Iceland: better in winter or summer?
The old icelandic calendar It includes only two seasons: winter or skammdegi , when the days are short and the cold settles for months, and summer or natleysi , when what are short are the nights and the cold becomes only cool.
Iceland it changes completely depending on the season and therefore one of the first questions we face is: What Iceland do we want to know?
(Spoiler alert) Whichever one we choose, we will dream of discovering the other as well, so perhaps the right question would be: which Iceland do we want to know first?
Oh,
The initial consideration that should be mentioned about iceland in winter is that, contrary to what might seem, it's not so cold . The country is within the Gulf Stream so temperatures in the colder months range between 2 and -10 degrees.
The problem is usually the wind -which can make the thermal sensation much less- and the variability of the weather; as the Icelanders say, 'if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes '. Of course, if we travel to Iceland in winter we will have the following advantages:
AURORA BOREALIS
Without a doubt, one of the great attractions of the country. The opportune conditions that allow to see the Northern Lights are: clear skies, darkness and high solar activity, so the best time to see them is between september and april since in summer there is too much light.
The application Aurora Forecast it can help us to know the probability that exists that auroras can be seen and we can even configure it and create alerts. Also, in many hotels we can ask to be woken up if the northern Lights appear in the sky.
Ca n Stakkholtsgja, a spectacular location to see the Northern Lights
THE AUTHENTIC SNOWY LANDSCAPE
Yes, the Icelandic landscapes are unheard of , let's go in the station that we go. Its untamed nature is one of the best reasons to visit this country.
Precisely for this reason, winter wins, even though it can sometimes complicate the trip: you have to see Iceland under a thick layer of snow and promise to return in summer. There are few things as pleasant as taking a steamy bath in an outdoor thermal lagoon while contemplating the spectacular nature of the snowy landscapes.
In winter, better
ICE CAVES
Iceland has the largest glacier in Europe: Vatnajökull . Incredible ice caves are formed in it that, with the arrival of summer, either crumble or become dangerous, so this is an experience that only the Icelandic winter gives us.
The glacial caves, which, like the glacier, evolve and change every year, are characterized by being made entirely of ice and because, most of them, It has an unreal and ghostly electric blue hue.
PRICES
winter is low season in Iceland, for this reason the prices are considerably lower **(both in the accommodations and in the excursions and in the flights)**. In addition, we will be able to enjoy many of the most impressive places in the country in absolute solitude.
Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe
DISADVANTAGES OF TRAVELING TO ICELAND IN WINTER
The main disadvantages of traveling in winter to Iceland are lack of light and the poor accessibility to some places . To get an idea, at the beginning of November daylight hours are around the 8 arriving in mid-December, with the winter solstice, to be only about 4 . In addition, it must be taken into account that in the north the daylight hours are even shorter.
As for the roads, some are closed during the winter , as the F-type that, even in summer and in good conditions, are only accessible to 4-wheel drive vehicles.
The ring road that surrounds the island does not usually have big problems, although it is more than likely that we will find snow or blizzard . The web road.is has updated information on the state of the roads, the weather and we can even see real-time webcams. We assure you that you will visit it almost as much as Instagram.
Be careful with the state of the roads, at any time of the year
And the summer? It is important to point out that if we are one of those who, as soon as summer appears, we flee from the high temperatures and dream of summer nights in which a jacket and even a blanket are needed, Iceland in July or August offers us a direct trip to paradise.
Of course, if what we like is to vegetate in the sun, walk constantly in flip-flops and banish long pants, perhaps Iceland is not our destination even in summer; here the temperature rarely rises above 20 degrees . Although we will have these advantages if we decide to travel to Iceland in summer :
PUFFINS
Iceland is home to the largest colony of puffins in the world , yes, only during the summer months. Between May and September , it is easy to see hundreds of them with their characteristic walk jumping through the grass.
They usually nest on the cliffs of the island, especially in the West Fjords, East Fjords, Vestman Islands and Dyrhólaey Headland which also offers incredible views of the Reynisfjara beach , with its hexagonal basalt columns and its characteristic islets, considered by Icelandic tradition to be trolls turned into stone.
You will be able to see puffins between May and September
MIDNIGHT SUN
If in midwinter they can hardly be counted 4 hours of sun, when the summer solstice arrives, it arrives at 9:00 p.m. It happens then, especially in the north of the island, the so-called midnight sun when the star does not get to set, it only seems to rest on the horizon producing a kind of very long sunset.
THE WHOLE ISLAND IS ACCESSIBLE
With the arrival of summer they begin to reopen the roads and some places that seemed unattainable become accessible. An example is Landmannalaugar, in the Highlands , which offers its spectacular mountains of colors only in the summer.
Without forgetting also the possibilities that open only in summer: the hiking trails -where stands out the Laugavegurson- They are one of the best ways to discover the secrets of the country.
Landmannalaugar, in the Highlands
COUNTLESS FESTIVALS
Icelanders celebrate the arrival of summer in a very special way. Practically every week there are festivals in different cities of the country.
In June we can enjoy the Secret Solstice in Reykjavik , in July takes place the Eistnaflug , which claims to be the friendliest heavy metal festival in the world, or the Festival of Art and lung music and if we prefer August we can visit, among others, the Great Fish Day or the Night of Culture in Reykjavík.
DISADVANTAGES OF TRAVELING TO ICELAND IN SUMMER
The number of tourists arriving in Iceland has been rising for years and in 2018 exceeded the 2 millions , a number that quintuples its number of inhabitants.
The vast majority of them travel in summer which causes three phenomena to occur: greater influx of public in tourist places -especially in the south of the country-, greater difficulty finding accommodation Y higher prices in a country that is already quite expensive.
And you, when will you travel to Iceland?