Fewer crowds
December is quietest.
December, at 26% of the busiest month (July). Low season, under 35% of the peak: November to January.
A good place. At the right time.
Best time to visitIceland.
Plan your visit
Find your month.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Start with May.
#1 of 12 · Balanced · 5.3/10
Overnight stays are 47% of the busiest month.
Based on Iceland countrywide averages.
- Afternoon high
- 51°F
- Sea temperature
- 43°F
- Crowds
- Moderate
The sea averages 43°F (6°C). Very cold: wetsuit weather. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Price context. National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest a little below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Historical averages, not forecasts or live prices.
A regional guide. Figures cover Ísland, including Reykjavík, Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon and Vík. Conditions vary within the region.
The whole calendar
Already have dates?
Explore your month, then weigh up the trade-offs.
May at a glance
Balanced match #1 · 5.3/10
Overnight stays are 47% of the busiest month.
The sea averages 43°F (6°C). Very cold: wetsuit weather. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Read the May guide- Afternoon high
- 51°F
- Night low
- 37°F
- Sea temperature
- 43°F
- Rain days
- 12
- Daylight
- 18h 36m
- Crowds
- Moderate
All 12 months, on the same measures. Tap a heading to sort or a month to open its guide.Select a month to open its guide. Scroll the table for more detail.
| Rank | Month | Overall | Weather | Crowds | Cost | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | May | 5.3 | 4.8/10 Fair | Moderate | Expensive | 51°F | 37°F | 43°F | 12 | 18h 36m |
| #2 | April | 5.3 | 4.0/10 Fair | Moderate | Expensive | 45°F | 33°F | 41°F | 12 | 15h 05m |
| #3 | November | 5.1 | 3.2/10 Fair | Low | Expensive | 38°F | 32°F | 44°F | 15 | 6h 22m |
| #4 | June | 4.9 | 5.6/10 Good | Busy | Expensive | 57°F | 43°F | 46°F | 11 | 21h 49m |
| #5 | March | 4.9 | 3.2/10 Fair | Moderate | Expensive | 39°F | 29°F | 40°F | 17 | 11h 34m |
| #6 | December | 4.8 | 2.8/10 Poor | Low | Expensive | 33°F | 27°F | 42°F | 16 | 3h 45m |
| #7 | January | 4.6 | 2.6/10 Poor | Low | Expensive | 33°F | 27°F | 41°F | 18 | 4h 57m |
| #8 | February | 4.6 | 2.6/10 Poor | Moderate | Expensive | 36°F | 28°F | 40°F | 17 | 8h 22m |
| #9 | July | 4.5 | 6.1/10 Good | Peak | Expensive | 60°F | 46°F | 49°F | 12 | 20h 21m |
| #10 | August | 4.5 | 5.8/10 Good | Peak | Expensive | 59°F | 46°F | 50°F | 12 | 16h 45m |
| #11 | October | 4.5 | 3.7/10 Fair | Moderate | Expensive | 44°F | 36°F | 45°F | 13 | 9h 52m |
| #12 | September | 4.4 | 4.3/10 Fair | Busy | Expensive | 52°F | 42°F | 48°F | 17 | 13h 13m |
Overall follows your priorities. Crowds compare each month with this place's own year. Highs, lows and rain days are historical averages for 2011–2025.
A little perspective
The shape of the year.
Afternoon highNight low
Top balanced match · May
May
- High
- 51°F
- Low
- 37°F
- Rain
- 12 days
- Crowds
- Moderate
Some weather measures are unavailable. Gaps in the chart mean no data.
Off season can mean fewer services. Confirm what is open for your dates.
Ísland regional averages · Historical patterns, not a forecast. Gaps mean no data. Crowds compare months within this region.
The busiest month records 3.8 times the overnight stays of the quietest.
No month reaches a very-good weather score. Poor weather scores: December to February.
Peak-season months: July to August. Low-season months: November to January.
The two busiest months account for 31% of annual overnight stays.
Nonstop flights from the US (2024): all year, from Boston, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Seattle and Baltimore and 9 more US airports.
On the 2024 EU comparison, Iceland's restaurants and hotels are well above EU average.
Before you go
Pack a little context.
Good weather
May, outside the busy season.
No month rates very good. July has the highest displayed weather score (6.1/10). Highest weather score outside the busy season: May.
Lower prices
November to January.
These are three lower-price months on Iceland's historical 2024–2025 national hotel index. It cannot identify this region's cheapest bookable rooms.
School holidays
Summer break meets the busy season.
If your dates follow US school breaks: June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season. Spring break (March–April) falls in moderate season.
Local school holiday dates are unavailable in our calendar; this does not mean schools are open.
About these answers
These are historical seasonal patterns. Crowds compare a month with this place's own busiest month; they do not measure queues at individual sights. Weather answers use the displayed weather scores. These seasonal facts stay the same when you change your priorities; your Overall recommendation updates above. Prices retain the scope stated beside them. Full methodology.
Choose your season
The year, season by season.
Winter
Dec–Feb
A quieter start, a busier finish.
December and January fall in low season; February falls in moderate season.
33–36°FAfternoon highs
Spring
Mar–May
Moderate visitor levels throughout.
39–51°FAfternoon highs
Summer
Jun–Aug
A busy season for visitors.
June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season.
57–60°FAfternoon highs
Autumn
Sep–Nov
A busier start, a quieter finish.
September falls in busy season; October falls in moderate season; November falls in low season.
38–52°FAfternoon highs
Ranges span monthly average afternoon highs, not daily extremes. Conditions and seasonal openings vary within Iceland.
How we know
The default Balanced Overall weighs weather 50%, crowds 30% and cost 20%. Your priority choice updates the Overall, month ranks and recommendation. While your weather weight is at least 40%, Overall cannot exceed weather by more than 2. Close scores can describe different trip experiences. How the scores work.
| Statistical region | IS00 · Ísland |
| Region type | Countryside (Eurostat NUTS3 typologies weighted by population: urban 0%, coastal 0%, mountain 0%; median ground height 273 m) |
| Population used | 389,000 (1 January 2025) |
| Crowd reference years | 2023 only |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Reykjavik from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 3°F (1.7°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C). |
| Climate index | HCI:Urban, observed climatology over 15 years (2011–2025) |
| Hotel occupancy (annual) | —% |
| Accommodation mix | — |
| Country price level (restaurants & hotels, EU27 = 100) | 167 |
| Daylight latitude | 64.98° N |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by month and NUTS 2 region, per 1,000 inhabitants, divided by days in the month. "Season here" is the month's figure as a share of this region's busiest month. "Visitors" ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions that month. Weather: Holiday Climate Index (Scott et al. 2016; Rutty et al. 2020) computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records and population-weighted to the region. Prices are national. Hand-written notes are marked and nothing depends on them. Full method · this region's data.