Shoulder season, but still close to peak
Iceland in September: Weather, Events and the Best Tours
September is the only month that gives you both. The aurora season opens on 1 September while whale watching is still running and you still have 13 hours 8 minutes of daylight mid-month. Highs average 11.5C, crowds fall to 224,182 Keflavik departures from August’s 312,964, and the puffins have gone.
Quick picks: the best tours in Iceland in September
Ranked for September 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 | Glacier Hike, Waterfalls and Black Sand Beach | First-time visitors | 11 hours | £141 | 4.8 (1,648) |
| 5 | Whale and Puffin Watching RIB Boat Tour | Couples | 2 hours | £145 | 4.7 (415) |
| 6 | Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat | Couples | 2 hours | £145 | 4.6 (796) |
| 7 | Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise | First-time visitors | 3 hours | £72 | 4.5 (11,161) |
| 8 | The Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour | First-time visitors | 3 hours | £79 | 4.4 (1,115) |
| 9 | Golden Circle, Kerid Crater, & Blue Lagoon Tour | First-time visitors | 11 hours | £192 | 4.9 (5,858) |
| 10 | Guided Foodie Walking Tour with 6 Tastings | First-time visitors | 3 hours | £112 | 4.9 (1,920) |
Is September a good time to visit Iceland?
Yes, and for many trips it is the best month of the year. September is the only month with a working northern lights season, a working whale season and enough daylight for a 10-hour day tour. Occupancy drops from 89.8 to 81.6 percent and departures fall by 88,782 against August.
September is the overlap month. From 1 September the published aurora season is open, the nights are dark enough again and the lights are genuinely possible. At the same time the whale tours are still running, the roads are all still easy, and the mid-month day is 13 hours 8 minutes long. No other month gives you all three at once, which is why September is the answer for anyone who only gets one trip.
It is not really a quiet month. Statistics Iceland put September hotel occupancy at 81.6 percent, closer to July’s 87.8 than to October’s 72.5. Think of it as peak-lite: noticeably calmer than August, still busy at the honeypot stops, and priced closer to summer than to winter. If your priority is a genuinely cheap month, look at October, February, April or May instead.
The month changes materially from start to finish. You begin with 14 and a half hours of daylight and end with about 11 and a half, and the aurora odds improve steadily as the nights lengthen. The last week of September behaves much more like October than like August. Autumn colour on the birch and blueberry heath is at its best in the second half.
The one thing you have missed is the puffins. The published colony season ended on 20 August and by mid-September the cliffs are empty. If a puffin is on your list, September is too late and you want May to mid-August.
Iceland weather in September
September in Reykjavik averages a high of 11.5C and a low of 6.0C with around 15 wet days, a clear step up in rain from August. Daylight runs about 13 hours 8 minutes mid-month, falling from roughly 14 and a half hours on 1 September to about 11 and a half by the 30th.
| Measure | Reykjavik in September |
|---|---|
| Average daily high | 11.5C |
| Average daily low | 6C |
| Wet days | 15 days. Noticeably wetter than August, around 15 wet days, the start of the autumn wet run |
| Daylight, mid-month | 13h 08m |
| Daylight range across the month | about 14h 30m on the 1st to about 11h 30m 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 temperature drop from August is modest, less than three degrees on the daily high, but the wind and rain frequency change more. Fifteen wet days is close to the wettest part of the Icelandic year, and September is when the first serious autumn storms usually arrive. Waterproof trousers stop being optional on a South Coast day.
The daylight is what makes September work. At 13 hours 8 minutes mid-month you can still run a 10 or 11 hour day trip and finish in the light, then go out with an aurora tour the same night. That combination is not possible in August, when it never gets dark, and it is not possible in November, when the day is only six and a half hours long.
Aurora odds in September are real but weather-limited rather than darkness-limited. The nights are long enough from the start of the month, so what you are really waiting on is a clear sky, and September is a cloudy month. Book the aurora tour early in your trip so you have spare nights if the first attempt is called off.
Crowds, prices and what to book ahead
September is quieter than August but not quiet. Keflavik departures fall from 312,964 in August to 224,182, and national hotel occupancy drops from 89.8 to 81.6 percent. That is still the fourth-busiest month of the year, so book accommodation ahead and expect summer-adjacent prices.
| Measure | September | Busiest month (August) | Quietest month (December) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keflavik departures, 2025 | 224,182 | 312,964 | 120,016 |
| Hotel room occupancy, 2025 | 81.6% | 89.8% | 45.3% |
| Share of the 2025 total | 9.9% | 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 departure figures show September 2025 at 224,182, a fall of 28 percent from August but still 86 percent above December. Statistics Iceland’s occupancy table SAM01104 puts September at 81.6 percent nationally, which is why the month rarely feels like a bargain even though it is technically shoulder season.
Where you do gain is on the ground rather than in the ledger. Coach numbers at Gullfoss and Geysir thin out through the month, the South Coast car parks are workable again, and small-group departures that were sold out in August have space. Rates soften from mid-September onwards as summer supply unwinds.
On booking lead time, be sceptical of urgency messaging. September day tours from Reykjavik are usually bookable within the same week, and the genuine scarcity in Iceland sits elsewhere: highland huts at 9 to 12 months and multi-day treks at 3 to 6 months. The real risk to an aurora night is a weather cancellation, not a sell-out, which is why you should schedule it early in your trip.
The best tours in Iceland in September
These ten are ranked for September. The northern lights tour leads because the season reopens on 1 September after four months off, and the whale trips stay high because they are still running while the light lasts. Puffin tours are gone from the list because the colonies have emptied.
