Iceland on sale from Seattle

Iceland in winter: It's dark most of the time, not as cold as you might think, and it's on sale for travelers from Seattle.

Icelandair, which started nonstop flights between Seattle and Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, earlier this year, is offering three-day, two-night "Golden Circle Getaway" packages for $499 per person, double occupancy and $549, single occupancy, for travel between Nov. 5 and Dec. 10. Packages must be booked by Oct. 22.

Including all taxes, the package prices total $620 per person, double occupancy and $684 for a solo traveler, including round-trip airfare, two nights at the Hotel Loftleidir, breakfast and a tour that includes a trip to the Nesjavellir geothermal area, Thingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall and the hot springs of Geysir and Strokkur. Extra nights are available for $45-$69 per night.

Iceland has only about five hours of daylight during that time of the year, and the weather can be a mix of snow and rain with average daily highs in the upper 30s. The upside is that it's one of the best times of the year to see the northern lights.

Flights leave Seattle at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, arriving in Iceland at 6:45 a.m. the next morning. Return flights leave Iceland at 4:55 p.m., arriving in Seattle at 4:40 p.m. the same day. Flight time is about 7.5 hours. Details at www.icelandair.us