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Diamond Beach, Jökulsárlón, Iceland. Photo: Richard Banton, CC BY 2.0
Seven nights: three around Reykjavík, three on the south coast, one spare. Every night is an aurora night, and every day is worth having even if it's cloudy.
Key takeaways
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In short It splits nights between Reykjavík and the south coast, whose weather often differs, sleeps near Jökulsárlón instead of driving back, and avoids long night drives on day one.
Three rules.
Drive times
The drive times below are the road authority's free-flow estimates. In winter, allow more, and check umferdin.is each morning.
In short Reykjavík with a night tour, the Golden Circle, whales, then the south coast to Vík and Jökulsárlón, back via Vík, and the Blue Lagoon on the last day.
Land at Keflavík and transfer to Reykjavík. Walk the old centre, go up Hallgrímskirkja's tower (ISK 1,500, open 10:00–17:00 in winter), and have an early dinner. Night: a guided aurora tour, so someone else does the dark driving. If it sees nothing, most operators give you a free retry. For pictures of your own, read how to photograph the northern lights on a phone.
Pick up the car. Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, about 7–8 hours with stops, or add the Secret Lagoon (ISK 4,500). Bring microspikes for the icy paths. Night: Þingvellir, 45 minutes from the city, is the closest truly dark sky. Stop on the way back if the cloud map is white.
Check dates on GetYourGuideWinter whale watching from the Old Harbour (Elding, ISK 14,500; humpbacks were seen on 77% of its 2024 tours). Then a city pool for ISK 1,500. Night: if the forecast is good, Grótta lighthouse (check the tide: the causeway floods) or a drive to wherever the sky is clear.
Reykjavík to Vík is 186 km, about 2 hours in good conditions. Vík is the only service town on the roughly 180 km between Hvolsvöllur and Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Stop at Seljalandsfoss (parking ISK 1,000; the walk behind is closed in the cold months) and Skógafoss, 60 m and free. Reynisfjara beach at Vík only from well up the sand. Night: Vík's views face south, so watch for strong nights, or drive to a north-facing spot.
Vík to Jökulsárlón is 193 km, about 2 hours 10 minutes free-flow. A natural blue ice cave tour from the Jökulsárlón car park (ISK 19,990–34,900, winter only). Sleep near Höfn or Skaftafell. Night: the lagoon is the best reflection site in Iceland. Parking is ISK 1,110 until midnight.
Check dates on GetYourGuideMorning on Diamond Beach, where icebergs wash up on black sand. A glacier walk at Skaftafell if you want one, 57 km from Jökulsárlón. Then start back west, sleeping around Vík. Night: a second chance on the south coast.
Drive back to Reykjavík. On your last evening, or on the way to your flight, the Blue Lagoon (Comfort ISK 15,990–17,490 in mid-January). Book the slot ahead: under 24 hours' notice, no refund. Night: the spare night. Use your tour retry if you haven't seen it yet.
Base in Reykjavík for all seven nights and take tours:
You lose the ability to chase clear sky on your own, so book aurora tours with a free retry and go out on more than one night.
Cloud decides most nights in Iceland. Two places in Reykjavík put the aurora indoors, and both are worth an afternoon even on a clear day.
Museum · Reykjavík
Iceland's first museum given over entirely to the northern lights: an interactive exhibition on what the aurora is and how to hunt it. A good first stop, and the obvious plan for a cloudy night.
Museum and planetarium · Reykjavík
Iceland's largest museum, with a man-made ice cave, the volcano exhibits and a planetarium show where the northern lights play overhead.
In short For four or five nights, drop Jökulsárlón and turn back from Vík; for two or three, stay in Reykjavík, tour on night one and accept lower odds.
Four or five nights
Two or three nights
In December
December has the shortest days: 4 hours 23 minutes of daylight on the 15th. Cut day 5 down to the ice cave and the lagoon, and don't plan any stretch of driving after dark on unfamiliar roads.
Seven nights lets you cover Reykjavík, the Golden Circle and the south coast to Jökulsárlón, with a spare night for the aurora. For the northern lights, three nights in Reykjavík is about a coin toss for a proper display and 6–10 nights about 80%, measured from airport weather reports, 2012–2026.
It's possible but not what we'd plan. The northern and eastern passes close in storms, and a winter south-and-north trip works better as two out-and-backs from Reykjavík.
Not realistically. It's 758 km there and back, 11–13 hours of driving in real conditions, against 4–5 hours of daylight in December.
Split your nights: Reykjavík for tours and the first nights, then the south coast near Vík and Jökulsárlón, where it's darker.