Iceland.is
Northern Lights in Reykjavik
The Northern Lights are a good reason to visit Iceland besides all the other spectacular attractions you find on Iceland.
The Northern Lights are the result of electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing displays of bright, colourful dancing lights.
They can range in colour from white, green, pink and purple. The Northern Lights is best seen from Iceland, Greenland, northern Norway, Siberia, the Canadian territories and Alaska in the world.
Best season for Northern Light
Guaranteed darkness is the first important factor. The best season to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is from October to mid-April – these are the months where there are very dark nights.
In order to see the Northern Lights, the skies need to be very clear. This often coincides with some of our coldest nights, since the clear dark weather in Iceland usually means temperatures below freezing.
Once in a while, the Northern Lights will take Reykjavík by surprise and they are so strong that the city lights don’t matter, but most of the time, it’s best to get away from all the street lights and car brights.
Where to spot the Northern Lights
In you stay in Reykjavik you can watch the Lights if it is strong enough, but find a dark spot where it`s a bit darker than rest of the city
If you are traveling in with your own or a rented car it`s a good idea to get out of the city, and you don`t need to go far out. A good suggestion could be Þingvellir National Park, but it`s not important, it just has to be dark.
If you want to join an organized tour you can take one of the companies offering Northern Lights tours as Gray Line or Reykjavik Excursions.
Taking your visit out of the capital and into the countryside further increases your chances of catching them. There are many great small towns to visit around the country with beautiful country hotels and guesthouses.
See here more about the Nothern Lights in Reykjavik
Getting there
Find routes to this destination.
Coordinates
- Lattitude: 64.126521
- Longitude: -21.817439
