The team at Sidequest: Iceland gets asked frequently about when is the best time to come to Iceland. Of course, we always say that depends on your travel goals and tolerance levels for weather and people! We have drafted this handy chart to help those planning a trip consider the objectives of their trip and weigh the variables. 

And yes, because we are nerds, we did in fact work with Ferðamálastofa / Icelandic Tourist Board, Veðurstofa Íslands - Icelandic Met Office, and NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration data as well as local specialists to make sure we were capturing an up-to-date (and safe) picture of Iceland's tourism and weather conditions.

Want the most daylight to maximize what you can squeeze into a day?

The midnight sun season can be an extremely unique and exciting season to experience. Yes, the sun does set in Iceland, but for several months a year, it will not get dark. Some people find this unsettling, but many locals find this gives us energy and extra time to enjoy our wonderful country. If experiencing light 24 hours a day sounds appealing, visit Iceland between mid-May to late July. But remember! Because of this constant daylight, there are no northern lights during this time.

Want the best chance to see the northern lights?

Most websites will tell you to simply "come in the winter" if you wish to catch an aurora or two. But not we nerds here at Sidequest: Iceland. There's a more scientific answer to this, in fact. Best auroras happen around the annual equinoxes (late September and late March) because of the orientation of the earth's magnetic fields as the planet orbits the sun, making our magnetic field more vulnerable to solar winds. Additionally, the weather tends to be better around these times of years, especially in the autumn, so we always recommend a fall season aurora trip to Iceland.

Want to avoid crowds but still have lots of daylight to enjoy activities?

April through early May can see the least number of tourists here in Iceland but still be quite bright during the day. In April, you can still catch very late night glimpses of the norther lights, too. There's usually less chance for snow storms then, and the roads can fairly clear. By late April, many trails start to become passable (although not the back-country or river crossing ones). And in April, you can still safely access ice caves.

Want a snowy holiday to Iceland?

There are so many exciting things to do in Iceland in the snow. Don't be scared! Sidequest: Iceland loves snow-shoeing in the Highlands on a golden sunny winter day. The snow also provides great light reflection for nighttime aurora photos. And who doesn't love a cozy cafe and hot chocolate as the snow comes down? Well, the good news (or bad news, depending on your perspective) is that it can and has snowed during every month of the year here in Iceland at some point. As of writing this, Reykjavik just received the most snow ever recorded for an October just before Halloween here. Most of the time, however, if it does snow in spring (May or June) or autumn (September or October) it will rarely stick on the ground for long. For an authentic snowy experience, visit Iceland in January or February. Skiing, both downhill and cross country, ice caves and glacier walks, snow mobiling, snow elf making, and dog sledding are all at the peak of their season then.

Want to frolic in fields of wildflowers?

You CAN do this in Iceland! I think most of us have seen the social media posts with the fields of purple lupine. These flowers are not native to Iceland and were introduced to try to stop soil erosion. However, as an invasive species, the flowers took over, and now every year there are more and more along the roads and trails as cars and hikers help the plants' seeds spread. These flowers are very weather and temperature dependent, so the start to sprout after a bout of warm weather. And will bloom first at sea level where it is warmer, and will bloom in the mountains or highlands later in the summer. On average, though, they will start to grow in May and be fully bloomed by mid-June. Want that perfect photo in a field of purple lupine? Aim for late June - mid July.

So, Sidequest: Iceland, when do you recommend people visit Iceland?

We tell our family to come visit in September. Good weather, auroras, fall colors: what's not to love? In the early month, almost all hiking trails are still open (yearly weather dependent), longer daylight hours, and greenery still everywhere make it an ideal time. Later in the month, the fall colors bloom, the days are still long, it's peak northern lights time, and there's a slight dip in the number of tourists. Our favorite!