Iceland in Winter – 24 Photos to Inspire your Visit

Welcome to our adventure to Iceland in the winter of 2017. See the incredible things we saw, and did, at that special time of year. We limited our winter adventure to Reykjavik, The Golden Circle and the ring road along the south shore of Iceland.

It is not as cold as you might think in these areas of Iceland because the weather is moderated by the ocean and the Gulf Stream. But there are still heavy snowstorms and blizzards in winter. So if you rent a car in winter, we recommend at least a mid-size all-wheel drive, or four-wheel drive, with winter tires. We found the Subaru Forester, a true all-wheel drive SUV, from Lagoon Rental Car to be a great choice. We passed several vehicles abandoned in ditches. But then we are from Canada, so we know a thing or two about driving on snow and ice.

The ring road across the top of Iceland is colder in winter, and not many places are open for business. We decided to save the north ring road for a summer trip. To help you with your research, please see Climates To Travel.

Iceland in Winter Photo Gallery

Click on the photos below to read about them.

Then go to Iceland – Land of Fire and Ice for the logistics, tips and more about our adventure to Iceland.

The Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland, is the largest glacier in Europe. The ice averages about a half kilometre deep. Activities on the glacier include hiking, boat tours on Jökulsárlón Lagoon, and ice cave tours (winter only). The glacier continually feeds ice into Jökulsárlón Lagoon, but the glacier is receding each year due to global warming.A Lone Man at Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

The Vatnajökull Glacier conceals Iceland\'s tallest peak and several active volcanoes beneath its ice cap.Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

This floe of blue ice from Vatnajökull Glacier ends about 400 metres from highway 1, just west of Jökulsárlón Lagoon. It wasn\\\'t so many years ago that the floe ended at the highway, which is where I stood to take the picture.Blue Ice Floe from Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

This ice floe coming off of Vatnajökull Glacier looks like it is flowing, which it actually is doing very slowly, of course.An Ice Floe off of Vatnakökull Glacier, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Looking back at the entrance to the ice cave we toured in the Vatnajökull Glacier. The tour guides constantly shovel away the drifting snow to keep the exit accessible.An Ice Cave in Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

This shot is from deep inside the ice cave we toured in the Vatnajökull Glacier. The ice appears blue because the weight of the glacier forces air out making the ice denser.Ice Cave in Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

The tour groups all wore helmets and crampons for safety while walking on Vatnajökull Glacier and inside the ice cave.Ice Cave in Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

As the Jökulsárlón Glacier slowly melts, the water from the glacier feeds the Jökulsárlón Lagoon. Large pieces of ice also break off the glacier and into the lagoon.Jökulsárlón Lagoon, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Many of the chunks of clear, blue ice that escape from Jökulsárlón Lagoon into the North Atlantic Ocean get washed up onto nearby Diamond Beach looking like giant diamonds.Diamond Beach, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Black sand is a common feature of many of the beaches of Iceland because of all the volcanic activity on the island. Many of the beach fronts along the southern coast of Iceland were created by relatively recent volcanic lava flows.Diamond Beach, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Thingvellir National Park is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates show above ground in Iceland. This view is towards the Eurasian plate. Thingvellir Valley is the no-mans land that is created from magma that wells up as the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates split apart. The plates have moved apart 2.5 cm each year for millennia. Fissures filled with crystal clear water, like the one shown near the top of this photo, have ripped open during earthquakes. Diving and snorkelling is allowed in the most famous fissure, Silfra. Because Silfra is fed from a glacial spring the water temperature in Silfra is steady at around 2 degrees celsius all year. Drysuits are required.Thingvellir National Park on the Golden Circle, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Þingvallakirkja (Thingvellir church), in Thingvellir National Park, on the Golden Circle, is open in summer for services, and on request the rest of the year. Thingvellir is also where the ancient Icelandic tribes met each summer, held a congress, and a court to settle disputes. Called Althing, the congress was established in 930 AD, and is said to be the first and oldest national elected parliament in the world.Þingvallakirkja, Thingvellir National Park, Golden Circle, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

The very edge of the North American plate, seen here on the right, collapsed during an earthquake and created the Almannagjá gorge, which now has a footpath run through parts of it.The Almannagjá Gorge in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Thingvallavatn, the lake in Thingvellir National Park, is the largest lake in Iceland and lies in the no mans land between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.Thingvallavatn, Thingvellir National Park, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

I shot this couple walking in a snow squall on Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland. The beach is incredible with its black sand, polygon-shaped basalt columns and basalt sea stacks (Reynisdrangar). Nearby Dyrhólaey Nature Preserve has volcanic rock arches and a lighthouse. The beach is accessed from the west side of Reynisfjall, the mountain just west of the town of Vik. Conditions on the beach vary greatly based on the weather and the tides. In winter, the mountain regularly spawns isolated snow squalls, and the waves have been known to take lives at any time of year. Update: They closed the beach early in 2018 for an unspecified period of time due to unsafe conditions.Snowstorm on Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

A ubiquitous, little, red-and-white church outside of Vik, Iceland.Red-and-white Church, Vik, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Gullfoss, a two-tier waterfall on the Golden Circle, Iceland, is said to be one of the top attractions in Iceland. But I found it lacking appeal in winter. It is still worth going to only because it is a short 11 minute drive past Geysir. Foss means waterfall in Icelandic. The falls is fed from the Langjökull glacier and the bottom tier drops into Gullfossgjúfur canyon.Gullfoss, the Golden Circle, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Skogafoss, a 60 metre waterfall over a sheer, rocky cliff along the former southern coastline, produces a rainbow any time of year if the sun is shining. That is actually Deb in pink being illuminated by the rainbow.A Rainbow on Skogafoss, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

There is a legend of a treasure and a troll attached to Skogafoss. Be sure to read our blog post \"ICELAND – LAND OF FIRE AND ICE\".Troll of Skogafoss, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

View from our VRBO cabin after a snowstorm on the Golden Circle, near Geysir.VRBO Cabin on the Golden Circle, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

One of the biggest attractions of going to Iceland in winter is the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). They can be illusive as they can be seen only when the skies are clear and from different locations each night. There are Apps for forecasting Aurora sightings. I had no luck with the Apps. I saw the Aurora best by just going out to a nearby field in desperation on our last night in Iceland, just outside of Keflavik. Whew!!Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), Keflavik, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

It requires some luck to find the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), but a lot of luck to capture something unique in a photo of the Aurora. Here the Aurora appears to be swallowing up The Little Dipper. I captured this photo on our last night in Iceland, just outside of Keflavik.Aurora Borealis Eats Ursa Minor, Keflavik, Iceland in Winter, 2017.

Geysir is the most famous geyser in the world, but it has been mostly inactive since 1916. Next to Geysir is the active geyser Strokkur, seen erupting here. Both are located in the Geysir Geothermal Area of Haukadalur Valley, which is on the Golden Circle. Geysir was the first geyser mentioned in modern European texts; the European word geyser was derived from the Icelandic Geysir. The Geysir Geothermal Area has hot springs, geysers, boiling mud pits, and steam vents, called fumaroles. The sulphuric gas that escapes from underground stains the surrounding ground yellow.Strokkur Erupts, Iceland, 2017.

Hallgrímskirkja, or “Hallgrimur’s Church”, in Reykjavik, Iceland, is one of the tallest buildings in the city. It looks to me like a rocket, or the Concorde SST, but it is meant to resemble the basalt formations found on Iceland\'s shores. The best known ones are on Reynisfjara Beach, near Vik.Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2017.