I’m not going to lie to you – I’m a big fan of September. I know I should be all sad about the summer being over but there’s just something so cozy about when the darkness returns and you can snuggle up under a blanket and light a candle at night with good conscience. Lighting a candle in June is just silly!

If you ask Icelanders about the weather in September they will probably tell you that it’s always raining. Although it does rain more in September than during the summer months it’s not even close to being the wettest month of the year (on average). In fact, it’s typically the driest out of all the fall and winter months although that can vary between years. Statistics and pivot tables for the win!

What I like about September is the fall colors, the golden light that seems to last forever and the mostly calm weather. There’s nothing quite as pretty as Þingvellir national park in its autumn colors.  We also often see the first good Northern Lights show of the winter in September but it tends to be one of the most active northern lights month out of the year, especially towards the end of it.

Although September is not quite as busy tourist-wise as the summer there’s still plenty of people around. The big difference for those who plan on venturing out of Reykjavík by car is that all the Icelanders have returned back to work which should make the roads a little less busy.

September is the perfect month to visit Iceland if you want a bit smaller crowds while still enjoying relatively mild and good weather. Mind you, your definition of good weather might be quite different from the Icelandic definition.

Annual events and festivals in September worth checking out

Bears on Ice: One of Iceland three biggest LGBT events and Iceland’s only men-only event.

Októberfest SHÍ (University of Iceland): Although intended mostly for the students of the University of Iceland, how can you say no to lots and lots of beer and some of the freshest local musical acts?

RIFF: Iceland’s biggest film festival.

Réttir: The annual sheep roundup usually takes place in September. Although it’s not a festival or a single event it’s still worth looking up if you want to experience something authentically Icelandic.

Tours you might want to consider in September

Northern lights: September is often a great month for the northern lights, especially around the autumn equinox (somewhere around September 20th) and therefore a northern lights tour would be ideal. You could consider a tour like the Northern Lights and the Secret Lagoon or the Northern Lights super jeep tour.

Landmannalaugar: Landmannalaugar is often crowded in the summer which is why a September tour might be ideal. The road into Landmannalaugar is usually open throughout September and if you don’t want to rent a jeep to get there you can take advantage of one of the many great tours on offer. We recommend the Landmannalaugar hiking tour with a transfer from Reykjavík for the budget minded adventure seekers or the Landmannalaugar Super Jeep tour for those who want to travel in a bit more comfort and safely explore off the beaten path.

This post is part of a series about the best time to visit Iceland where we go through things to consider before visiting Iceland for each month of the year. All the weather-related statistics come from the Icelandic Met Office but the rest is based on our feelings and experience.