Best Time to Visit Iceland: We Went in July and It Never Got Dark
We went to Iceland in July 2016, right in the middle of the midnight sun season, and it never really got dark. Our Airbnb had blackout shades, but they were not enough. Getting to sleep took effort every night, and that is probably the biggest thing we would plan differently if we went back.
Summer worked extremely well for everything else we wanted to do, but it is not automatically the best time to visit Iceland for everyone. The right season really depends on whether you care more about long sightseeing days, the Northern Lights, road conditions or avoiding the busiest months.
Summer in Iceland: What It Was Like for Us
Summer made our trip easy. The days were incredibly long, the roads we needed were open and every activity we booked was running, including snowmobiling, the helicopter tour and our puffin cruise. In July, Reykjavik gets very little true darkness, so we regularly looked at the clock and realized it was much later than it felt.
The downside for us was sleep. If you are sensitive to light, bring a good sleep mask even if your hotel or rental has blackout curtains. Summer is also one of the busiest and most expensive times to visit, so this is when I would book hotels and the activities you really care about well in advance.
Winter in Iceland: Why We Want to Go Back
We have not been to Iceland in winter, but it is probably the season we are most interested in trying next, mainly because we still want to see the Northern Lights. Winter would be a completely different trip from the one we took in July, with much shorter days, more unpredictable weather and less flexibility for long driving days.
If we went specifically for the Northern Lights, we would also plan to spend at least a night or two outside Reykjavik rather than expecting to see them from the city. I also would not try to recreate our very long Golden Circle and South Coast day in the middle of winter. That worked for us in July because we had so much daylight, but winter would need a slower schedule and a lot more flexibility.
Spring and Fall
We have not visited Iceland in spring or fall, so this is the one part of the comparison we cannot speak to firsthand. These months interest us because they sit between the two extremes we have been weighing for a return trip: the constant daylight of summer and the very short days of winter.
You generally get more usable daylight than in winter, fewer visitors than during peak summer and at least some chance of seeing the Northern Lights during the darker parts of the shoulder season. If we wanted a return trip that mixed sightseeing with a chance of seeing the aurora, September is probably where we would start looking.
What We'd Actually Recommend Based on What You Want
For a first trip with lots of driving: Summer. The long days gave us plenty of time for the Golden Circle, South Coast and glacier activities without worrying much about darkness.
For the Northern Lights: Winter, or possibly early spring or fall. We would also plan at least part of the trip outside Reykjavik.
For fewer crowds: Spring or fall would be the first seasons we would research.
For us next time: Probably winter or September. We have already done the midnight sun trip, and the Northern Lights are still high on our list.
Where You Stay Depends on the Season
In summer, staying in Reykjavik worked well for us because the long daylight made it easy to drive out for the day and come back late. For a winter Northern Lights trip, we would probably split the stay and spend at least a night or two outside the city. For Reykjavik hotel options, see our Where to Stay in Reykjavik guide.
