Witnessing the celestial display of colours known as the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, is a lifelong dream for many travellers.

• 🚗 Compare car hire prices – Iceland
• 🛌 Find the cheapest accommodation – Iceland

Iceland is one of the best places to watch the Northern Lights. It lies far enough north, but not quite within the Arctic Circle. If you are too far beyond the Arctic Circle, the aurora borealis becomes less intense again.

Iceland is simply in the ideal location and, despite the harsh winter weather, attracts many tourists from all over Europe at this time of year.

In this article, we won’t be describing how and why the Northern Lights occur, but rather when and under what conditions you can see them in Iceland.

• The Northern Lights season runs from September to mid-April
• October, November, February and March offer the best balance between sufficient darkness and daylight hours
• If the Northern Lights are the main reason for your trip, make sure you spend at least four evenings in Iceland
• An organised tour is particularly worthwhile if you’re staying in Reykjavík without a car
• Book your trip for the first or second evening of your stay, so that you have time for another attempt if necessary

Compare Northern Lights tours

When to go – the best months

The Northern Lights are a year-round phenomenon, but the human eye can only see them against a sufficiently dark sky. They do not require snow or frost. You won’t see them in Iceland in summer simply because it hardly ever gets dark there.

The first sufficiently dark nights arrive at the end of August. The actual season begins in September and ends in the first half of April.

We consider October and November, or February and March, to be the best times of year.

The nights are long enough, but there is still plenty of daylight left for exploring Iceland.

January	Peak season
February	Peak season
March	Peak season (until the first half of the month)
April	Moderate chances
May	Low to no chance
June	No chance
July	No chance
August	No to low chance towards the end of the month
September	Low to moderate chance
October	High chance towards the end of the month
November	Peak season
December	Peak season

For details on temperatures, cloud cover and daylight hours, see the section on Weather in Iceland.

Search for flights to Iceland

Is an organised tour worth it?

An organised tour won’t conjure up the Northern Lights or clear away the clouds. You’re mainly paying for a driver, transport away from the city lights, an assessment of the latest forecasts, and the chance to focus on the sky rather than driving along dark and sometimes icy roads.

We recommend the trip if:

• You live in Reykjavík and haven’t hired a car
• You have no experience of driving in winter
• You don’t want to have to assess the weather and road conditions yourself
• You’d like help with taking photos
• You only have a few evenings in Iceland

Having your own car makes more sense if you’re travelling all over Iceland, staying outside towns and can change your plans depending on the cloud cover. In clear weather, it’s often enough just to step outside your accommodation.

How much does a Northern Lights tour cost?

Prices vary depending on the time of year, group size and services included. As a rough guide, expect to pay the following amounts:

Type of trip	Approximate price	Who it’s suitable for
Large coach	approx. 10 000 isk	The cheapest option, usually 3 to 4 hours
Smaller minibus	approx. 18 000 isk	Smaller group, more time with the guide and often help with taking photos
Boat from Reykjavík	approx. 14 500 isk	An experience without driving on winter roads, but with less flexibility to adapt to cloud cover
Superjeep	approx. 29 000 isk	A smaller group and access to less-visited places
Combined full-day trip	from 25 000 isk	Combining the Northern Lights with the Golden Circle or thermal spas

For most visitors, a standard coach or a smaller minibus offers the best value for money. A superjeep may be more comfortable and adventurous, but a higher price does not in itself guarantee a better chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

Book directly, via GetYourGuide, or Booking?

No single option is always the cheapest. Compare the same dates, the same operator, the pick-up point and the terms regarding a second attempt.

Where to book	Advantages	Disadvantages
Directly with the operator	Direct communication and usually the clearest rules regarding a second attempt	You can only compare offers from a single company
GetYourGuide	The widest selection, plenty of reviews and free cancellation on many trips	The price isn’t always lower than booking directly
Booking.com	All bookings in one account and sometimes attractive prices for registered users	A smaller selection and, for some trips, few reviews

We would first compare tours on GetYourGuide. Once you’ve chosen a specific tour, check the price directly with the listed operator.

If the price is the same, base your decision on the free cancellation option, the number of reviews and the terms regarding a re-attempt.

It’s worth checkingthe range of tours on Booking.com, particularly if you regularly use Booking or if you can find the same tour there for less.

Before paying, check:

• Group size
• Exact meeting point
• The price of any hotel pick-up
• Free cancellation policy
• Validity of a free re-attempt
• Whether the retake will be in the same type of vehicle
• Whether the price includes a photograph, a hot drink or the hire of a tripod

How the free re-attempt works

Many operators offer a free additional trip if the Northern Lights do not appear on the first evening. However, this does not usually involve a refund.

There are two different scenarios:

• If the tour operator cancels the trip due to a poor forecast, you can usually reschedule or request a refund
• If the trip goes ahead but you do not see the Northern Lights, you will usually be given the chance to try again, without being entitled to a refund

Some vouchers are valid for several years, but a new date may be subject to availability. Therefore, book the trip right at the start of your stay. A free second attempt on the last evening before your departure won’t be of much use.

The colours of the Northern Lights and how they compare to photographs

The Northern Lights can be a rich green, pink, purple or red. However, when activity is low, the human eye often sees only a pale grey-green cloud, which you might easily mistake for a regular cloud.

Thanks to a longer exposure time, a camera or mobile phone can capture much more light and colour. The resulting photograph may therefore look considerably more vivid than what you saw with your own eyes at that very moment.

