Northern Lights in Iceland

Winter in Iceland

Winter in Iceland is dramatic, beautiful, and veryunpredictable

Weather & Daylight

• Winter runs roughly November through March

• Temperatures hover around -1°C to 4°C (30–40°F)—not as extreme as you might expect, thanks to ocean currents

• Daylight is limited:

  • December: as little as 4–5 hours of daylight

  • February: closer to 7–10 hours

This being said, our itineraries that are listed are best for April - October when the weather is suitable to drive to get to all of the spots.

Itineraries in Winter

Your itinerary in winter is going to be limited, as you will have to watch for road closures and weather warnings. Many tours will not be running and a lot of hotels and restaurants along the ring road will be closed. For the average tourist, you will be spending your time around the South Coast, so look at our 3-7 day south coast itineraries for your options! The East and North of Iceland do not maintain their roads during this time, so it is not advisable to drive the whole ring road.

When is the best time to see the Northern Lights?

You can only see the Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, when the nights are dark enough. Since Iceland only gets 4-5 hours of daylight during the winter, there are a lot of opportunities to see the Northern Lights. The best time to see them in Iceland is therefore when the nights are the darkest, which is between November and January. Having said that if you come well prepared you can still see them all through September and April when the nights are dark and clear!

What are the best conditions to see the Northern Lights?

1. Strong Solar ActivityThe Kp-index forecast is the measurement unit used to indicate the level of activity. Anything above 3 is a really high chance of you getting a great northern lights show. You can go to Aurora Forecast or use the Aurora App to check out the forecast.

2. Clear skies: The best way to spot the ideal place to find clear skies is to look at the aurora forecast on cloud covers from the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

How to maximize your probability of seeing the Northern Lights?

If you really do not want to miss the Northern Lights while in Iceland, I recommend going with a local guide that is an expert at finding them. Since you need clear skies, you might need to drive to find the right conditions or staying in an aurora hotel.