Iceland in July.

The warmest month, every road open, full midnight sun, and Reykjavík at its most crowded.

Straight from the app. Get Icebreaker for the live version: tonight's aurora, the weather where you are, and what's open.

July is the warmest month, which in Reykjavík means highs of 15 °C on average and the occasional 20, celebrated as a heatwave. Every F-road you would want is open, the highlands are walkable, and the light barely fades. It is also the month the city can feel full at the famous sights, and the month restaurants need a reservation. The reward is the interior: Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk, Askja, which exist for about ten weeks a year.

Light and weather

Daylight: 21 hours at the start, 19 by the end; sunrise around 03:30, sunset around 23:30 mid-month. Northern lights: No: the sky never gets dark enough.

High: 15 °C
Low: 9 °C
Rain and snow: 50 mm
Sunshine: 183 hours
Wind: 3.5 m/s
Daylight: 21 hours at the start, 19 by the end

Reykjavík averages, 1991–2020 (Veðurstofan)

What's on in July

Small-town festivals fill the July calendar, from herring-factory concerts in the East to folk music in the North; the app's events feed lists them by date.
Þjóðhátíð in Vestmannaeyjar, the biggest festival in the country, falls on the first weekend of August, so late-July ferries and flights to Heimaey fill up.

What's open, what's closed

All of it: Ring Road, highlands, Westfjords, every campsite, museum and roadside soup stop. Whales, puffins, seals, midnight sun. Book the 4x4 early; they sell out.

What to do

What to pack

Layers, shell, sunglasses, swimsuit, eye mask, midge net for Mývatn. Yes, midges. No mosquitoes.

Prices and crowds

Highest of the year. Rental cars, hotels and highland huts should be booked in winter.

Verdict

For hikers and highland drivers, the only month. For everyone else, June or August do the same for less.