Okay, listen. We’re really, really sorry, but we have to tell you something. The northern lights are not really on all the time.
According to the dictionary, aurora borealis, a.k.a. the northern lights, is a “luminous display of various forms and colours seen in the night sky, without the aid of alcohol.” (Okay, we made that last bit up.) It’s nice to look at, and said to occur with greatest frequency along a line extending almost directly over Iceland.
However, there is a slight problem.
First of all, to see the northern lights, you need a clear sky. When the wind is from the north, they probably won’t be visible because of the clouds. That also means that when they are visible, it will probably be freezing outside.
And dark, too. If the green squiggly things are bright enough, you can see them through the city lights (when they’re not turned off), but if you want the real show, you’re going to have to drive away from the city for about a half an hour.
Our source at the Reykjavik Tourist Information Centre tells us that people can get quite mad when the northern lights don’t perform. “Last summer, a couple started yelling at me that they had come to Iceland on their honeymoon to ‘see the bloody things.’ As if I could turn them on or something — the northern lights, I mean.”
Northern lights: Somewhere over your head, mostly on clear, cold nights from October to March.
Want to see the northern lights in action? Click here to book a flight to Iceland
33 Comments
The Northern Lights? When you do see them, they are not bright like the postcards, you need a long exposure for that, but they are magical all the same. Iceland is wonderful even if they don’t show… Go see it especially for the New Year fireworks. can’t wait to go back. Jackie
Thanks Jackie — That’s the spirit. (Now, how much do we owe you?)
They can be as bright as on the post cards, if you’re far away from the city lights, especially in October and November.
Hi I’ve been to Iceland 4 times including New Year. Did not see Northern Lights – you have to get lucky – but fireworks fabulous. Going back this year, despite the prices which will drive you to tears – or as writer Tim More said possibly to prostitution – so Iceland Air let’s have some good Summer prices prices published early so I can get a hotel on time! PS Try Billy’s bar in Reykjavik for cheapest beer. About half what you pay in the hotels.
Hi June — Thanks for the comment. Let’s just hope that someone at Icelandair (the other airline) is reading this. Until then, you might actually try flying with us at Iceland Express. Cheers!
Whoops! I have flown with Iceland Express and until this year they were the cheapest. Never flown with Iceland Air! Went package this year with BA as cheaper. Seriously, you know how scarce hotels are in Summer. We cneed early news of flights for this busy time. Also what about deals/hotels for Airwaves Festival?
June – 50+ Sigur Ros fan who ought to know better!
I have been to Iceland 5 times now and guess what I have never seen them (boo).
But I do have an interesting tale.
One night I had arrived at Kverkfjoll for the ice and fire tour and had talked at length with a German girl when it came for lights out (12pm). I stayed in the hut while she went out to her tent. Well the following morning over breakfast she said you know last night I was just getting into my tent when I looked up and saw a wonderful thing- Yeah you guessed it while I was climbing into my bunk the Aurora were doing their thing and all for an audience of one- oh bum!!!
Hi – Sorry to be one of those awful tourists, but…
I’m making my first trip to Iceland with my Hubby next week to, amongst other things, go lights hunting – but I’ve just seen you’re having awful weather at the moment!
Do you think the lights are likely to be anywhere to be seen, or – alternatively what activities do you recomend for those windy cold nights!?!
Caroline – an excited soon-to-be tourist!
I lived on Iceland for 2 years and I saw very bright lights (greens & reds)all the time; of course the best time to view them is dead of winter, midnight -2 am. On really cold & clear nights you can actually hear them crackling as they roll across the sky. The best guarantee of seeing them?…move to Iceland. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.
Excactly – that’s what I keep telling people.
I went to Iceland on September 2006 along with my girlfriend and a friend. We drove along almost every corner of the country, and when we were in Hali near Jökulsárlón spent the whole last night we stayed there waiting to see a northern light. I was told it would be difficult because the season was starting, and indeed didn’t see any.
However, it was a beautiful clear night and shot a lot of long exposure pictures of stars, while listening on the car’s stereo the Noi soundtrack. A truly Icelandic Night without a northern light!.
Tell me, tell me… when is a good time to visit Iceland during the off season? I am a flight attendant in the US, and plan a quick long weekend visit, but would prefer a time when the hustle and bustle of summer visitors is over.
Of course I’d love to see the northern lights, but know that is wishful thinking!
Your suggestions?
Vija :)
The winter is it! The lights are out and the city is always warm for visitors!
We are coming over on Friday.. Tell the lights to be ready for us!
Hi, Just a quick note for those planning to do some independent touring around Iceland.
I live in the UK but work in Iceland so I see all seasons pretty much, sometimes all in one day! If you plan to hire a car here you will find that the roads a great. They are well looked after, wide and safe. The local people are careful drivers and speeding about is not accepted. One thing I would say though is that the tourist attractions are not that easy to find on your own they are not often clearly signed. Some of them too are a little way out of the city and in bad weather, if a storm comes in it is not easy to drive in especially if you don’t know the roads and the moor lands. Just be careful and have well planned routes and the emergency number here is 112. Other than that people return here year after year!
