Reykjavik · Jökulsárlón · Diamond Beach
Jokulsarlon Tour
A 14-hour day by bus from Reykjavik: about an hour and a half at the glacier lagoon by the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Boat Tours and Cafe, the Diamond Beach across the road, and Seljalandsfoss on the way back.
- 4.7 / 5 4066+ Reviews
- 14 hours Duration
- 380 km By road from Reykjavik City Hall to the lagoon, one way
- Open all year The lagoon and the Diamond Beach, from Route 1, on Vatnajökull National Park's account
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Day Trip Includes
Transport by bus with a guide and Wi-Fi, pickup if you choose it, and time at the lagoon and the beach. Food is extra; the lagoon boat is an option in season.
Highlights
- 14 hours from Reykjavik, pickup available
- About 1.5 hours at Jökulsárlón, then the Diamond Beach
- Seljalandsfoss and dinner in Vík on the way back
- Optional lagoon boat cruise, April to October
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option selected)
- Guided walking tour
- Guide
- Transportation by bus
- Wifi onboard
- Jökulsárlón Lagoon boat tour (if option selected)
Good to know: The day takes about 14 hours and can run longer in bad weather. · Food and drinks are not included. · Not suitable for children under 6. · Not suitable for: Children under 6 years · Not Included: Food and drinks
The Day, Step by Step
From an early pickup in Reykjavik to the icebergs and back late in the evening, about 14 hours.
Book a Clear Day
Pick a day early in your stay. The drive is long, so a day with a calm forecast for the south coast makes the most of it.
Early Pickup in Reykjavik
Pickup is available at hotels and the city's numbered bus stops; the starting times show on the listing's calendar. The bus stops at Hvolsvöllur and for lunch at Kirkjubæjarklaustur on the way.
The Lagoon and the Beach
About an hour and a half at Jökulsárlón: walk the shore by the café, or take the boat option in season. Then the Diamond Beach, across Route 1, where ice from the lagoon lies on the black sand.
Vík and Seljalandsfoss
Dinner in Vík and a photo stop at Seljalandsfoss on the way back. The day takes about 14 hours and can run longer in bad weather.
Photo Gallery
Icebergs, Black Sand and the South Coast
The lagoon, the Diamond Beach and the stops on the way, on the day trip from Reykjavik.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Plan the Lagoon Day
Jökulsárlón, One Question per Page
The boat tours, the Diamond Beach, the drive from Reykjavik, the ice caves, the lagoon in winter, and trips of two or three days.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Each price is per person, in US dollars; the lagoon's own boat prices are in Icelandic krónur.
Four Ways to Jökulsárlón from Reykjavik
Three day trips and a two-day tour. How long you are out, the vehicle, what you see on the way, the boat, and who each suits. Prices from the listings, with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Day trip by bus | Day trip with Skógafoss | Minibus for 19 | Two days with an ice cave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From $214 per person (checked November 2026) | From $234 per person (checked November 2026) | From $230 per person (checked November 2026) | From $683 per person (checked November 2026) |
| Time Out | About 14 hours | About 14.5 hours | 14 to 16 hours | 2 days, 1 night in a 3-star hotel |
| Vehicle | Bus with Wi-Fi | Bus with Wi-Fi | Minibus, 19 passengers at most | Minibus |
| Time at the Lagoon | About 1.5 hours by the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Boat Tours and Cafe, then the Diamond Beach | About 1.5 hours, then the Diamond Beach | About 1 hour, then 30 minutes on the beach | Jökulsárlón on the trip, plus Skaftafell |
| Lagoon Boat | Option at booking, April to October | Summer option, paid on site | Amphibian boat at extra cost | Not listed |
| Also on the Way | Seljalandsfoss, lunch at Kirkjubæjarklaustur, dinner in Vík | Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, Vík | Vík, Fjaðrárgljúfur (summer), Foss á Síðu | A guided blue ice cave walk on Falljökull (Skaftafell), glacier gear included |
| Best For | The lagoon and the beach in one day, at the lowest price | Adding Skógafoss to the day | A smaller group on the long drive | Less time on the bus each day, and an ice cave in winter |
| Check dates | See the Gray Line tour | See the minibus tour | See the 2-day tour |
More Ways to the Lagoon
Other Jökulsárlón Tours from Reykjavik
Another day trip with a boat-ride option, the version with the boat ticket included, and three days with an ice cave. One card per tour.
