There is no straight answer to this question. The best time to travel to Iceland totally depends upon the experience that you want. Iceland is a year-round destination that offers different things during different seasons. Your decision to visit Iceland should broadly depend upon the following :
- Best Time to go sightseeing & adventure activities & whale watching (Mid-June โ August)
The peak of summer is the most visited season in Iceland. Starting Mid-June till August the country blooms with flora & fauna. Beautiful landscapes at your display at its full glory. Temperature is pleasant around 13 โ 15-degree Celsius, longer days with midnight sun, shops are open for long hours, adventure activities such as hiking, horse riding, volcano visits and other outdoor adventures. This is also the best time to see the numerous waterfalls around Iceland & also whale watching. However, you miss out on Northern lights, glacier hiking, snow caves etc for obvious reasons. This is also the most crowded time to be in Iceland as most of the travellers travel to Iceland in summers. Prices are high, hotels and hostels need pre-booking and even the flights are booked in advance.
- Beginning of the Northern lights season ( September โ November )
As summers bid goodbye, and autumn sets in, a lot of travellers visit Iceland during this time to relax and enjoy the beauty around. The temperature starts falling, its less crowded, you can still go for outdoor adventure activities with a bonus of chasing the Lady aurora herself. The season of hunting the northern lights begin and if youโre lucky you might be in for a treat.
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- Winter activities & northern lights ( December โ April)
Iceland in winters is Narnia . As far as your eyesight goes itโs all white โ Snow and snow all around. Itโs absolutely another kind of beautiful. We did Iceland during winters in February and we absolutely loved it. The island has very few travellers during this time hence almost no crowd, small group tours, winter activities like snow caving, glacier hiking, skiing and the best of all northern lights, visiting Iceland in winter was not a bad decision at all. However, snow storms, heavy winds, road closure are part of the winter deal. A lot of remote places in Iceland are inaccessible during winters due to extreme weather conditions. Self-driving also becomes difficult. We wanted a budget trip with lady aurora and were okay with white winterland โ hence we decided to go to Iceland in winters.
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- Spring & early summer (May โ Mid June)
The time when the snow melts. A few showers as well. This is the time when Iceland prepares for its busy summer season when travellers visit from all over the world. With days going longer and melting snow bring your waterproof boots and lot of layers to face the unpredictable weather in Iceland.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Travelling to Iceland therefore totally depends upon your choice of travel.
[…] our blogย Ultimate Guide to Iceland ย to know everything about planning a trip of […]
I have gone through many blog but never came across a blog with so much details. Whenever gonna travel to Iceland will surly refer this blog form hotel to tour guide to etc. You people are doing a great job. Keep Traveling and Keep Inspiring.
thanks a lot Sanjay for your lovely words, really means a lot !!
Wow, such a detailed post. We’ve bookmarked this article. Definitely going to check once we plan our visit to this beautiful post. Kudos for coming up with such an informative post ๐
Thanks guys, glad that it is going to be helpful ๐
This is quite the blog on Iceland. Full marks, for penning down all possible pieces of information related to travelling to Iceland. From what i’ve read, it’s recommended to spend a minimum of 1 week in Iceland. Did you feel that you left out some Must Do’s because you had just 5 days on hand?
Diving between both the continent places has been on my bucket list for ages literally. Hoping to tick it off soon.
right Arnav, it is important to have buffer days as our trip to Ice cave and Glacier lagoon got cancelled due to bad weather.
Diving between two continents can be great fun, however we didn’t have the courage to do it in peak winter ๐
Iceland is my dream too! Reading this extensive and detailed blog made me travel virtually for now. This is going to be my only go-to whenever I plan Iceland! Thank you guys, the info here is precious ๐
thanks a lot Zenia, glad that you found it helpful
Such a well written and detailed article! Seemd to be truly all you need to know about visiting this paradisiacal country! I hope it comes handy for me sometime soon ๐
thanks Avantika and we also hope this guide will help you plan Iceland soon ๐
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