The pros and cons of visiting each month in Iceland
So you’ve been convinced to visit Iceland. The northern lights are on your bucket list and you can’t wait to see the clumsy little puffins. You’ve seen and read about Iceland all over the internet but there is so much information out there that you can’t seem to decide what month is the best time to visit.
Well I’ve got good and bad news for you 😬
The good news:
There is truly no bad time to ever visit Iceland. I can guarantee you that you will have an AMAZING time no matter when you come. The nature is amazing all year round, and it looks different in every season. I truly don’t have a favorite because it’s so different and beautiful in every season.
The bad news:
You have to decide for yourself which is the best time for you to visit Iceland based on what kind of experience you want to have. You’ll never be able to see everything in one trip so you’ll probably just have to plan another trip 😆😉
Here are the real life, no BS pros and cons of every month, so you can decide for yourself what the best month for you is:
The nature is frozen and absolutely beautiful
Snowy adventures - although never guaranteed
The bluest ice caves you have ever seen
Possibility of seeing the Northern Lights
Less crowds at destinations
More possibilities to book last minute
Cheaper prices for car rentals and hotels
Beautiful golden hour all day long
Short daylight hours - In January there are 6 hours of daylight each day. It’s still possible to get so much done each day but you may have to leave your accommodation while it’s still dark. But the good news is that each day is getting longer
Possibility of snow storms, bad weather, and road closures
Unpredictable weather, anything can happen on such short notice, so often an open mind or flexible schedule is needed
Cold weather. While it’s generally a “mild” cold winter for a country located in the arctic, it’s cold but not bone chilling cold. Temperatures vary depending on where you are in Iceland and from day to day. You can expect temperatures to hang just around 0 degrees celsius or even colder.
Possibility of stressful driving conditions
The Nature is frozen and absolutely beautiful
Snowy adventures - although never guaranteed
The bluest ice caves you have ever seen
Possibility of seeing the Northern Lights
Less crowds at destinations
More possibilities to book last minute
Cheaper prices for car rentals and hotels
Beautiful golden hour all day long
Orcas start to come out near the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. You can take a tour with Laki Tours to get up close to them.
Varying daylight hours - In the beginning of February there are only around 6 hours of daylight. Each day get longer and longer and by the end of the month, there are nearly 10 hours of daylight each day!
Possibility of snow storms, bad weather, and road closures
Unpredictable weather, anything can happen on such short notice, so often an open mind or flexible schedule is needed
Cold weather. While it’s generally a “mild” cold winter for a country located in the arctic, it’s cold but not bone chilling cold. Temperatures vary depending on where you are in Iceland and from day to day. You can expect temperatures to hang just around 0 degrees celsius or even colder.
Possibility of stressful driving conditions
Lots of daylight. In March there is between 10-12 hours of daylight everyday
Possibility to see snow and have snowy adventures!
The last month of the bluest ice caves you have ever seen
Possibility of seeing the Northern Lights
Less crowds at destinations
Cheaper prices for car rentals and hotels
Possibility of snow storms, bad weather, and road closures
Unpredictable weather, anything can happen on such short notice, so often an open mind or flexible schedule is needed
Cold weather. While it’s generally a “mild” cold winter for a country located in the arctic, it’s cold but not bone chilling cold. Temperatures vary depending on where you are in Iceland and from day to day. You can expect temperatures to hang just around 0 degrees celsius or even colder.
Possibility of stressful driving conditions
Lots of daylight! There is over 14 hours of daylight everyday
More stable weather conditions. It’s a lot less likely your travel plans will be affected by bad weather, but of course there is always a small possibility
Amazing Nature
Most of the snow in the south is gone
Glacier hiking and climbing adventures are back in full swing
The super blue ice caves are melting away
It’s STILL cold. Even though it’s spring and warmer temperatures all over the world, it’s still winter temperatures (around freezing) in Iceland. The wind makes it extra brutal.
The Northern Lights start to get less and less likely to be seen as the month goes on. Since each day gets longer and longer with more daylight, by mid to end of April, it is impossible to see the northern lights and it just doesn’t get dark enough
Everything kind of looks “dead” - the nature, waterfalls, beaches and scenery is still beautiful and jaw dropping but the grass is brown and there are no leaves or signs of life on the trees or other plants around Iceland
Lots of daylight! There is over 20 hours of daylight everyday
The puffins are back!!! They can be seen from many seaside cliffs all around Iceland
More stable weather conditions. It’s a lot less likely your travel plans will be affected by bad weather, but of course there is always a small possibility
The temperatures are finally starting to feel a little warmer. I would never say it’s “warm” in Iceland but it definitely doesn’t feel like winter anymore
Amazing Nature, the green lush grass and plants are finally starting to make a come back
The purple lupines are starting to come back by the end of the month
Baby lambs are being born and they can be seen all over the fields as you drive around Iceland
Glacier hiking and climbing adventures are back in full swing
Summer activities start to open up again, like Glacier Kayaking and White Water Rafting
There are no super blue ice caves
There are no northern lights
The prices for car rentals and accommodations are starting to rise
The demand is higher, meaning you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to book anything
24 hour daylight
The puffins can be seen from seaside cliffs all around Iceland
Baby lambs and sheep can be seen as you drive around the Ring Road
Purple lupine fields are EVERYWHERE in Iceland
Some F roads start to open up, however still pretty limited
Longer Hiking routes are starting to open up
Summer camping season is starting
All summer activities are open and available, such as Glacier hiking, Glacier Kayaking and White Water Rafting
Whale watching in Husavik is a summer highlight
No northern lights
No ice caves
Higher prices for, airfare, car rentals and hotels
One of the most crowded months in Iceland
Higher demand, meaning you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to book anything
Even though it’s summer, it’s not hot. Do not expect summer temperatures ever in Iceland. You will likely find yourself wearing pants and layers everyday.
