Iceland in October.

Long dark nights for the aurora, most roads still open, prices at the annual low, and the wettest weeks of the year.

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

October is arguably the best month for a first trip built around landscape and aurora. The nights are long and often clearer than deep winter, the lowland roads are open, the autumn colours hold into the first half, and prices hit their yearly low outside November. It is also the wettest stretch of the year in Reykjavík, so the shell is not optional. The Imagine Peace Tower lights up on the 9th and stays lit until December.

Light and weather

Daylight: 11 h 45 min at the start, 8 h 40 min by the end; sunrise around 08:30, sunset around 18:15 mid-month. Northern lights: Yes, on clear nights.

High: 8 °C
Low: 3 °C
Rain and snow: 80 mm
Sunshine: 92 hours
Wind: 4.4 m/s
Daylight: 11 h 45 min at the start, 8 h 40 min by the end

Reykjavík averages, 1991–2020 (Veðurstofan)

What's on in October

Imagine Peace Tower on Viðey, lit on 9 October, John Lennon's birthday, until 8 December: a column of light visible across the city on clear nights.
First Day of Winter, Fyrsti vetrardagur, the Saturday between 21 and 27 October: the old calendar's start of winter, marked quietly.
Iceland Airwaves is in early November, but the wristbands and the cheap flights are bought now.

What's open, what's closed

Ring Road open, closures possible in the north and east after storms. Highlands closed after the first snow, usually by early October. Ice caves reopen in October as the glacier freezes. Whale watching runs from Reykjavík.

What to do

What to pack

Waterproof everything, warm layers, hat, gloves, boots. Head torch for aurora walks.

Prices and crowds

Low. Hotels and flights at the annual low with November; tours still running full.

Verdict

Aurora with the roads still open. Pack for rain and go.