Iceland in May: the local's favourite month
Puffins on green cliffs in early Icelandic spring
18 hours of daylight, prices 30% below June, puffins arriving, and roads finally opening — the sweet spot before the crowds.
Why Icelanders quietly love May
May is when Iceland exhales. Snow melts off Reykjavik by the first week, the countryside turns green in the second, and lupine fields bloom purple by month's end. Daylight hits 18 hours by the 20th. Temperatures average 4-10C — cool but workable. Puffins return to Latrabjarg and the Westman Islands from mid-April and are settled by early May.
The magic is the price gap. Reykjavik three-star rooms sit at 28,000-34,000 ISK, versus 45,000 in June. Rental cars are 40% cheaper than July. Blue Lagoon slots are still bookable a week out. Golden Circle tours have space. The country isn’t empty — it's just not saturated.
What's open, what's not, and the holidays to watch
Ring Road is fully driveable. Snaefellsnes and the north are accessible. F-roads (highlands, Landmannalaugar, Askja) mostly remain closed until mid-June — this is the trade-off. Whale watching from Husavik ramps up. Puffin tours from Reykjavik harbour start early May.
First Day of Summer (Sumardagurinn fyrsti) falls on the first Thursday after 18 April and is a public holiday with parades. Labour Day (1 May) closes shops. Ascension Day and Whit Monday are also holidays — check dates for your year. Eurovision fever grips the country in mid-May with public screenings; Icelanders take it seriously and it's oddly fun to watch alongside them at a bar like Kaldi or Skuli Craft Bar.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Reykjavik.
Yes, if you dress in layers. Highs of 10-12C are common by late May and hiking around Thingvellir, Reykjadalur or the Reykjanes peninsula is genuinely pleasant. Bring waterproofs — showers pass through daily.
No. By early May the sky no longer gets dark enough. If aurora is your priority, come between mid-September and mid-April instead.
