without having to go outside. We do not recommend the smaller ones because you spend many hours indoors and it can be quite hard to travel in them.
How to pay in Iceland
You will be able to make all your payments by card, so we recommend that you get a travel card like TradeRepublic o N26 This way you will avoid commissions when paying with Icelandic krona (ISK) and it will make a good exchange rate for euros.
Everything in Iceland can be paid by card so you won't need cash, but if you want to withdraw you can also do so with the Revolut at any bank.
Luggage for Iceland in winter
This is a question we get very often and we always say that the most important thing to travel to Iceland in winter It is to wear a good thermal layer, a fleece layer (or two), a good coat and a last waterproof layer if the warm one is not waterproof. Both for the upper part, legs and even gloves.
Another essential is a small pair of crampons because everything is very slippery and a headlamp to go out in aurora hunting at night, but also to attract attention if your vehicle breaks down or you leave the road at night.
We have a article with everything that should take you so you can read and make sure you don't leave anything out.
7 DAYS ITINERARY THROUGH ICELAND IN IN WINTER
We leave you a map and summary of the 7-day winter itinerary through Iceland, later in the day to day you have ideas for additional places in case you travel in winter months with more sunlight such as early November or March.
- Day 1: Arrival in Keflavik, Reykjanes Peninsula. Sleep in Selfoss
- Day 2: Skógafoss, Kvernufoss, Reynisfjara Beach. Sleep in Vik
- Day 3: Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon, Skaftafell National Park, Svínafellsjökull. Sleep in Svínafell
- Day 4: Ice caves, Jökulsárlón, Diamond Beach. Sleep in Vik
- Day 5: Gljufrafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Gluggafoss, geysir, gullfoss, fontana hot springs. Sleeping through the Golden Circle
- Day 6: Brúarárfoss, Thingvellir North American and Eurasian plates, Reykjavík, Sky Lagoon. Sleep in Reykjavik
- Day 7: Reykjanesviti lighthouse and cliffs, Gunnuhver geothermal area, bridge between two continents, Fagradalsfjall volcano flow, Krýsuvík geothermal area
- EXTRA: If instead of having 7 days in Iceland you have 8, we recommend adding the Snaefelsness Peninsula to your itinerary. On day 6 I would sleep there to explore some of its landscapes on day 7 and the next day on the way to Keflavik I would make another stop.
You can enter the map and filter the day to day
ICELAND ITINERARY IN WINTER DAY TO DAY
This winter route through Iceland is designed for months of fewer solar hours and roads in worse condition, usually from early November to mid-April.
As we already talked about in the section on what to know before traveling to Iceland in winter, solar hours change very quickly. If your trip is in March you will have much more room to add another stop or visit everything more calmly than if you travel Iceland in December when there are barely 5 hours of light.
Day 1 – Arrival in Keflavik
On this first day of 7 in Iceland, it is most likely that with how early it gets dark in winter you will arrive at night. We recommend you pick up your car or camper van and advance a few kilometers to sleep in Selfoss and start the route the next day. If you land very late and choose to sleep near the airport, you can stay in the Keflavik hotels with free shuttle to the airport.
Another option if you arrive in the middle of the afternoon is to start the trip in style by visiting the most famous hot springs in all of Iceland.
Day 2 – South Waterfalls and Black Beach
During the first official day of the Iceland route in winter you will pass through two of the most impressive waterfalls in the country which in winter are even more special than in summer.
We will visit Skógafoss and Kvernufoss and we will leave two other very spectacular waterfalls in the area to visit on the way back.
You can see Skógafoss from the same parking lot, but there is also a path on the side to see the views from above, we recommend you go up. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to Kvernufoss along a path in the middle of a canyon. In winter everything full of stalactites was beautiful.
Later we came to Reynisfjara Beach, A must-see in Iceland in winter and at any other time of the year! Here you will find the black sand beach, hexagonal basalt columns, the Hálsanefhellir cave and the Reynisdrangar rocks that emerge in the middle of the sea.
If you have enough time, I recommend making a stop at the Dyrhólaey cliffs, Especially if the beach is snowy, the views are incredible.
Additional stops
Other very cool places to add to the 7-day route in Iceland in winter if you travel with enough solar hours are:
To give you a bath in Reyjadalur thermal river first thing in the morning when leaving Selfoss. You can also go to the Seljavallalaug thermal pool, Even if you don't swim, the trail and the views are beautiful.
I would also walk more slowly along the Dyrhólaey cliffs or go up to the Vik church from where there are super good views.
Day 3 – Skaftafell National Park
I would bet this will be one of the most impressive days of your route through Iceland in 7 days in winter. The landscape from the window seeing glaciers everywhere is unforgettable.
We start the day in the Fjadrárgljúfur canyon where I would try to get an average hour before dawn because there will already be enough light to see it and thus you will be able to take advantage of the hours of light more.
The next stop is Skaftafell National Park from where you can take the trail to see the Svartifoss waterfall or the viewpoint Sjónarnípa from where you can see a glacial tongue perfect. Doing each one of them takes about an hour or an hour and a half, going back and forth, and having fun upstairs for a while.
As the last stop of the day, the Svínafellsjökull glacier lagoon is a place that we love, and in December when we visited the ice covered so much surface that visiting it was almost being inside a glacier. Afterwards, parking takes about 10 minutes and once there there are paths to see it from above and get closer to the edge.
Additional stops
With more hours of light it would also stop at Gígjagjá cave and church with grass on the roof Hofskirkja. If it's not snowy I would also see the Icelandic moss fields Eldhraun, With snow it is not worth it because they will be very covered.
You would also have time to do the two Skaftafell routes that we proposed before.
Day 4 – Ice Caves, the best of Iceland in winter
On the fourth day of the 7-day route through Iceland in winter we see a lot, a lot of ice.
I suggest you take a tour to see ice caves, you can taker one of 3 hours in which you only go to ice caves or 5 hours to also live the experience of walking on top of the glacier.
Depending on the month, the 5-hour tour will leave you with very few hours of daylight. The positive part is that just leave the Jökulsárlón lagoon so you will have time to take a walk around the most famous glacial lagoon in Iceland. Right next door is Diamond Beach, where the pieces of icerberg that have broken off end up.
At the end of the day it will be time to do some good time on the road to get back to sleep in Vík again and thus be close to the places the next day.
Additional stops
In case of have more time or not want to do the ice cave tour I suggest you add the Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon and the hiking route to Múlagljúfur to your 7-day itinerary in Iceland in winter (if there is a lot of snow it becomes complicated, otherwise you can do it without a problem).
Day 5 – More waterfalls and Golden Circle
Today it will be time to visit the waterfalls that we left pending on day 2 of the itinerary, Gljufrafoss and Seljalandsfoss. They are next to each other and it will not take you more than 40 minutes to see both calmly.
You have surely seen many photos of Seljalandsfoss from below, it is one of the waterfalls where you can go behind. Although in winter access is closed for security. Gljufrafoss is inside a crevice that you can access carefully.
All around the waterfalls are full of ice and very curious formations, these small details are one of the best things about traveling to Iceland in winter.
Another waterfall I would stop at on the way to the Golden Circle is Gluggafoss, you can see it from the parking lot and it's very cool.
¿You want to discuss something with other travelersWe have a WhatsApp group which you can join.
After an hour behind the wheel through spectacular landscapes, as always in Iceland! We arrive at the Golden Circle, an area that cannot be missed on a 7-day itinerary in Iceland in winter and summer.
For the remaining hours of daylight I recommend stopping at the Geysir geyser, a real blast in winter! When it is very cold, boiling water freezes instantly in the air, creating a spectacular effect. And finally in Gullfoss, the most spectacular waterfall of the Golden Circle.
A good plan to end the day when night falls is a bath in the Fontana hot springs. From where it is also more than likely to see auroras on a clear day Plan!
Additional stops
You can take the opportunity to visit some more places in the golden circle like the Kerid crater. Here you can read more things to see and do in the golden circle.
Arriving at Fontana at sunset would be a very good plan because being in front of a lake on a clear day is beautiful, the light of Iceland in winter is magical.
Day 6 – Golden Circle, a must-see in Iceland in winter
We took advantage of the last full day of this 7-day Iceland in Winter Itinerary to finish seeing places in the Golden Circle such as Brúarárfoss, the blue water waterfall and Thingvellir National Park where the Silfra fissure is seen between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Beyond how special it is to walk through the middle of it, the landscapes seen in winter throughout the area are very, very beautiful.
After seeing these two places We are going to Reykjavik to get to know the capital of Iceland a little in winter. If you go during the Christmas period it will have some atmosphere and decorations but it is also good to take a walk through its bohemian streets and have a beer.
If your budget allows it, a good ending to an Iceland itinerary in 7 days is take a bath this last night Sky Lagoon (you need entrance reservations).
Additional stops
I would take advantage of being able to see Reykjavík still with light or make another stop along the Golden Circle that you haven't already made.
Day 7 – Reykjanes Peninsula and back
The Reykjanes Peninsula, where the last 4 eruptions have occurred, is an area that is left out of many itineraries. We particularly like it a lot and The fact that it is next to the Keflavik International Airport makes it the perfect point to end the 7 days in Iceland.
I would visit the Reykjanesviti lighthouse and the surrounding cliffs, the Gunnuhver geothermal area, the bridge between two continents, the Krýsuvík geothermal area and if it is not snowy, the Fagradalsfjall lava flow to see the recent lava formations.
I hope this route has given you ideas and helped you organize your Iceland itinerary in 7 days in winter.
to read more about each specific place you can access all articles what we have from Iceland or see our featured stories from Instagram. Thanks for reading us!
I am reviewing a tour of Iceland and if possible give me information about an agency or if they organize 10 to 11 day tours around Iceland.
Thank you
Hello Carlos, I am sending you an email with information 🙂 Greetings!