Iceland in September.

Aurora is back, the birch turns gold, the roads are still open and the crowds are gone.

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

September is the month locals name when asked. The aurora season restarts around the tenth, the autumn colours come to the birch woods at Þingvellir and Þórsmörk, the highland roads stay open until the first real snow, and the summer prices reset. The weather still works: highs around 11 °C, more rain than August, less wind than winter. Sheep come down from the mountains and the whole countryside turns out to sort them.

Light and weather

Daylight: 15 hours at the start, 11 h 45 min by the end; sunrise around 06:45, sunset around 20:00 mid-month. Northern lights: From about the 10th.

High: 11 °C
Low: 6 °C
Rain and snow: 87 mm
Sunshine: 118 hours
Wind: 4.4 m/s
Daylight: 15 hours at the start, 11 h 45 min by the end

Reykjavík averages, 1991–2020 (Veðurstofan)

What's on in September

Réttir, the sheep round-ups, through September: farmers and volunteers drive the flocks down from the highlands into stone pens and sort them by ear mark, then sing. Visitors are welcome to watch and often to help.
RIFF, the Reykjavík International Film Festival, from late September into early October; the 2026 edition runs 24 September to 4 October.
Autumn equinox around 22 September: twelve hours of each.

What's open, what's closed

Ring Road open. F-roads open until snow closes them, usually in the last week; Vegagerðin decides. Whale watching continues, puffins gone. Some summer-only cafés and campsites close mid-month.

What to do

What to pack

Layers, shell, warm hat for aurora nights, boots. Rain is likelier than in August.

Prices and crowds

Medium, dropping after the first week. Flights and hotels ease; tours run full schedules.

Verdict

The best all-round month. Roads, colours, aurora and prices all in your favour.