Category: Christmas and New Year’s in Iceland

Icelandic Christmas lasts 13 days. It starts at six on Christmas Eve and ends with bonfires on 6 January, and New Year’s Eve, when this quiet country loses its mind with fireworks, falls right in the middle. On the way you’ll meet 13 troll brothers who leave gifts in shoes, a giant cat that eats people without new clothes, and a fish dish you can smell from the next street.

The small, white Dómkirkjan (Reykjavík Cathedral) is pictured at night, surrounded by snow and next to a large, illuminated Christmas tree. The peaceful scene is set in the main square of Reykjavík during the Christmas season.
The historic Dómkirkjan (Reykjavík Cathedral) stands quietly next to a brightly lit Christmas tree in the snow

I’m a Reykjavík local and I’m big on Christmas. Here I explain our traditions, the food and the folklore, and the practical side of a holiday trip: what’s open, what closes and where to be when. New here? Start with my guide to Icelandic Christmas, then read about Reykjavík at Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Iceland.

My advice: don’t pack your days. Sleep in, enjoy the lights and the hot pools, and sign up for my newsletter to get reader discount codes for tours and activities over the holidays.