April in Iceland
You could be wondering how it is traveling to Iceland in April, what is the weather like? How many daylight hours do we have? And what is there to do?
For many Icelanders, April is the best month of the year since we say goodbye to long, cold, dark days and nights and say hello to sunrise at 6 am and sunset around 8 pm. Which is really appreciated after 5–6 months of darkness! April is the only “down season” month in tourism so if you want to spend less money, experience decent weather and be ahead of the summer traffic April is the ideal time for you to visit Iceland!
We have a special day for the first day of summer, however, we have a unique way of telling when the first day of spring has arrived, that is when the European Golden Plover arrives in Iceland. That happens usually in mid-March but this year it was quite late to arrive on March 28th. We actually have a poem about that little bird saying that it’s here to tell us we have brighter days ahead of us and the summer is right around the corner! This poem was written by Páll Ólafsson in 1827–1905.
Weather
Weather-wise, April is the most unpredictable month of the year. The average temperature is between 0°C and 5°C. Although we celebrate the beginning of summer we may still expect snow storms and temperature below freezing so beware if you’re traveling to Iceland in April!
April is a beautiful month, the frost is melting, the birds wake you up with their chirp in the morning and the daylight hours are getting even longer!
Are the Northern Lights visible in April?
Glad you asked! Yes, they are, however, due to longer sunlight hours they are visible later in the night. You could catch them around and after midnight. There are three factors that need to think about regarding the northern lights, those are: complete darkness, clear skies, and good northern lights activity. April is the last chance to be able to see the northern lights so make sure you do while you’re here! Book your minibus northern lights tour HERE (please note that the tour is operated until April 15th). Although I have lived in Iceland my whole life and I have seen the northern lights a million times, searching for them is and will be one of my favorite things to do! I am always like a kid at Christmas when I see them!
Things to do in April
Whale watching season! — This is the time where whales move closer to Icelandic shores. Book your whale watching tour HERE
What is better than doing water sports with rising temperature! Check out our snorkeling tour. Highly recommended between April and September!
Although many ice cave tours have stopped operating due to warmer temperature and the ice caves melting away, there are still at least two tours still operating in April! Those are Katla Ice Cave and Fast Track Ice Cave tour, both operated from Vík in South Iceland.
Puffins come to town in April!
Well not to town maybe but they return from their winter vacation in warmer countries to Iceland. Puffin season is from April through September. Fun fact about puffins: here in Iceland is the largest puffin breed or about 60% of the world’s puffins decide to breed here in Iceland. They start coming in April but in May it’s said they are all here. The Atlantic Puffin is the most popular bird in Iceland, it is said that here live about 10 million birds! That is about Iceland’s human population times 29! That is a lot of birds! Most of them arrive in Vestmannaeyjar islands or about 1,1 million, they can also be seen in the East and some also live in Viðey island just outside of Reykjavik.
Special dates in April
April 5th — 8th AK Extreme: an event for the snowboarders and skiers! A big event in the hills of Hlíðarfjall, also with some events in downtown Akureyri. Friendly competitions with competitors from all over the world in the North of Iceland.
April 12th — 14th Eve fanfest: A huge party where players of EVE online from all over the world come to the home of CCP, Iceland, to play all together. This year is the events 15th anniversary so we may expect an event bigger and better than usual.
April 17th — 22nd Children’s culture festival: A festival for children up to 16 years old celebrating a wide range of arts through workshops and performances by children. Many events here and there around Reykjavik.
April 19th First day of summer
All in all
Iceland is worth visiting all year round but in April you get to see the country come to life after the winter! April is one of my favorite months just because of that. People are also generally nicer with longer daylight hours. What do you need more?
Low prices on accommodation and airfares, good weather, friendly and nice people and not to mention less crowded!
In my opinion, April is the ideal month to go on a holiday! :)
Tell me what you think, comment below.