Things to Do in Reykjavik in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
Shoulder Season · Good Value
December Weather in Reykjavik
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
37°F (3°C)
High Temp
29°F (-1°C)
Low Temp
3.7 inches (94 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Near-freezing temperatures, pack warm layers
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + 18-19 hours of daily darkness, that is your window. Northern Lights season runs October through April, yet December's darkness-to-daylight ratio beats every other month cold. The lights roll across the sky in greens, sometimes purple, starting at 3:30pm sharp. No need to freeze until 2am.
- + Vatnajökull's ice caves, Europe's largest ice cap at roughly 8,100 km² (3,127 sq mi), open only November through March. Winter cold stabilizes the glacier enough for safe entry. The blue inside a December cave isn't photo trickery or colored lights. It is the actual color of ancient compressed glacial ice transmitting light, and it looks like nothing outside, or anywhere else on earth. Formations shift year to year as summer meltwater carves new chambers and refreezes, so even veterans get something new.
- + Reykjavik doesn't do New Year's Eve like anyone else. Icelanders outspend almost every nation on personal fireworks per capita, and when midnight hits, the sky above Hallgrímskirkja church erupts into a 30-minute light show you can watch from every hill in town. Before that, around 9pm, neighborhoods light their own bonfires. These fires carry a warmth and neighborly feel the central tourist events can't match. Head to Öskjuhlíð hilltop. Locals and visitors mix there, no problem.
- + December in Iceland doesn't feel like Christmas anywhere else. The Yule Lads tradition gives the month a cultural texture that has nothing to do with the commercialized version most visitors know. Iceland's thirteen Jólasveinar, mischievous trolls descended from mountain giants, arrive one per night from December 12th through 24th. Each carries a distinct personality. One steals candles. Another licks spoons left unwashed. One slams doors at night. Children leave shoes on windowsills. Good behavior earns sweets. Bad behavior earns rotting potatoes. This is 17th-century folklore still practiced. Every evening in the lead-up to Christmas becomes something slightly eerie. charming.
Considerations
- − Reykjavik scrapes by on 4 hours 7 minutes of light on December 21st, when the sky bothers to show up. The solstice window is gray more often than gold, so photographers shoot a marathon blue-hour instead of sunrise or sunset. Need sun to stay sane? You'll feel the pinch before the weekend. Those green-and-black volcanic postcards won't appear; December hands you a charcoal sketch and calls it a day.
- − Wind can scrap your plans before breakfast. Gusts of 25-35 m/s (55-78 mph) slam the highlands, slam shut access roads, send Northern Lights tour buses on detours, and turn Gullfoss waterfall into a fistfight, spray flash-freezes on your jacket and the wind steals your breath mid-sentence. Road authority site road.is posts overnight closures that can knock out South Coast or Golden Circle routes, and operators shorten or reshape some tours. If you travel with a color-coded, check-every-box itinerary, December will punish you more than it pays.
- − Christmas week (December 22-27) and New Year's Eve jack prices sky-high and wipe out rooms city-wide. Top tables in Reykjavik either shut early or demand bookings made weeks ahead. Land between December 28-January 1 without a bed locked in and you'll fight for scraps at the ceiling of the price range, December's last ten days are no shoulder season.
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
Reykjavik in December is a city of profound darkness and warm communal light. The sun barely rises. It casts a muted blue glow over the iron rooftops and the frigid North Atlantic for just a few hours each day. This deep winter is not dormant. It concentrates life indoors, syncing the city's rhythm with ancient lore and solstice anticipation. The air holds a clean, metallic chill. Woodsmoke from neighborhood bonfires mixes with the sharp scent of the sea. Locals move through the short days wrapped in thick wool. Their focus turns inward to homes lit by electric candles in every window, a defense against the long night. The month is governed by the thirteen Yule Lads. These trollish figures from Icelandic folklore descend from the mountains one by one from December 12th. Their mischief shapes the weeks. Children place shoes on windowsills hoping for sweets, not coal. The climax comes with Þorláksmessa on December 23rd. Then, the pungent odor of fermented skate fills certain Reykjavik apartments. Restaurants brave enough to serve it do a brisk trade. City shops hum with frantic pre-Christmas energy. On Gamlárskvöld, Reykjavik transforms. Residents launch personal fireworks from every hill and backyard. The sky fills with thunderous cracks. Streets drape in a thick, sulfurous haze that lingers. Visiting now means witnessing traditions that feel both local and mythically grand.
