When is the best time to visit Iceland?
When is the best time to visit Iceland?
When to go to Iceland?
Choosing when is the best time to visit Iceland is important, because you will not see the same things depending on which seasons you go. There are a few factors to take into account for your decision, and it really depends on your interests, tastes, budget and travelling style.
| Month | Average min T (°c) | Average max T (°c) | Hours of sunshine by day (h) | Rainy days by month (d) | Daylight hours by day (h) | Tourist influx | Aurora borelis | Whales | Puffins |
| January | -1 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 6 | ||||
| February | -1 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 8 | ||||
| March | 0 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 12 | ||||
| April | 2 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 15 | ||||
| May | 5 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 18 | ||||
| June | 8 | 13 | 6 | 10 | 20 | ||||
| July | 10 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 19 | ||||
| August | 9 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 17 | ||||
| September | 7 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 13 | ||||
| October | 4 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 10 | ||||
| November | 1 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 7 | ||||
| December | -1 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 5 |
Data above are based on the town of Reykjavik in Iceland.
| Month | Average min T (°c) | Average max T (°c) | Hours of sunshine by day (h) | Rainy days by month (d) |
| January | -1 | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| February | -1 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| March | 0 | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| April | 2 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| May | 5 | 11 | 6 | 10 |
| June | 8 | 13 | 6 | 10 |
| July | 10 | 15 | 6 | 10 |
| August | 9 | 15 | 5 | 12 |
| September | 7 | 12 | 4 | 12 |
| October | 4 | 8 | 2 | 15 |
| November | 1 | 5 | 1 | 15 |
| December | -1 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| Month | Number of light hour by day | Tourist influx | Aurora borelis | Whales | Puffins |
| January | 6 | ||||
| February | 8 | ||||
| March | 12 | ||||
| April | 15 | ||||
| May | 18 | ||||
| June | 20 | ||||
| July | 19 | ||||
| August | 17 | ||||
| September | 13 | ||||
| October | 10 | ||||
| November | 7 | ||||
| December | 5 |
Data above are based on the town of Reykjavik in Iceland.
Weather in Iceland
Temperature, sunshine hours, precipitations all year round
“If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” this saying is very true for Iceland as the weather can change so much within a short time. The most reliable and accurate weather forecast website I found for Iceland is www.vedur.is. When you are in Iceland, checking this website regularly will be very helpful for you to decide where to go.
Contrary to common belief, Iceland is not a country with very cold temperatures, average summer temperature is 12,5 °C (54,5 °F) and can rise to 20 °C (68 °F), and in winter the average temperature is 0 °C (32 °F) in Reykjavik. Nevertheless, the temperature can drop down to – 15 °C (5 °F) in some places. One thing you need to be careful is the wind, which can be so powerful. The rain or the snow are also conditions that can make your journey more difficult so be prepared!
The meteorological data below will be useful to decide when the best time to visit Iceland is for you. These data are for Reykjavík. If you’d like another town in Iceland, just check this reliable website: www.weather-and-climate.com
Maximum and minimum temperature in Reykjavík, Iceland
Number of sunshine hours by day in Reykjavík, Iceland
Precipitations in Reykjavík, Iceland
Best time to visit Iceland: summer or winter?
Advantages and disavantages between the 2 seasons
There are advantages and disadvantages to visit Iceland in summer or winter time: access of the main Icelandic attractions, high tourist season, number of day light hours are among the parameters to consider to make your choice.
Summer in Iceland
If you come to Iceland for the first or maybe the only time, you might want to do the full tour of Iceland. In that case, I would advise you to go between May and August because you will have the longest days, the temperatures won’t be too cold and all the roads should be opened to access almost any spots. To hike the beautiful landscapes in the center of Iceland, or to see whales in the Icelandic sea and puffins on the coasts, it would be also definitely a better period.
On the other hand, this summer period will be the most crowded and expensive for accommodation and rental cars for example. Months of May and June should be a sweet spot to have both “good weather” and lower tourist influx.
