Short answer: The northern lights season in Iceland runs from about late August or September to mid-April, with the longest, darkest nights from November to February. You need three things at once: a properly dark sky, clear skies or at least gaps in the cloud, and some solar activity, and the lights are usually strongest around midnight and a few hours either side. Get away from the lights of Reykjavík if you can, and allow at least three or four nights, ideally a week, to give the weather a fair chance.
Seeing the aurora dance over a glacier or a lonely mountain is the reason many people visit Iceland in winter. The lights cannot be booked or promised, though. This guide covers when your chances are best, how to read the official forecast, where to go, and whether a tour or your own car suits you better.
When to see the northern lights in Iceland
Visit Iceland, the national tourist board, puts the main season between September and April, when the nights are long enough. Visit Iceland also notes that the lights are said to be most active around the equinoxes in September and March, while midwinter gives you more hours of darkness to look. Visit Reykjavík and West Iceland stretch the window to start in late August.
Darkness is the first filter. The table shows Reykjavík sunrise and sunset in the middle of each month, and roughly when the sky is properly dark (the sun more than 12 degrees below the horizon). Iceland keeps the same clock all year, with no daylight saving time. The far north and the Westfjords have slightly shorter winter days than Reykjavík. For any place and date, use our Sunrise and sunset tool.
| Reykjavík, mid-month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Properly dark, roughly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 15 | 06:51 | 19:55 | about 13 h | 21:45–05:00 |
| October 15 | 08:18 | 18:08 | about 9 h 50 min | 19:50–06:35 |
| November 15 | 09:56 | 16:27 | about 6 h 30 min | 18:30–07:55 |
| December 15 | 11:16 | 15:29 | about 4 h 15 min | 17:55–08:50 |
| January 15 | 10:55 | 16:19 | about 5 h 25 min | 18:30–08:45 |
| February 15 | 09:23 | 18:00 | about 8 h 35 min | 19:50–07:35 |
| March 15 | 07:46 | 19:27 | about 11 h 40 min | 21:10–06:00 |
| April 15 | 05:56 | 21:00 | about 15 h | 23:15–03:40 |
Month by month
- September: The season opens. Dark hours are short, but it is the equinox period and long days suit road trips.
- October: A sweet spot for many travelers. It is dark for close to eleven hours a night by mid-month, while days are still long enough for full sightseeing.
- November to January: The darkest months, with only four to six and a half hours of daylight in Reykjavík. The tourist boards of Reykjavík and North Iceland both name this period for the darkest skies. The trade-off is winter weather: the Icelandic Met Office notes that precipitation is higher in winter than summer, with December and January about twice as wet as May and June, so cloudy spells are common.
- February: Long nights remain while the days lengthen fast.
- March: The spring equinox, with roughly nine dark hours a night and long days for sightseeing.
- April: The tail of the season. By mid-April it is properly dark only for a few hours after 23:00, and by the end of the month the nights are too bright for most sightings.
For the full year, including seasons for puffins, hiking and the midnight sun, see our guide to the best time to visit Iceland.
Where are we in the solar cycle in 2026–27?
The Sun’s activity rises and falls in a cycle of about 11 years. In October 2024, NASA and NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center announced that the Sun had reached the solar maximum period of Solar Cycle 25, and said the maximum phase would likely last another year or so before the declining phase. NASA notes that fairly significant storms often still happen during the declining phase, though less often, and NOAA does not expect the next cycle to begin until sometime between 2029 and 2032. For a trip in 2026–27, that means good displays remain possible, but the weather and the darkness on the nights you are there matter far more than the solar cycle.
How to read the forecast
The best free tool is the aurora forecast from the Icelandic Met Office at en.vedur.is. It has three parts:
- Cloud cover map. This is the most useful part. Green areas are cloudy and white areas are clear, and you can step through several days at different times. Cloud often varies a lot between regions, so on a cloudy night in the south the north or east may be clear, and the reverse. The Met Office’s text forecast also says where partly clear skies are most likely.
- Aurora activity, 0 to 9. A box shows the expected activity at midnight for the chosen date. Low numbers are common and high ones are rare, and the Met Office itself says even low activity (2) can be beautiful and moderate activity (3) can be dazzling. Do not cancel a clear night because the number is small.
- Sun and moon times. Sunset, darkness, sunrise and moonrise times for Reykjavík. The Met Office notes that moonlight reduces visibility somewhat but can light up the landscape nicely in photos.
