Our northern lights short breaks in Iceland are a popular option. Travellers get to see the aurora borealis and Iceland’s dramatic, volcanic landscapes over a long weekend.
You’ll stay in the best northern lights locations. And venture off the beaten track to see some of the most beautiful scenery in South Iceland. Walk along the black sandy beaches of Vik. Soak in the warm waters of the Blue Lagoon. Then, chase the Northern Lights in the evening.
Let the Aurora Nights team plan your weekend away in Iceland. We’ll create a bespoke trip that maximises your time on the island and your chances of seeing the Northern Lights, too.
Explore our short trips to Iceland
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Northern Lights Paradise
This short break in the Icelandic wilderness includes exploring a secret ice cave and an exciting guided superjeep tour whilst staying at Hotel Ranga - famed for seeing the Northern Lights.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,300
Credit Business Iceland
Reykjavik Aurora Short Break
This 3-night Reykjavik winter break is perfect for the first time Northern Lights holiday visitor short of time. Enjoy everything the city has to offer and go in search of the aurora!
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,000
Credit Business Iceland
The Iconic Northern Lights Break
This break is perfect for your first visit to Iceland if you want to see the Northern Lights and experience some of its dramatic volcanic landscapes.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,000
The Northern Iceland Weekend Aurora Escape
With the launch of Easyjet's direct flight to Akureyri in north Iceland, this exciting new package includes the highlights of this beautiful, less explored part of Iceland.
Price per person (excl. flights)
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from £2,000
Short breaks to Iceland: FAQs
Why choose a classic short break in Iceland?
On a classic short break in Iceland, you pack a lot of adventure and Northern Lights hunting into three to four nights. So if your schedule or budget don’t allow for a longer trip, it’s the perfect alternative.
You can book one of the tours above. Or go bespoke, adjusting our classic short breaks to include your choice of accommodation and activities.
How long are your Iceland northern lights short breaks?
Our short breaks to Iceland are between three and four nights long. If you want a longer Northern Lights holiday, take a look at our escorted tours, self-drive tours and exclusive aurora holidays in Iceland.
What can I see and do on an Iceland Northern Lights weekend break?
On an Iceland Northern Lights weekend break, you get to explore all that South Iceland has to offer. Depending on the time of year you visit, you can:
- Bathe in the thermal waters of the Blue Lagoon or relax in the hot tub back at your hotel
- Visit an ice cave and go glacier snowmobiling
- Travel the Golden Circle to see Strokkur Geyser, Gullfoss Waterfall, the Kerid crater and Thingvellir
- Hunt the aurora on night time wilderness trips or on a boat cruise into the Atlantic Ocean
- Embark on super jeep adventures to remote locations away from the coach tours
- Walk along the black sand beach at Vik and venture behind the waterfall at Seljalandsfoss
- Get up close to majestic ocean mammals on a whale-watching tour
What’s included in a Northern Lights weekend break to Iceland?
Our weekend Northern Lights breaks to Iceland include:
- Accommodation
- Transfers
- Half-board or full-board dining
- A selection of activities, including Northern Lights hunting
Our self-drive short breaks also include car hire. But please note that our packages don’t include flights. If you want advice on airlines and airports for your trip to Iceland from the UK or US, just ask. We’ll be happy to help.
Will I definitely see the Northern Lights on my weekend away in Iceland?
We can’t guarantee that you’ll see the Northern Lightson your holiday to Iceland. But we do everything we can to maximise your chances.
We choose lodges and hotels in remote areas that are renowned for northern lights sightings. At Hotel Ranga, for example, on any three-night stay, you have a 70% chance of seeing the aurora.
Our expert aurora guides will also take you on exciting night time excursions to hunt down the Northern Lights. They’ll take you to places with clear, cloudless skies, where the northern lights are most likely to appear.
Where will I stay?
There are lots of amazing accommodation options in Iceland.
From boutique hotels in Reykjavik to luxurious rural bolt holes. We can book you into a hotel with its own observatory and astronomy expert. Or extend your time at the Blue Lagoon with a stay at its shore-side spa retreat.
Celebrating a special occasion? Then we can book you a private wilderness cabin for a one-of-a-kind experience.
Can I book a short break in Reykjavik?
Absolutely. We can help you plan a short break in Reykjavik.
Iceland’s capital is a great place to sample the country’s culture and cuisine. It makes a great base for whale-watching tours and the Sky Lagoon, too.
On a city break to Iceland, you can also travel out of Reykjavik, into the countryside. Here, away from city lights, you can chase the aurora each evening.
