Keflavik International Airport is Iceland's largest airport and its main international hub.

Midnight sun or northern lights

Around midsummer the midnight sun barely sets before rising again, giving daylight well into the night. In Reykjavik in summer, the sun dips just below the horizon and lights the sky until it rises again.

The northern lights can be seen in Iceland between September and April. Seeing the aurora needs dark skies that are clear or partly clear. Sightings are much better outside populated areas, away from the light pollution of the capital. Darker mid-winter nights give a larger window each night to see the lights.

Use the Daylight Calculator to help plan your trip.

Geothermal lagoons

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is in a lava field on the Reykjanes Peninsula, close to the Svartsengi power plant. The Blue Lagoon is about 50 km from Reykjavik, about a 50 minute drive. The Blue Lagoon is about 20 km from Keflavik Airport.

Geothermal heat supplies cheap, clean home heating to most Icelanders.

Day trips from a Reykjavik base

The Golden Circle is a round trip that starts and ends in Reykjavik, with three main stops: Thingvellir National Park, the Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall. Thingvellir National Park is about 48 km from Reykjavik, about a 45 minute drive.

Gullfoss drops in two stages into a canyon, and the upper fall is 11 metres. Seljalandsfoss is a South Coast waterfall that visitors can walk behind.

Reynisfjara is a black sand beach near Vik where sneaker waves arrive without warning and make the shoreline dangerous. Jokulsarlon is a glacier lagoon beside the Ring Road inside Vatnajokull National Park. Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon is about 380 km from Reykjavik, about a 5 hour 30 minute drive without stops.

Getting there

Keflavik International Airport is about 47 km from Reykjavik, about a 45 minute drive. Hallgrimskirkja is the largest church in Iceland and towers over the centre of Reykjavik.

Good places to watch the midnight sun in Reykjavik include the lighthouse at Grotta in Seltjarnarnes and the waterfront by the Sun Voyager.

Comparing tours

You can compare Reykjavik tours to see the current options.