June has the first official summer days, with warmer and much longer days. Visit Iceland in June for the excellent weather conditions and the many celebrations as it is also when we celebrate all things Iceland with our National Day!
Your Friend in Reykjavik loves summer for many reasons, from enjoying the Midnight Sun to its fullest to embracing our inner Viking! And we want to share them with you in this article and when you come and visit us for a walking tour!
So much to celebrate across Iceland in June
Pretty much any time you visit Iceland in June, you will find us celebrating! The first weekend is the Festival of the Sea, when we honour our fishing and sea-going heritage with entertainment, highlighting everything from sailing to mermaids. Then, depending on the year, we have the biennial Reykjavik Arts Festival, with exhibits, installations, and events all over the city (a perfect time for a walking tour, don’t you think?). Our neighbours in Hafnarfjörður host the annual Viking Festival during the second week of June for more interactive cultural fun. See Vikings in action, from fabulous feasts and parties to markets selling leather and fur, swords and horns.
If you are travelling to Iceland in the summer, you should try to make it for 17 June, Icelandic National Day. Everyone across the country celebrates our independence from Denmark, but we really know how to party in Reykjavik. Parades, circus acts, street fairs and more make our capital the place to be on 17 June!
Sunrise? Sunset? Yes!!
June in Iceland is ideal for Midnight Sun fun
The sun never sets in Iceland during the summer. Well, technically, it does, but not for very long. And in June, this is even more true as our longest day usually occurs around 21 June. With the sun setting around midnight and rising about 3 am, the sky turns a brilliant red and yellow, then brightens again. This means no chance of catching the Northern Lights, but this is spectacular in unique ways.
Enjoy the great outdoors in Iceland in June
Fantastic weather, daylong daylight — summertime is ideal for discovering the gorgeous Icelandic countryside. We have got fabulous campsites all over the island for your outdoorsy types, from the adorably quaint Grenivik in the north to the rugged Skaftafell in the south. Even if you are not one for sleeping in tents, there are also so many hiking trails to breathe in that fresh Iceland air and snap some stunning pics to send home. You don’t even have to travel far; we’ve got a lot of nature here in Reykjavik. With all these hours in a day, you may want to head to the harbour and do some whale watching!
Best things to do in Reykjavik in June
With all the celebrations in and around Reykjavik in June, there is plenty to see and do every day you are here. Head down to the harbour during the Festival of the Sea, enjoy all the arts and culture and fun for the Reykjavik Arts Festival and the celebrations for our National Day. And if you cannot make it to Hafnarfjörður for the Viking Festival, you can always Walk with a Viking with us! Or, if you want some help navigating the many local favourite snacks and dishes, we got the perfect Reykjavik food lovers tour to help you out!
Weather in Iceland in June
Not only do you get the long days in June with daylight lasting around 20 hours or so, but you get warm weather with very little rainfall in Iceland. Temperatures are usually around 48.97°F (9.43°C), with fluctuation. That’s a t-shirt and shorts weather for us!
The average temperatures in Reykjavik range from 45.9°F (7.7°C) to 54.9°F (12.7°C), with 174 mean monthly sunshine hours. There are no numbers for the average snowfall in June. If it happens (it’s Iceland, of course, it can happen), it is so rare it doesn’t register on the average scale. In June, there are 10.7 days with precipitation days on average.
What to pack to visit Iceland in June
In June, we may be happily frolicking around Reykjavik in shorts, but you may want to pack a sweater and jacket. Layers are always key! Since this is an excellent time for the great outdoors, consider a windbreaker, boots, and gloves — it may be warm out, but if you spend a lot of time outside, you may start getting chilly! Also, remember what we said about the long days? If you are not used to sleeping while the sun is out, you should pack some sleep aids to be well-rested when you venture out to explore.
Your Friend in Reykjavik can’t wait to see you in June!
Or anytime, really — we want to take you to all our favourite spots in Reykjavik. And with all the festivals and summer fun in June, it should be a fantastic time to take to the streets! Now that the days are soooo long, you might want to try one of our private walking tours or Reykjavik so you can see our beautiful capital on your own time.
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[…] June may have the longest summer days in Iceland, but if you visit Reykjavik in July, you’ll still get to enjoy long days! With sunsets around 11 pm and sunrises at 4 am, you may not get a full Midnight Sun experience, but you will get some of the quickest nights around. In fact, there may be nights where you may see the sunset only to blink and see it rise again seemingly as quickly. […]