The 7 best places to see the northern lights in Iceland, ranked

The top four

1. Thingvellir National Park — an hour from Reykjavik, huge open valley, dark enough on a moonless night, and the road stays plowed. 2. Myvatn area — statistically the clearest skies in Iceland, especially the east side of the lake around Hverfjall. 3. Grotta lighthouse, Seltjarnarnes — surprisingly usable given it's inside greater Reykjavik; the peninsula is dark to the north. 4. Kirkjufell, Snaefellsnes — the classic shot with the mountain and waterfall, but Snaefellsnes gets more cloud than the north.

The truth about aurora hunting: it's a weather game more than a location game. KP index above 3 and clear sky beats KP 6 under cloud, every time. Check vedur.is cloud forecast alongside aurora forecast. The four spots above have the best combination of darkness and reliable access from where you’re likely to be sleeping.

Ranked 5 to 7

5. Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon — icebergs plus aurora is the shot, but you’re five hours from Reykjavik and the road is unforgiving in winter. 6. Vik and Reynisfjara — dramatic if it clears, but the south coast is often cloudy in aurora season. 7. Hofsos in the north, or anywhere along the Trollaskagi peninsula — very dark, very few people, but a long drive.

Skip Perlan's 'northern lights show' — it's a planetarium, not the sky. Skip tour buses that promise sightings; they’ll drive you around for four hours and if the sky is cloudy you’ll see nothing. Better to rent a car, watch the forecast, and drive 30 minutes when it's actually happening. Aurora season is late September to mid-April, best around equinoxes.