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Christmas Tours in Iceland

Head to the Land of Fire and Ice for an unforgettable festive getaway. Experience local traditions, chase the northern lights and explore stunning landscapes on these Iceland Christmas tours, including accommodation, transport and excursions.

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Iceland
Multi-Day Tours
6 days / 5 nights
December

Christmas & Northern Lights

Best of South Iceland

313620ISK

Eur

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6 days / 5 nights
December

313620ISK

ISK

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Iceland
Multi-Day Tours
5 days / 4 nights
December

Christmas in Iceland

Reykjavik, Waterfalls, Northern Lights

280814ISK

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5 days / 4 nights
December

280814ISK

ISK

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Iceland
Multi-Day Tours
5 days / 4 nights
December

A Christmas to Remember

Super Jeeps, Glaciers & Blue Lagoon

320538ISK

Eur

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5 days / 4 nights
December

320538ISK

ISK

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Iceland
Self-drive
11 days / 10 nights
December

Christmas & New Year's in Iceland

Northern Lights & New Years Eve Fun

526991ISK

Eur

View map
11 days / 10 nights
December

526991ISK

ISK

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About Your Christmas Tour in Iceland

Soak up the best of this picture-perfect winter wonderland and benefit from the expertise of your Reykjavík-based travel consultant. Enjoy Reykjavík’s twinkling Christmas lights, New Year’s Eve firework displays and must-see attractions along the Golden Circle.

When you book one of Nordic Visitor’s Christmas trips to Iceland, you get:

• An authentic travel experience planned by an established and trusted agency
• A dedicated travel consultant to arrange your tour
• A detailed itinerary with personal recommendations waiting for you on arrival
Handpicked accommodation, for a comfortable stay
24/7 phone support for peace of mind
Festive tour itineraries crafted to make the most of Christmastime

Nordic Visitor has made it easy to start planning your getaway. Simply follow these steps:

1. Pick your favourite Nordic Visitor tour
2. Confirm your package
3. Check your confirmation email
4. Book your flights
5. Get ready for your trip

Why Choose Nordic Visitor

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Book With Confidence

Secure your trip your way with Nordic Visitor. Book a tour with as little as 10% deposit. With a 20% deposit or more, you will receive our cancellation insurance free of charge. You can also pay the full price right away to guarantee today’s exchange rate. Terms & conditions apply.

Book With Confidence

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Trusted local travel experts

Founded in Reykjavík in 2002, Nordic Visitor is ideally placed to arrange your perfect Christmas tour in Iceland. Take the hassle out of planning your trip and let us do the legwork for you. Benefit from our insider knowledge and expertise as we make all the arrangements on your behalf.

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You are in good hands

You don’t have to worry if something unexpected crops up on your trip. Call the 24/7 helpline and one of our travel consultants will be available to assist you. Whether it’s an unforeseen event or bad weather, we will make alternative arrangements for you while keeping you safe and informed.

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Great reviews

Nordic Visitor is dedicated to the best service quality, and this is reflected year after year when TripAdvisor awards us with their Certificate of Excellence. We also take great pride in our customer feedback: 97% of our travellers say they would recommend us to friends and family.

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Customisable tour options

Choose from a range of tours curated to make the most of Iceland’s Christmas and New Year celebrations. You can customise your trip with additional nights, accommodation upgrades and optional excursions. Speak to your personal travel expert about tailoring your tour or to ask about special requests.

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Full financial protection

With Nordic Visitor, you have peace of mind knowing your tour arrangements with us are 100% financially protected. Your payments are safeguarded as we comply with European Union laws on Package Travel regulations. This guarantees you a refund in the unlikely event of insolvency.

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Handpicked hotels

Sleep soundly knowing that we have personally selected the best hotels in the areas that you’ll be staying in. Each has been chosen for its high quality, good location and friendly character. We also listen carefully to feedback from previous guests and only use accommodation with great reviews.

ICELAND CHRISTMAS TOUR REVIEWS

Find out what previous visitors loved about their Iceland Christmas breaks in these reviews.

D

DavidUnited States

Nordic Visitor laid out a great itinerary for our Christmas visit to Iceland. They were there when we needed them... read more

Nordic Visitor laid out a great itinerary for our Christmas visit to Iceland. They were there when we needed them during our visit to assist. We saw parts of Iceland we would never have seen if we had tried to plan the trip ourselves. We learned so much about the Icelandic heritage and traditions during our short visit. When we look to book our Norway visit we will definitely reach out to Nordic Visitor again.

M

MarthaUnited States

We really enjoyed the holiday spirit. Reykjavík really knows how to celebrate Christmas!

