Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
June
Hello summer! The short, sharp, three-month-long tourist season begins.
Pros: the best weather, near-endless daylight, the pick of tours and excur-
sions, the best choice of accommodation. Cons: big crowds, peak prices,
the need to book all lodging.
Seafarers' Day
Fishing is integral to Icelandic life, and Seafarers' Day (Sjómannadagurinn) is party time
in fishing villages. On the first weekend in June, every ship in Iceland is in harbour and all
sailors have a day off. Salty-dog celebrations on the Sunday include drinking, rowing and
swimming contests, tugs-of-war and mock sea rescues.
Hafnarfjörður Viking Festival
The peace is shattered as Viking hordes invade this seaside town near Reykjavík for a five-
day festival in mid-June. Expect little in the way of pillaging - more like staged fights,
storytelling, archery and music. See
www.vikingvillage.is
.
Whale Watching
Some 11 species of whale are regularly sighted in the waters around Iceland. Sightings
happen year-round; the best time is from June to August. Whale-spotting boat tours leave
from the Reykjavík area, and from near Akureyri, but Húsavík is the country's whale-
watching HQ.
National Day
The country's biggest holiday commemorates the founding of the Republic of Iceland on
17 June 1944 with parades and general patriotic merriness. Tradition has it that the sun
isn't supposed to shine. And it usually doesn't!
Opening of Mountain Roads
The highland regions of Iceland are generally blanketed in snow well into the warmer
months. The opening of 4WD-only mountain roads is weather dependent, but generally