During periods of strong activity, you’ll be able to see the colours and the rapid movement of the aurora very clearly even without a camera. However, every observation is different, and it’s not wise to expect the sky to automatically look like a photograph edited for social media.

The Northern Lights are simply different in colour, intensity and movement every time. The fact remains, however, that Iceland, alongside Norway, is the best place in Europe for the most vivid Northern Lights.

What affects the visibility of the Northern Lights

To observe them successfully, you need a combination of several conditions:

• Darkness – you won’t be able to see the aurora without a sufficiently dark sky
• Aclear sky – clouds can obscure even very bright auroras
• Solar activity – this affects the intensity and extent of the aurora
• Low light pollution – faint auroras are more visible outside towns (though this is practically anywhere within a 10 km radius of Reykjavík)
• Time and patience – the aurora may appear for a few minutes, disappear and then return later

How to read the Kp index

The Kp index describes the activity of the Earth’s magnetic field on a scale from 0 to 9. A higher number indicates the possibility of stronger and more extensive auroras.

However, it is not true that you need at least a Kp of 3 in Iceland. Thanks to the island’s location, a beautiful aurora can be visible even at a Kp of 2.

Conversely, even a Kp of 5 or higher is no guarantee if the sky is overcast or if the strongest activity occurs at a different time of night.

You should therefore regard the Kp index as one part of the forecast, not as a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

Websites for aurora forecasts

The most useful is the official forecast from the Icelandic Meteorological Office at en.vedur.is.

The map combines the Northern Lights forecast with cloud cover:

• Green indicates an overcast sky
• White indicates a clear or partly cloudy sky
• The number in the top right-hand corner indicates the predicted activity
• Use the slider to change the time and track cloud movement

First, look for a white area within a safe driving distance. Only then should you consider the Kp index. In the map settings, you can switch between low, medium, high and total cloud cover. Therefore, do not completely ignore high clouds either.

For developments over the next hour, you can also check the NOAA short-term forecast. Before setting off by car, always check warnings and road conditions on Safetravel.is.

Where exactly should you go in Iceland?

There is no single best place to view the Northern Lights. It depends primarily on the current cloud cover.

When activity is strong and the sky is clear, you can even see the aurora right in Reykjavík. The best conditions are usually found in darker places with unobstructed views:

• Grótta Lighthouse on the Seltjarnarnes Peninsula
• Öskjuhlíð Hill near Perlan
• The coastline and open spaces away from direct street lighting

Fainter glow is easily lost in the city lights. If you don’t have a car, an organised trip is usually more convenient. With a hire car, you can adapt to the cloud cover and head out of town, though there’s no need to drive hundreds of kilometres.

Compare car hire prices

If travelling in your own car:

• Keep an eye on the weather and road conditions
• Park only in secure car parks and at rest areas
• Never stop in a traffic lane or in a blind spot
• Do not drive on closed or impassable roads
• Do not overestimate your experience of driving in winter conditions

For more information, see the sections on Car hire in Iceland and Safety in Iceland.

If the Northern Lights are one of the main reasons for your trip, it’s best to stay outside the centre of Reykjavík. On clear nights, you won’t need to drive anywhere and can keep an eye on the sky directly from your hotel or apartment.

How to photograph the Northern Lights

A modern mobile phone with a night mode will often take a good photo. The most important thing is to hold it steady for a few seconds.

When taking photos with your phone:

• Clean the lens
• Switch on night mode
• Rest your phone on a surface or use a small tripod
• Don’t use digital zoom
• Turn off the flash
• Use the self-timer so that you don’t move the phone when you press the shutter button

You can use the following as the default settings for the camera:

• An aperture of f/2.8 or the lowest available setting
• ISO 1,600 to 3,200
• Shutter speed of 5 to 15 seconds
• Manual focus on a distant star
• Wide-angle lens
• A tripod and shooting in RAW

If the glow is moving quickly, shorten the exposure time. Whilst a long exposure will produce a brighter image, it may turn the fine structure of a fast-moving glow into a blurred green patch.

In cold weather, make sure you take a spare battery with you. Low temperatures significantly reduce its battery life.

Frequently asked questions

Is seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland guaranteed?

No, it isn’t. The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and their visibility depends on solar activity, darkness and, above all, cloud cover. Even an organised tour cannot offer a guarantee.

At what time of day do the Northern Lights appear?

There is no exact time. It can appear at any time during the sufficiently dark part of the night. Moreover, the activity often comes in waves, so it’s worth checking the sky repeatedly.

Does it have to be freezing or snowing?

Not necessarily. Cold weather does not cause the Northern Lights. The winter months are ideal mainly because they offer a sufficiently dark sky.

Can you see the Northern Lights from Reykjavík?

Yes, particularly when activity is at its peak. However, you’ll see the fainter aurora more clearly away from direct lighting and outside the city.

How many nights should you set aside for viewing?

If the Northern Lights are the main purpose of your trip, we’d recommend planning for at least four to five nights. Even a longer stay isn’t a guarantee, but it significantly reduces the risk of all your evenings being ruined by cloud cover.

How to plan a trip to see the Northern Lights

The viewing itself will take up the evening, but during the day you can continue along the Golden Circle, the south coast or other parts of the island. You can put together your own route based on our itineraries for Iceland.

Before you set off, we also recommend checking out:

• Weather in Iceland
• Car hire in Iceland
• Accommodation in Iceland
• Safety in Iceland
• The Northern Lights in Norway

Have you seen the Northern Lights in Iceland? Please write in the comments the month, the area and the conditions under which you managed to see them.