1. Northern Lights Bus Tour with Hot Cocoa
Why it ranks here in September: The single biggest change from August. The published aurora season opens on 1 September and the nights are dark enough again. It is the lowest-rated tour we list at 4.3, with 14,846 reviews, and it is still ranked first because nothing else here is seasonally decisive in September.
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 September: Still comfortably a daylight tour in September, with far shorter queues at Geysir and Gullfoss than in August.
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 September: The last month where a 10-hour South Coast day runs almost entirely in daylight. From October you are finishing in the dark.
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. Glacier Hike, Waterfalls and Black Sand Beach
Why it ranks here in September: September sits at the end of the optimal glacier window, with good footing and enough light for the full 11-hour day.
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 £1415. Whale and Puffin Watching RIB Boat Tour
Why it ranks here in September: The puffins have left, so in September this runs as a whale trip. Still one of the highest-rated boats we list at 4.7.
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 £1456. Whale Watching by RIB Speedboat
Why it ranks here in September: Whale season is still fully open and September seas are usually workable. This boat stops for the winter on 31 October.
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 £1457. Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise
Why it ranks here in September: The steady, cabin-equipped option, which matters more in September weather than in August.
Embark on a whale-watching cruise in Faxaflói Bay from Reykjavík. Witness the stunning landscapes and keep an eye out…
4.5 (11,161 reviews)3 hoursFrom £728. The Original 3-Hour Whale Watching Tour
Why it ranks here in September: A longer format that suits a choppier autumn sea better than the RIBs do.
Encounter whales, dolphins, porpoises, and birds on a cruise from Reykjavik. Experience the drama and poetry of…
4.4 (1,115 reviews)3 hoursFrom £799. Golden Circle, Kerid Crater, & Blue Lagoon Tour
Why it ranks here in September: Our highest-rated tour at 4.9, and September is the first month where finishing the day in hot water genuinely appeals.
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 £19210. Guided Foodie Walking Tour with 6 Tastings
Why it ranks here in September: Rated 4.9, and a wet September evening is exactly the weather it is designed for.
Learn about the culture of Reykjavik and Iceland through its tasty food on a guided walking tour. Visit 5 different…
4.9 (1,920 reviews)3 hoursFrom £112
Events and festivals in September 2026
September’s fixed date is the Reykjavik International Film Festival, which runs from 24 September to 4 October 2026 across city cinemas. The rest of the month is defined by natural timing rather than a diary: the aurora season opening on 1 September and the autumn colour peaking in the second half.
| Event | Dates | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) | 24 September to 4 October 2026 | Cinemas and venues across Reykjavik | Ticketed |
| Northern lights season opens | From 1 September 2026 | Countryside away from Reykjavik light pollution | Tour from £62, free if you self-drive |
RIFF is a genuinely local festival rather than a tourist product, and it is a good wet-evening plan in a month with 15 wet days. It runs into the first days of October, so a late-September trip catches the opening rather than the closing weekend.
The more useful September date in practice is 1 September itself. That is when the published aurora season opens and the operators start running again after a four-month break. Nights early in the month are shorter than later, so if you have flexibility, the last ten days of September give better odds than the first ten.
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 September
Puffins are the big one: the published season ended on 20 August and the cliffs are empty by mid-September. Highland F-roads start closing from around mid-September and stay closed until June or July. Natural ice caves have not opened yet.
Puffin tours
Finished. The published puffin season runs 20 April to 20 August. By mid-September the colonies are empty, so any September itinerary promising puffins should be treated with suspicion. The bird colonies return in the second half of April.
Highland F-roads and the interior
Closing. The Icelandic Road Administration’s F-roads shut from roughly mid-September and do not reopen until June or July. On 2026 actual dates the earliest opening was F35 Kjolur between 1 and 6 June and the latest was F26 Sprengisandur on 6 July. Landmannalaugar, Askja and the interior crossings are out for the rest of the year.
Natural ice caves
Not open yet. The natural Vatnajokull ice caves are a November to March product, with some operators extending into October in good years, because the meltwater has to stop before a cave is safe. The only natural cave open year-round is Katla under Myrdalsjokull. We do not currently sell an ice cave tour; the bookable ice experiences here are a guided glacier hike and Perlan’s man-made ice cave exhibit.
Nothing else closes in September
Whale watching, glacier hikes, the Golden Circle, the South Coast, Silfra, the lagoons and the horse riding all run normally. September is the last month before the boat seasons start ending.
Tours on this site that are out of season in September
- Puffin Watching Boat Tour: Out of season. The published puffin season ended on 20 August.
- 1-Hour Puffin Watching Tour: Out of season. The colonies are empty by mid-September.
- 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 September
September needs true waterproofs rather than a showerproof jacket, because 15 wet days and Atlantic wind is the default. Add a warm layer for aurora nights, which are spent standing still in the dark, and swimwear for the lagoons.
- Fully waterproof shell jacket with a hood
- Waterproof over-trousers, September is when they stop being optional
- Warm insulating mid-layer for standing still on aurora nights
- Hat, gloves and a buff for after dark
- Walking boots with grip, autumn tracks are wet
- Swimwear and flip-flops for Sky Lagoon or the Blue Lagoon
- A camera that can hold a long exposure, phone night modes struggle with faint aurora
- Small torch or head torch for dark car parks and viewing spots
How we chose these tours
Every tour on this page was scored for how relevant it genuinely is in September, 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 September is not the most expensive one on the list.
FAQs about Iceland in September
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