The Best time to visit Iceland
Iceland’s weather changes as much as its turbulent volcanic landscape. You may really get four seasons in a day.![]()
While its far north ocean location makes for fluctuating weather, summer is the best time to visit Iceland. June-August offer long daylight hours, low 20°Cs warmth, plus summer festivals. Dry weather inland makes this prime hiking season. May to September is the best time of year for Iceland if you want to go whale watching. Snow comes as early as September and can linger to May, but Iceland is very photogenic in autumn and early winter. Winter in Iceland (November-March) can be brutal and road closures make access to some areas difficult but offer a better chance at seeing the Northern Lights. You can combine orca watching with the Northern Lights in February and March.
What is the best month to see the Northern Lights in Iceland?
March and September are the best months for seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland. That’s all down to the equinoxes – the meteorological turning of the seasons, when geomagnetic storms in the Earth’s magnetic field double in frequency. These disturbances are what cause the Northern Lights, so twice the activity means twice the chance of seeing the aurora borealis. Read our guide to seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland for more.Month by month guide on when to go to Iceland
January in Iceland
February in Iceland
February is great for a Northern Lights photography holiday.
March in Iceland
April in Iceland
May in Iceland
June in Iceland
June is great for an Iceland small group holiday
We’ve got light all day, birds and flowers in the Icelandic summer, which is very beautiful.![]()
– Geraldine Westrupp, from our partner Wild Photography Holidays
July in Iceland
August in Iceland
September in Iceland
October in Iceland
November in Iceland
November is great for a Northern Lights tour in Iceland.
December in Iceland
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Dip into geothermal pools and soak in the stunning Icelandic scenery
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Northern Lights photography holiday in Iceland, coast & ice
Photographic trip in the stunning west and southeast Iceland
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Stay in the heart of Iceland's Golden Circle
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Iceland Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
-3
2
105
FEB
-2
3
100
MAR
-1
3
105
APR
1
6
80
MAY
4
10
75
JUN
7
13
70
JUL
10
14
67
AUG
8
13
86
SEP
4
11
94
OCT
3
8
119
NOV
-1
4
110
DEC
-2
2
105
Travel Team
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Best times to visit Iceland for Festivals & Events
Sjómannadagurinn (first weekend of June)
Sjomannadagurinn (Seamans’ Day) celebrates the importance of fishing to Icelandic life. Every boat remains in harbour so the island’s sailors can have the day off to take part in maritime festivities, turning harbours into a melee of rowing and swimming contests plus mock sea rescues. Shore fun includes herring and mackerel feasts and traditional fishing songs – and plenty of drinking, of course.
Reykjavik Arts Festival (June)
People flock from far and wide to experience Reykjavik Art Festival, which started in 1969. There’s usually a theme that strings together shows that range from the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra taking on The Valkyrie at the shard-like Harpa Opera House to fiery (and free) street performances.
Verslunarmannahelgi (weekend before first Monday in August)
AKA Shopkeepers’ Weekend – the weekend before the August bank holiday, when all 366,425 Icelanders seem to be out and about. Cars piled high with tents and bottles of Reyka head to the Westman Islands in their thousands for their raucous annual summer festival. Other people mooch around downtown Reykjavik, where there’s music and food festivals, and a generally genial atmosphere.
Iceland Airwaves (November)
Iceland Airwaves is the world’s most northerly music festival, with gigs lighting up the record shops, cafés and bars of Reykjavik in the dark nights of November. The event prides itself on giving over the stage to unknown talent – Sufjan Stevens and Of Monsters and Men cut their teeth here – as well as signing on Björk, John Grant and the Fleet Foxes as major headliners.
New Year’s Eve (31 December)
In preparation for New Year, firework stands raising money for the Iceland Search and Rescue pop up in almost every town. The result? Not one show, but a free-for-all of fireworks crackling on the horizon from 10.30pm to 2am. It’s combined with feasting with friends and family, before everyone pours out onto the (below) freezing streets for carousing around bonfires. Head to Reykjavik for the biggest celebrations.
Our travellers also ask…
When is the best time to see whales in Iceland?
The best time to see whales in Iceland is between May and October. The increased summer sunlight and warming sea temps make for a fish boom – which makes for a whale boom. You’ll most likely see minke whales, but humpbacks and dolphins are also common. Killer whales (AKA orca, the largest in the dolphin family) appear in Iceland from February to early June.
Read our guide to whale watching in Iceland for more
Read our guide to whale watching in Iceland for more
What is the cheapest time to go to Iceland?
