Best time to visit Iceland: month by month

Iceland has no real beach season, so the question is not "when is it warm" but "what do you want to see". Summer brings mild days, open highland roads and light almost around the clock. Winter brings snow, short days and the best chance of northern lights. In between, spring and autumn are quieter and often cheaper, with changeable weather. We analysed the weather from 2015 to 2024 at three places.

The short answer

• Best time for a road trip: June to August. Reykjavík averages 11.5 to 13.5 °C by day, the Ring Road is usually free of snow, and the highland roads open.
• Best time for northern lights: September to March. You need dark, clear nights, and from late autumn to early spring there are plenty of dark hours.
• Shoulder season: May and September. Fewer visitors, still long days, but the weather turns more quickly.
• Least suitable: November to February for a first trip by hire car. Days are short, roads can be icy, and storms can close mountain passes.

Iceland's climate: all 12 months

Temperature and rain (including snow as water): monthly averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. A grid cell is about 25 km wide, so the values are a regional average rather than a single weather station.

Two things stand out. First, the range is small: Reykjavík is only about twelve degrees warmer in July than in January, because the sea keeps winters mild and summers cool. Second, the south coast around Vík is very wet, with over 300 mm a month in autumn and winter. The north around Akureyri is colder in winter but drier, and in July slightly warmer than the capital.

Iceland month by month

June to August

The main season. Around the June solstice it barely gets dark, so you can drive and hike late into the evening. The highland roads (F-roads) usually open from June or July, which brings Landmannalaugar and the interior within reach – but only with a 4x4. This is also when accommodation along the Ring Road books up first. Plan rain gear anyway: even in July, Reykjavík averages 85 mm.

September and October

Autumn is short. September still has long days and around 10 °C, and the first dark nights for northern lights. According to Safetravel, the official safety service, the highland roads are usually closed from mid-September. October gets wetter and windier; on the south coast it is one of the wettest months.

November to February

Winter, with about 0 to 2 °C by day and frost at night. At the winter solstice Reykjavík has only about four hours of daylight. In return the nights are long – the best time for northern lights if the sky is clear. Ice caves, hot springs and snow-covered waterfalls are typical winter trips. Driving needs care: storms, ice and closed roads are common, so many visitors take guided tours instead of driving themselves.

March to May

Days lengthen quickly, and March is still good for northern lights. April and May are calm months between the seasons, with 6 to 9 °C by day in Reykjavík. Some mountain roads can still have snow in May.

Northern lights: when and where

Northern lights appear above Iceland all year, but you only see them when it is dark, which in practice means from about September to April. You also need a clear sky – and with 130 to 160 mm of rain a month in autumn and winter in Reykjavík, clouds are the most common spoiler. The Icelandic Met Office publishes a cloud and aurora forecast; it is worth checking every evening and driving away from city lights. More on where to see them in Europe: where to see the northern lights.

Where the places are

Base map: Natural Earth

The full Ring Road is about 1,300 km. In summer most travellers need 7 to 10 days for it; in winter many stay in the southwest and on the south coast. A ready-made route is in our Iceland road trip itinerary. A hire car^* is the most flexible way to travel outside Reykjavík; in winter, choose a car with winter tyres and check road conditions before every drive.

How YesTrip helps with this trip

In YesTrip you enter your dates and get a day-by-day plan with a map – for example Reykjavík, the Golden Circle and the south coast, arranged so that drives stay manageable. The forecast for your travel days helps you swap a waterfall day and a museum day when a storm comes in. The packing list suggests layers and rain gear for the weather. If you travel with friends, you share the trip and split costs like the car and fuel; the map of your places also works offline, which helps between villages with weak signal.

Before you go

• Entry: Iceland is in the Schengen area but not in the EU. British visitors need a valid passport; check the current rules on gov.uk.
• Flight: From London a direct flight to Keflavík takes approx. 3 hours. Iceland stays on GMT all year.
• Power: 230 volts, sockets type C and F. From the UK you need an adapter.
• Mobile data: a travel eSIM^* can be cheaper than roaming, depending on your UK provider.

More destinations by month: Best time to visit: where to go when.

* Ad – Partner link: if you book there, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same.