Iceland is a harsh country, befitting its name. Volcanoes and fjords, glaciers and migratory birds, US military bases and the smallest army in the world (read, one orchestra, but your own!) and completely unpronounceable topographical names. In winter, it is not customary to take tourists here, it is believed that the tourist season here lasts the longest from April to the end of September. However, the number of travelers arriving on the island grows both in autumn and winter - and this is despite the twenty-hour night (the places are far from the Arctic), stormy winds and cold. Although the cold, in fact, is a very relative thing - the thermometer columns in winter usually rarely break through the minus mark.
But, still, it's not the season. What's the point of that? Well, first of all, there are much fewer tourists in Iceland in winter, meaning that the prices for hotel rooms are lower. Secondly, tickets to the Icelandic capital at this time of year can be found for much more pleasant price.
Why else?
Few people
Less people - more oxygen, we loved to joke as children. In fact, it is not so wrong. Follow the logic! Firstly, the fewer other tourists there are on the island, the more choice you will have, and in almost everything - from hotel accommodation to entertainment. In some locations in the northern or eastern part of the island, you can even cover tens or even hundreds of kilometers without meeting anyone with a backpack and a camera at the ready.
Secondly, no one will stop you from enjoying what Iceland has to offer at this time of year. In addition to immersing yourself in farm life and conquering glaciers, this is, for example, the capital's Iceland Airwaves festival. This is a very large and at the same time chamber event: on the one hand, world pop stars perform on the main stage, and on the other hand, there are dozens of establishments in the city, and each of them offers something of its own. Sometimes artists from the big stage settle down after a performance in some bar, and the evening turns into a concert. Musical immersion lasts up to a week, and it's an amazing time full of adventure and bright colors.
Winter wonders
In this country there is little light these days, but it looks one hundred percent. The Icelandic sun in December is very soft and gentle, giving an amazing yellow-golden hue. If you are lucky and snow falls at this time, you will find yourself right in a golden-snowy fairy tale, surrounded by multi-colored, bright, as if gingerbread houses! As soon as the temperature drops a little lower, the splendor of frozen waterfalls is added to the mountains of snow (they rarely freeze completely, but this is only a plus, it is even more interesting).
In addition, it is in winter that you can explore one of Iceland's ice caves. For safety reasons (both for you and for a valuable natural object), you need to explore the caves as part of organized tourist groups; It's not cheap, but the sight is truly unique.
Northern Lights
There is a relatively small number of settlements in the country, and large ones can generally be counted on the fingers of one hand (with a large margin), so the illumination from ground sources of lighting, which interferes with the perception of the spectacle in the sky, is minimal. You can drive a couple of kilometers away from Reykjavik (the main thing is to make sure that according to the forecast, the northern lights are really planned and their strength is sufficient to observe them with the naked eye - at least 3-4 out of 10 on a special scale) - and you are guaranteed a fantastic sight. What photos there will be!
Thermal springs
Underground hot springs are one of the Icelandic chips. To begin with, it is thanks to geothermal waters that heating in Reykjavik is maintained (as well as the heating system for public transport stops and even sidewalks). Also Icelanders themselves are very fond of hot springs, rivers and ponds, of which there are many dozens, of any color (literally, in the capital there are respectively Blue and Green lagoons with water of the corresponding shade!), and there are many hundreds, if not thousands, of them in the country as a whole.
Nuances in terms of transport
Of course, you can't do without a car in Iceland. Another question is which car to take? For example, within the city, you will get away with a city SUV or even a sedan, but if you are going to storm off-road terrain, then you will need a car with studded tires, especially in winter - the road can be covered with snow or covered with a crust of ice.
By the way, information about the condition of the road surface can be viewed in a special application, it is very convenient and informative.
