Northern Lights on the Golden Circle: Why Staying in the Countryside Gives You an Advantage

For many visitors to Iceland, seeing the Northern Lights is high on the wish list.

But there is one thing worth knowing before planning your trip: the Northern Lights don't follow an itinerary.

They may appear at 9 pm. Or midnight. They may dance across the sky for an hour – or disappear after ten minutes. And sometimes the best display happens just when you thought the evening was over.

That is one of the reasons we love staying in the Icelandic countryside during Northern Lights season.

You can spend the day exploring some of Iceland's most famous sights, enjoy a great dinner nearby, return to your hotel or cabin – and still have the possibility of one more Icelandic experience before going to bed.

Just remember to look up.

The Golden Circle doesn't close when summer ends

The Golden Circle is sometimes thought of as a summer road trip. In reality, autumn and early winter can be a wonderful time to explore it.

From Reykholt, many of Iceland's best-known attractions are close by.

Geysir, with Strokkur erupting every few minutes, and the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall are both an easy drive. Þingvellir National Park, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet and Iceland's parliament was founded more than a thousand years ago, completes the famous Golden Circle trio.

But these are only the beginning.

Staying in the area means you don't have to treat the Golden Circle as a checklist to complete before driving back to Reykjavík.

You can slow down.

Make Reykholt your base

This is perhaps the biggest advantage of staying in Reykholt.

Instead of spending your day driving the Golden Circle and then heading back towards Reykjavík, you are already home.

And there is plenty to do around you.

You can have lunch among the tomato plants at the renowned Friðheimar, enjoy a relaxed evening at Mika in Reykholt, or have light dinner and drinks at Vínstofan.

A short drive away, the new Laugarás Lagoon offers another way to experience Iceland's geothermal water. And afterwards, Ylja, its restaurant, is well worth making part of the evening rather than treating the lagoon simply as another stop on the itinerary.

The result is a very different kind of Golden Circle trip.

Gullfoss and Geysir are still there. But so are good food, geothermal bathing, small villages and evenings that don't need to be spent driving back to the city.

And then it gets dark

This is where travelling in autumn and winter becomes particularly interesting.

During Iceland's summer, the nights never become properly dark. As autumn arrives, darkness returns – and with it, the Northern Lights.

There are no guarantees. Seeing the aurora requires the right combination of solar activity, weather and clear skies.

But staying in the countryside gives you something valuable:

time and flexibility.

You don't necessarily have to decide at 7 pm whether tonight is your Northern Lights night.

Have dinner. Relax. Check the aurora forecast. Look at the cloud cover.

And every now and then, step outside and look at the sky.

If conditions improve later in the evening, you are already in the middle of South Iceland with plenty of possibilities around you.

Don't give the Northern Lights just one night

One of the most common mistakes visitors make is treating the Northern Lights like an attraction:

Tuesday, 9 pm: Northern Lights.

Unfortunately, Iceland doesn't work that way.

Clouds move. Forecasts change. Solar activity comes and goes.

That is why spending two or three nights in the same area can make such a difference. Instead of having one chance, you have several.

And if the Northern Lights don't appear?

You haven't wasted your trip waiting for them.

You have explored Gullfoss and Geysir. Perhaps walked around Þingvellir or visited Brúarfoss. You've soaked in geothermal water, eaten excellent food and experienced a quieter side of Iceland.

The aurora should be the bonus – not the entire holiday.

Hotel or your own cabin?

At Blue Vacations, we offer two very different ways to stay in Reykholt.

Blue Hotel Fagrilundur is a small and comfortable hotel in the heart of the village – an easy base for exploring the Golden Circle without having to change accommodation every night.

For a little more independence, Blue View Cabins give you your own private space in the South Iceland countryside.

Whichever you choose, the idea is the same:

Stay in the Golden Circle rather than simply driving through it.

Explore during the day. Have dinner nearby. Slow the pace down when evening arrives.

And before you go to bed, take one last look outside.

You never know what Iceland might have saved for the end of the day.