The Reykjavik Golden Circle in Winter: Daylight, Roads and the Tours That Run

The Golden Circle runs all winter. Þingvellir (Thingvellir), Geysir and Gullfoss never close, and the tours keep leaving Reykjavík every morning. What winter changes is the light, the roads and the length of the day you can use. Here are the official figures for the dark months, the tours that suit them, and whether a Golden Circle afternoon tour from Reykjavik still makes sense in December.

Winter on the loop

Snow on the lava, ice at the edges of the falls and steam standing over the geysers: the loop looks different from November to March, and many visitors prefer it. The sights are the same. The paths are icier, and the loop runs inland, where the normals are colder than the city’s.

The tours adapt. Some swap the order of stops for weather, and some offer another date or a refund when weather stops the day. What they cannot change is the daylight.

How much daylight do you get?

At the December solstice, Reykjavík has about 4 hours 9 minutes of daylight, from about 11:20 to about 15:30. At the June solstice it has about 21 hours 11 minutes. The months between move steadily from one to the other, so November and January have a little more light than December, and March far more.

That shapes the day. A tour of six or seven hours in December is partly driven in the dark, whatever time it leaves. One traveller on the aurora combination in January wrote that the guide and driver worked hard to fit every stop into the limited daylight.

The temperatures and totals are the 1961-1990 normals from Iceland’s Met Office; recent years have run a little warmer. The last column shows only whether the aurora tour’s own reviews include that month. The Golden Circle weather page covers every month.

Do tours run in snow and wind?

Usually, yes. Tour drivers drive these roads all winter. One traveller on the aurora coach in March rode through hard weather and felt safe the whole way. On the superjeep in December, the guide navigated the snowy and icy landscape and fitted in an extra waterfall.

When a road closes, the tour changes or stops. Every tour we list refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, and the Bus Stop 12 coach offers another date or a refund if weather cancels it. Road status is on umferdin.is and on 1777.

Gullfoss and Geysir in ice

Gullfoss does not stop in winter. The Hvítá runs at an average of 109 cubic metres a second, and about 130 in summer, so the winter river is the smaller one. Snow lies on the canyon walls, and the paths above the falls can be icy.

At Geysir, Strokkur keeps erupting every few minutes whatever the weather. The paths between the springs can be icy too. Wear boots with grip, and stay on the marked paths.

What about the afternoon departure in December?

A noon start in December means most of the tour runs after dark. The afternoon minibus leaves at 12:00 and returns in the evening, six hours later, with the crater fee in the fare. In December you see the first stops in daylight and the later ones by the last of it, or in the dark.

In the depth of winter, book a morning start if the sights are the point. The Bus Stop 12 coach drops the crater on every start at 12:00 or later. The Golden Circle afternoon tours are compared side by side.

Can you see the northern lights on the same day?

One tour tries. The Golden Circle and northern lights coach runs the loop with the crater, gives you about two hours in the city, then spends about four hours looking for the lights. Its guides follow the Met Office forecast and the cloud cover. The whole day runs twelve and a half hours.

There are no northern lights guaranteed on it, and the listing makes no such promise. The Met Office says the lights need dark and partly clear skies. One traveller on a clear night saw nothing because the activity was low; another had an evening cancelled at a few hours’ notice for cloud. The tour’s reviews are dated from September to April. Plan it as a Golden Circle day with a chance of the lights, not the reverse.

The glacier in winter

The glacier days reach Langjökull. The snowmobile day gives you a one-hour ride, two to a machine, with overalls, helmet, gloves and overshoes supplied. It may be cancelled after departure if the glacier weather turns. One traveller in heavy snow in April found the drive to the ice took almost three hours instead of about 45 to 55 minutes, after the truck got stuck.

The superjeep day drives into the highlands towards the ice on 40-inch wheels, and the snowmobile ride is not in its fare. In winter the weather may cut that leg short: a traveller in January could not go as far as planned. The Golden Circle glacier tours set the two side by side.

Dressing for it

Dress for the stops, not the coach. The loop runs inland, and inland means colder: in the winter months the normals at Hæll run one to one and a half degrees below the city’s. Wear a warm, windproof layer, waterproof trousers, a hat and gloves. Boots with grip matter more than anything else on the icy paths at Geysir and Gullfoss. Bring a swimsuit on a lagoon day.

What happens if your tour is cancelled?

Every tour we list refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead. If weather cancels the day, the tours that say so offer another date or a full refund; ask when you book. The snowmobile ride can be cancelled after the coach has left. Book the loop early in your trip, so a cancelled day can move.

What is open over Christmas and New Year?

The sights themselves never close, but the visitor centre keeps short hours. At Hakið, above the rift, you can go in from 09:00 to 12:00 on 24 December, 10:00 to 15:00 on 25 December, 09:00 to 15:00 on 31 December and 09:00 to 16:00 on 1 January. On the other winter days it opens 09:00 to 17:00.

The Secret Lagoon keeps its winter hours, 10:00 to 19:00, from October to May. The Friðheimar greenhouse opens daily 11:30 to 16:00. If you plan your day round a meal or a bath, check its hours before you book the tour.

Which tour suits your winter day?

If the sights are the point, you want a morning minibus with the crater in the fare. It reaches Gullfoss in the best of the light and has you back as the day ends. If you are a group, a private day lets you start when the light suits you and turn back when the weather does.

If you want the lights too, the aurora combination makes one long day of both, but keep a second night free in case the first is cloudy. If you want the glacier, book it early in your trip and keep a spare day, because the ice leg is the part weather takes first. And if you only have the afternoon, you can still go: expect shorter stops and a drive home in the dark.

A winter day, hour by hour

The pattern adds up the morning tours’ drive times and stop lengths and sets them against the December daylight; your tour sends the exact pickup time. When to visit compares the seasons.

The Golden Circle in winter: frequently asked questions

Tours for the dark months

Golden Circle & Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik

Twelve and a half hours: the loop with the crater fee in the fare, a break in the city, then about four hours after the lights. No sighting is promised.

From $151 per person

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Golden Circle Small-Group Tour by Superjeep from Reykjavik

Eight hours in a modified superjeep on 40-inch wheels, ten at most, out towards the glacier; the loop's park fees are in the fare, a snowmobile ride is not.

From $340 per person (minimum 2)

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Golden Circle Small-Group Afternoon Tour from Reykjavik

Six hours from a 12:00 pickup in a minibus of 19 at most, with the crater fee in the fare: the loop for anyone who wants the morning free.

From $114 per person

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