Iceland in April. What to pack?

[DryWhiteagainW]

I’m going at the beginning of April. Doing all the usual things. Can’t wait.
How cold will it actually be?
I’m taking walking boots, down filled coat, hat, gloves and thermals but is this excessive?
Thought also a smarter wool coat and chunky ankle boots for city sightseeing.
How smart is it in Reykjavík if I’m going out for dinner?
Anyone?
Thanks

Will I have cold ankles if I take my trainers to wear with jeans?

The average temperature in April is somewhere around 1°C to 7°C.
I really can’t stress enough that dressing right for Iceland means dressing in layers. The layer closest to you should be wool or thermals, then a fleece or sweater and then something thick, waterproof and wind proof. As well as the hat and gloves, I’d also take a snood that you can put over your nose, mouth and cheeks when outside to keep the cold wind off your face.
On average, it rains 18 days every single month so make sure your bag is water proof.
Even in Reykjavik, the dress code is pretty casual.Think leggings and a fairisle jumper!

Don’t forget a swimsuit for thermal pools !

Really glad to have seen this - my daughter and I are going on April 4th and I have no idea what to take! Guess it's swimming costume and thick coat.

Oh thanks everyone. This is very helpful.
Zeusandclio see you there

Take WARM clothes. you can't have too many layers!

It did little but rain when we went in July so waterproofs! Also cossies and flip flops for getting in and out of hot pots

If you’re taking a down coat make sure it’s properly waterproof and wind proof!

I wouldn’t bother with a smart coat personally, Reykjavik is pretty casual and people dress for the weather.

It is not usually that cold at all in April. It is unlikely to snow or get below freezing - personally I definitely wouldn't be wearing thermal layers in April unless there was a freak cold snap!

For most of April I wear trainers (winter boots go away about now at the end of March), a wool jumper, a thin water and windproof coat, a thin merino wool beanie and just thin gloves. My waterproof trousers sometimes if it's raining. I'd be boiling and sweating in a big thick winter coat and wool thermals.

It's worth having waterproof trousers if you are going to be doing hiking and staying outdoors a lot in all weathers (which I assume you are if you're coming to Iceland in the first place). Be prepared for wind and rain. Otherwise, just dress as you would for winter in south England. April is borderline spring, the worst you're likely to see is a bit of sleet.

Take layers you can easily take off. I’ve lend isn’t smart anywhere much - maybe at the opera? So take a combination of base layers, long sleeve t shirts, pullovers and fleeces. Wear or discard according to the weather. Take a waterproof/weatherproof coat. Hiking type jacket or a longer style one. Seasalt do some good long ones. Take a rain hat, scarf and gloves. Umbrella too. We had sleet and snow and high winds in September. Weather is not predictable in Iceland, so be prepared.

I don't think you'll be over packing. I went in August and it was spring/autumn UK wear over there. Jeans / lightweight downjacket with a fleece under sort of weather. I'd leave the smart wool coat at home, they seemed to be a nation who dress for the climate!

I do not recommend taking an umbrella. Nobody in Iceland owns an umbrella because it will blow inside out and the rain will be blowing in your face anyway. I have never even seen an umbrella in any shop. You need a hood that will stay on in a wind.

Of course Icelanders are smart when they go out to a nice restaurant or to a party. I think they actually tend to dress more smartly than British people on average. But this is irrelevant to tourists. At least 75% of the people you see downtown are tourists.

We didn’t see anyone looking smart at all. We saw lots in work clothes. I imagine meeting up for a meal after work. We are very used to eating in high class restaurants and most now welcome you no matter what you wear - a few wouldn’t want shorts and trainers but some wouldn’t care. The Ritz would but Iceland isn’t like The Ritz. Good food in relaxed surroundings we found.

It’s not always windy and we used an umbrella in Reykjavik. Not the only people with one. Just a small collapsible one. It wasn’t windy at the time. Just dull and wet.

Iceland has one restaurant with a Michelin star. Dill in Reykjavik. You won’t need to dress up.

My DD and her husband got back from Iceland last week - they had a fabulous time and can't wait to go back!

They had read all the advice about lots of layers, but didn't actually need them all quite a lot of the time, even though it was snowing when they arrived. (After a day in Reykjavik they went to a horse-riding centre, Eldhestar, where waterproofs etc were provided.)

Anyway, they weren't as cold as they had expected to be. I think the 'smarter wool coat' won't be needed.

I hope you enjoy it as much as they did!

I didn't say you needed to dress up for dinner or walking round town. It's always mostly tourists downtown, including in the restaurants, and there is no need to dress up. It doesn't make sense to bring smart clothes to Iceland because nobody else does. People come to Iceland to be outdoors so they wear outdoor clothing.

But Icelanders dress up for special occasions the same as everyone else. They dress up for Christmas. They dress up for children's birthday parties. They certainly dress up if they are going for a fancy meal. Doesn't mean it's mandatory.

Tourists come to 101 and see the majority of people they see will be other tourists. You cannot go around downtown Reykjavík and say 'Icelanders are like this or that' based on the people you see. This is just how it is when the annual tourist population vastly outnumbers the resident population.

Well as the op is a tourist, what Icelanders do at parties and at Christmas won’t matter to her. We didn’t just eat in Reykjavik. We ate at highly rated restaurants. Not much sign of Icelanders dressing up. And the majority in the restaurants were Icelanders.

That's exactly what I said. I said Icelanders dress up, but that's irrelevant to tourists. Meaning don't worry about it.

Right, so I’ve read all of this. I’ll take:

A downfilled coat
A thinner rain/wind proof coat
A lightweight down jacket and a gilet from Uniqlo to wear under rain coat if needed
Trainer
Lace up chunky ankle boots
Walking boots
Long sleeved t shirts
Wool jumpers
Black and blue jeans
Black pleated skirt
Water repellant walking trousers from ACAI
Hats, gloves
Swimming costume and flip flops

Ditch the wool coat
For dinners I’ll just wear black jeans or pleated skirt with chunky boots/trainers and knits

Sound ok?

Oh and I’ve bought a waterproof cross body bag from AmazoN wilh Loads of pockets.

That looks like a good list, OP, with a couple of good base layers. And a decent woolly hat/beanie.