Hotels Near Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon: Where to Sleep on the South Coast

• Top choice Jokulsarlon & Diamond Beach from US$232 Duration14 hours^[3]Rating4.67 from 3,935 reviews^[3]GuideLive tour guide: English^[3]PickupCheck availability for pickup options^[3]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[3] Check availability
• Reykjavik Lagoon Day Tour from US$232 Duration14 - 15 hours^[6]Rating4.55 from 1,424 reviews^[6]GuideLive tour guide: English^[6]PickupCheck availability for pickup options^[6]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[6] See this tour
• South Coast & Diamond Beach from US$231 Duration14.5 hours^[7]Rating4.54 from 1,494 reviews^[7]GuideLive tour guide: English^[7]PickupCheck availability for pickup options^[7]CancellationCancel up to 24 hours in advance^[7] See this tour

Where to stay near Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon sits on Iceland's south coast, far enough east that the drive shapes the whole trip. The lagoon is 236 miles (380 kilometers) east of Reykjavik along Route 1, which works out at a five-hour direct drive or seven to eight hours with South Coast sightseeing stops.^[8] So deciding where to stay near Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon comes down to one question: do you want to sleep close to the ice, or do you want a shorter drive home after a very long day?

There are two sensible shapes to the trip. You can join a guided day tour from Reykjavik and let someone else take the wheel, or you can book a room on the south coast and give yourself two slower days instead of one marathon. The lagoon is fed by Breiðamerkurjökull, a Vatnajökull outlet glacier, and the ice that drifts across the water and washes up on the beach comes from it.^[9]

The settlements between Reykjavik and the lagoon are small and spread out, so the place you choose to sleep quietly decides how much of the day you spend behind the windscreen. Sleeping near the water buys you quiet hours at the lagoon, with the ice almost to yourself. Sleeping further west buys you more choice of food, fuel and rooms, at the cost of an early start and a long run east.

The closest option: a room near the lagoon

Hotel Jokulsarlon is an accommodation option in the Icelandic countryside nestled near the glacier lagoon, which makes it the first name to look for.^[1] If you are set on a Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon hotel rather than a room an hour down the road, this is the property to check first, and it is the obvious pick if the ice is the reason for the trip. Staying close lets you watch the light change over the water in the evening and come back in the morning before the main wave of traffic arrives.

The lagoon area is easy to use as a base. Public toilets and a café are available at Jokulsarlon.^[4] The water in front of you is 248 meters (814 feet) deep, which makes it the deepest lake in Iceland.^[10] It has also had a long life on screen, having featured in A View To A Kill, Die Another Day and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.^[11]

Icebergs drifting across Jokulsarlon in low evening light.

Vik, Kirkjubæjarklaustur and the villages between

Vik is the best known of the south coast villages and the most common overnight stop on this route. The one-way distance from Vik to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is 192 kilometers (118 miles).^[2] That is a pleasant morning drive if you have already seen the waterfalls west of Vik, but it is not a doorstep base, so plan for a few hours in the saddle before the ice appears on the horizon.

Further east, Kirkjubæjarklaustur appears on the route of the Reykjavik day tour, which also stops at Hvolsvollur, Jokulsarlon, Vik and Seljalandsfoss and ends with 30 drop-off locations.^[3] The villages out here are small and spaced far apart, so it pays to know where you will eat and refuel before the evening, and to carry water and snacks for the long stretches in between.

One night or two near the lagoon?

A single night works if the lagoon and the beach are the goal. Diamond Beach is a black volcanic sand beach scattered with clear glacial ice that breaks off Breiðamerkurjökull, drifts through the lagoon and washes ashore along the coast.^[12] You can drive out, spend the afternoon and evening between the two sides of the road, sleep nearby, and make your way back the next day with the waterfalls behind you.

Two nights open up the activities. Ice caves in the Vatnajokull region are only accessible during the winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.^[5] Kayaking is allowed on Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon during the summer season.^[13] Amphibian boat tours on the lagoon run from May to Nov.^[14] Each of those takes a half day or more once you add travel, so a second night takes the pressure off the schedule.

Touring from Reykjavik instead of booking a room

If the beds near the lagoon are full, or the price does not suit, a guided day tour is the straightforward answer, and it is also the easiest way to see the coast without changing hotels. The Reykjavik: Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour runs for 14 hours and starts from US$232, with a live tour guide in English and pickup options to check when you book.^[3] It carries a rating of 4.67 from 3,935 reviews.^[3]

Other listed versions of the same run are worth comparing before you commit. The South Coast, Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón tour from Reykjavik takes 14.5 hours and starts from US$231.^[7] The Glacier Lagoon boat ride and Diamond Beach day tour runs 14 hours from US$288.^[15] These are long days with early starts, so treat the coach as a place to nap and keep the evening clear for the drive back to your room.

Things to do at the lagoon while you are there

The water is the main event, and there is more than one way onto it. Amphibian boat tours run from May to Nov and take 30-40 minutes.^[14] The Zodiac boat tour is priced from 16,900 ISK, and the boat trip lasts 1 hour 15 minutes with a total duration of about 2 hours.^[16] Seals are sighted on a regular basis at Jokulsarlon, so keep an eye on the water between the drifting ice.^[17]

On land, the short walk across the road to Diamond Beach is where the ice gathers, and the beach rearranges itself with every tide and storm. Winter is ice cave season in the surrounding glacier country, and summer belongs to glacier walks and kayak trips. Whichever you choose, leave slack in the day, because the lagoon looks different in flat grey light, in rain and in low sun, and the best moments are usually the unscheduled ones.

Practical notes for a night on the south coast

Weather on this coast changes quickly. Wind, rain and sudden squalls are ordinary, sand and spray blow across the beach, and the road can close without much warning in winter. Check conditions before you set out, build in more time than the map suggests, and keep one flexible day in the plan so a cancelled ice cave trip does not wreck the whole itinerary.

Staying near the lagoon saves you the long drive back to Reykjavik in the dark. Staying in Vik or further west gives you more choice of food and rooms and a shorter run at the end of the trip. Either way, book the boat trip or the ice cave before you travel, keep a day tour in reserve in case beds are scarce, and remember that the toilets and café at Jokulsarlon are a welcome sight at the end of the road.^[4]

Plan your stay

1. Fix your dates

   Ice cave trips in the Vatnajokull region run from November and usually through March, so winter changes what you can add.^[5]

2. Choose a base

   Vik is 192 kilometers (118 miles) one way from the lagoon, which suits splitting the drive with an overnight stop.^[2]

3. Book the lagoon activity

   Amphibian boat tours run from May to Nov and take 30-40 minutes, and the Zodiac boat tour is priced from 16,900 ISK.^[14][16]

4. Sort your transport

   The Reykjavik day tour lasts 14 hours and starts from US$232, with pickup options to check when you book.^[3]

5. Pack for the coast

   Bring windproof and waterproof layers, footwear you do not mind soaking, and a warm hat for the beach.

Quick answers