A track curving across black volcanic sand toward dark moss-streaked hills under low cloud
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Iceland by campervan: weather and best time

When to tour Iceland by campervan: temperatures, rainfall and the best season for each part of the country. What to know before you go.

Published 18 September 2026Last checked 19 September 2026

Weather

Weather

The van season in Iceland is June to August, and the highlands are July and August only. That is when the mountain roads are open, the campsites are all running and the interior is reachable at all. May and September are real shoulders on the ring road and unreliable everywhere else. From October to April the country is a winter destination rather than a campervan destination, with short days, closed interiors and roads that shut at a few hours' notice.

Rain and low cloud sweeping across an Icelandic road below dark mountains
The forecast is the itinerary. vedur.is and umferdin.is, every morning

The year by region: how it feels, how warm, how wet. Reykjavik and Akureyri are 1991 to 2020 normals, Vík, Ísafjörður and Egilsstaðir 1961 to 1990, Hveravellir 1965 to 2004

Reykjavik and the southwestReykjavik
3°87 mm
3°91 mm
4°81 mm
7°59 mm
10°53 mm
13°43 mm
15°50 mm
14°65 mm
11°87 mm
8°80 mm
5°87 mm
3°95 mm
The south coastVík í Mýrdal
4°203 mm
4°179 mm
4°185 mm
7°156 mm
9°138 mm
11°172 mm
13°152 mm
13°211 mm
10°214 mm
7°242 mm
5°195 mm
4°206 mm
The northAkureyri
3°60 mm
3°52 mm
4°47 mm
7°26 mm
10°24 mm
14°21 mm
15°34 mm
15°41 mm
12°53 mm
7°74 mm
4°68 mm
3°73 mm
The east fjordsEgilsstaðir
1°71 mm
1°50 mm
2°62 mm
5°40 mm
9°28 mm
13°28 mm
15°40 mm
14°41 mm
10°68 mm
6°77 mm
2°55 mm
1°61 mm
The WestfjordsÍsafjörður
1°113 mm
2°93 mm
1°93 mm
4°73 mm
8°29 mm
11°37 mm
13°35 mm
12°48 mm
9°78 mm
5°114 mm
3°120 mm
2°99 mm
The highlandsHveravellir, 650 m
-3°63 mm
-3°76 mm
-3°65 mm
0°46 mm
4°38 mm
9°56 mm
12°53 mm
11°73 mm
6°63 mm
2°79 mm
-2°56 mm
-3°68 mm

BestWorkableToo hotCold or wetTop figure: average daily high. Below it: average rainfall for the month.

Three of these six rows are older normals. Reykjavik and Akureyri use 1991 to 2020 figures, but Vík, Ísafjörður and Egilsstaðir have only 1961 to 1990 published in the same form, and Hveravellir 1965 to 2004. Iceland warmed measurably between those periods, so treat the three older rows as a shape of the year rather than as today's temperatures.

The bands describe how a month feels in a van, not how interesting it is. The northern lights season runs through the dark months, when the strip is at its coldest and roads are least reliable, and people do bring vans up for it. That is a winter expedition with a diesel heater and proper tyres, not a summer trip in warmer clothes.