Iceland in March

March is the year's turning point, and it turns fast: no month adds more daylight - about 3 hours 23 minutes in Reykjavík - yet the nights stay dark enough that this is also one of the best aurora months, helped by a genuine equinox effect in the geomagnetic statistics. It is the mildest and sunniest of the winter months, the last full month for ice caves, and in some years - 2027 among them - it ends with Easter, which brings four public holidays and a small national migration to the ski towns.

Daylight: The Biggest Gain Of The Year

Two things worth drawing out. First, the total: March adds about 3 hours 23 minutes of daylight in Reykjavík - more than any other month, February included, though the day-by-day pace across late winter is nearly constant at about six and a half minutes per day. Second, the equinox on 20 March is not quite what it says: because atmospheric refraction and the width of the sun's disc stretch the visible day, the table already shows 12 h 13 m on equinox day, and day and night are actually equal around the 18th. That is reasoning from geometry rather than a sourced figure, but it is why the numbers look "wrong" - from mid-March until autumn, days are longer than nights.

Weather And Temperature

Where these numbers come from. The Icelandic Met Office publishes 30-year normals tables for 1961-1990 only - there is no published 1991-2020 table. We computed these from the Met Office's own monthly station files across the 30 years to 2020. They are computed, not published, and we say so rather than implying an official table exists.

March is the mildest of the winter months - a shade over 1 °C on the Reykjavík mean, against 0.7 °C in January and 0.5 °C in February - and much the sunniest: 110 hours, nearly double February. None of that makes it spring. Storms, ice and heavy snow all still happen, the north holds winter longer than the south-west, and the weather can undo an itinerary in any week of the month. Treat it as bright winter, not early summer.

Northern Lights: The Equinox Advantage

March is a prime aurora month for a reason that is in the statistics, not the brochures: geomagnetic activity is markedly stronger around the equinoxes than at the solstices - the Russell-McPherron effect - and the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute puts the equinox likelihood at roughly double the solstice. Combine that with nights that are still properly dark all month, and viewing weather that is usually more settled than midwinter, and late March is arguably the sweet spot of the whole season. The season runs to mid-April; as ever, clear skies decide, so check the Met Office aurora forecast nightly.

Easter: The Years It Lands In March

Easter moves, and it matters for a March trip. In 2027, Easter Sunday falls on 28 March, putting all of Holy Week in the month: Palm Sunday on the 21st, Maundy Thursday the 25th, Good Friday the 26th and Easter Monday the 29th. Those last four are public holidays by statute. What actually closes: most shops and every state alcohol store (Vínbúðin closes on all four days, as it announces each Easter), while restaurants, pools, tours and attractions largely run. One myth to retire: the old law that banned dances, bingo and entertainment on Good Friday was repealed in 2019, so stories of a country legally shut for fun are out of date - only the protection of church services remains.

Icelanders spend the week on skis if they can: Skíðavikan in Ísafjörður - "Easter in the west" - has been the Westfjords' Easter week for decades, and the same town doubles the bill with Aldrei fór ég suður ("I Never Went South"), the Easter-weekend music festival whose 2027 edition is already fixed for 26-27 March. The ski areas at Hlíðarfjall and Bláfjöll peak over the holidays too. Book the Easter week early in a March-Easter year; the country is travelling too, and Ísafjörður in particular fills up. For contrast, Easter fell on 5 April in 2026 and 20 April in 2025 - in those years, March is simply a quiet bright winter month.

What Else Is On

Two absences worth naming. HönnunarMars / DesignMarch, despite the name, no longer runs in March: the 2026 edition ran 6-10 May, so look for it on a spring itinerary instead. And the Iceland Winter Games in Akureyri still appear in guides, but we could not verify any edition since March 2019 - do not plan around them.

Ice Caves: Last Call

March is the last full month of the typical ice-cave season, which runs November to March; operator contracts in Vatnajökull National Park extend to the end of April, but late-season access depends on daily risk assessment, and a warm spell can close caves early - the caves act as drainage conduits, which is exactly why the rules tightened after the fatal collapse at Breiðamerkurjökull in August 2024. If ice caves are the point of the trip, earlier in the month is safer than later. The man-made Langjökull tunnel runs year-round.

Driving: Still Winter, All Month

March driving is winter driving, whatever the daylight says: 4×4 with proper winter tyres, flexible plans, and umferdin.is plus the forecast checked daily. Studded tyres are permitted through 14 April - the regulation bans them from 15 April to 31 October - so rental fleets carry full winter fit-out all month. The highland F-roads are closed without exception: in our dataset of recorded openings, no highland road has opened earlier than 23 May. See winter driving for what the law actually requires on tyres.