Svartifoss waterfall
Reynisfjara black sand beach
Landmannalaugar lake view landscape
Winter in Iceland
In winter, days are short, even very short (5 – 6 hours of day light) and some roads are closed because of the snow or the rain. The very powerful wind in Iceland is also a meteorological parameter to consider, because it really cools down the temperature and can be annoying.
On the other hand, if you want to visit amazing ice caves, if you like to see landscapes with snow or would like to see northern lights, winter is when to go. More of that, the prices for my flight and camper van were also much cheaper and there were less tourists.
Icebergs and ice cliffs
Ice cave
Frozen waterfall in Thingvellir
Special events in iceland
Best time to visit Iceland to see northern lights, puffins and whales
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Iceland?
The best observation period is from 21st of September to 21st of March, ideally between 6.00 pm and 1.00 am when the sky is clear and dark. The important point is to be far from the lights of a town.
The northern lights can be observed at the poles, usually above the 60° latitude in the north, and below the 60° latitude in the south. As Iceland is at the latitude of approximately 64° north, it is consequently a very good country to spot them. More of that, there are many beautiful places to observe northern lights in Iceland, above a volcano or a glacier, under a moon surface landscape or on a black sand beach for examples.
The website you need to check to know the aurora forecast is www.vedur.is/aurora. The northern lights forecast is measured on a scale from 0 to 9, starting 2, you have chance to see this beautiful activity of solar particles entering the earth’s magnetic field. I spent one week during winter in Iceland, and although I went out the nights with the best potential conditions, I didn’t see this amazing phenomenon unfortunately.
When is the best time and where to see puffins in Iceland?
Iceland is one of the biggest puffins colonies because in spring time, they come here for nesting. Iceland is the breeding home for about 60 percent of the world’s Atlantic puffins.
You can see puffins in Iceland from early April until September each year.
Best place I found to observe puffins was the cliffs of Dyrhólaey at the end of the day.
Other places known to see puffins in Iceland are:
-
- Vestmannaeyjar islands
- Papey
- Vigur Island
- Grímsey
- Tjornes peninsula
Puffins colony
Dyrhólaey cliffs
Puffins at Dyrhólaey
When is the best time and where to see whales in Iceland?
You can see Whales in Iceland from early April to September. This country is one of the best places in Europe for whale watching. About 20 different species of whales live around the island.
You can take whales watching boat tours from several places in Iceland like:
- Reykjavík
- Húsavík
- Snæfellsnes
- Akureyri
- Dalvík
- Hólmavík
Iceland travel guide
ebook or paper
Click on the image to see the trial version 😉
In addition to what you have already seen for free on Where2travel.com, this Iceland travel guide ebook or paper has the following additional interests:
- Additional sites to visit: 20 more beautiful places (or 45 in total!) are described in detail, with many photos,
- More tips and advice for each location: the time needed for the visit, photography advice, the best time of day to visit, the level of difficulty to reach the place, the useful equipment to bring …
- Recommended itineraries and complete budget estimates for different duration and different types of comfort,
- An interactive map to download on your mobile, with 45 must-see sites in Iceland. You can also easily use this map as a GPS, offline or connected to the local network during your trip,
- More information about the country like a summary of its history, a few useful words to know, things not to do …
Please wait while flipbook is loading. For more related info, FAQs and issues please refer to DearFlip WordPress Flipbook Plugin Help documentation.
Iceland travel guide ebook or paper
Click on the image to see the trial version 😉
In addition to what you have already seen for free on Where2travel.com, this Iceland travel guide ebook or paper has the following additional interests:
- Additional sites to visit: 20 more beautiful places (or 45 in total!) are described in detail, with many photos,
- More tips and advice for each location: the time needed for the visit, photography advice, the best time of day to visit, the level of difficulty to reach the place, the useful equipment to bring …
- Recommended itineraries and complete budget estimates for different duration and different types of comfort,
- An interactive map to download on your mobile, with 45 must-see sites in Iceland. You can also easily use this map as a GPS, offline or connected to the local network during your trip,
- More information about the country like a summary of its history, a few useful words to know, things not to do …
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