Country guide

Iceland

Waterfalls, glaciers and black-sand beaches around one ring road; summer for midnight sun, winter for the northern lights.

Currency

ISK

Language

Icelandic

English

Everywhere

Payment

Cards everywhere

Power

Type C / F

230 V, 50 Hz

Dialing

+354

Destinations

Iceland

Akureyri

Iceland's northern capital, a fjord-head town with whales in the water and Myvatn an hour away.

✓ best Jun-Aug

Iceland

East Fjords (Egilsstadir)

The quiet end of the Ring Road: deep fjords, small fishing villages and Iceland's only wild reindeer, with a fraction of the south coast's traffic.

✓ best Jun-Aug

Iceland

Reykjavik

A pocket-sized capital with a big-city scene, hot pools on every corner and the Golden Circle on the doorstep.

✓ best May-Sep

Iceland

Westfjords (Isafjordur)

Iceland without the coach tours: fjord after empty fjord, Dynjandi, puffin cliffs and a reserve with no roads at all.

✓ best Jul-Aug

The sweet-spot windows

Good weather, thinner crowds, better prices: the windows worth aiming for.

Where	When	Why it works	Watch out for
Iceland	Jun-Aug or Sep-Mar	Summer: Ring Road + midnight sun. Winter: aurora + ice caves	Oct wettest. Weather always wild

Climate zones, month by month

Iceland has 4 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.

Akureyri →

Jan

3°

-3°

60mm

11d rain

Feb

3°

-4°

52mm

10d rain

Mar

4°

-3°

47mm

10d rain

Apr

7°

0°

26mm

7d rain

May

10°

3°

24mm

6d rain

Jun

14°

7°

21mm

5d rain

Jul

15°

9°

34mm

8d rain

Aug

15°

8°

41mm

8d rain

Sep

12°

5°

53mm

9d rain

Oct

7°

1°

74mm

12d rain

Nov

4°

-2°

68mm

11d rain

Dec

3°

-4°

73mm

12d rain

✓ Best Jun-Aug · ✗ Avoid Oct-Apr

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

East Fjords (Egilsstadir) →

Jan

4°

-1°

152mm

18d rain

Feb

4°

-1°

107mm

16d rain

Mar

4°

-1°

116mm

18d rain

Apr

4°

0°

110mm

16d rain

May

7°

2°

105mm

16d rain

Jun

9°

5°

88mm

15d rain

Jul

11°

7°

117mm

17d rain

Aug

11°

8°

132mm

18d rain

Sep

10°

6°

169mm

17d rain

Oct

7°

3°

208mm

20d rain

Nov

5°

1°

177mm

19d rain

Dec

4°

0°

153mm

19d rain

✓ Best Jun-Aug · ✗ Avoid Nov-May

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Reykjavik →

Jan

3°

-2°

87mm

15d rain

Feb

3°

-2°

91mm

15d rain

Mar

4°

-1°

81mm

14d rain

Apr

7°

1°

59mm

12d rain

May

10°

4°

53mm

11d rain

Jun

13°

7°

43mm

9d rain

Jul

15°

9°

50mm

10d rain

Aug

14°

9°

65mm

12d rain

Sep

11°

6°

87mm

15d rain

Oct

8°

3°

80mm

13d rain

Nov

5°

0°

87mm

14d rain

Dec

3°

-2°

95mm

15d rain

✓ Best May-Sep

Conditions Jan-Mar Cold, aurora · Apr Cool · May Roads open · Jun Midnight sun · Jul Warmest month · Aug Puffins · Sep Autumn, aurora · Oct Wettest, aurora · Nov Cold, aurora · Dec Dark, aurora

Cards tinted by verified verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Westfjords (Isafjordur) →

Jan

-2°

-6°

140mm

25d rain

Feb

-1°

-5°

125mm

21d rain

Mar

-2°

-5°

125mm

23d rain

Apr

1°

-3°

100mm

19d rain

May

5°

0°

110mm

18d rain

Jun

8°

4°

104mm

14d rain

Jul

10°

6°

98mm

16d rain

Aug

10°

6°

121mm

18d rain

Sep

6°

3°

152mm

21d rain

Oct

2°

0°

129mm

23d rain

Nov

1°

-2°

111mm

22d rain

Dec

-2°

-5°

104mm

25d rain

✓ Best Jul-Aug · ✗ Avoid Sep-May

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions