Shoulder season, one of the four cheapest months
Iceland in October: Weather, Events and the Best Tours
October is the best value month with a proper aurora season. Daylight falls from about 11 hours to about 8 across the month, averaging 9 hours 55 minutes mid-month, highs sit at 7.7C, hotel occupancy drops to 72.5 percent and the whale RIB season ends on 31 October.
Quick picks: the best tours in Iceland in October
Ranked for October by seasonal relevance, then by verified GetYourGuide rating and review count. Prices are the current lowest available and were verified against live GetYourGuide listings on 28 July 2026.
| # | Tour | Best for | Duration | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Lights Bus Tour with Hot Cocoa | First-time visitors | 4 hours | £62 | 4.3 (14,846) |
| 2 | Golden Circle Full-Day Tour with Kerid Crater | First-time visitors | 7 - 8.5 hours | £68 | 4.8 (26,622) |
| 3 | South Coast Waterfalls, Black Sand & Glacier Tour | First-time visitors | 10 hours | £89 | 4.8 (12,213) |
| 4 | Sky Lagoon Entrance Pass With 7-Step Spa Ritual | First-time visitors | Varies | £86 | 4.8 (7,331) |
| 5 | Glacier Hike, Waterfalls and Black Sand Beach | First-time visitors | 11 hours | £141 | 4.8 (1,648) |
| 6 | Whale and Puffin Watching RIB Boat Tour | Couples | 2 hours | £145 | 4.7 (415) |
| 7 | Official Blue Lagoon Iceland | First-time visitors | Varies | £108 | 4.6 (6,031) |
| 8 | Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat | Couples | 2 hours | £145 | 4.6 (796) |
| 9 | The Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour | First-time visitors | 3 hours | £79 | 4.4 (1,115) |
| 10 | Golden Circle, Kerid Crater, & Blue Lagoon Tour | First-time visitors | 11 hours | £192 | 4.9 (5,858) |
Is October a good time to visit Iceland?
Yes, and it is the sweet spot for value. October has a full northern lights season, roads that are still straightforward, and the sharpest price drop of the autumn: occupancy falls from 81.6 percent in September to 72.5 percent, and operators name October alongside February, April and May as the cheapest months to come.
October is when Iceland stops being a summer destination and becomes a winter one, and for about four weeks you get the best parts of both. The aurora season is fully open and the nights are properly dark, but the ring road and the South Coast are still easy, the glacier tongues are still in their accessible window and the last of the whale boats are still sailing.
Value is the real argument for October. Keflavik departures fall to 201,422 from September’s 224,182, national hotel occupancy drops to 72.5 percent, and October appears on the operators’ own shortlist of cheapest months alongside February, April and May. You are paying shoulder rates for a genuine aurora trip, which you cannot do in November or December.
The trade-off is light. You lose roughly three hours of daylight across the month, from about 11 hours at the start to about 8 at the end. A 10 or 11 hour South Coast or glacier day will start and finish in the dark by late October, which changes the character of the tour rather than ruining it: you get long low light and blue hour rather than flat midday sun.
One practical note that catches European visitors out: Iceland does not put its clocks back. When mainland Europe and the UK change in late October, Iceland stays where it is, so the time difference to the UK moves by an hour partway through the month.
Iceland weather in October
October in Reykjavik averages a high of 7.7C and a low of 2.3C with around 13 wet days. Daylight averages 9 hours 55 minutes mid-month, falling from about 11 hours on 1 October to about 8 hours by the 31st, which is the steepest light loss of any month here.
| Measure | Reykjavik in October |
|---|---|
| Average daily high | 7.7C |
| Average daily low | 2.3C |
| Wet days | 13 days. Wet, around 13 wet days, with the first sleet and snow possible late in the month |
| Daylight, mid-month | 9h 55m |
| Daylight range across the month | about 11h on the 1st to about 8h on the last day |
Climate figures for Reykjavik from climatestotravel.com; daylight from worlddata.info, cross-checked against Icelandic operator daylight tables. Rainfall is given as wet days rather than millimetres because published Reykjavik rainfall totals differ materially between sources, from roughly 870mm to over 1,400mm a year. The monthly shape is reliable, the absolute total is not.
The lows matter more than the highs in October. At 2.3C average overnight, the first frosts and the first sleet arrive, and higher ground and mountain passes can pick up snow well before Reykjavik does. Roads are still generally straightforward but conditions become a thing you check rather than assume.
Thirteen wet days is slightly fewer than September, but the rain is colder and more often driven horizontally. Waterproof over-trousers and gloves earn their place. On the coast at Reynisfjara and Dyrholaey the wind is the story rather than the temperature.
The light is the defining October variable. Losing three hours across the month means the same tour booked on 3 October and 29 October is a materially different day out. Early October still feels like a long autumn day. Late October is a short bright window between two dark ends, which is excellent for photography and awkward for itineraries.
Crowds, prices and what to book ahead
October is the first genuinely good-value month of the winter half. Keflavik departures fall to 201,422 and national hotel occupancy drops to 72.5 percent from September’s 81.6 percent. Operators name October alongside February, April and May as the cheapest months to visit.
| Measure | October | Busiest month (August) | Quietest month (December) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keflavik departures, 2025 | 201,422 | 312,964 | 120,016 |
| Hotel room occupancy, 2025 | 72.5% | 89.8% | 45.3% |
| Share of the 2025 total | 8.9% | 13.8% | 5.3% |
Visitor figures are departing passengers through Keflavik International Airport for the full year 2025, published by the Icelandic Tourist Board, total 2,267,638. Roughly 99 percent of visitors arrive and leave through Keflavik. Hotel room occupancy is Statistics Iceland table SAM01104, whole of Iceland, 2025.
Icelandic Tourist Board figures put October 2025 at 201,422 departing passengers, down 10 percent on September and 36 percent on August. Statistics Iceland’s occupancy series shows the sharper move: 72.5 percent for October against 81.6 percent for September, a nine point drop in a single month as summer supply unwinds.
That combination, a full aurora season plus shoulder prices, is what makes October the value pick. November and December are cheaper on paper but you buy them with five or six hours of daylight. October still gives you a usable day and a dark night in the same 24 hours.
Booking behaviour should follow the weather, not urgency messaging. October day tours are generally bookable within the same week. What you should do is schedule anything weather-dependent, an aurora night above all, early in your stay so you have spare days to rebook if it is called off. Cancellation, not sell-out, is the real October risk.
The best tours in Iceland in October
These ten are ranked for October. The aurora tour leads on a full dark season, the geothermal lagoons climb because the air is finally cold enough to make them worth it, and the whale RIBs make the list one last time because their season ends on 31 October.
1. Northern Lights Bus Tour with Hot Cocoa
Why it ranks here in October: October is the first month with a full dark aurora season and easy roads at the same time. It is the lowest-rated tour we list at 4.3 across 14,846 reviews, and it is still the right thing to book first in October.
Experience one of the world’s great natural phenomena on a 4-hour evening bus tour of Iceland. Depart the bright…
4.3 (14,846 reviews)4 hoursFrom £622. Golden Circle Full-Day Tour with Kerid Crater
Why it ranks here in October: Autumn light on Thingvellir and Gullfoss is the best of the year, and the coach crowds of August are gone.
Take a full-day tour of Iceland’s iconic Golden Circle. Experience the stunning natural scenery and see the…
4.8 (26,622 reviews)7 - 8.5 hoursFrom £683. South Coast Waterfalls, Black Sand & Glacier Tour
Why it ranks here in October: The last month you can do a 10-hour South Coast day without spending most of it in darkness.
Experience nature at its best with waterfalls and black sand beaches. Walk behind the cascades of Seljalandsfoss & go…
4.8 (12,213 reviews)10 hoursFrom £894. Sky Lagoon Entrance Pass With 7-Step Spa Ritual
Why it ranks here in October: October is when the ocean-edge infinity pool becomes the point. Air at 7.7C against hot water is the contrast people come for.
Get entry tickets to Sky Lagoon, an oceanside geothermal spa, located only minutes from downtown…
4.8 (7,331 reviews)VariesFrom £865. Glacier Hike, Waterfalls and Black Sand Beach
Why it ranks here in October: The last month of the standard lowland glacier window, with firmer ice and fewer people than in summer.
Explore the wonders of Iceland’s south coast on a day trip from Reykjavik. Walk on the stunning Sólheimajökull…
4.8 (1,648 reviews)11 hoursFrom £1416. Whale and Puffin Watching RIB Boat Tour
Why it ranks here in October: Final month. This boat stops on 31 October, and with the puffins long gone it runs as a whale trip.
See Iceland's Whales, Puffins, and the capital of Reykjavik from a unique angle on this adventurous RIB tour. Enjoy…
4.7 (415 reviews)2 hoursFrom £1457. Official Blue Lagoon Iceland
Why it ranks here in October: Cold air and steam make October one of the best months for it, and it sits on the Keflavik road for an arrival or departure day.
Comfort admission brings full access to all lagoon spaces, a towel, non-alcoholic drink, and one face mask at the…
4.6 (6,031 reviews)VariesFrom £1088. Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat
Why it ranks here in October: Also ends on 31 October. If you want a fast open boat this year, this is your last chance until spring.
Board an exciting RIB speedboat and see the wealth of marine wildlife just off the shores of Reykjavík, including…
4.6 (796 reviews)2 hoursFrom £1459. The Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour
Why it ranks here in October: A calmer, longer format for an October sea, and the whale season runs to the end of the month.
Encounter whales, dolphins, porpoises, and birds on a cruise from Reykjavik. Experience the drama and poetry of…
4.4 (1,115 reviews)3 hoursFrom £7910. Golden Circle, Kerid Crater, & Blue Lagoon Tour
Why it ranks here in October: Our highest-rated tour at 4.9, and finishing a cold October day in the Blue Lagoon is a better idea than it is in August.
