Where to see the northern lights in Reykjavík without a tour

No, I’m not going mad! It is possible to see the northern lights in Reykjavík without going on an expensive tour, spending hours in the cold or chasing around from location to location. However, you do need the right conditions to see the lights anywhere in Iceland and if it is cloudy or the sun hasn’t done its thing then seeing the lights is impossible wherever you are located. It isn’t chasing the northern lights it is chasing the gaps in the clouds.

I am a Northern Lights addict and have seen them in Iceland as well as Scandinavia, Canada and the UK. I love the feeling when they appear, it’s almost like the charge that causes them makes the air feel different. However, I am lazy. I like being warm and have been known to leave my camera out and link it to my phone to keep an eye on things. I also don’t do ‘other people’ so the thought of experiencing this magical moment with a busload of strangers is not my idea of fun. This is why I choose to do my own thing when I am hunting for aurora in Rekjavík.

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Where to see the northern lights in Reykjavík

There are some good places to see and photograph the lights in Reykjavík. The locations included below do not require a tour or leaving the city and can be reached from most of the city hotels by taxi. If you are looking for the lights always look to the north away from the main city lights.

Sun Voyager and Shore Walk

LOCATION ON GOOGLE MAPS

The most central place to see the northern lights is from the path close to the Sun Voyager. This area has a view out across the bay to the mountains close to Akranes. There are benches and seats along the path so waiting isn’t too strenuous unless it is very cold. The light from the Sun Voyager can be intense if the aurora is weak so walking east, away from Harpa Concert Hall can help with reducing light pollution making them more visible.

Grótta Lighthouse

LOCATION ON GOOGLE MAPS

At the far end of the Seltjarnarnes Peninsula is Grótta Lighthouse. There is a small car park which can get busy on active nights, but there are minimal city lights out here making the displays appear much brighter. One of the advantages of this location is that you can park close to the shoreline and stay in the warm while you wait.

Perlan Museum

LOCATION ON GOOGLE MAPS

Perlan sits on a hill to the south of the main city centre. It has beautiful views out across the city and the bay to the mountains beyond. Like Grótta Lighthouse it is possible to wait in the warm of your vehicle until the lights appear. I find this location a little more exposed and it can be quite windy when other places feel calm.

Hotel balconies

Don’t feel that you always have to go out to see the lights. Many of the hotel rooms have balconies or roof terraces with stunning views across the city and these make for easy viewing of the northern lights. If the night is forecast to be active I will often sleep with the curtains open and pop out every so often to see if anything is happening.

How to know if the northern lights are going to happen

For the northern lights to appear several things need to happen. Firstly there has to be solar activity releasing electrically charged particles from the sun in the direction of the earth. This happens all the time but sometimes it is directed away from Earth. In the summer months when the midnight sun is seen over Reykjavík, there will not be any visible lights even if they are present.

To see the lights there needs to be dark clear skies. The easiest way to check this is to see if there are stars. If there are stars then you will be able to see the northern lights if they are active. If the clouds are moving then you may catch a glimpse of the lights through the cloud cover. However, a sky with thick cloud cover is not the night you are going to see the lights wherever you go.

Northern Lights Forecast

There are so many apps and websites for predicting the northern lights but I have found Glendale Aurora Alerts or the Aurora Forecast from the Icelandic Meteorological Office to be the most reliable. Even these can be unreliable. If you are staying in the city to find the Northern Lights it is easy to pop outside and look at the sky every so often.

What time of year can I see the northern lights over Reykjavík?

The northern lights can be seen any time that there is a proper dark sky. This happens between September and April. In late August and early May, it may be possible to see the lights but as there are long periods of twilight and no true darkness it is often difficult.

Disadvantages of Northern Lights hunting in the city

After all this talk of seeing the lights in the city, there are disadvantages to staying in Reykjavík to see the northern lights.

• The lights have to be more intense to see them over the lights of the city
• You have a more suburban foreground to any photographs you take
• You have fewer options than if you are on a tour that can chase the clear skies

Northern Lights Tours from Reykjavík

If you decide that you do want to go on a northern lights tour instead of hunting alone then you do need to consider a few things. These can make for a positive tour rather than a miserable trip. always book your tour as early in your time in Iceland as possible. This means you can fit in repeat trips until you see the lights during your stay.

Group size – Is it a personal tour with a guide and your group or a bigger bus tour? How will you feel experiencing the lights with 50 other people (maybe more if other buses choose the same spot as your tour)?

Cancellation and rebooking – What are the terms of cancellation? Do they allow you to rebook if the lights aren’t seen?

Distance – How far are they willing to search for the lights? Some tours don’t go that far while others will take you to clear skies a fair distance out of the city.

Times – The northern lights don’t have a switch. Some days they will be visible at sunset, while other days you will have an amazing show at 2 am. The longer the tour the higher than chance of a display.

Land-Based Tour or Boat Tour

From Reykjavík, it is possible to see the Northern Lights on a boat tour or a land tour. While both have their pros and cons, I would suggest a land tour is better. You have more options for finding clear skies, there isn’t the risk of sea sickness and even inside the boats can be chilly after a while.

For something completely different the boats are fantastic but if you are limited on time (they are usually 2 hours when the bus trips are 4 hours), suffer from seasickness or want amazing photographs then a land-based tour may be the better option.