1000+ reviews on TripAdvisor
Certificate of Excellence
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Your Icelandic Christmas Highlights

Make memories that will last a lifetime, as you explore must-see sights and experience festive customs on one of these Iceland Christmas holidays. Visit Iceland and soon you could ...

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT
ICELAND CHRISTMAS TOURS

Read on for answers to practical questions about your visit and to find out more about Iceland’s Christmas traditions. You can also find detailed information on booking and payment on our FAQ page and in the booking terms.

Check out our Book With Confidence policy to find out more about our flexible terms and cancellation insurance.

Christmastime in Iceland is from 24 December until 6 January.

If you are lucky enough to be in Iceland on Christmas Eve, you will hear the church bells ringing at 6 PM, signalling the start of the Christmas celebrations. This is when families and friends get together for their Christmas meal, and to exchange gifts.

Find out more in this blog about Christmas in the Nordics.

Iceland in December can be cloaked in a blanket of snow and daylight hours are at their shortest. This, along with the lively festive celebrations, makes December one of the best times of the year to visit Iceland.

If you visit Reykjavík, alongside the usual cultural highlights you can soak up the festive atmosphere and explore Christmas markets. The city feels particularly magical at this time of year, draped in twinkling lights and sometimes sparkling under a dusting of snow.

The frosty landscapes are the perfect playground for winter activities like snowmobiling and ice cave tours. Meanwhile, the short days mean that you can enjoy long nights chasing the northern lights.

Join in with the favourite local pastime of bathing and seek out one of Iceland's many natural hot springs, geothermal pools and hot pots. Enjoy luxuriating in warm mineral-rich waters while taking in the view.

Find out more about Iceland's hot springs and geothermal pools in this guide, featuring iconic spots and hidden gems.

Icelanders celebrate Christmas by getting together with friends and family on 24 December to give gifts and have their Christmas dinner. Most people begin their meal after the ringing of the church bells at 6 PM.

With the main festivities taking place on 24 December, this leaves Christmas Day for more get togethers with extended family and friends.

In the run up to Christmas, Icelanders also celebrate in a number of other ways. You could join in some common customs by enjoying a Christmas buffet, going to a Christmas market, and sampling intricately patterned laufabrauð (wafer-thin crisp bread).

Like any nation that celebrates Christmas, Iceland has a few unique festive traditions of its own. Here are some of the local customs at this time of year:

  • • Icelanders celebrate Christmas on 24 December by getting together with family and friends for a meal and gift-giving.
  • • 13 days before Christmas, children put shoes by their windows for the Yule Lads to leave them small gifts.*
  • • Families bake and decorate sweet ginger biscuits together to give to their visitors.
  • • People make laufabrauð, wafer-thin crisp bread, with cut-out details that create an intricate pattern.
  • • On 23 December many Icelanders eat fermented skate fish to celebrate the mass of Saint Þorlákur (“Þorláksmessa”).
     

*See FAQ number 5 for the folklore and traditions surrounding Iceland’s Yule Lads.

Forget partridges and “lords a’leaping'', Iceland’s 13 days of Christmas are very different to the 12 days you might be familiar with. The 13 days of Christmas begin on 12 December, and each day is associated with a different “Yule Lad” from Icelandic folklore.

The Yule Lads are the mischievous sons of an ogre, Grýla. It was said the Yule Lads used to come down from the mountains to wreak havoc in towns and villages before Christmas. Each has specific trouble-making characteristics, described in the poem Jólasveinavísur by Jóhannes frá Kötlum.

Grýla herself is a sinister ogre who kidnaps and boils badly behaved children. As if that wasn’t unsettling enough for young Icelanders, Grýla also has a prowling cat called Jólakötturinn. Her cat is said to roam around in search of anyone that hasn’t received a new item of clothing for Christmas.

Nowadays, in the era of Santa Claus and his elves, the story of the Yule Lads has been softened. They have now been transformed into benevolent gift-givers.

On each of the 13 days before Christmas, children leave a shoe, sometimes accompanied by a snack, beside their window. The Yule Lads will take the snack and leave something in their shoes.

Naughty kids will receive only a rotten potato, while those who are well-behaved can look forward to finding a small gift when they wake up.

Why not go and meet the Yule Lads for yourself at the Hafnarfjörður Christmas market near Reykjavík? 

Of course, Icelanders love the festive season so you’ll find Reykjavík’s neighbourhoods are dotted with markets in the run up to Christmas.

Some of the most popular ones include:

  • • Hafnarfjörður – nearby Reykjavík, this market is best for souvenirs and meeting the Yule Lads.
  • • Harpa – home to the Christmas Food Market, the top choice for gastronomy enthusiasts.
  • • Ingólfstorg – charming stalls form a “yule town”, complete with an ice rink for skating.
  • • Heiðmörk Forest – located in a woodland park just outside of the city.