The activity number is based on the Kp index, NOAA’s global measure of geomagnetic activity. Kp runs from 0 to 9 and is given for each three-hour period: 1 is calm, and 5 or more means a geomagnetic storm (G1 to G5 on NOAA’s scale). Because Iceland sits under the auroral oval, at roughly 64 to 66 degrees north, you do not need a big storm; NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center notes that people under the oval can see the aurora on many nights. Its aurora dashboard and 30-minute forecast are useful once you are out and waiting. Aurora apps mostly repackage this data with alerts; the cloud map still decides your night.
Practical routine: Check the cloud map in the afternoon, pick the clearest area you can reach safely, and go out once it is properly dark. Visit Iceland says activity is usually strongest around midnight and a few hours before and after, and Visit Reykjavík says most sightings happen between 22:00 and 02:00. NOAA describes arcs that often start to twist and sway late in the evening, near midnight. Give your eyes several minutes away from screens and headlights to adjust, look north first, and be patient: displays can fade and return within the hour.
Where to see the northern lights in Iceland
Visit Iceland is clear that there is no single best location, but sightings are much better outside towns. The goal is a dark spot with a wide view north and a clear forecast. These are the classic choices, from easiest to more remote.
Reykjavík: Grótta and the city parks
You can see strong displays from Reykjavík, but street lights wash out faint ones. Visit Reykjavík suggests Grótta lighthouse on the tip of the Seltjarnarnes peninsula, with a dark horizon over the sea; Öskjuhlíð hill around Perlan, where trees block the street lamps; the open lawns of Klambratún park; and the quiet Elliðaárdalur valley. City buses reach several of these, so you do not need a car.
Þingvellir National Park
The first stop of the Golden Circle is about 45 km from Reykjavík and has wide, open plains and little artificial light, which makes it a popular night stop within easy reach of the capital. Parking at the park’s car parks is paid by the day, by machine or online. In winter, paths around the rift can be icy, so stay near the parking areas at night.
The South Coast and Vík
The South Coast puts you far from city lights with famous foregrounds: Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, the black-sand beaches near Vík and the sea stacks offshore. Vík, about 185 km from Reykjavík, is a common overnight stop on winter trips, which means you can step out of your guesthouse when the sky clears instead of driving back to the city late at night.
Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
Icebergs floating in the lagoon, with the aurora reflected in the water, make one of Iceland’s most famous night pictures. Jökulsárlón is part of Vatnajökull National Park, about five hours’ drive from Reykjavík, so it works best as part of a two- or three-night South Coast trip with a stay near Skaftafell or Höfn. The area has a park parking fee.
Snæfellsnes and Kirkjufell
Kirkjufell mountain near Grundarfjörður, with its small waterfall in front, may be the most photographed aurora spot in the country. West Iceland’s tourist board also names Snæfellsjökull and Djúpalónssandur beach, Súgandisey island and its lighthouse at Stykkishólmur, and the shore of Borgarnes. The Snæfellsnes peninsula is about two and a half hours from Reykjavík, so one or two nights there is ideal.
North Iceland: Akureyri and Mývatn
The north gives you a second roll of the dice when the south is cloudy, and the other way round. Visit North Iceland lists easy spots around Akureyri: the old harbor, the Eyrarlandsvegur viewpoint above town, Krossanesborgir nature reserve, Kjarnaskógur woods and the Hlíðarfjall ski area, plus Goðafoss waterfall on the Ring Road to the east. Lake Mývatn, about 100 km further east, is small, rural and very dark at night. Domestic flights from Reykjavík make a short northern stay easy in winter.
The Westfjords
Remote, quiet and with very little light pollution, the Westfjords suit travelers who want to stay put for several nights. The regional tourist board says the aurora can be seen from just about anywhere in the region when the weather allows, including from your guesthouse or a hot spring, and suggests rural lodgings away from town lights.
Driving at night in winter
Check two official sites before you set out. Umferdin.is, from the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration, shows road closures and conditions in real time, and the road service can also be reached on 1777. Safetravel.is, run by the ICE-SAR search and rescue association, explains Icelandic road conditions and traffic rules. Pull fully off the road into a proper parking area before you stop to look up, and switch your headlights off once you are parked.
Tours or on your own?
Both work; it depends on how confident you are driving winter roads at night.
