Six days of midnight sun in
Reykjavik · Þingvellir · Geysir · Gullfoss
We arrive on Tuesday, 15 June 2027
Thursday 17 June 2027
Austurvöllur and Hljómskálagarður, Reykjavik
Iceland celebrates the founding of the republic on 17 June. In 2026 the day began with an official ceremony at Austurvöllur at 11:00, followed by a parade from Hallgrímskirkja to Hljómskálagarður at 13:00, with music and activities for children, all free. Several streets in the centre close, and the 2027 programme will be published at 17juni.is.
Every year on 17 June. Source ↗
Six days: the city, National Day on 17 June and a day on the Golden Circle.
101 Reykjavik
We settle in, climb the tower of the city’s tallest church for the view, and walk the shore path in the long evening light.
Iceland’s tallest church, 74.5 metres high, was built between 1945 and 1986 to a design by Guðjón Samúelsson. Its stepped front is said to echo basalt columns.
A steel sculpture of a boat by Jón Gunnar Árnason, unveiled in 1990, stands on the shore of the bay with mountains across the water.
A morning with the earliest history of the city, then the glass concert hall on the harbour in the afternoon.
A museum built around the remains of a longhouse from the early tenth century, found in the city centre, with displays on the first settlers.
The concert hall and conference centre on the harbour opened in 2011, with a glass façade of coloured panels designed with the artist Olafur Eliasson.
The official ceremony by Parliament in the morning, then the parade and the festival in the park. Several streets in the centre are closed, so we walk everywhere.
The small square in front of Parliament is the site of the official National Day ceremony. In 2026 it began at 11:00, with a wreath at the monument to Jón Sigurðsson.
The park beside the city pond is where the National Day parade ends, with stages, music and activities for children set up around it.
A full day by hire car or tour: the site of the first parliament, the geysers and the big waterfall.
Iceland’s parliament, the Althing, first met here in 930, in a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A geothermal field in the Haukadalur valley where Strokkur erupts every few minutes, up to about 35 metres high, beside the old Geysir that gave all geysers their name.
A waterfall on the Hvítá river that drops in two stages, of 11 and 21 metres, into a narrow canyon.
A morning swim in the geothermal pool, as the locals do, and a view of the whole city from the glass dome in the afternoon.
The largest pool complex in Iceland, with an outdoor 50-metre pool and hot pots at different temperatures, between about 38 and 44 degrees.
A glass dome on top of six old hot-water tanks, opened in 1991, now with a natural history exhibition, an ice cave and a viewing deck over the city.
A slow walk by the old harbour before the journey home.
The working harbour west of the centre, where fishing boats tie up and whale-watching trips set out, with old fish sheds along the quay.
Every stop and our base.
What mid-June is usually like.
Reykjavik
Typical weather for these dates, not a forecast: the average of 2016–2025, with data from Open-Meteo.com (ERA5). The chance of rain is an estimate.
10 photos from 5 places on our route
Iceland became an independent republic on 17 June 1944, and National Day marks the founding of the republic. It is also the birthday of the independence leader Jón Sigurðsson, born in 1811.
On the route: Day 3, AusturvöllurAt the ceremony a woman called the Lady of the Mountain speaks, and her identity is kept secret until then.
On the route: Day 3, AusturvöllurIn 2026 the programme was a scout-led parade at 13:00, then music, food trucks and children’s activities at Hljómskálagarður, all free.
On the route: Day 3, HljómskálagarðurTell us where you’re going. Your draft is free.