Thingvellir in Winter: Daylight, Roads, Snow and Silfra
The short version. Go, but plan around the light. In mid-December you get about four hours of daylight, the visitor centre closes at 17:00, and the church is closed except for services. Silfra holds the same 2–4 °C it holds all year. Drive only if you are used to winter roads and check the road each morning; otherwise let a tour do the driving.
From November to March, Thingvellir is a different trip. The days are short, the paths can be icy, and every plan has to fit inside the daylight. Here is what winter changes, month by month, and how to make a short day work. If Silfra is on your list, the Thingvellir snorkeling tours are compared in one place.
Is Thingvellir worth visiting in winter?
Yes, if you plan for it. The rift, the gorge and the lava look different under frost and low sun, and the park is open all year. The visitor centre and the service centre keep winter hours, and the snorkel in Silfra is the same water as in July.
What winter takes away is time. With four to eight hours of daylight in the darkest months, you fit one good walk into the day, not three. The rest of this guide is about making that one walk count.
How much daylight do you get?
The figures below are the park's own weather record, from station 945 at Þingvellir between 1949 and 1983. Recent decades run warmer, so read them as a guide to the season, not a forecast. Daylight is sunrise to sunset in the middle of each month.
| Month | Daylight | Mean | Average high | Average low | Precipitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 6.2 h | −0.4 °C | 2.5 °C | −3.7 °C | 143 mm |
| December | 4.1 h | −2.3 °C | 0.9 °C | −6.0 °C | 130 mm |
| January | 5.3 h | −2.6 °C | 0.4 °C | −6.4 °C | 126 mm |
| February | 8.3 h | −1.9 °C | 1.3 °C | −5.3 °C | 130 mm |
| March | 11.6 h | −0.8 °C | 2.6 °C | −4.1 °C | 121 mm |
The shortest day, 21 December, has about four hours of daylight. By March you are back to nearly twelve, and the season starts to feel open again.
How cold does it get?
In the station's record, every month from November to March has a mean below freezing, and January is the coldest, at −2.6 °C. Average lows sit between −3.7 °C and −6.4 °C. Mean wind speeds run from 2.5 to 3.3 m/s by month.
Those are 20th-century averages, and winters now run milder. Still, plan for frost on every visit, and for snow and ice on the paths from December into March. The weather page covers all twelve months.
What is open in winter?
- The park: open all year. There is no gate.
- The Hakið visitor centre: 09:00 to 17:00 from November to March, with the Heart of Iceland exhibition inside.
- The Leirar service centre: 09:00 to 17:00 from 1 November to 31 March, with the café, the shop and the permit desk.
- The church: closed in winter except for services.
- The car parks: P1, P2 and P5, paid by number plate, 1,000 ISK a car for the day.
The exhibition, about 40 minutes, is a good way to spend the dark end of the afternoon. Adults pay 1,200 ISK, and anyone 17 or under goes free.
What are the Christmas hours?
The visitor centre keeps its own hours over the holidays.
- 24 December: 09:00 to 12:00.
- 25 December: 10:00 to 15:00.
- 26 to 30 December: 09:00 to 17:00.
- 31 December: 09:00 to 15:00.
- 1 January: 09:00 to 16:00.
The park itself stays open, so you can still walk the gorge on Christmas Day. Visiting the park has the rest of the practical detail.
What are the roads like in winter?
Route 36, Þingvallavegur, is a primary road and the main route from Reykjavík, about 40 km to the park. Check it each morning and again during the day, on umferdin.is or by calling the traffic service on 1777. Safetravel.is carries a conditions map too.
- Headlights on at all times; "Auto" is not enough.
- Slow down before gravel, and never stop on the road for a photo.
- "Lokað" on a sign means the road is closed.
- F-roads are usually closed from mid-September until June or July.
- Route 550, north of the park, is not an F-road, but many rental companies forbid 2WD cars on it.
In an emergency, call 112. Because of the 2G and 3G shutdown, 599-0112 is the backup if 112 will not connect. The road conditions page covers winter driving in more detail.
Should you drive or take a tour in winter?
Drive if you have driven on ice and snow before, you have a suitable car, and you are willing to change your plan when the road status changes. You will get the most time in the park, and you can wait for the best of the light.
Take a tour if any of that gives you pause. A driver who does the route all winter takes the road off your mind, and you can spend the day looking out of the window instead. Gray Line and Reykjavik Excursions leave from BSÍ or collect you, and BR Tours picks you up from your hotel in a full-size SUV. Every one refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. The guide to visiting without a tour weighs the two in full.