Some of the cheapest times to go to Iceland are during autumn, winter and spring – September to May. The exception is December, when Christmas and New Year hike up prices. Aim for the shoulder seasons of September and May if you’d like longer days and milder temperatures. After all, there’s a reason fewer people travel Iceland in winter – it’s dark and freezing. Only snow lovers and Northern Lights hunters should apply when visiting Iceland in the winter.
What is the peak season in Iceland?
June to August is the peak season in Iceland. The school break and long, surprisingly sunny days understandably tempt visitors out to Iceland during the summer – especially when the sun barely sets in June and July. Luckily, we’ve put together some tips to show you how to avoid the crowds in peak season…
How to avoid the crowds in Iceland
Barring the period affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, visitor numbers to Iceland have risen by about 25 percent each year since 2010. The government is looking into ways of curbing numbers during the peak season of June-August, redirecting people away from the honeypot sites and considering a tourist tax.
However, there is no sign of tourism abating during the peak season, with a new flurry of film buffs also heading there to see the filming locations of Star Wars and Game of Thrones. The good news is that Iceland’s tourism highlights are still glowingly gorgeous, crowds or not. There are ways to put your holiday into crowd control mode, however, and here are a few of our pointers.
However, there is no sign of tourism abating during the peak season, with a new flurry of film buffs also heading there to see the filming locations of Star Wars and Game of Thrones. The good news is that Iceland’s tourism highlights are still glowingly gorgeous, crowds or not. There are ways to put your holiday into crowd control mode, however, and here are a few of our pointers.
Reverse your clock
There are virtually 24 hours of daylight in Iceland during the summer season months (June-August), yet tourists still tend to stick to the 9-5. Think about visiting the popular spots early in the morning or late in the evening. This is more easily done on a tailor made holiday, but you can also chat with your fellow travellers on a small group holiday to see if you can get an agreement to do early starts or late night visits, particularly in places such as the Blue Lagoon.Visit other lagoons
The Blue Lagoon is beautiful, but there are other lagoons to explore and bathe in, such as the Secret Lagoon also in the south-west and Myvatn Nature Baths in the north. The former, although far from being a secret nowadays, is still a lot quieter than the Blue Lagoon, and Myvatn is a must.Go in winter
Yes, the days are shorter and, yes, it is colder. But winter in Iceland is also the best time to see the Northern Lights. You will also have snowy terrain, adding a whole other dimension to your trip. Few other countries frame the aurora like Iceland does, with shimmering glaciers, black lava fields and dramatic mountains opening up a box of delights for photographers in particular.Follow the whales
Cetacean numbers rise between May and September when over two dozen species enjoy Iceland’s waters. Avoid the crowds by going whale watching in the shoulder months of May and September, and by travelling on our small, responsible whale watching trips that use quiet boats to get close to these marine mammals.Go on a photography holiday
Tour leaders on photography holidays know where to find the spots where glaciers outnumber people or the locations of secret ice caves. Far from a whistle stop tour, you stop, look, learn and have time to fall in love with everything that makes Iceland so special – without the crowds.Do a grand tour
There are a lot of myths in Iceland but one of the greatest is that you can see it all in a weekend. If you commit to Iceland for a longer period and even circumnavigate it, you will really start to understand its culture, have superb hiking experiences, explore extreme peninsulas and remote islands, and escape the crowds. Do this on land with a guided small group tour or from the sea on a small ship cruise with up to 34 passengers with whom you discover tiny fishing communities, islands and rugged near-Arctic landscapes.More about Iceland
Iceland's landscapes are Tolkien-esque, and the culture is fed by this unique geography.
Westfjords and Snaefellsnes are wildly beautiful; the Golden Circle justly famous.
The Northern Lights add a dramatic paintbrush to Iceland's colossal canvas.
Iceland's incredible landscapes might have been designed for a photography holiday.
Iceland's remote location, wild landscapes and folklore are woven into the culture.
Iceland's capital is home to colourful homes and modernist architecture.
Self driving in Iceland lets you discover natural landscapes, not crowds.
We look at overtourism and how you can visit Iceland without contributing to the issue.
Touring Iceland is convenient, and often more enjoyable than independent travel.
Midnight sun photography holidays in Iceland are the stuff of bucket lists.
These tips come directly from our friends in Iceland and our previous travellers.
Learn how you can travel Iceland better, with less impact and helping locals.
Our exploration of whaling in Iceland looks at the reasons and justifications for the industry and what responsible travellers can do to help the survival of these creatures.
Find all of our Iceland guides in one place for more information on the different types of holidays such as walking or cruising in Iceland...