How Busy Is It?

Busier than any other winter month, and swung by Easter. Icelandic Tourist Board counts show 152,485 foreign departures through Keflavík in March 2025, when Easter fell in April - about half of peak-August volume, but ahead of January, February and even April that year. In 2024, with Easter Sunday on 31 March, the month ran to 171,969 - roughly 13 per cent more. The practical read for 2027: ordinary March pressure for most of the month, then a genuine squeeze over the 21st-29th, when Icelanders themselves are travelling.

Related Guides

Compare with February, darker but with the Winter Lights Festival and the bun-day food week, and September, the mirror month at the other equinox. The when to visit hub compares all twelve months, and a dark March evening in a hot spring under a possible aurora is the month's best argument.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is March A Good Month To See The Northern Lights In Iceland?

One of the best. The nights are still properly dark - over ten hours of darkness even at the end of the month - and geomagnetic activity is statistically stronger around the equinoxes than at the solstices, a pattern known as the Russell-McPherron effect. The University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute puts the equinox likelihood at roughly double the solstice. March also brings more settled viewing weather than midwinter, and the season runs to mid-April, so the whole month is in play. Clear skies remain the real constraint: check the forecast at en.vedur.is.

How Cold Is Iceland In March?

Milder than its reputation, and milder than midwinter: the Reykjavík mean for March is about 1.2 °C - the warmest of the winter months, against 0.7 °C in January and 0.5 °C in February - with typical daytime highs around 4 °C. Akureyri sits around 0 °C. It is still fully winter weather: storms, ice and snow all happen in March, and the mountains stay white. What changes most is light, not temperature - Reykjavík gets 110 hours of sunshine in March, nearly double February.

How Much Daylight Does Iceland Get In March?

More new daylight than any other month of the year: Reykjavík goes from 10 hours 9 minutes on 1 March to 13 hours 25 minutes on the 31st, a total gain of about 3 hours 23 minutes. The spring equinox falls on 20 March - though because refraction and the width of the sun's disc stretch the visible day, day and night are actually equal a few days before the equinox, around the 18th. From then on the days are longer than the nights until autumn.

Is Easter In March In Iceland?

In some years. Easter Sunday falls on 28 March in 2027, so the whole of Holy Week - Palm Sunday on the 21st through Easter Monday on the 29th - lands in March; in 2026 it fell on 5 April, and in 2024 on 31 March. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are public holidays in Iceland, so expect most shops and all state alcohol stores closed on those four days, while restaurants, pools and tours largely run. The old law that banned dances and bingo on Good Friday was repealed in 2019, so the famous stories about a country shut for entertainment are out of date.

Can You Drive The Ring Road In March?

Yes, with full winter discipline: a 4×4 with proper winter tyres, flexible plans, and daily checks of umferdin.is and the weather forecast. March storms close roads at short notice, and the north and east hold winter conditions longer than the south-west. Studded tyres are permitted through 14 April, so rental fleets still carry winter fit-out all month. The highland F-roads are another matter entirely - closed, with no recorded opening earlier than 23 May in any recent year.

How Busy Is Iceland In March?

Moderately, and it depends on where Easter falls. Icelandic Tourist Board counts show 152,485 foreign departures through Keflavík in March 2025, when Easter fell in April - about half of peak-August volume, but ahead of every other winter month. In 2024, when Easter Sunday was 31 March, the month ran to 171,969, about 13 per cent higher. In an Easter-in-March year like 2027, book the Easter week itself well ahead, especially anywhere near the ski towns.

Sources

Temperature and precipitation computed from Veðurstofa Íslands monthly station data for Reykjavík and Akureyri, 1991-2020 (read 10 August 2026). Daylight computed with the NOAA sunrise and sunset algorithm. Easter dates from Almanak Háskóla Íslands; the public holidays from lög nr. 32/1997, whose Good Friday activity restrictions were repealed by lög nr. 73/2019; the studded-tyre window from reglugerð nr. 822/2004 (16.02, read 10 August 2026); beer legalisation from Alþingi records. Event dates from the organisers: Food and Fun, Skíðavikan, Aldrei fór ég suður (2027 dates published) and Tónlistarmiðstöð. Equinox aurora statistics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute; visitor numbers from Ferðamálastofa (read 10 August 2026). Where 2027 event dates are not yet published we give the rule and say so.

Last updated: 2026-08-12 · Reviewed against official sources.