Iceland in December

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For your Iceland questions, please consult Rick Steve's Travel Forum for Iceland, there is a wealth of information available there. My wife and I did not go to Iceland in winter, but we went in September; and the Rick Steves Forum + other resources proved invaluable for our wonderfully amazing trip to Iceland.

You may not want to drive in Iceland outside of the Reykjavik metro area/Reykjanes Peninsula in winter as it will almost certainly be more hazardous and treacherous than driving in the DMV. You will absolutely need vedur.is and safetravel.is regardless of when you visit Iceland.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/iceland

Thank you for the link. I will look into it. Been browsing the reddit sub too. The pictures are amazing.

If you are short on time - lets say just 7 days, what are the must see from your point of view? From Reddit, I gathered that the Golden Circle, the Waterfalls (Vik??), Diamond Beach, Glacier Hike are must see and the Blue Lagoon is touristy and overhyped?

Ice cave tour near Vik. That was the highlight of our trip. We did all the above. There are waterfalls everywhere, and free to walk around. We only paid for parking at one of the larger waterfalls.

I would still do Blue Lagoon even if touristy. It was fun, and quite an experience. Make sure you get traveler's insurance given all the earthquakes and volcanic activity Iceland has been experiencing lately.

-dp

Which ice cave tour did you do? Is it better to get there first and then choose the tours based on weather? Or book tours in advance. From what I read, weather changes very quickly there. And what do you pack?

[Anonymous]

I would not drive beyond the city limits and major Golden Circle in the winter. If you get stuck, it will take a while to find help. Cause there aren't alot of cars going into the what i call the outer rim of Iceland. We were there over the summer and you could drive an hour without seeing another car so imagine winter!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A friend visits yearly around Christmas. No family or emotional draw... just loves it. I can't quite find the faith to believe him --seems cold! -- but he loves it this time of year. I'm sure you'll agree with one of us (probably the one who's been, regularly returns and knows what he's talking about).

The winter temperature is the same as DC, it only gets cold when it gets windy. The wind is no joke when the road is icy. I had to hold to a pole so not to be blown away.