7 Reasons You Must Visit Iceland This Summer

Summer in Iceland

Summer is the most beautiful season to visit Iceland. The average July temperature is around 10–13 °C but it can reach as high as 20–25 °C. The island bursts with the colours of the nature: lush green mountain and hill sides, radiant blue skies await. It gets a little more drier and sunnier. Starting in July, the roads and trails closed during the winter on account of the snow reopen so the whole of the country is easy to access by driving. Speaking of driving and staying connected, you might want to check out the option of renting a 4G modem and travel wireless – as you can’t trust roaming coverage.

1. The midnight sun

Sleeping under the midnight sun or even staying awake and doing something you’d do only in daytime is an extraordinary experience. Starting in June just a few days after the Summer solstice in Reykjavik for example, the sun will only start to set after midnight and rise up again before 3 a.m. However, on the island of Grimsey, just off the north coast; you can experience around 2 weeks of continuous daylight during the summer. This is a fantastic phenomenon to attract photographers as well as people who want to party and visit music festivals. Join in celebrating with the locals: not a week goes by without some kind of village festival going on. 

2. Music festivals

Music lovers travel from every corner of the globe to visit the most famous music festivals of Iceland. There are lots of them throughout the year, but the summer festivals are really special. The biggest and most famous is the Secret Solstice normally being held around mid June the festival mixes international headliners with the best of the best in Icelandic pop, rap, and techno. But you can even attend a concert INSIDE a glacier. How cool is that? Literally. But there are plenty of other ones all around the island and throughout the summer, small and big ones dedicated to different music genres. Also, if you like fstivals, you might want to check out a very popular Icelandic magical world: Tulipop. Tulipop is an original, design-led character brand from Iceland, based on the mystical Tulipop island and its inhabitants. (Both cuddly and gothic and strongly inspired by forms and colours in nature, the Tulipop world features intriguing characters such as Bubble, a shy and dreamy mushroom boy and Gloomy, an adventurous mushroom girl, who loves surprises and cheeky little pranks – challenging gender stereotypes.)    

3. Camping and berry picking

Whether you visit the music festivals or not, camping is definitely something you should try if you visit Iceland in the summer. You can visit some of the most scenic places I’ve ever laid eyes on if you take on a camping adventure. Finding a camping spot is easier than you think: there are lots of campgrounds with the bathrooms, cooking facilities and car park. Many of them are located really close to sparkling clean lakes, geysers or famous thermal bathes, like the Reykjavik Campsite. Whilst camping on the countryside, you can join the locals picking wild berries. The Icelandic countryside has some good berry-picking grounds and it’s a very popular activity in late summer. Why not check out this excellent website Cozycampers to learn more about camper rental in Iceland.

4. Visit the Golden Circle

The Golden Circle consists of three absolutely breathtaking beauties of the nature: Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss waterfall. They are all fairly close to the capital, so the Golden Circle Tour can be done in one day. This is a most poplar tourist trail in Iceland and is really something not to be missed. The Þingvellir National Park is one of the three national parks and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the only place on earth which tectonic plates can be seen above ground. Here you should also visit the The Great Geysir which has been dormant since 1916 and Strokkur geyser, which erupts at regularly, approximately in every 6 minutes.

5. Soak in hot lagoons

From the world famous Blue Lagoon to other smaller ones there are really an endless amount of them. It’s hard to imagine any more relaxing experience than having a dip in a natural thermal bath and it’s opaque aquamarine water at midnight when the sun is still about to set for a brief time – is really something special. You can even find some thermal springs located in a cave, like Grjótagjá, a small lava cave lagoon.

6. Diving, snorkeling and lava caving

You will need to rent a very good dry-suit for these adventures, but in summer, when the waters are more accessible, they are a fantastic outdoor experience. The freshwater fissures filled with pure glacier water, the rivers warmed by geothermic activity and the coastal waters makes Iceland a fantastic scuba diving and snorkelling destination. Popular place is the Silfra rift which is part of Thingvallavatn lake.

7. Trekking and hiking

The summer nature scenery in Iceland is just as amazing as when they are covered in snow, but in summer of course a lot more places are accessible after the snow has melted and the hiking options really open up. There are lots of hiking trail for all abilities, so don’t forget your hiking carabiners at home! You can reach majestic waterfalls and fjords or steep mountains by hiking in Iceland. If you don’t have the time to travel far from the capital, even the Reykjavik area provides hiking trails from less than a half an hour drive from the capital. These ones are amazingly even accessible by public transportation. Don’t forget to watch out for the puffins! They can be seen around the coast during this period.