The Golden Circle in Winter

A Golden Circle tour runs through the winter, but the day is short: on 15 December the sun is up in Reykjavik from 11:16 to 15:29, 4 hours 12 minutes (computed for Reykjavik). Book a morning departure. BusTravel Iceland’s Reykjavik: Golden Circle Full-Day Tour with Kerid Crater, from US$92 a person (checked November 2026), left at 8:00 AM on every date we read from November to April, and only its morning departures stop at Kerið.

If heavy rain or thunderstorms cancel the tour, BusTravel Iceland offers another date or a full refund. Otherwise you can cancel free until 24 hours before.

Daylight, month by month

Computed for Reykjavik, local time. The stops inland differ by a few minutes.

From mid-November to mid-January, an 8:00 AM departure leaves in the dark and comes back after sunset, whatever its order. On BusTravel Iceland’s morning departure in mid-December, the bus leaves at 8:00 AM, so Hveragerði and Kerið come well before the 11:16 sunrise. It is due back about 4:30 PM, 8.5 hours later, after about an hour on the road from Thingvellir, which puts the Thingvellir stop around the 15:29 sunset. Gullfoss and Geysir, with the lunch stop, fall in between, in what light there is.

By the middle of February the sun is up for more than eight hours and the whole loop is in daylight.

The afternoon departures

BusTravel Iceland’s afternoon departures, at 12:00 PM on the dates we read, run 7 hours and do not stop at Kerið. In December the sun sets less than four hours after they leave. They were not on sale on 8 December, 22 December or 20 January, the dates we read; on 27 November, 9 February, 10 March and 14 April the option with pickup was, at US$105.85 a person (checked November 2026). In midwinter, take the morning.

When the weather turns

Each tour words its weather terms differently:

• BusTravel Iceland's day: in bad weather such as heavy rain or thunderstorms the tour may be cancelled, with another date or a full refund.
• ICELANDIA's bus tour: the tour may be rescheduled for weather, and a cancelled tour gets a full refund.
• The Secret Lagoon day from Gateway to Iceland (GTIce): the operator can delay, alter or cancel for extreme weather or unsafe conditions, with a full refund if it cancels.
• Nicetravel's day with the Sky Lagoon: runs in all weather conditions; bring warm, wind and waterproof clothes.
• Gray Line Iceland's day: it can get very cold and windy.

If you drive yourself, the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration points travellers to umferdin.is for road closures and weather alerts, and to its traffic service on 1777; it warns that roads have been known to close without warning when severe storms hit (checked November 2026). On a tour, that call is the operator’s.

The northern lights, if the sky clears

Winter evenings are dark early, and two tours add an aurora hunt to the Golden Circle day. Neither can promise the lights.

BusTravel Iceland's Golden Circle and Northern Lights with Hot Cocoa is from US$142 (checked November 2026). After the day tour you have a couple of hours in Reykjavik; for the 09:00 tour, back around 17:30, the aurora tour starts at 20:30, and for the 10:30 tour, back around 19:00, at 21:30. The Kerið ticket is included. Sightings cannot be guaranteed, and if the lights are not seen you can join again on another night for free.

ICELANDIA's Golden Circle and Northern Lights Combo pairs its Golden Circle day with an evening bus tour, from US$156; pickup is not included, and if you do not see the lights you can rejoin the tour free.

The Icelandic Met Office’s aurora forecast shows a cloud-cover map and an activity level from 0 to 9, and says the aurora needs dark and partly clear skies. northern-lights-tour-iceland.com compares the evening aurora tours from Reykjavik by bus and by small group.

Which winter day

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.