When is the best time to visit Iceland?

What's the best time of year to visit Iceland?

• I'm planning on taking a week trip to Iceland some time in the next year and a half- I'm planning to go to take photographs of the landscape and will probably be spending most of my time around the Esjan mountains. I can go at any time of year, but as I've never been to Iceland I don't know when it's the most beautiful- my main interest is catching the northern lights, but I'm after some pretty spectacular sunrises/sunsets as well. Keeping the price down is also key, so peak holiday times are probably out of the questions (summer/winter), but what time of year is the country the most spectacular? Also, any recommendations for places to visit for beautiful landscapes would be appreciated, thanks!

• Answer:

  Overall, the best time to visit Iceland is May to mid-June. You will get lots of bright skies, and less rain than at other times of the year. Also, the main tourist season hasn't started yet, so you will be able to get better deals. Otherwise, autumn (late August to mid-October) is a great time to take photographs in Iceland. If it's the northern lights you're after, October to March is the time to go (often October to December in the South, and January to March in the North). However, please remember that at the moment, the northern lights are less spectacular than usual due to a lack of sunspots. This is expected to improve again from next winter, although we may have to wait until 2014 for a really good aurora season. You do not have to worry about peak holiday times during the winter; there aren't any. The peak season is determined by the number of foreign visitors, and Iceland is very much a summer destination. Since you mention photographing landscape and spending time around Esjan, I would suggest a little flexibility to account for the changeable weather. Iceland tends to have extended periods of rainy weather in the South and dry weather in the North, and vice versa, so it may be wise to be prepared to go where the chance of getting good photographs is the greatest. As for places to photograph, I would recommend the West Fjords (often overlooked by visitors to Iceland), the Mývatn area, and parts of the south coast (including the glaciers and the Jökulsárlón glacial lake).