Reykjavik Christmas Market: Austurvöllur and Hafnarfjörður Guide

Why December in Reykjavik suits aurora hunters as well as shoppers

December gives Reykjavik its shortest days and longest nights, which is exactly the window aurora watchers want. The city sits just below the Arctic Circle, so activity overhead is frequent enough to make clear-sky evenings worth planning around. Solar activity and cloud cover decide whether anything appears; no market date and no forecast can promise a sighting, and Kp values are only a rough guide to how far south the aurora may reach.

Market visits fit naturally into the dark half of the day. Spend the short daylight hours on a geothermal detour or a swim, then use the long evening for a market, a coffee stop or a drive away from streetlights. The best time to see the northern lights in iceland overlaps this December stretch, though it also covers September and the early-spring months when nights are dark again.

Where the Austurvöllur Christmas market sits in the city centre

Austurvöllur is the square in front of the Icelandic Parliament, a few minutes' walk from the main shopping street and the old harbour district. The market spreads across the square itself, with the Oslo Christmas tree standing among the stalls. Because it sits inside the old centre, you can combine it with a walk along the shopping street and a coffee stop without needing a car.

The setting matters for photography and for warmth. Stalls and the tree fill a compact open square, so you circle the market in a short time rather than wandering a large fairground. Buildings on all sides give some shelter from wind, and the surrounding cafés and shops give you a warm place to reset between stalls and the tree lighting.

When the Austurvöllur market opens and how its weekends run

For the 2025 season, the Christmas Market at Austurvöllur opened on Saturday, 29 November at 1 p.m., with the mayor formally opening it and school bands performing. It then ran on weekends through December plus a daily stretch from 18 to 23 December. That pattern is the likely model for future seasons rather than a fixed calendar: the City of Reykjavík publishes each year's opening date and market days, so check the Reykjavik city page for the current year's dates before booking flights around a specific weekend.

The weekend-plus-final-week structure rewards flexible planning. If your trip lands on a weekday in early December, build the market into a weekend and use the other days for geothermal sights or a lagoon visit. If you travel in the 18–23 December window, the market is effectively an evening fixture, which leaves daytime free for longer outings.

The Oslo Christmas tree lighting on the First Sunday of Advent

The lights on the Oslo Christmas Tree at Austurvöllur were switched on during a ceremony on the First Sunday of Advent, 30 November 2025, at 4 p.m., with the Reykjavik Brass Band playing from 3:30 p.m. and the Yule Lads appearing for children. The tree is a Sitka spruce standing just over 12 meters tall, decorated with 6,800 lights and 120 golden ornaments, and the ceremony marks the start of the city's Christmas celebration for many residents.

Arriving at the square well before 4 p.m. gives you space to see the tree and the band without being caught in the middle of the crowd, and the surrounding streets fill quickly as locals join the countdown. If your trip does not include Advent Sunday, the decorated tree remains in place through the market weeks and works as a central meeting point for an evening in the old centre.

What vendors sell at Austurvöllur and how long to allow

The 2025 market grew compared with the previous year, with more vendors offering crafts and festive Christmas goods alongside the seasonal food and drink stalls. That makes it a browsing market rather than a full-day destination: an hour or two covers the stalls, the tree and a hot drink, and you can stretch that with a walk through the old centre.

The market is described by the city as open to everyone, so plan your spending around what you actually buy rather than an entry cost. For a fixed-cost evening, pair the market with a geothermal swim or a lagoon session booked in advance instead.

Hafnarfjörður Christmas Village: getting there from downtown Reykjavik

Bus 1 runs from downtown Reykjavik to downtown Hafnarfjörður in about 20 minutes, which makes the Christmas Village an easy half-day add-on to a city stay rather than a separate trip. Hafnarfjörður itself is a seaside town of colourful houses set among lava fields, with hotels and guesthouses if you prefer a quieter base with a strong Christmas atmosphere.

Allow more than the bus ride in your plan. The village, Hellisgerði park and the central skating rink sit close enough to walk between, so a realistic visit uses two to three hours including the return bus. Driving gives you flexibility in the evening but means parking in the town centre; the bus keeps the evening simple if you plan to stay for the lights.

Opening hours at the Christmas Village during Advent and up to 23 December

During Advent the Christmas Village in Hafnarfjörður opens on Fridays from 17:00 to 20:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays from 13:00 to 18:00. Its last day is 23 December, when it opens from 13:00 to 21:00. These are the Advent pattern described by Visit Reykjavík rather than a permanent year-round schedule, and local organizers publish the current season's hours each autumn.

The Friday evening slot is the one that fits an aurora plan best: you can visit the village after dark, then return to Reykjavik or drive out toward darker ground with the rest of the night ahead. Weekend afternoons suit families, with the Yule Lads and live entertainment drawing crowds and the market houses selling Icelandic design, crafts, snacks and hot drinks.

Hellisgerði park and the hidden-folk walk

Hellisgerði is a small park close to the town centre, known for lava formations covered in moss and trees first planted in 1924. It is lit in the dark months, which turns a short walk into one of the more atmospheric stops on a Hafnarfjörður evening. Local folklore ties the park to hidden folk, and guided Hidden World Walks run from the area.