Private Silfra Snorkeling 6 p. group - Meet on Location - with Underwater Photos
adventureSlip into a drysuit and descend into the clearest water on earth at Silfra fissure. You float between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The glacial water is transparent for over a hundred meters. Its aquamarine hue glows under the weak December sun. The sensation is weightless, silent flight over a jagged lava rock canyon. This private snorkeling tour includes professional underwater photos. They capture your silhouette against the impossible blue and stark rock formations.
It is the only place where you can snorkel directly in the mineral-poor, pure water of a melting glacier between two continents.
Insider tip: The drysuit seals tightly at the neck and wrists. Wear a thin, warm base layer of merino wool underneath. This prevents chilly trickles during the immersion.
Private 2-Day Glacier Lagoon, Ice Cave and Northern Lights
otherThis intensive two-day private journey pushes beyond Reykjavik to the raw south coast. You will hear the deep groans of ancient ice at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. You will walk inside a naturally sculpted crystal ice cave, its walls glowing an ethereal blue. The long December nights offer extended chances to chase the aurora borealis. Your guide seeks dark, clear skies where green and violet ribbons might dance overhead.
It combines Iceland's most monumental south coast landscapes with the intimate beauty of a winter ice cave and dedicated northern lights hunting.
Insider tip: Pack hand and foot warmers inside your gloves and boots. You need them for the extended stillness required for ice cave exploration and aurora watching.
Reykjavík All In One Food Tour - Eat, Drink & Explore with Locals
foodThis Reykjavik food tour is a guided culinary crawl through the city's compact center. You will taste the smoky tang of traditionally cured lamb. You will try the sweet richness of fresh skyr and the surprising warmth of brennivín, the local caraway schnapps. Feel the steam from a bowl of kjötsúpa, a hearty lamb soup, on your face. Hear the sizzle of fresh harbor fish hitting a hot pan. A local guide explains the stories behind each dish.
It provides a direct education in Icelandic food culture. It explains the historical and practical origins of the national larder.
Insider tip: Come hungry. The tour includes multiple substantial tasting stops that form a complete meal.
Visit the Volcanoes - Half Day Private Tour - up to 9 passengers
private_tourDepart Reykjavik for the otherworldly Reykjanes Peninsula. Recent volcanic activity has left fresh lava fields still steaming in the cold air. On this private tour, you will walk on warm, crusty earth near the eruption site. You will see the swirling colors of geothermal pools. You will smell the distinct sulfurous scent of the earth's interior rising from ground fissures.
It has a guided, safe approach to active volcanic zones. It provides context for the powerful geologic forces shaping Iceland.
Insider tip: Wear sturdy, waterproof hiking boots with good ankle support. The terrain on the lava fields is uneven and often wet.
Reykjavik Private Northern Lights Tour with Pro Photographer
guided_experienceThis private tour dedicates an evening to hunting the northern lights from the moment you leave Reykjavik. A professional photographer guide knows the backroads to secluded, dark-sky locations. You will stand under a vast, starry dome. You will feel the cold night air on your cheeks. Wait for the first faint glow of green to intensify into silent, luminous curtains above the frozen landscape.
The photographer captures high-quality images of you with the aurora. This ensures a lasting memento of this elusive phenomenon.
Insider tip: Dress in multiple layers. Include a windproof outer shell. You may stand still for long periods in exposed, rural locations.
Full Day Golden Circle - Guided Tour
day_tripThe Golden Circle route delivers Iceland's well-known sights within a day's reach of Reykjavik. See the thunderous roar and misty spray of Gullfoss waterfall. Watch the explosive geyser Strokkur erupt a column of steam and hot water into the cold air. Walk the historic rift valley of Þingvellir, between the continental plates. In December, the low sun casts long, dramatic shadows across snow-dusted lava fields. Ice crystals form along the walkways near the waterfall.
It efficiently shows the trio of geological and historical landmarks foundational to understanding Iceland.
Insider tip: Start your tour as early as possible. You need to reach key sites like Gullfoss and Þingvellir before the limited midday winter light fades in mid-afternoon.
Where to Stay in Reykjavik in December
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for December travellers.
★★★★
Luxury
Iceland Parliament Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton
From $280 / night
Check Prices on Trip.com →
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
December 12-24 (arrivals), December 25 - January 6 (departures)
Yule Lads (Jólasveinar)
Rotting potatoes in your shoes, welcome to Christmas, Icelandic style. The thirteen Yule Lads aren't jolly gift-givers; they're trolls. Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote Clod) harasses sheep. Kertasníkir (Candle Beggar) steals candles. Gluggagægir (Window Peeper) peers through glass after dark. One arrives each night, December 12th through 24th. They leave the same way until January 6th. Kids set shoes on windowsills. Good ones wake to sweets. Troublemakers find potatoes, soft, stinking. Jólakötturinn, the Yule Cat, stalks the same lore. This giant beast devours anyone lacking new clothes before Christmas. Real mythology. No sugar-coating. Scandinavian darkness, intact. The Árbær Open Air Museum runs Yule Lads programming each December. Market stalls sell painted-wood figures in the old style. For visitors, this is the fastest route to Iceland's older, stranger heart.
