Iceland in December

December has the fewest active nights of the season (38% reached Kp 3 over 1996–2026), but the longest darkness, 12h54 on the 15th, so three nights in Reykjavík still gave a 55% chance of a proper display, about the same as any other month.

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What's special about December

• The longest nights: full darkness from about 19:00, so you can watch the sky all evening without staying up late.
• The shortest days: sunrise after 11:00 and sunset before 15:40 in mid-month. Sightseeing fits into four hours of low light.
• Christmas: the 13 Yule Lads arrive one a night from 12 December, and the last leaves on 6 January.
• Holiday hours: shops, buses and lagoons run shorter hours on 24–26 and 31 December (see below).

December in numbers

In short In mid-December Reykjavík has 12h54 of full darkness and 4h23 of daylight, an average temperature of 0.8°C and 71% of the sky covered on average, and 38% of nights reach Kp 3.

Aurora odds in December

In short Three nights in Reykjavík give a 55% chance of a proper display and 29% of a strong show, and 8 nights give an 80% chance of a proper display.

Measured from Reykjavík and Keflavík airport weather reports, 2012–2026, matched to the Kp record: the chance of at least one good night if you stay in the Reykjavík area. A proper display is Kp 2 or more plus a clear hour; a strong show is Kp 3 or more plus a clear hour. Keflavík is the conservative figure. Both are slightly optimistic, because the reports miss thin high cloud (how we work it out):

Low activity costs December the big nights more than the ordinary ones: a proper display is as likely as in other months, a strong show less so. If a strong show is the point of the trip, September is the best bet, at 39% in three nights.

What to do in December

In short Besides the aurora, December has natural ice caves, whale watching from Reykjavík all year, Christmas in the city, and New Year's Eve bonfires.

Natural ice caves

ISK 23,800–23,900 · Jökulsárlón

In season: Local Guide runs from October to March (ISK 23,900) and Glacier Adventure's Crystal Ice Cave from November to April (ISK 23,800, 09:00 and 13:00 from Hali).

Whale watching from Reykjavík

ISK 14,500 (Elding) · All year

Elding's classic tour runs every month. Húsavík's boats stop after 30 November, so in December Reykjavík is the easy option.

Christmas in Reykjavík

From 12 December · Yule Lads

The 13 Yule Lads arrive one a night from 12 December. The city also runs a Christmas Creatures hunt around the centre from early December.

Chase the aurora by 4x4

From Reykjavík · 4x4 vehicle

With almost 13 hours of darkness, the guide has time to drive a long way to clearer sky.

Check dates on GetYourGuide

What's open, what's closed

• Open: main roads, the Golden Circle and the south coast, with winter service on the main routes. Snow clearing on serviced roads aims to finish before morning traffic; check umferdin.is.
• Blue Lagoon: open every day, 08:00–22:00, but 08:00–16:00 on Christmas Eve and 08:00–18:00 on New Year's Eve.
• Sky Lagoon: winter hours 10:00–21:00; on 24 December 09:00–18:00, 25 December 09:00–20:00, 26 December 11:00–22:00 and 31 December 09:00–20:00.
• City buses (Strætó): over 2025–26, 24 and 31 December ran a Saturday timetable with the last trips around 15:00, and 25–26 December ran a Sunday timetable. Check straeto.is for 2026.
• Closed: plan on the walk behind Seljalandsfoss being closed because of falling ice.
• Reynisfjara: follow the warning lights. Orange means stay at least 25 m from the sea; red means the beach is closed.

What to pack

• A proper insulated jacket over thermal base layers
• Warm boots for standing still at night
• Microspikes for icy paths at Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss
• A head torch: most of your day is dark
• A power bank: phones die fast in the cold, and you'll be checking the cloud map all evening

Iceland in December: common questions

Other months, and planning the trip

• Iceland in November
• Iceland in January
• Iceland in February
• Ice cave tours in Iceland: three different things
• Best time to see the northern lights in Iceland
• Iceland northern lights tours, compared