Traveling in Iceland during the winter is not impossible if you have a car, it’s rather interesting. The challanges so far:
- all shops/restaurants/gas stations/fast food places are closed during the Christmas time. Make food provisions or you will starve. No, really.
- the gas stations in the country side are just some gas pumps with card payments. No person is available to help.
- the snow comes and goes in the blink of an eye. If it’s snowing, expect a lot of snow in a short period. Be sure the liquid for the windows is suited for low temperatures.
- always take a 4×4 car during the winter. Always.
- weather – is not very cold, it’s actually a normal weather for december (-1 or -2 degrees minimum). Take warm clothes. Very helpful are the gloves, scarf, winter cap and glasses.
- Iceland is extremely expensive. During the winter is challenging, because you will need soups and coffees/tees to get warm. One soup in a restaurant is about 17 euro. Cappuccino is around 9 euro.
- It’s completely light very late, at around 11 in the morning. At 16:30 is again dark. Plan your trip accordingly.
- There are a lot of tourists that are not taking care of their safety properly. Try to avoid them and it will be good for you.
The good parts of travelling in Iceland during the winter:
- The blue light is fantastic. All your pictures will catch the blue color very strong.
- The frozen nature is spectacular.
- When it snows, the snow flakes can be really big, exactly like in the Christmas tales. The white Christmas is not a dream in Iceland.