Road closed on the morning of your trip? Check umferdin.is before you set off, and have a plan B. Every tour listed for Thingvellir refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead, and the road conditions page shows how to read the map.
How does winter compare with summer?
Set side by side, the difference is mostly light and opening hours. The park, the gorge and the water in Silfra stay the same.
| Mid-December | Mid-June | |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight | 4.1 h | 21.2 h |
| Mean temperature, 1949–1983 | −2.3 °C | 8.7 °C |
| Hakið visitor centre | 09:00–17:00 | 09:00–18:00 |
| Leirar service centre | 09:00–17:00 | 09:00–18:00, desk often later |
| The church | Closed except for services | Open when a ranger is present |
| Silfra water | 2–4 °C | 2–4 °C |
If the church or long evening walks matter to you, come between June and August. If you want the lava under frost and the low winter sun on the lake, come in winter and plan the day around the light.
What does winter change at Silfra?
Not the water. Silfra is fed by groundwater from the Langjökull glacier, about 30 years underground, and it stays at 2–4 °C in every season. What changes is the air, the walk to the entry and the time you spend changing.
That makes the warm-up matter more. DIVE.IS has a heated changing van, with hot chocolate and cookies afterwards. Troll serves hot chocolate or tea and a chocolate bar. On a self-drive fare you drive winter roads to the fissure yourself; the Adventure Vikings snorkel and the DIVE.IS dive collect you in Reykjavík instead. The post on how cold Silfra is covers the suit and the feel of the water.
What should you wear?
- A warm base layer, a fleece or down layer, and a windproof, waterproof shell.
- Waterproof trousers, a hat, gloves and a neck warmer.
- Boots with a good grip for icy paths.
- A head torch if you will be out near dusk.
- A dry warm layer to put on after a snorkel.
How do you plan a short winter day?
Work back from the light. In December the day is centred on midday, so aim to be at Hakið as the light comes up. Walk down Almannagjá first, while you can see the fault walls, then go on to the flagpole at Lögberg and Öxarárfoss.
Keep the exhibition for the end of the afternoon, when it is dark outside anyway. Lake Þingvallavatn is at its best in the low sun. The walking route guide shows which stops to keep when time is short.
Where can you warm up?
Plan your warm stops before you set off. The Hakið visitor centre, at the top of the gorge by P1, has the exhibition inside and a restroom building beside it. The Leirar service centre, by the campsite at the junction of roads 36, 361 and 52, has a café and a shop run by Icewear, and park staff at its desk sell permits.
Both close at 17:00 in winter. If you are snorkelling, the DIVE.IS heated changing van does the job at the fissure. After that, a hot drink and a dry layer in the car before you drive back are worth more than any extra stop.
Which tours suit a winter day?
A winter day works best when someone else drives or when the plan is simple. Three tours suit it in different ways.
- The Golden Circle with the Secret Lagoon, from $133: the lagoon's entry ticket is in the fare, and Thingvellir is a photo stop.
- Troll's self-drive Silfra snorkel, from $149: the same water as summer, with hood, gloves and a drysuit, if you are driving anyway.
- BR Tours' private SUV day, from $820 a person with a minimum of two: a full-size SUV, a driver-guide and your own pace on the Golden Circle.
Every fare is compared on Thingvellir Tours.
Frequently asked questions
Is Thingvellir open in winter?
How many hours of daylight does Thingvellir get in winter?
Can you snorkel Silfra in winter?
Is it safe to drive to Thingvellir in winter?
How cold is Thingvellir in winter?
Is the church at Thingvellir open in winter?
What should you wear to Thingvellir in winter?
Tours that suit a short winter day
From Reykjavik: Golden Circle, Kerid, & Secret Lagoon Tour
The Golden Circle, Kerið and an entry ticket to the Secret Lagoon, with Thingvellir as a photo stop.
From $133 per person
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Silfra Snorkeling Between Continents Photos Included- Self Drive
Drive yourself to the meeting point by P5 and snorkel in a drysuit with hood and gloves. GoPro photos are included.
From $149 per person
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Private Golden Circle Tour by Luxury SUV from Reykjavik
A full-size SUV and a driver-guide from your hotel, 45 minutes at Thingvellir, fees and taxes included.
From $820 per person (min. 2)
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