Iceland: How far in advance to book air fare?
 

Looking to visit Iceland in September, wondering whether to buy tickets now or wait till closer to travel dates. Nine months seems like pretty far in advance, but fares look decent. Traveling nonstop DEN-KEF for ~$780 p.p./r.t.

We have no reason not to buy now, but I'm just wondering if those with more experience looking at Iceland fares know if Iceland Air frequently runs fare sales, if fares could potentially go down closer to September, or if we'd be wise to book now.

And how does September seem for a visit? We were thinking still decent weather, but possibly fewer people. We are totally flexible with dates. (Kid is only 3, so not in school yet.)

Thanks!

do you think that fares are likely to drop? perhaps you could do a bit of research about when they've had sales before. but that looks a pretty competitive fare to me. you could also look for other airlines as well - try kayak.com.

As for when to go, September would probably be ok, but the days will be getting shorter; one of the joys of being in Iceland in the summer is the amazing day length - sitting outside reading a newspaper at 11pm for example. yes it's busy in the summer but not unbearable, IME. and it's likely to have better weather too.

Your main dilemma with Iceland is whether you're going to try to get round the entire island or just stick to the western side. You'll need a minimum of 10 days to do the circuit, preferably longer. and that will mean a lot of 1-2 nights, which your 3 year old may not appreciate. in order to see the main sights you will need to move around as you can't do everything in day trips from Reykjavik, but it's worth giving this aspect quite a lot of thought.

have a look at the website of companies that specialise in Iceland [eg Discover the World & farm holidays.is ]; I'm not suggesting that you necessarily use their services but they can give you a very good idea about how long to stay in each place and what there is to see there.

have fun - it's a fantastic place but definitely rewards careful planning.

Hi Raymond - I don't have the answer on when to buy the flights (never flown Icelandair), but from everything I've researched so far, accommodations book up way in advance (so you probably want to atleast nail down your travel dates) and many restaurants, roads, museums, etc close for the season beginning in September. Just something to keep in mind if your timing is flexible.

Sidenote, I'm also planning an Iceland trip with my husband and then 2yo, coming from Denver. Were looking at August and Icelandair is about $900/pp. Id love to hear what kind of itinerary you end up with! Pre-kid we always favored off-season or swing-season travel, but I'm just not sure I want to risk the weather extremes and potential road closures with a toddler.

I'm in the same boat, but for late July. My dates are set by my work availability, though, so I started booking my lodging in November (some were already filling up!). They are all no-penalty for cancellation and no deposit needed, so people book quickly.

I'm looking at $856 for July on WOW airlines, a fairly new low-cost airline in Iceland. They had a great sale last summer when they started. I'm hoping they do the same this summer. Based on what I've read, summer sales to Iceland tend to start about 3-4 months out from travel dates. So, I'm looking every day anyhow (Because I'm obsessive like that) but I know my baseline, and April is when I expect my fares to start going on sale. I hope!