Have fun!
Loved the place, but didn’t see the lights. Only problem I got punched for no reason by some drunk young man on my first night there, in the center of town…horrible experience considering the place is considered ‘safe’.
I’ve been to Iceland quite a few times now and was lucky enough to glimpse the lights whilst waiting for my pizza to be made!
I often get asked whether you can see the aurora in summer and that always makes me laugh when I explain that in Iceland, the sun doesn’t really set then, so there’ll be no chance, even if the lights are ‘on’!
I’ve been to Iceland seven times since 2006, all but one with IE (I’ll not be flying with IcelandAir again!). Only once have I seen the Northern Lights, for twenty minutes on the side of a mountain just outside Akureyri in the north. It was SO cold, we could only stand outside the car, even fully wrapped with hats, scarves, padded coats and gloves, for about a minute at a time before having to sit in the car for another five.
They were not as bright as you see them on TV, but still perfectly visible. They also moved very slowly and were more akin to millions of grains of shifting sand than just a sheet of colour. One thing you won’t realise is that they can fill patches of the sky all over the place at the same time; it won’t just be in one spot.
Seeing them is getting more and more difficult at the moment. When I was in Iceland over the New Year 2007-8, locals were telling me they hadn’t seen them at all that year.
PHILIP – Sigur Rós fan who DOESN’T know better.
i was on iceland 4 times
aurora is more offently on north of iceland
but this year i have seen them also in vik and it was realy strong and it was in end of september
on north was in november december almost every day
also the wheater on north is more stabil but also colder
one of the most beautiful things on the world
iam shure bye
Statistics may be interesting. How many days per year the northen lights are visible? e.g in 2008? Who knows?
Hi im here right now, I come here 5 times a year for the las 7 years. i´ve seen them many times, most of the time its between keflavik airport and reykjavik, but also in reyk town centre and in the west of the country. but its true when friends come over most of the time they dont get to see them. people have this idea there just up there shining at you every night light a big street lamp! and for fighting here, the guys cant handle there drinking, they drink at home then come out drunk and get a bit crazy. i´ve had a few moments with them here, but never back in the UK. beers gone up to over 700kr but still cheaper then last year around 4 pounds now :)just need to find a job here, any offers??
bye
Hi, I were in Iceland once in 2005, end of august, and I saw the northern lights in Reykjavic camping place at 11 pm… as far as I know we were pretty lucky!
clear sky and not so cold outside.
Hope to be there again soon
Paolo
Hi!
I am going to fly on 13.February 2009 to Island. Is here anybody who will fly at the same date?
Greetings.
Go to Iceland just go there, you will love every second of it,I was there in march 2007 and thou it rained in Reykjavik for most of my stay I had a permanent smile on my face, I even saw the light on the way back from Gullfoss.
I am a proud Irish man but having been to this wonderful Country I know I’m an Icelander at heart.
PS watch my video on youtube at paschal77
We NEED direct flights between Canada and Iceland. Please make it easier for us to get home. The round about way is not pleasant.
We need to get home more often and there are a lot of us here.
What are the best places for Birdwatching in Iceland? Is it possible to have a holiday at a reasonable cost in June this year around 6 days?
Hi (from NZ). I lived in Iceland’s NW fjords way back in ’74; been back twice more. Its still my favourite corner of the world; northern lights or not, you just gotta experience this fabulous (cold) country with its fabulous warm people. Love it. Waiting for you to fly out of NZ!!
I went to Reykjavik in October 2008, just a few months ago. I went on the Golden Circle Tour and on the way back to Reykjavik on the coach, I saw the Northern Lights! The lights are so unpredictable that we were advised to cancel our Northern Lights tour (which we were going on the next day) and to book the tour as soon as we were dropped off back at the coach place. It was around -8* when we arrived at Thingvellir to view the lights. Numb fingers, toes and noses but definately worth it. My advice is this: Go to Iceland for the landscape, the geysirs, the waterfalls and the people. If you get to see the Northern Lights while you are there, see it as a bonus. There are far too many beautiful things to see to just go for the Lights.
We will go to Iceland July2009 and would like to do a tour of Iceland. We are two so we search for 3 more people to rent and drive a car.
The northern lights have been cancelled by god as a punishment for the country going bust, and having to be bailed out by the IMF.
I went to Iceland at the end of November 2008 and was lucky enough to see the northern lights!
thanks for this helpful blog and comments and great reading people’s experiences and finding out what to expect.. I’m in Iceland between 14 and 19th Sept, HOPE to see the lights and if anyone wants to help with the price of car rental/join tours etc let me know http://twitter.com/roblincolne
Your blog post is hilarious and right on. I didn’t get to see them on my trip, but Iceland was incredible nonetheless.
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