24 hour daylight
Usually really good weather
The puffins can be seen from seaside cliffs all around Iceland
Baby lambs and sheep can be seen as you drive around the Ring Road
Purple lupine fields are EVERYWHERE in Iceland (beginning of the month only)
All the F roads start to open up
Every region of Iceland is open for travel
Longer Hiking routes are open
Summer Camping is in full swing
All summer activities are open and available, such as Glacier hiking, Glacier Kayaking and White Water Rafting
Whale watching in Husavik is a summer highlight
No northern lights
No ice caves
Higher prices for, airfare, car rentals and hotels
One of the most crowded months in Iceland
Higher demand, meaning you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to book anything
Even though it’s summer, it’s not hot. Do not expect summer temperatures ever in Iceland. You will likely find yourself wearing pants and layers everyday.
24 hour daylight for the first half of the month. The second half of the month will start to get a little dark but ultimately you still have really long days. This also means there is potential to see the northern lights at the end of the month
Usually really good weather
Every region of Iceland is open for travel
The puffins can be seen from seaside cliffs all around Iceland
Baby lambs and sheep can be seen as you drive around the Ring Road
All the F roads start to open up
Longer Hiking routes are open
Summer Camping is in full swing
All summer activities are open and available, such as Glacier hiking, Glacier Kayaking and White Water Rafting
Whale watching in Husavik is a summer highlight
No northern lights. However at the end of the month it will be dark enough to see them
No ice caves
Higher prices for, airfare, car rentals and hotels
One of the most crowded months in Iceland
Higher demand, meaning you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to book anything
Lots of daylight! There is over 14 hours of daylight everyday
Possibility of seeing the Northern Lights
Possibility of seeing puffins in the beginning of the month
Amazing Nature
Less crowded than the summer time
Prices for car rentals and hotels are starting to come down
Possibility of seeing Rettir, the Icelandic sheep roundup
Last chance for summer activities are open and available, such as Glacier hiking, Glacier Kayaking and White Water Rafting (however kayaking and rafting usually end mid September)
The F roads are probably still open
Every region of Iceland is open for travel
The weather is starting to get a little more unpredictable, there is a possibility of more rain and wind storms than in the summer, but again, unpredictable
Colder weather is starting to creep back in
No fall colors like you might expect in New England or other parts of the world. The leaves usually just die and blow off before they turn any colors
Possibility of seeing the Northern Lights
Blue ice caves are back!
Regular daylight hours - 10-12 daylight hours each day
Amazing Nature
Less crowds than the summer time
Prices for car rentals and hotels are lower
F roads are starting to close
Unpredictable weather, anything can happen on such short notice, so often an open mind or flexible schedule is needed. Small chance you might see some snow in the north
Temperatures are starting to drop
You can really feel each day getting shorter and shorter
Varying daylight - the beginning of November has about 8 hours of daylight. Each day is getting shorter and shorter and by the end of the month, there is only 6 hours of daylight.
Possibility to see snow
Amazing Nature!
The Ice Caves are really started to turn bright blue
Possibility of seeing the Northern Lights
Less crowds at destinations
Cheaper prices for car rentals and hotels
All F roads are officially closed
Unpredictable weather, anything can happen on such short notice, so often an open mind or flexible schedule is needed
The colder temperatures are starting to show their true colors, you can expect temperatures to be around freezing.
The days are very short and getting shorter
The nature start to look frozen and absolutely beautiful
Possibility of snowy adventures - although never guaranteed
The bluest ice caves you have ever seen
Possibility of seeing the Northern Lights
Christmas markets on the weekends in Reykjavik
Less crowds at destinations
More possibilities to book last minute
Cheaper prices for car rentals and hotels
Beautiful golden hour all day long
Short daylight hours - In the beginning of December there are 6 hours of daylight each day. It’s still possible to get so much done each day but you may have to leave your accommodation while it’s still dark. The shortest day is the winter solstice, where there is only 4 hours sunlight
Possibility of snow storms, bad weather, and road closures
Unpredictable weather, anything can happen on such short notice, so often an open mind or flexible schedule is needed
Cold weather. While it’s generally a “mild” cold winter for a country located in the arctic, it’s cold but not bone chilling cold. Temperatures vary depending on where you are in Iceland and from day to day. You can expect temperatures to hang just around 0 degrees celsius or even colder.
Possibility of stressful driving conditions
__________
Check out my itineraries for more detailed planning, including the best places to stay, Restaurants to try , an interactive map, and hidden gems all over Iceland.
Don't see what you need? Submit for a personalized itinerary, and I'll tailor to fit all your needs! I'm so excited for your trip to Iceland :)
Go check out my guide for the best free things to do as well as itineraries and travel tips to make your trip unforgettable.