The Midnight Sun in Iceland

My first visit to Iceland was in winter. Light didn’t begin to peek out until after 10:00 a.m., and sunsets were colorful events that gently led us into long, dark nights. I loved the beautiful sunsets and the dark mornings, evenings, and nights.

Because I so thoroughly enjoyed the limited hours of daylight in winter, I was curious as to how I would react to the opposite situation in early summer. I wanted to experience The Midnight Sun and find out what it’s like to live without darkness.

My Experience With The Midnight Sun in Iceland

Upon arriving in Iceland around 6:30 a.m., we found that daylight helped us acclimate to the time change. It was 2:30 a.m. back at home when we arrived at Keflavík International, so some sunshine really helped in tricking our brains into thinking we had arrived at the start of a new day. We had arrived at Keflavík at 6:30 a.m. during our winter trip as well, and the darkness outside made it slightly harder to adapt to the time change.

I didn’t realize how surreal it would feel to live with constant daylight until later that night when it became apparent there really wouldn’t be any change in lighting to signal the end of the day. It was just as bright at 10:00 p.m. as it was at 10:00 a.m., and it felt totally wild to be walking back from dinner at nearly 11:00 p.m. and have it be so bright out. It was really cool to experience! I was amazed by The Midnight Sun every single day we were there. I couldn’t stop taking photos to document just how bright out it was.

More Hours of Daylight Means More Time to See the Countryside

The long days full of light made it very convenient to explore the countryside. During our winter trip, we were always chasing the fading sunlight. This trip, we were able to really take our time, as we knew The Midnight Sun would give us ample time to visit whatever sights we’d like to see.

No, The Midnight Sun Didn’t Affect my Sleeping Habits

Of course, when the time came for us to unwind and get some sleep, we pulled out the blackout curtains and slept perfectly fine. I did get in the habit of returning from dinner and instantly pulling the blackout curtains out in both the living room and bedroom to try to convince my brain that it was dark out. This practice worked just fine, and I never actually had any trouble sleeping.

The Midnight Sun in Iceland was incredible to experience and made it really easy to pack a ton of sightseeing adventures into our schedule. I highly recommend experiencing it at least once!

Get in Touch

If you would like to learn more about visiting Iceland in early summer, please feel free to email me at emilykeenphotography@gmail.com. If you want to learn about the different seasons in Iceland, check out So What’s Iceland Like in December? and my article Iceland in Winter vs Summer.