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Iceland

Iceland · Europe · northern hemisphere

Northern LightsHikingLakes & CoastlineCity & Culture

Iceland is at its best for northern lights in March and September to October. Good but not prime in February and November. Crowds peak in July and bottom out in January.

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Northern Lights
51
67
92
33
5
2
4
9
87
93
67
27
Hiking
10
9
15
20
45
69
90
90
65
39
15
14
Lakes & Coastline
9
10
20
46
65
88
92
92
69
38
12
10
City & Culture
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39
45
45
65
87
93
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15
Crowds

Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.

primegoodpossibleoff-seasoncrowds, on this place’s own scale

The short version

The interior is shut for most of the year. Highland F-roads open across June rather than at the start of it — the Landmannalaugar approach and the south half of Kjölur average 1–2 June, the north half of Kjölur the 6th, F225 the 16th, and Sprengisandur not until about 6 July — and they close again from September onward with no fixed date, whenever the weather decides

What the walking is like

Day walks near the ring road all summer; the multi-day highland routes need the F-roads open. No guide needed.

When not to come

Nothing, but understand the trade. From September to June the highland roads are shut, so a trip built around Landmannalaugar cannot happen — Þórsmörk is the exception, reachable year-round by super-jeep with a warden. That shut season is exactly when the aurora is visible, which runs late August to mid-April.

Busiest

July and August on the ring road and the south coast; March for northern-lights weekends

With children

Distances on the ring road are long and the weather turns fast. Many of the best short walks sit at the end of gravel roads that rental insurance excludes — check what the contract covers before committing to a route.

Where to stay

Reykjavík is a poor base for anything past the Golden Circle. Splitting nights along the ring road costs the same and removes hours of backtracking — and in summer the light means you can drive at ten at night.

What can go wrong

Winter storms

Storms close roads at a few hours’ notice and the interior F-roads are shut until June. Aurora season and driving season overlap awkwardly.Jan · Feb · Mar · Oct · Nov · Dec

Kept out of the score on purpose. Averaging a rare catastrophe into a monthly number would tell you something false; the warning is the honest form.

Dates that matter

  • Highland F-roads open route by route, early June to early July — Kjölur first, Sprengisandur about a month later
  • Midnight sun (late May–mid Jul) — effectively no darkness
  • Aurora season (late Aug–mid Apr) — needs dark, clear skies, and no highland access

Walks

  • Laugavegur — four days Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, walkable only once the F-roads and huts open
  • Fimmvörðuháls — the day-long extension between two glaciers, often added to the above
  • Hornstrandir in the Westfjords — no roads at all, boat access only, and only in high summer

Almost all of Iceland’s serious walking depends on highland access, which is a six-to-twelve-week window. Coastal and waterfall walks near the ring road stay open far longer.

Crowds, month by month

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0 is this destination’s own quietest month and 100 its busiest. The scale never compares one destination to another. Source: Eurostat IS00

See everything else at its best in Oct

Organised trips

Multi-day trips to Iceland

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