The flight attendants though...whew. smoke show.

The days are short, but the light is beautiful

Although in the Arctic Circle, winter in Iceland doesn’t mean complete days of darkness. In Reykjavik during the winter solstice in December, the shortest day of the year, the sun rises at 11:20am and sets around 3:30pm. In the more Northern parts of the country this can be a bit more extreme.

Although strange to most of us, there is one benefit to these short hours of light—the whole day is beautiful. Since the sun never reaches a high position in the sky, the light during these hours creates a warm glow covering the country. The sunrises and sunsets last for a couple of hours at a time and light is also soft, making it perfect for photography.

While it is definitely difficult to get out of bed at 8am (or even 9 or 10) when it’s still completely dark outside, the city is well lit and most Icelanders have already been up and about for a while. Normal life goes on as usual before the sun rises, and also after the sun sets. Don’t assume that just because it’s dark there will be nothing to do.

It’s not insanely cold

Forget everything you think when you hear the word “Iceland.” Summer on this Arctic island is actually characterized by expansive views of green landscape, waterfalls and hot springs. While snow may blanket almost every inch of the country during winter, it isn’t any colder than other popular winter destinations around the world.

Due to a position right in line with the Gulf Stream, Iceland stays relatively temperate regardless of its latitude. In fact, New York City gets colder than Iceland during these months. Wear layers and prepare for temperatures hovering around 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) or only a few colder, and you’ll be fine.