There’s another very good reason to pick Reykjavik as the base for Iceland Northern Lights short breaks. There are lots of direct flights to Iceland’s capital.
By choosing this destination, you cut down on travel time and can fit even more activity and adventure into your Iceland mini break.
When is the best time to book a weekend break to Iceland?
If you want to see the northern lights, the best time to book a weekend away in Iceland is between September and March. During these months, the nights are long and dark. Perfect conditions for aurora spotting.
You can also plan a short trip to Iceland around the activities you want to enjoy. For example, self-driving is easier in the autumn. And your chance of seeing whales on a whale-watching tour varies from month to month.
Christmas and New Year are also great times to visit Iceland. You can view Reykjavik’s New Year fireworks from our boat cruise. Or welcome in the New Year from your hot tub with the Northern Lights dancing above.
Tell us what you’d like to do on your weekend break to Iceland, and we can recommend the best time to visit.
Why book with Aurora Nights?
We’ve been offering short northern lights breaks to Iceland for over 15 years. So our tours have been tried, tested and tweaked to offer the very best of Iceland.
When you book northern lights tour packages with Aurora Nights, you can count on:
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- Tailored trips — our travel experts can create a bespoke short break in Iceland, suited to your interests, budget and schedule
- Exceptional experiences — the very best accommodation on the island and bespoke activities, with private or small group tours as standard
- Experienced local guides — our guides in Iceland show you a lesser-seen side of the country and are skilled at tracking down the Northern Lights
- A hassle-free holiday — you book your flights, we take care of everything else – so you can focus on the excitement, not the organisation
Whether you book a classic short break, an escorted tour, an exclusive aurora break or a self-drive tour to Iceland, the Aurora Nights team will create the perfect itinerary.
How do I book my Iceland mini break?
To book your mini break to Iceland, start by contacting the friendly Aurora Nights team. You can send us an email, give us a call or fill in the website form. We’ll chat about dates, accommodation, activities and budget. Then plan the Iceland aurora holiday you’ve been dreaming of.
Reviews
See what our clients say
We enjoyed both the hotels that were arranged by weekend a la Carte Aurora nights. The Porsmork trip was very enjoyable, both guides were fantastic and informative.
The Northern Light hunt trip out of Reykjavik with Superjeep was an adventure and we got to see the lights, worth braving the cold at -6.
David Rogers
Thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The Abisko Mountain Lodge was fantastic, every member of staff was friendly welcoming and charming. Accommodation, upgraded room was excellent. The food in the lodge definitely deserves the high reviews. Good breakfast, great hime made lunch soups and extremely tasty evening dinners.
The included trips were great. The only let down was the camera night, couldn’t see the lights no one fault, but we were walked through thigh high snow to be left on a frozen lake for the duration of the trip. There was no warning of the difficult walk and we had a 91 year old with us and I have hip problems! That said the guide was great, as were the ones on the skimobile and husky rides. We went up to the sky station in a snow storm with high winds, added to the experience!
Would go back in a heart beat.
We had little communication with Weekend a la carte, no need as all communications were clear and contained all the information we needed. Very informative emails
Would use again if going back
June Day
Superb holiday to Iceland, well organised, advice regarding trips informative and far exceeded our expectations (Glaciers and ice Cave) run by South Coast. Hotel Ranga is a lovely hotel, perfect to see Northern Lights (which we did see on our 3rd night), very comfortable, food excellent, staff helpful and informative. SouthCoast Adventure tour company were excellent, guides knowledgeable, and clearly very experienced.
Helen Middleton
What a fantastic trip! I booked this for myself and my husband to celebrate my 40th birthday and it didn’t disappoint! Booking was simple and we were kept up to date with all the details from the office team in the UK.
From the moment we arrived at Kiruna airport all the staff we encountered were so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. We opted for the upgraded room at the Abisko Mountain Lodge which I would highly recommend. The cold weather clothing which was supplied was fantastic and kept us really warm in the sub-zero temperatures. The dog sledging, snowmobiling and the Northern Lights photography were all superb and the staff leading the trips were really friendly and so knowledgeable. Even though we weren’t able to do the sky station trip because of the weather, there was a lovely alternative evening organised for us which included a traditional dinner and a walk to the lake where we were able to see the lights. The food at the lodge was also exceptional and showcased some lovely traditional dishes using Moose and Reindeer which were wonderful to try.
I would like to send a massive thank you to all the staff at The Abisko Mountain Lodge as well as the guides we used for our guided walks, dog sledging and snowmobiling. I’d highly recommend the trip, it was our first visit to Sweden and we would definitely return. Thanks again to everyone (including the huskies) who made it so memorable!
