Iceland guides · Daylight

How many hours of daylight does Iceland get?

Between about 4 and 21 hours in Reykjavík. The shortest day, around 21 December, has 4 h 7 min of daylight; the longest, around 21 June, has 21 h 9 min, and the night never gets fully dark. The north swings further: Akureyri goes from 3 h 3 min to 23 h 32 min. Iceland keeps UTC all year, with no daylight saving.

From the sun's position, calculated for each placeReviewed 19 October 2026

Is it dark all day in winter?

No. On the shortest day Reykjavík's sun is up from 11:22 to 15:29, and twilight adds over an hour either side: it's light enough to walk without a torch from about 10:03 to 16:48. The low sun paints long pink-and-gold light all day — beautiful, and blinding at the wheel.

Does Iceland have the midnight sun?

Almost. In Reykjavík the June sun sets just after midnight and rises again at 02:55, and the sky stays light all night. The true midnight sun — the sun never setting — is only seen from the far north, such as Grímsey island on the Arctic Circle.

Mountains change the count

These are sea-level figures. In the fjords the mountains hide the low winter sun: in Ísafjörður it doesn't reach the town for weeks around midwinter, and locals celebrate its return with sun coffee (sólarkaffi) in late January.

Daylight on the 15th of each month, and Reykjavík's sunrise and sunset

Sun above the horizon, at sea level, in UTC (Iceland's time all year). Mountains shorten the day in the fjords.

	Reykjavík	Akureyri	Ísafjörður	Vík	Sunrise – sunset (Reykjavík)
January	5 h 27 min	4 h 45 min	4 h 34 min	5 h 43 min	10:54 – 16:20
February	8 h 40 min	8 h 24 min	8 h 20 min	8 h 47 min	09:22 – 18:02
March	11 h 44 min	11 h 42 min	11 h 42 min	11 h 44 min	07:45 – 19:29
April	15 h 7 min	15 h 21 min	15 h 25 min	15 h 1 min	05:55 – 21:02
May	18 h 26 min	19 h 5 min	19 h 16 min	18 h 10 min	04:12 – 22:38
June	21 h 3 min	23 h 3 min	24 h	20 h 31 min	02:57 – 00:00
July	19 h 42 min	20 h 40 min	21 h 3 min	19 h 20 min	03:41 – 23:23
August	16 h 23 min	16 h 45 min	16 h 51 min	16 h 14 min	05:19 – 21:42
September	13 h 1 min	13 h 6 min	13 h 7 min	13 h	06:51 – 19:52
October	9 h 48 min	9 h 38 min	9 h 35 min	9 h 53 min	08:18 – 18:06
November	6 h 29 min	5 h 59 min	5 h 50 min	6 h 42 min	09:57 – 16:26
December	4 h 12 min	3 h 11 min	2 h 51 min	4 h 35 min	11:16 – 15:29

Questions visitors ask

Is Iceland dark all day in winter?

No. Even on the shortest day Reykjavík gets 4 h 7 min of sun plus over an hour of twilight on each side — enough for a full day's sightseeing if you start at first light.

Does Iceland have 24-hour daylight?

Close to it in June and July. Reykjavík's sun sets only briefly around midsummer (21 h 9 min of daylight on 21 June) and the sky stays light all night; the north has even longer days.

How long is the shortest day in Iceland?

Around 21 December Reykjavík has 4 h 7 min of daylight and Akureyri 3 h 3 min.

These are the usual conditions, not a forecast. Before you set off, check the latest forecast and warnings on Iceland Weather or vedur.is, the roads on umferdin.is and travel alerts on safetravel.is. In an emergency, call 112.