Riverbank · October to April
The photograph above was taken from this building. Hella sits 94 kilometres east of Reykjavík, off the edge of the city’s light, and from October to April the nights here are long enough to wait one out from your own doorstep.
Computed for Þrúðvangur 5
On the shortest day the sun is up for 4 hours 20 minutes and there are around 13 hours when it sits more than eighteen degrees below the horizon, which is the darkness the aurora needs. By mid November it is 6 hours 40 minutes of daylight, and by mid February 8 hours 40 minutes. Those are computed for this address, not for Reykjavík and not for Iceland in general.
Sun times computed from NOAA solar position at 63.8356, -20.4023, at one-minute resolution. Iceland keeps UTC all year, so these are clock times.
From October to April the nights here are long and the sky goes properly dark, which is exactly what the aurora needs. The photograph on this page was taken from the building itself. When the lights come out you step straight from your own door into the garden, with no drive and no tour bus to catch, and come back in to a warm apartment and a kitchen of your own.
Every distance, from the door
Within a walk of the door
By road, from the door
Distances measured on OpenStreetMap and routed with OSRM, 1 September 2026.
Those driving times are free-flow: what the road takes on a clear summer afternoon. Between October and April, allow considerably more, and check road conditions at vegagerdin.is before any long drive.
32 of 177 reviews
32 of the 177 published reviews are from stays between October and April, and guests have reviewed a stay in all 12 months of the year. Six of them are below, printed as they were written. All 177 are on the full review page, unedited.
Harpa’s apartment had everything we need and more for our group of 6. Everything was provided to have a cozy stay. The two bathrooms and laundry/dryer combo machine was an extra plus for us ! The beds are pretty comfortable and comforter is super warm. Our host Harpa was very responsive and clear instructions were given to access the house. Definitely recommend this place to stay !
Riverbank apartment is very cozy and comfortable place to stay! One of the best experiences in this trip~ 1. The location is very good between different hot spots, such as the golden waterfall and geysers, so convenient to stop by~ 2. The room is well equipped with all the kitchen and laundry appliances, so it is so convenient to stay even for the long trip stop. Btw, I love the kitchen the most, all the instruments and plates feel so great! 3. The room is very spacious and super clean, the bedding and lining is quite good and very clean! This suit has one bed room and two large sofa, which can accommodate more than 5 people together which is very good for family travel! 4. The owner must be a very nice and kind person, I have left my book under the pillow when we check out, and the owner is so nice to help me to find it and express to next stop, so warm and grateful for that! 5. The restaurant just opposite to the room is very delicious, especially the cod, so yummy! All in all, it is very nice place to stay, definitely will choose it again if come back~
Harpa’s place is so beautiful - just like the photos published. It’s clean, well equipped, you can find everything you need here. Rooms are not big but the sharing space is huge and comfortable, we love our stay so much! The keybox location is a bit tricky, especially we arrived late and dark, anyhow we are able to locate it. Recommended!
Host is very nice and send me all instructions before arrive. Everything works easily when check-in. The house looks so nice and very comfort.
The room is very large, the soundproofing is good, and there is a gas station across the street from the B&B. Translated Show original
The apartment was amazing, we had everything we needed, the kitchen was super equipped, never seen, quite spacious, large bathroom. We asked for a dryer for technical clothes, it was brought to us the next day. Everything was immaculate. I recommend this apartment to everyone to visit the Golden Circle. We stayed there for 7 nights and we'll definitely come back. Translated Show original
Filtered by month of stay from the same archive as the full 177, both sources read 31 August 2026. Nothing here is selected for being flattering: these are the six most recent winter stays that left more than a line. Airbnb prints how long ago a stay was rather than its date, so that is what is shown.
Figures on this page last checked against their sources on .
Yes. The aurora photograph at the top of this page was taken from the building itself. Hella sits far enough from Reykjavík that the sky goes properly dark, and from October to April the nights are long, so on a clear night you can step straight outside and look up.
On 21 December the sun rises at 11:11 and sets at 15:29, which is about 4 hours 20 minutes of daylight and roughly 13 hours a night of true darkness. By mid November it is 6 hours 40 minutes of daylight, and by mid February 8 hours 40 minutes.
Yes. Guests have reviewed stays in all twelve months, and 32 of the 177 published reviews are from stays between October and April.
Reykjavík is 94 kilometres by road on Route 1, and Keflavík International Airport is 130 kilometres, on Route 1 and then Route 41. Allow well over the free-flow driving times in winter conditions.
The grocery store is 105 metres from the door on foot, the pharmacy and the bakery a couple of minutes further, and the local geothermal swimming pool and hot tubs 169 metres. Parking is free at the door.
Every apartment is self-catering with its own private kitchen and a dishwasher, and every one has a washer/dryer. In the low season, when fewer places are serving food late, that is the difference between cooking and driving.
Usually not. Winter is the quiet season at Riverbank, so nights between October and April are often still free a few weeks out, and one night is enough to book. Summer is the opposite: many summer bookings arrive as early as February.
No. Riverbank has a no-pets policy at present.