Carly Webster
Cannot thank this company enough. Our break to Iceland was the second time we’ve let them organise everything for us and once again they didn’t disappoint. Everything ran seamlessly and the organised tours were wonderful. This company knows what they are doing. If you want to experience the geysers, the volcano, the northern lights and all the other exciting things that Iceland has to offer then this is the company to use.
Carol Wrack
My daughter and I had an amazing time on our trip, we didn’t want it to end! Everything went according to plan, each excursion was well organized and everyone involved with each activity, as well as everyone at the lodge was kind, friendly, positive and happy, which makes such a difference to your whole experience. The food at The Abisko Mountain Lodge was also incredibly good. Our room was large, comfortable and well-furnished. The bathroom too was also spacious and well-equipped. The outdoor clothing provided was of very good quality which kept us warm, and the staff members are happy to change items if they are not quite the right size for you. This is my second trip with Weekend a la carte and I’m sure there will be more as I have complete trust in them. I highly recommend Aurora Nights, it was fabulous.
Jane Ashworth
Brilliant short break. Hotel Ranga was lovely, excellent food. Managed to see the Northern Lights as well! Iceland on the whole was quite expensive but a lovely place to visit, the people were very friendly.
Linda Palmer
We did the aurora nights break and had a great time overall. Everything related to flights, hire car, and hotels ran smoothly. There were a few issues largely relating to the weather and driving conditions (we travelled in mid March), but what we did manage to do was amazing.
The blue lagoon was easy to access from the airport and was a brilliant experience. We booked the standard package and it came with a free drink and face mask. Facilities were clean and organised with free toiletries in the shower rooms, which helps if you’ve gone there straight from the airport.
The drive to Hotel Ranga afterwards was long but fine (check out the road on google streetview to know what to expect). The hotel and staff were great. We were limited to one option as vegetarians on the bar and a la carte menus, but the food was lovely and if you are a meat eater you will see options of unusual dishes like puffin and reindeer.
Our northern lights super jeep trip was cancelled on both nights due to a poor forecast, but we were lucky enough to get an aurora wake up call from Hotel Ranga the first night. We couldn’t use the hottubs as there are only a few and they were always taken in the limited time we spent at the hotel, so don’t go expecting to get lots of time in one and you won’t be disappointed. View them as an add on if you can time it right. We were travelling with an 11 year old, so we didn’t stay up really late. If you are a couple you probably have a better chance of getting one later on.
The glacier/volcano super jeep trip was outstanding. Our driver, Íbí was excellent. She went above and beyond and gave us such an awesome experience. We were also super lucky with the weather the first two days and had great views across Iceland.
The ice cave tour was also incredible and the guides running it were excellent. The group size was much bigger than expected (especially after the more exclusive volcano super jeep tour), but it was broken down into smaller groups that were managed well, with plenty of time factored in for photographs. There were several unexplained delays getting to the cave during the tour that meant we weren’t able to ‘mini tour’ the rest of the South Coast afterwards, so if you plan to do the ice cave don’t overplan for the afternoon as you may not have much time. Not a huge disappointment for us as we got to experience the cave, but I imagine someone who planned a full itinerary afterwards might be frustrated by the estamiated timings not always being right and subject to change with the weather (which was wicked that day).
Driving around Reykjavik was a horrible experience as we arrived around rush hour and weren’t prepared for all the traffic, having only experienced quiet roads along the south coast. It was difficult finding a parking space, so be prepared to drive around a little when you arrive. If you haven’t driven on the right before and are not a confident driver this could leave you feeling stressed. Again, check out the roads into Reykjavik on Google maps to get a sense of what awaits if you aren’t used to self-driving.
We didn’t get to tour the golden circle because of road conditions/ice/road closures, so we spent the day in Reykjavik instead. This turned out okay for us as we did some of the attractions (Lava Centre and Fly Over Iceland – both hughly recommended), but it ended up being an extra expense and we missed out on the golden attractions. Again, not a big issue if you are aware this could happen. The weather is so changeable that having a plan B is a good approach.
Weekend a la Carte sent us a text warning us about the bad weather conditions, which we’d already seen on the Safe Iceland app, but we were grateful for anyway. It was good to know they were looking out for us!
All in all, a remarkable trip, with some unique experiences. If you book this in the knowledge that nature will have her own way, and you may not see everything you want (especially in winter), you will have a great time. Ranga is definitely the best place to maximise your chances of seeing the lights.
Sarah Brooks
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