Enjoy the stunning Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon in one amazing day. Explore Thingvellir National Park, Geysir…
4.9 (5,858 reviews)11 hoursFrom £192
Events and festivals in October 2026
October’s diary is thin, which is part of its appeal. The Reykjavik International Film Festival runs into the month until 4 October 2026, and the most consequential date for visitors is 31 October, when the whale watching RIB season ends for the winter.
| Event | Dates | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF), closing days | 24 September to 4 October 2026 | Cinemas and venues across Reykjavik | Ticketed |
| Last day of the whale watching RIB season | 31 October 2026 | Reykjavik old harbour | Tours from £145 |
If you are choosing dates within October, the 31st is the one to plan around. The two RIB whale tours stop that day and do not restart until spring, so a fast open-boat trip has to happen in October or not at all this year. The larger Marine Life Cruise runs on until 30 November.
The rest of October is quiet in diary terms and that is a feature. There is no festival competing for beds, which is a large part of why the month prices the way it does.
We only list dates we can stand behind. Where a date follows a rule rather than a fixed day of the month, the rule is shown alongside it. Anything we could not verify is left off rather than guessed.
What is closed or not bookable in October
Puffins have been gone since 20 August and the highland F-roads have been shut since mid-September. The whale RIBs close on 31 October. Natural ice caves are not reliably open yet: they are a November to March product, and we do not sell one in any case.
Whale watching RIBs, from 31 October
Both fast RIB whale tours run their last trips on 31 October and stop for the winter. The larger Marine Life Cruise continues to 30 November. From 1 December there is no whale trip on this site until the spring season reopens in April.
Puffin tours
Closed since 20 August. The colonies are empty and the birds are at sea. They return from 20 April.
Highland F-roads and the interior
Shut since roughly mid-September and closed until June or July. Landmannalaugar, Askja and the interior crossings are unavailable. On 2026 actual dates, the earliest F-road opening was F35 Kjolur between 1 and 6 June.
Natural ice caves
Not reliably open. The natural Vatnajokull caves are a November to March product per the regional destination management organisation, with some operators extending into October only in good years. The Katla cave under Myrdalsjokull is the one natural cave open year-round. We do not currently sell an ice cave tour. What is bookable here is a guided glacier hike and Perlan’s man-made ice cave exhibit.
Tours on this site that are out of season in October
- Puffin Watching Boat Tour: Out of season since 20 August.
- 1-Hour Puffin Watching Tour: Out of season since 20 August.
- Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour: Out of season for the puffin half of the trip.
What to wear and pack for Iceland in October
October is the month to bring real winter kit without needing crampons. Waterproof outer layers, insulated mid-layers, gloves and a hat, plus shoes with grip for the first frosts. Add swimwear, because the lagoons are at their best now.
- Waterproof and windproof shell jacket with a hood
- Waterproof over-trousers for the South Coast and any boat
- Insulated mid-layer, October evenings sit around freezing
- Warm hat, gloves and a buff for standing out on an aurora night
- Boots with grip, first frosts and sleet arrive this month
- Swimwear and flip-flops for Sky Lagoon or the Blue Lagoon
- Head torch for dark car parks and early starts
- Camera with manual exposure for aurora and low autumn light
How we chose these tours
Every tour on this page was scored for how relevant it genuinely is in October, then sorted by that score, then by verified GetYourGuide rating, then by verified review count. Anything out of season is excluded and named above rather than quietly left off.
Most month pages are a tour list with a date bolted on, which means the same ten tours appear for every month of the year. That is not useful. Our default site ordering is rating then review count, and both are static, so on that basis every month would produce an identical top ten. So each tour carries a separate seasonal relevance score for each month, from 6 for the single experience that defines the month down to 0 for anything genuinely out of season, and that score sorts the list first.
Two consequences are worth stating plainly. First, the northern lights bus tour is the lowest rated tour on this site at 4.3 stars from 14,846 reviews. From November to March it is ranked first anyway, because in those months it is the reason people come and a top ten that buried it would be dishonest. Second, we do not rank on live GetYourGuide availability. Availability calendars reflect rolling booking windows rather than seasons, so a tour that is genuinely bookable next spring can look unavailable today. Season comes from published operator seasons, not from a booking widget.
Prices, ratings, review counts, titles and durations were verified one by one against the live GetYourGuide listing for each product on 28 July 2026. We do not publish a rating or a review count we have not checked, and we do not publish a date, a season or a closure we cannot source. Where the honest answer is that we do not sell something, such as a natural ice cave tour, we say so and point you at what does exist instead.
We earn a commission if you book through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. That does not change the ranking. The tour ranked first in October is not the most expensive one on the list.
FAQs about Iceland in October
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- All Iceland tours with verified prices, ratings and review counts
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