For more festive inspiration, read our round-up of the top 12 European Christmas markets.

Like many countries in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas in Iceland is a time for hearty dishes and warming drinks like cocoa.

However, rather than homing in on one main festive staple, such as turkey, many Icelanders enjoy smoked lamb, pork, ptarmigan or goose.

You’ll also come across fermented skate fish (“skata”) while exploring the Christmas food markets. It is commonly eaten on 23 December to celebrate the mass of Saint Þorlákur.

Similar to fermented shark, fermented skate is surely an acquired taste, or one for the adventurous foodie. In fact, you are more likely to smell this seasonal delicacy before you see it.

Other festive favourites that you might find more appealing include wafer-thin leaf bread (“laufabrauð”) and sweet ginger biscuits (“piparkökur”).

Check out this blog for 5 unmissable foodie experiences in Iceland.

Absolutely! Iceland is a magical place to be at Christmas. Indeed, of all the Nordic nations, Icelanders are perhaps the most enthusiastic in their love of this time of year. So why not join the locals as they go all-in on their Christmas celebrations?

Revel in Reykjavík’s cosy festive atmosphere, then gear up for the biggest party of the year on New Year’s Eve.

Spend afternoons strolling around the lively Christmas markets sipping hot chocolate. Later, head for one of the city’s many bars to sample their selection of Christmas beers. Icelanders love their beer, but there’s a special appreciation for the local craft breweries' festive flavours.

Why not extend your trip and also stay for New Year? Find out 6 reasons why Iceland is a great place to be on New Year’s Eve.

Icelanders celebrate Christmas and enjoy their main festive meal on Christmas Eve, so you’ll have Christmas Day free to explore. While some restaurants, cafés and attractions close on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, others do remain open.

So whether you are staying in Reykjavík or going on a peaceful countryside retreat, you’ll find that there is plenty to do in Iceland on Christmas Day. You could:

  • • Relax and soak up the festive atmosphere in Reykjavík.
  • • Go for a winter hike in beautiful Þingvellir National Park.
  • • Unwind in a hot tub or head to the famous Blue Lagoon.
  • • Opt for a thrilling ice caving excursion in the Katla glacier.
  • • Marvel at the volcanic black sand beach of Reynisfjara.
  • • Chase the northern lights on a countryside excursion.
     

Discover more top things to do in Iceland in winter on our experts' blog.

All Iceland Christmas tours begin before 24 December.

If opting for a Christmas trip, you can choose between 3-4 possible start dates. Your dedicated travel consultant will move your itinerary around to ensure that any included excursions work around the festive celebrations.

Tours combining Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations have just one departure date before Christmas Eve. However, you can speak to your local travel expert about adding extra nights before or after the tour itinerary if you wish.

The easiest way for you to see which departure dates are possible for your tour is to check the availability calendar online.

Most of our self-drive and multi-day Iceland Christmas packages can be customised to suit your preferences.*

Why not extend your stay with additional nights or treat yourself to a hotel upgrade? You could also add extras – like a northern lights boat trip, a horse riding excursion or glacier walk – to your Iceland tour.

You can get in touch with us to ask about customising an itinerary, or make adjustments yourself while booking online.

*Please note that some festive activities and celebrations are linked to specific dates that can’t be changed, such as the dinner on Christmas Eve.

Before booking your tour, we advise checking that there are flights available for your preferred travel dates. However, it’s best to hold off on booking flights until after you have received the confirmation for your tour.

After booking your trip online, you will hear from your dedicated travel consultant within 2 working days. They will soon let you know when you can reserve your flights.

Once your tour is finalised, you can go ahead and book flights, safe in the knowledge that your dream trip is waiting for you.

Iceland’s maritime climate means that although it does get cold in winter, the temperature doesn’t fall far below freezing. Average temperatures in December and January are around 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit).

That said, the conditions can change quickly. So when you head outside it’s best to wrap up warm and be prepared for all conditions. Check out this basic packing list for what to bring with you on a winter trip to Iceland:

  • Waterproof jacket and trousers
  • Warm insulated jacket
  • Wool or fleece jumper
  • Thermal underwear
  • Walking boots/shoes with good grip
  • Ice grips that can attach onto your shoes
  • Warm gloves, neck-warmer and beanie
  • Warm socks
  • Sunglasses
  • Swimwear

You might also like to bring a smart outfit or two so you can join the festivities in style. And don’t forget to bring your Christmas presents to exchange and open on the day.

Read this helpful travel guide for more tips and advice on what to pack for Iceland.

Contact us

Our local travel consultants are just a call, live chat or email away. Whether you are ready to plan your Iceland Christmas tour or you’d like to find out more, get in touch.

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