From Hellisgerði it is a short stroll to Víðistaðatún park, which displays outdoor sculptures by artists from several countries. Together the two parks make a pleasant loop between the Christmas Village and the centre, best done while the lights are on. Keep the walk short in icy conditions and use it as a warm-up before the market rather than a separate excursion.

Ice skating at Hjartasvellið in central Hafnarfjörður

Hjartasvellið is a 200-square-metre ice rink outside the Hafnarfjörður Library, in front of Bæjarbíó, linking the Christmas Village with the lights of Hellisgerði. Tickets are sold online in advance and include skate and helmet rental, with hot cocoa and muffins for sale at the rink. The published dates and hours belong to the 2023 season, so look up the current season's booking page before you rely on them.

Skating works well as the middle of a Hafnarfjörður afternoon: park near the library, skate, then walk to the village for hot drinks as the lights come on. It is a low-effort activity for families and a warm-up before an evening outdoors, and it sits within the same walkable circuit as the market and the parks.

Aurora Basecamp and dark-sky viewing on the Reykjanes Peninsula

Aurora Basecamp near Hafnarfjörður describes itself as a northern lights observatory built to work in any weather and any season, with two geodesic domes, low-light heated viewing platforms and hot drinks while you watch. That makes it a practical fallback when cloud sits over the city, because you wait indoors rather than in a cold car. It is a viewing base, not a guarantee: the aurora still depends on solar activity and gaps in the cloud.

For self-guided chasing, the Reykjanes Peninsula south and west of Hafnarfjörður offers open ground away from town lights, and the roads are the same ones you use to reach the airport. Drive only where conditions allow, check the road authority's page for winter status, and treat the peninsula as a dark-sky area rather than a fixed viewpoint. Organized northern lights tours remove the driving decision and typically run from Reykjavik in the evening. If you would rather head east than south, the northern lights in Vík make another worthwhile dark-sky overnight from the capital.

How many nights to plan around market dates for a fair chance of clear skies

Three nights in Reykjavik gives you a realistic shot at one clear evening without making the whole trip dependent on weather. Four or five nights lets you fit both markets, a geothermal day and a lagoon visit, and still keep an evening spare if cloud covers the first attempt. No number of nights guarantees a sighting, but more nights raise the chance of catching a break in the cloud.

Stack the odds by keeping one evening free rather than booking every night. Aurora forecasts change within days, so a flexible night lets you switch between the city, a tour and a drive to darker ground. Grótta lighthouse at the tip of the Seltjarnarnes peninsula is a commonly used dark-edge spot within the capital area, though its popularity means you will not be alone there on a clear night.

Sightseeing between market days: Seltún and the Krýsuvík geothermal area

Seltún, in the Krýsuvík geothermal area on the Reykjanes Peninsula, has bubbling hot springs, steaming fumaroles and boiling mud pools, and gives a stark contrast to the lava fields around Hafnarfjörður. It is a short detour from the road between Reykjavik and the airport, which makes it easy to combine with a peninsula drive or a dark-sky evening.

Boardwalks keep visitors off the sensitive ground, and the steam and sulphur smell are part of the experience. In winter, check the road status before setting out and go earlier in the day when daylight is limited. Pair it with a soak later; the Secret Lagoon in Flúðir is a separate day trip inland, while the sky lagoon sits closer to Reykjavik for an evening swim under the North Atlantic weather.

Coffee, food and a slow afternoon in Hafnarfjörður

Hafnarfjörður's cafés make a good base for a slow afternoon between market visits. Norðurbakkinn focuses on high-quality coffee with cakes and afternoon tea, Pallett is a small, book-filled spot with scones and hot cocoa, and Súfistinn on Strandgata has been an institution since 1994 with pies and coffee. All three sit within the town centre area.

For a proper meal, A. Hansen serves Icelandic ingredients with an emphasis on grilled steaks and seafood in a house built in 1880, while VON Mathús focuses on seasonal Icelandic cooking in a homey setting. Fjaran Restaurant Valhalla, in a house from 1841, is open daily from 18:00 to 22:00, with lunch for groups on request. Book ahead on December weekends when the Christmas Village draws crowds.

Who each market suits and how to sequence a December trip

Austurvöllur suits travelers based in central Reykjavik who want an easy evening walk, a look at the tree and a short browse among craft stalls. Hafnarfjörður suits families and anyone with a car or a bus pass who wants a fuller half-day: the Christmas Village, Hellisgerði, the skating rink and the town's cafés make a compact circuit. Aurora Basecamp and the Reykjanes dark-sky areas suit travelers who want to combine market time with a serious evening outside.

A sensible sequence is a city-centre evening at Austurvöllur on arrival, a Hafnarfjörður afternoon and evening with the market and parks in the middle of the trip, and a spare dark night kept for aurora chasing or a tour. If your dates include Advent Sunday, build the tree-lighting ceremony into the first evening and keep the rest of the trip flexible around the weather.

Plan Your Visit

December in Reykjavik gives you two markets, a decorated Oslo tree at Austurvöllur and the Christmas Village in Hafnarfjörður, all inside the darkest weeks of the year. Check the current season's market hours on the Reykjavik city page and the Visit Reykjavík listing before booking, then build a spare evening into the plan for a clear-sky attempt. Northern lights in Iceland are never guaranteed, but a flexible itinerary with a few nights in the city gives you the best chance of catching them between market visits.