48hrs in Iceland in January
 

Hello. In the process of finalizing our Christmas/New Years trip for 2018/2019..yes I know its a year in advance :)

There is a rather inexpensive flight back from Europe on Icelandair which allows for a free stopover and we are considering it. It would look like this
Jan. 2: Arrive at Keflavik at 3:15pm from Scotland..get to hotel around 5pm..explore Reykjavik in the evening, bar-hopping, etc..
Jan. 3: Free day to either explore Reykjavik or take the Golden Circle tour?
Jan. 4: Spend the afternoon at the Blue Lagoon, 11am-2:30pm, depart for the 5pm flight to NY.

My main question is what to do on day 2...with the daylight hours being only 11am-3:30pm..we are very limited with what we can see and how far we can go. If we leave the city for the day, that means we never really see Reykjavik in the daytime..which might be ok? Should we spend both nights in Reykjavik or should we rent a car and spend the 2nd evening somewhere else (coast or near the Golden Circle? Driving in January might be really unpredictable so I think I rather not unless its the best way to see the most.

No way would I break up a 48 hour stop between two locations. You'll have no trouble filling that time in/around Reykjavik, especially with only 4.5 hours of sunlight a day.

I'd suggest to do the Golden Circle tour. Iceland is mainly about nature, less about cities. So to only spend the time in Reykjavik would be a shame. Personally, I think while you can spend a nice time in Reykjavik (I had 1 or 2 full days there), there are no "special" sights that you'll feel you missed seeing. Going out for a meal/drink in the evening will be great, so you have seen at least a bit of the city.
The Blue Lagoon ahead of the flight out is a good idea. Busses seem to go regularly. When I went I panicked that I'd miss my flights, so rushed to take an early bus. With the airport being quite small with only little queuing, this rush wasn't necessary

I've been to Iceland 3 times, once long ago and twice in the past 5 year on stopovers from the USA. I can't see bothering to leave Reykjavik when you have so little time there and such short daylight hours. There is plenty to do and see in the city (a lot of it was pretty "special" for me, on both my last visits), and I don't think I'd ever drive in Iceland in January. The Blue Lagoon was crowded and expensive 30 years ago and looks to be even more so now - we've been very happy visiting the various public hot spring pools and spas in Reykjavik itself on our last trips. If you absolutely must leave the city and get out into the wilds, there are plenty of small-tour possibilities.

I agree with post #3. We were so glad that we made time for the Golden Circle. You will have your evening of arrival and the next evening as well, so that is plenty of time for Reykjavik itself. We ran out of time for the Blue Lagoon, but when our adult kids went, they did it on the day they were leaving and said it was really nice to do that before the flight as it made the flight much more relaxing. Be sure to download the Appy Hour app on your phone. It is a great resource for finding bars/restaurants.

And, I completely agree with St.Cirq. With limited time and limited daylight hours, I’d stay in Reykjavik. It’s a neat town with a number of excellent museums, interesting shops, funky cafes and plenty of sites to visit. The Golden Circle will take longer than the 41/2 hours of daylight. You could visit one or possibly two sites in that time but that’s about it. . Reykjavik can easily take a full day to do it justice. I’m not at all sure what tours will actually be an option in January with limited daylight. The Blue Lagoon can be done when returning to airport.

I'm not helping you make a decision, since I'm on the Golden Circle side. I found Reykjavik fun for a short period, but not special enough when Iceland is all about the natural wonders. OTOH, if you've been to Yellowstone you may find a portion of the Golden Circle (Geysir) as disappointing as I did.

I would agree that visiting some of Iceland’s wonders would be ideal except for the fact that OP will only have about 4 1/2 hours or so of daylight and you cannot do the Golden Circle in that time. I’m having a hard time understanding why one would make such a suggestion unless they know something I don’t about visiting and actually seeing more than one or two
sites in such a short time frame.I would also suggest that those who easily dismiss Reykjavik probably haven’t spent much time actually exploring the town.

Historytraveler—ourkids went over new year’s, so very limited hours of daylight. They did theGolden Circle tour and enjoyed it. The only drawback for them was it was exceptionally cold that day, but otherwise they said they were very happy to have done it fwiw.

We were in Iceland a week and had a private guide so we may well have visited places outside of the Golden Circle. It was the only trip I’ve ever taken when I didn’t do considerable research. I just showed up. My husband planned this trip with a good friend who has her own travel business and specializes in putting together upper end trips. She had taken a group there several months earlier and Mr. H simply asked her to duplicate the trip for us using the same guide. I had no input, but since I had recently returned from a three week trip with family ( excluding Mr. H. ) he knew I wasn’t ready to plan another itinerary. So assuming the Golden Circle can be done in that timeframe, it’s certainly a possibility, but I also think one shouldn’t dismiss spending time in Reykjavik. Probably comes down to how much one wants to try to fit into a limited schedule.

BTW, if I had done the trip, I would’ve made several changes. ;)

It’s not just the darkness, it could be the weather. Could be sunny and crisp. Could be awful.

Personally I would wait until the day before you arrive in Iceland to hopefully get a reasonably accurate forecast. If the forecast was good I’d get out of town for most of day 2 (not far). If the forecast was poor I’d do the indoor tour of Reykjavik.

On the second day I would totally go for Northern Lights chasing. There are tours out there in case you don't have a rental vehicle. Reykjavik is a nice city but t doesn't really need much time..Iceland is all about nature.

Minnie is completely right, don't know why none of us others had that idea. Winter time is perfect for a Northern Lights tour. Still no guarantee to see them I believe, but better than at any other time of the year. I briefly saw them in early September, and really enjoyed them. From looking at photos (or even videos) I was never sure what all the fuzz is about, but in real life it's amazing.

I'd look into tours, not driving yourself

Twilight hours are ~10 am to 5 pm, so you have a bit more light than you might imagine. It certainly won't be bright out but you'll be able to navigate pretty well during twilight.

No way I'd spend 3.5 hours of daylight sitting in the Blue Lagoon when there is so much else to see and so little daylight. Stop at the Blue Lagoon on your arrival day. It's a great way to relax and unwind without having to think about leaving to catch a flight. It's not like the scenery from the lagoon is super amazing so you aren't missing anything by going when it's dark/semi-dark. Book a Golden Circle the following day, then set aside the bulk of day 3 to explore Reykjavik before leaving for the airport. Depending on weather forecast, you may have to abort the Golden Circle idea entirely which will just leave you more time for Reykjavik.