Iceland in March.
Daylight tips into surplus, the aurora still shows early in the month, and Beer Day opens it.
March is the month of the equinox, when Reykjavík gets back the same daylight as everyone else and keeps gaining. Snow melts in the lowlands and blows back in a week later; the weather is unstable in both directions. Early March still has proper aurora nights; by the end the sky is too bright by ten. Beer Day, 1 March, marks the day in 1989 when beer became legal again, and the bars take it seriously.
Light and weather
Daylight: 10 h 30 min at the start, 13 h 20 min by the end; sunrise around 08:30, sunset around 19:00 mid-month. Northern lights: Yes, on clear nights.
| High | 4 °C | Low | -1 °C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain and snow | 81 mm | Sunshine | 110 hours |
| Wind | 5.2 m/s | Daylight | 10 h 30 min at the start, 13 h 20 min by the end |
What's on in March
- Beer Day, 1 March: the anniversary of legal beer, celebrated in every bar in the country. See the history page for how 74 years of banning beer but not vodka happened.
- Bolludagur to Öskudagur fall in early March in the years when Easter is late.
- Easter falls in March some years, and the whole country takes five days off from Maundy Thursday; Vínbúðin and most shops close on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
What's open, what's closed
Ring Road usually fully drivable by late March, with closures in storms. Highlands shut. Ice caves run until the melt makes them unsafe, usually late March. Whale watching picks up.
What to do
- The Beer Ban, the story behind Beer Day
- Beer Day happy hours
- Aurora in the first half of the month
- Pools in daylight again
What to pack
Winter kit still, plus sunglasses. March can give you +8 °C and a blizzard in the same afternoon.
Prices and crowds
Low to medium. Easter week is the exception, when Icelanders travel too.
Verdict
Good for photographers who want snow, light and aurora on one trip.