Pro/Con list for when to visit Iceland


You might be interested in ... YouTube Videos from Iceland

Exploring the Katla Ice Cave + A Tour Review (BRAND NEW) - Watch it here.

Cinematic Iceland, 17 minutes of stunning drone shots - Watch it here.

If you enjoy these videos, I'd be very appreciative if you subscribed!

Midnight Sun or Northern Lights? A Quick Pro/Con for when to visit Iceland

If you're having some trouble deciding when to visit Iceland, I wanted to do a quick benefits breakdown of each season. I've been in June during the midnight sun and in September (which was also pretty lovely - mostly good weather, easy travel, and scored northern lights!)

Midnight Sun (June/July)

4 Pros:

  • Ability to hike/explore all day - 9am to midnight is not uncommon
  • Easily travel across the entire country, delays minimal
  • Tours are fully operational
  • Warm-ish (but still expect wind depending on location)

3 Cons:

  • Most crowded (though you'll only feel this in the capital and at certain locations)
  • Most expensive time to visit
  • Long days can get exhausting (and forgetting to eat ha!)

Northern Lights

4 Pros:

  • For photography, long golden hour
  • Get to experience the northern lights
  • Less crowded/expensive
  • Have a unique experience

4 Cons:

  • Quite cold. Okay, potentially very cold
  • Only 4-5 hours of daylight (though October and March will have far more)
  • Travel plans can easily get upended
  • Highlands off limits outside of tours, probably won't drive around the country

Need extra help planning your Iceland trip?

My Ring Road Guide offers helpful tips, itineraries, top photo spots, and 10% off your camper van!

$23.00

Iceland Travel Guide with Pinned Photo & Travel Locations

Last but not least, find all of my Iceland articles to help plan a trip here.

Hi! I'm Alec, an outdoor writer, photographer, and content creator.

Alec is a landscape photographer and outdoors storyteller with a zeal for pushing boundaries in the wild. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, and visiting remote places, allowing him to photograph locations the rest of the world shies away from. In addition, Alec loves to write about his travels and craft articles that help educate and inspire others to find their joy in nature.

Read more from Hi! I'm Alec, an outdoor writer, photographer, and content creator.

2025 was an incredible travel year, but for some reason, it also felt underwhelming to the core activities I truly love: Backpacking and hiking. A move from Seattle to Denver occupied a decent chunk of our summer, and then I unfortunately got hurt on the Fjallraven Annual Classic, which wiped out August. This ended up being the lowest mileage hiking year of recent memory, even including the years I had cancer, which is kinda crazy. Still, the year had so many highs, from exploring our new...

Happy holidays to each and every one of you! I'll keep this very short, as this is a longer newsletter. We're sticking around Denver for Christmas. When we moved here, I somewhat figured it would be a white Christmas... or at least some white stuff on the ground. But nope! It's highs in the mid-50s to 60s, and we're getting our tan on! Lastly, I want to say thanks for reading and supporting this newsletter. All I want is to help you guys get outside and enjoy time in nature. I hope I've...

Happy feast week, everyone! Jaimie and I are traveling to the Bay Area to see her family, and it'll be nice to warm up some as Denver's temps are DROPPING! I'm not sure how November flew by so fast, but here we are. I hope you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you for being here and supporting this newsletter. I truly appreciate it. And if there is anything you want me to cover, just ask! First things first. I think you all enjoy traveling and probably saving...