December 23
Þorláksmessa (St. Thorlak's Day)
December 23rd is Iceland's Christmas Eve's eve, and fermented skate (skata) is the dish. The ammonia-sharp smell is so brutal that some Reykjavik apartment buildings ban cooking it indoors. Restaurants crack windows wide despite the December cold. Icelanders can't agree, worth eating or just cultural endurance? The smell steals the show either way. Þorláksmessa has a practical side. It is the last shopping day before Christmas. Laugavegur and the Kringlan mall hit peak chaos. Hardware stores are inexplicably packed, practical gifts are tradition. This beats the tourist-facing version. You'll see the city's actual December rhythm.
December 31
New Year's Eve (Gamlárskvöld)
Reykjavik's New Year's Eve delivers the most legitimately spectacular urban fireworks display in Northern Europe. Per-capita spend on personal fireworks here ranks among the highest in the world. Simple. The evening follows a clear pattern. Community bonfires start around 9pm at neighborhood gathering points across the city. Öskjuhlíð hilltop offers the sweet spot, good size crowd, genuine local feel, minus the tourist-heavy concentration plaguing central city spots. Families and groups then migrate to any high ground with open sky. Hallgrímskirkja church's hill works. The Perlan dome area works. Anywhere the sky stays unobstructed, perfect. Midnight arrives. No single organized municipal display exists. Every Icelander launches their own fireworks at midnight simultaneously. The noise becomes extraordinary. The smoke hangs in the still winter air for 20 minutes afterward, thick, gray, memorable. Book accommodation near the center months in advance for New Year's week. This marks the peak of peak season in December.
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View Reykjavik Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, the corrugated metal hot dog kiosk by the old harbor on Tryggvagata that has been there since 1937, sells lamb hot dogs that are budget-friendly by any measure and are worth the stop regardless of what your other meals look like. Order 'eina með öllu' (one with everything), which adds crispy fried onions, raw onions, ketchup, sweet brown mustard, and remoulade. Eat it outside if the weather allows. The line is part of the experience.
Grótta lighthouse sits at the western tip of Seltjarnarnes, about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the city center, far enough from Reykjavik's main light pollution that faint auroras visible there would be washed out downtown. You have open sea on three sides. Take a taxi or drive. No tour required. Check vedur.is for cloud cover forecasts before going. Bring all your cold-weather gear, the wind off the Atlantic at that point is unbroken. Total exposure. Worth it.
The Reykjavik City Card pays for itself fast. One dip in a geothermal pool plus two bus rides and you've already broken even, before you've even stepped inside a museum. It covers unlimited entry to the city's seven geothermal pools, the public transit system, and most city museums for 24, 48, or 72-hour periods. December is when geothermal pools and museums aren't backup plans, they're where you want to be. Grab the card at the main tourist information office on Aðalstræti or at Keflavík Airport.
December 22 through January 2, prices explode. The sweet spot? December 1-20. Rates stay sane, rooms are free, and you won't fight holiday tour hordes. Ice caves stay open. Northern Lights still dance. Darkness stays total. Aurora and ice caves, your main draw, show up identical in early December. You'll pay far less and pick any date you like.
Avoid These Mistakes
Underestimating ice on Reykjavik's streets and at outdoor sites. Visitors from temperate climates often see 'rain' in the forecast and pack accordingly, not accounting for that rain freezing overnight and turning the next morning's pavements into unmarked skating rinks. The path behind Seljalandsfoss waterfall, certain sections of Reynisfjara beach, and Reykjavik's older cobblestone streets around Ingólfstorg all ice up fast. Pack the microspike traction devices, not just the waterproof boots.
One-attempt Northern Lights tours are a rookie mistake. December cloud cover in Iceland hits 75-80% on any given night, those odds will beat you. Smart travelers block three or more nights for aurora hunting and book operators who'll rebook free when skies cloud over. They're the ones who see the lights. One shot is just bad math, and the disappointment is completely avoidable.
Skip road.is and you'll sit in a Reykjavik parking lot while your tour van idles. Iceland's road authority posts live closures and real-time alerts, December storms slam Route 1 or South Coast access roads with just hours of warning. Operators bound for Þórsmörk or inland tracks often reroute at lunch. Learn the system before you land, check it every dawn, and you'll dodge ninety percent of the drama when plans flip.
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