- Big-bus tours from Reykjavík: The easiest option and usually the cheapest. Guides read the forecasts and drive to wherever the sky looks best that night. Reykjavík Excursions, for example, runs its tour from September to mid-April for up to 3.5 hours, and only goes out when conditions look favorable.
- Small-group and minibus tours: Fewer people, more flexibility to chase clear skies further away, and often help with camera settings.
- Boat tours from Reykjavík harbor: A short trip out into the bay, away from the city lights, that is easy to fit into a city stay. Sea conditions decide whether they sail.
- Self-drive: Maximum freedom to follow the cloud map and stay out as long as you like, especially if you base yourself in the countryside. You need to be comfortable with dark, icy roads and to check road conditions first.
What “free rebooking” usually means: Many operators let you join again on another night at no charge if the tour runs but no lights appear. Terms vary. Reykjavík Excursions says you can rejoin as many times as you need and that the rebooking ticket is valid for two years; if it cancels a tour because of poor conditions, it offers a refund or a new date. Some other operators offer a free rebooking but no refund once the tour has run. Read the terms before you pay, and book your aurora tour for your first night so you have spare nights to use a rebooking. Compare evening tours, boat trips and small groups in our tour finder.
Photographing the northern lights
Cameras see more color than your eyes, so a faint glow can look bright on screen. The basics:
- Keep it still. A sturdy tripod is essential for long exposures. Use a two-second timer.
- Starting settings: Visit Iceland suggests ISO 800–3200, an aperture of f/2.8 to f/5.6 and a shutter speed of 15 to 30 seconds. Use a wide-angle lens and focus manually on a bright star or a distant light. When the aurora moves fast, shorten the exposure to keep its shape sharp.
- Remove filters from the lens, as they can distort the image, and turn off image stabilization when using a tripod.
- Phones: Use night mode or a manual mode with a long exposure, and rest the phone on something solid or a small tripod.
- Cold and composition: Keep spare batteries in an inside pocket, and put a mountain, lighthouse or icebergs in the foreground.
What to wear and pack
Aurora watching means standing still outside at night, often in wind, so dress warmer than you would for a daytime walk. Wear a thermal or wool base layer, a fleece or down mid-layer and a windproof, waterproof shell, plus a warm hat, gloves you can work a camera in (or thin liners under mittens), wool socks and insulated waterproof boots. Slip-on ice cleats help on frozen paths and parking lots. Visit Reykjavík also recommends a headlamp with a red-light setting, which protects your night vision. Build your list with our packing list tool.
Plan your trip
Plan days that are great on their own and treat clear nights as a bonus. Our Iceland itinerary includes a winter plan built around short days and long nights, and the top places to visit in Iceland covers the sights you will see by day. Check how much a trip to Iceland costs, too. Then let our Trip Planner build a day-by-day plan around your dates, and check conditions for your travel month with the Destination weather tool.
Frequently asked questions
What month is best to see the northern lights in Iceland?
Any month from September to early April can work. November to February have the most hours of darkness, while September–October and February–March balance long dark nights with more daylight for sightseeing and fall around the equinoxes, when activity is said to be higher. If you want both aurora chances and full days on the road, October and March are good choices.
Can you see the northern lights from Reykjavík?
Yes, on clear nights with good activity, but city lights hide fainter displays. Walk or take a bus to a darker spot such as Grótta lighthouse, Öskjuhlíð hill or Klambratún park, or join an evening tour that drives out of the city.
How many nights do I need?
There is no guarantee for any number of nights, because cloud often decides. Three or four nights gives you a reasonable chance, and a week, ideally split between two regions such as Reykjavík and the South Coast or the north, gives you a much better one.
Can you see the northern lights in summer?
Practically no. The aurora happens all year, but from about mid-May to mid-July Iceland’s nights stay bright, and in late spring and summer the sky is too light to see it. Plan for late August at the earliest and mid-April at the latest.
Are the northern lights visible every night?
No. You need darkness, clear skies or breaks in the cloud, and some solar activity at the same time. Check the Met Office cloud map and aurora forecast every afternoon and stay flexible.
Does a full moon stop you seeing the northern lights?
No, but it makes faint displays harder to see. The Icelandic Met Office says moonlight reduces visibility somewhat but can make the experience better by lighting up the landscape, which many photographers like. A strong display is easy to see even under a bright moon.