Iceland in the off-season: There’s loads to do, even in its darkest days
Capital In The Winter Reykjavik, Iceland Of City
When I opened the curtains on my first morning in Iceland, my heart sank. It may have been 9am on a chilly morning in Reykjavík, but because it was deep winter, it was still impossibly dark. It seemed a surreal sight.
Yet by 11am my surroundings were bathed in sunlight, and after a few days exploring this small country, I found that there’s loads to do here off-season.
This time of year creates a special cosiness and magical atmosphere that you don’t get in places endowed with considerably more hours of daylight.
I flew here with budget carrier Play Airlines, which was only founded in 2019 yet is making Iceland more accessible with its cheap flights from destinations such as Dublin and London.
One of the nicest things about Reykjavík is how small it is. It doesn’t have the feel of a capital, more one of a large town. A bonus is that it only takes around 10 or 15 minutes to get out of the city by car.
I took a bracing 40-minute walk from the centre along the coast to the relative wilderness of Grótta Island Lighthouse.
Along the way there were vivid pink skies that Turner would have died for, and seagulls circling overhead. Halfway I passed a modernist church (Seltjarnarneskirkja) at Seltjarnarnes.
Being a Sunday, I wasn’t sure it would be open, but a surprisingly large congregation welcomed me in for coffee before the service.
Reykjavík has numerous museums, and the National Museum of Iceland is a great place to start, with its comprehensive historic overview. There’s a good selection of art galleries, including The National Gallery of Iceland.
At 74.5m tall, the landmark Lutheran church Hallgrímskirkja, a triumph of Scandinavian Modernism, towers over the centre.
FlyOver Iceland makes for a fun introduction to the stunning landscapes of this topographically eclectic country. Located in the Grandi harbour district of Reykjavík, it opened in 2019.
Visitors hang suspended, feet dangling, before a 20m spherical screen while an exhilarating film whisks you away, like a bird, over waterfalls, glaciers, volcanos, and other magnificent natural features of Iceland.
Special effects, including wind, mist and scents, combine with the ride’s motion to create an immersive and powerful experience.
It lasts nine minutes, however you pretty much lose all sense of time. It took a lot of work to put together, with 24 hours of footage to edit down, including 100 hours of filming in a helicopter.
Two pre-show experiences offer up further immersion; a shadow-play projection in a recreation of a longhouse, and an immersive exploration through Iceland’s history using music, video, imagery, and sound, exploring the roles of nature, time, and humankind, on the island.
Just a 13-minute drive south of Reykjavík city centre, on the coast in Kópavogur, is the Sky Lagoon, a swim and thermal spa experience that is an impressive nod to ancient Norse bathing culture.
Named after the wide open skies they enjoy in this neck of the woods, after 10 years of planning it opened in 2021.
It was constructed, remarkably, in 15 months when the country was in pandemic lockdown and was a big deal for Iceland: Apparently when it opened, they sold so many gift cards for it that 9% of the nation would have received one.
Its black timbered turfhouse buildings mix traditional construction methods with modern sustainable solutions, with geothermal energy the primary energy source to keep the lagoon hot and to heat water for the showers and building.
Visitors enter the steamy waters of the lagoon through a small cave tunnel. The pool is hewn from lava rock, which initially seems to have always been there.
However, when you notice the sleek infinity edge that seems to merge with the sea, and shaped benches to sit around and relax, you realise that the natural materials — the lava comes from Iceland’s highlands, the geothermal waters pumped from 40km away — have been manipulated to provide maximum comfort.
Indeed, the pool has a swim-up bar, which prompted actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong to say when he visited that they’d managed to merge two of the best things in the world — a pub with a bath.
Against sweeping panoramas of Reykjavík and the North Atlantic Ocean, the steam from the geothermal waters produces a fog that creates an other-worldly feel.
There’s an ice plunge pool, inspired by the historic Snorralaugpool in Reykholt, West Iceland, that features in ancient sagas.
