You land at Keflavík. You’re groggy. You look at your watch, then at your phone, then out the window where the sun is either refusing to set or refusing to rise. It’s confusing. Honestly, the current time in Iceland is one of the most misunderstood things for travelers, mostly because the country plays by its own set of rules that haven't changed since the 1960s.
Iceland doesn't do Daylight Saving Time. Ever.
While the rest of Europe and North America are busy "springing forward" and "falling back," messing up their internal rhythms and forgetting how to program their microwave clocks, Iceland just stays put. They are permanently on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), also known as UTC+0.
The 1968 Decision That Stuck
Back in 1968, the Icelandic government decided they were done with the hassle. Before that, they actually did shift the clocks. But two guys—astronomers Traustur Einarsson and Þorsteinn Sæmundsson—convinced the parliament (the Althing) that shifting time was basically a giant headache for international flight schedules and baby sleep patterns. They weren't wrong.
Since April 7, 1968, the clock hasn't budged.
This creates a weird quirk. Geographically, Iceland is so far west that it "should" be in a time zone an hour or two behind GMT. If you look at a map, it sits right where UTC-1 or even UTC-2 should be. Because they stick to GMT, "solar noon"—the moment the sun is at its highest point—actually happens around 1:30 PM in Reykjavík.
Why the Current Time in Iceland Matters for Your Body
If you’re visiting from New York or London, your relationship with the clock is going to feel... off. It’s called "social jet lag."
📖 Related: Big Cypress Lodge Memphis: Why You Should Sleep in a Pro Bass Shop
Because the clock is technically "ahead" of where the sun is, Icelanders are essentially waking up in the dark more often than they would if they shifted the time zone. Health experts have been arguing about this for years. Some say it messes with the national circadian rhythm. In 2019, a survey by RÚV (the national broadcaster) showed that 56% of people actually wanted to move the clock back an hour to align better with the sun.
But the government looked at the data and said, "Nah, we're staying put."
The Light vs. The Clock
The clock might be stable, but the light is chaotic. That’s the real kicker.
- In June: You get the Midnight Sun. The sun technically sets for a few hours, but it never actually gets dark. It’s a perpetual, golden twilight. You'll find yourself wanting to hike at 2:00 AM because your brain thinks it's mid-afternoon.
- In December: It’s the opposite. You get about 4 to 5 hours of "daylight," which is really just a long, bruised-purple sunrise that transitions immediately into a sunset.
If you're trying to figure out the current time in Iceland to plan a tour, you have to look at the light, not just the numbers. A 9:00 AM glacier tour in December starts in pitch blackness. You’ll be driving through the tundra with high beams on, wondering if you missed the morning. You didn't. The sun just hasn't clocked in yet.
🔗 Read more: Juliane Koepcke: The Girl Who Fell From the Sky and Walked Out of the Amazon
Practical Shifts for Travelers
When you’re trying to sync up with home, remember that the "gap" changes even if Iceland doesn't.
When London is on British Summer Time (BST), Iceland is one hour behind them. When London moves back to GMT in the winter, they are on the exact same time. New York is usually 4 hours behind Iceland in the summer and 5 hours behind in the winter. It’s a moving target because everyone else is moving.
Tips for Staying Sane
- Sleep Masks are Non-Negotiable: In the summer, the sun will find the one gap in your hotel curtains at 3:00 AM. It’s relentless. Bring a high-quality, contoured mask.
- Vitamin D and Light Therapy: In the winter, the "darkness" is heavy. Locals survive on Lýsi (cod liver oil) and "wake-up lamps" that simulate sunrise. If you’re there for a week in January, don't be surprised if you feel a bit sluggish.
- Trust the Digital: Your phone will almost always update correctly to Atlantic/Reykjavik time as soon as you hit the network. Trust it over your manual watch.
The reality of time in the North Atlantic is that the numbers on the screen are just a suggestion for society. The sun is the one actually running the show. Whether it's the middle of a 24-hour day in July or a 20-hour night in January, the clock stays at zero.
📖 Related: Omni Parker House Hotel Boston Massachusetts: What Most People Get Wrong
Next Steps for Your Trip
Check the sunrise and sunset times for your specific travel dates on a site like timeanddate.com. If you are heading out in winter, make sure your rental car is equipped for darkness and ice, as many "daytime" drives will actually happen under the stars.