I am taking a vacation from late March to early April and I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland. Is it a good idea to go there then or will the weather be too bad? If I go then, would driving be an issue? I’m interested in mainly going to Reykjavík, Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle, and South Coast.
Or would it be that much nicer to do it with a long weekend for Labor Day or 4th of July, even with the increased crowds?
It would be definitely better in July because the days will be very long. The weather is totally unpredictable and changes constantly - I went in May and the weather was crappy, I would expect the same in March and April.
March into April is still winter. I'm on a TripAdvisor Iceland forum, and the people who live there advise against doing a self-drive tour that time of year. As long as you have the necessary winter clothing and don't mind being cold, then it might be a good time to go since it won't be very crowded. You can find lots of tours to the places you mention.
We went in very early April, and had almost totally clear weather during the day. That time of year still provides the potential for seeing Northern Lights at night, except if it’s overcast, which happened for us. No visible Northern Lights in later Spring or Summer. If you’re driving, though, watch for sudden strong winds, and black ice, which can form when the temperature and humidity conditions allow. Driving during the day provides extremely better visibility than at dusk or night.