I was far too cowardly to try it, despite it being a great way to stimulate the immune system, and entered the sauna instead.
The sauna’s centrepiece is a 16 sq m, 2.2-tonne window, the biggest in Iceland, overlooking the ocean, Reykjavík Harbour, and Bessastair — the president of Iceland’s residence.
You may even see volcanic activity while basking here and winter is peak time for seeing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). The full spa ritual includes a cold fog mist space; a salt, coconut, and sesame oil body scrub; steam room; and waterfall shower.
You can opt for a seven-step spa ritual with private changing rooms or with shared changing rooms.
Interestingly, foreign visitors usually appreciate the privacy, while Icelanders prefer using communal rooms, as they like to chat when changing, and make it a complete social occasion. It’s best to visit at the start or end of the day, when it is quieter.
A session is expensive, but Iceland also has numerous cheaper, more basic geothermal public pools as alternatives.
Reynisfjara Beach, around 180km from the capital, is also not to be missed. Also known as Black Sand Beach, when you’re there you’re likely to feel like you are at the end of the world, even when it gets quite busy.
Located at Iceland’s southernmost village, Vík í Mrdal — more commonly known as just Vík — confronts you with extraordinary Reynisdrangar basalt sea stacks, huge rock pillars emerging dramatically from the swirling sea.
Home to thousands of seabirds such as fulmars, puffins and guillemots, they’ve been part of this seascape for centuries and feature in ancient Icelandic legends.
Combined with the vivid white sea foam contrasting with the bleak volcanic jet black sand, and the fierce Atlantic waves and ever-changing light, it’s like watching an emotional opera composed by nature.
It feels utterly mesmerising to stand here, absorbing the scenery and unique stormy atmosphere.
Add the striking hexagonal Gardar cliff formations also towering over you, dark basalt columns that resemble something like giant organ pipes, and you’d be forgiven for believing you are within a film set, perhaps a science fiction flick. Indeed, this beach featured in Game of Thrones.
However, with very strong currents and rogue waves appearing too close for comfort at times, it is very important not to get too near the water, or to even contemplate swimming here, or to turn your back on the waves.
While here you can also visit Hálsanefshellir sea cave, while Dyrhólaey nature reserve is close by too — with its flocks of resident puffins.
Vík is also a good base for exploring the Mrdalsjökull glacier, which can be reached by jeep, snow scooter or snowmobile. The glacier is home to Iceland’s liveliest volcano, Katla.
Drive another 60km from Vík and you reach the mighty Seljalandsfoss waterfall. Its huge cascading waters are thrilling to witness, and there are floodlights to illuminate its flow for when it gets dark.
A pathway allows visitors to walk behind the cascading waters, which is especially a hit with budding and eager photographers.
A carpet of stars above us simply added to the magic. Iceland in the dark lends a whole new meaning to nightlife, and I’m here for this party.
- Play Airlines flies direct to Reykjavik from Dublin Thurs-Mon until April, Wed-Fri and Sun/Mon after; A stopover of up to 10 days at no extra charge in Iceland en route for North America or Canada is possible.
- Grandi Hotel, Reykjavik; From €183 for double room including breakfast
- Sky Lagoon; Sér, seven-step spa ritual and private changing rooms (€90.48); Saman (€70.36), with shared changing rooms.
- FlyOver Iceland; adult €39.91, child 12 and under €26.49; children must be at least 100cm/40” tall.
In Reykjavik, head for Hlemmur Food Hall, which is situated inside a former bus station.
In it, Fjárhúsið (The Sheephouse) serves Icelandic meat soup, burgers, pitas, wraps and other options with lamb as the main focus, and there are outlets serving other local and international cuisine.
At Sky Lagoon, the Smakk Bar and Keimur Cafe offer Icelandic specialities such as gravlax, goose and reindeer pate with bilberry sauce, and local cheeses.
Berg Restaurant at Hotel Vík í Mýrdal in Vík when you visit Reynisfjara Beach has upmarket Icelandic dishes.