DAY TRIP, BOAT OPTIONFrom Reykjavik: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach
ICELANDIA's 14-hour day trip from Reykjavik: Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, a lunch stop, about an hour and a half at Jökulsárlón, the Diamond Beach and dinner in Vík, by bus with an English-speaking guide and Wi-Fi. A boat ride on the lagoon is an option in the warmer months. Hotel pickup is not included in the base option; children under 6 cannot join.
BOAT RIDE INCLUDEDReykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & Diamond Beach Day Tour
BusTravel Iceland's 14-hour day trip from Reykjavik with a ticket for a boat ride on the lagoon included: about an hour at Jökulsárlón, half an hour on the Diamond Beach, then Stjórnarfoss and Seljalandsfoss on the way back, with hotel pickup and drop-off. No children under 6.
3 DAYS, GOLDEN CIRCLEIceland 3-Day Tour Golden Circle, Glacier Lagoon, & Ice Cave
Arctic Adventures' three days by minibus from Reykjavik: the Golden Circle and the south coast waterfalls on day one, Jökulsárlón, the Diamond Beach and the Skaftafell area on day two (in winter with a guided natural ice cave), and the drive back on day three. Two nights in a double or twin room with breakfast; lunches and dinners are extra.
The Glacier Lagoon from Reykjavik
How a Jökulsárlón Tour Works
How far it is, what the day trips stop for, when the boats run, the Diamond Beach across the road, and which tour suits which traveller.
A Jökulsárlón tour from Reykjavik is a 14-hour day on the south coast: 380 km by road each way, about an hour and a half among the icebergs at the glacier lagoon, a walk on the Diamond Beach across the road, and stops at Vík and Seljalandsfoss on the way back. The best-known is BusTravel Iceland’s Reykjavik: Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour, from $214 in current promotion (usually $237) a person (checked November 2026), with pickup in the city and a boat cruise on the lagoon as an option from April to October.
The short answer
If you have one day and no car, take the day trip. BusTravel Iceland’s bus leaves Reykjavik early, breaks at Hvolsvöllur, stops for lunch at Kirkjubæjarklaustur and reaches the lagoon in the afternoon; you get about an hour and a half on the shore by the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Boat Tours and Cafe, then the Diamond Beach, dinner in Vík and Seljalandsfoss in the evening. It has 4,066 reviews (checked November 2026). Food is extra, and children under 6 cannot join.
Three things decide which tour you want: how many hours you can sit on a bus, whether you want the boat (it runs only from May into the autumn), and whether you want an ice cave, which needs a winter date and a second day in the region.
Pick your kind of trip
Reykjavik: Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Diamond Beach Tour
About 14 hours by bus, an hour and a half at the lagoon, the Diamond Beach, Vík and Seljalandsfoss; the boat as an option in season.
Check dates →Reykjavik: South Coast, Diamond Beach, and Jökulsárlón Tour
Gray Line's day adds Skógafoss to Seljalandsfoss; the amphibian boat is a summer option you pay for on site.
See the Gray Line tour →From Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon and Fjaðrárgjúfur Canyon Tour
A minibus for 19 at most, Vík and Foss á Síðu on the way, Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon in summer; a full refund if weather cancels it.
See the minibus tour →South Coast Iceland: 2-Day Blue Ice Cave & Jokulsarlon Tour
A night in a 3-star hotel, Skaftafell, the lagoon and a guided walk into a blue ice cave on Falljökull (not at the lagoon), with glacier gear included.
See the 2-day tour →Drive Route 1 and stay a night
With a rental car you can split the drive, see the lagoon in the morning light and book the boat or an ice cave on the spot. The national park's parking fee is paid by app or at the machines.
Read the drive guide →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
How far it is
Jökulsárlón is in the southeast, on Route 1 below Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier. From Reykjavik City Hall it is 380 km by road; Vík, where the tours stop for dinner, is roughly halfway at 187 km. That distance is why the day trips last about 14 hours and why so much of the day is spent on the bus. The operator of the lagoon’s boats puts it at about 370 km east of Reykjavik. Reykjavik to Jökulsárlón compares the day trip, the minibus and driving yourself.
At the lagoon
The tours stop on the lagoon’s shore by Route 1, where the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Boat Tours and Cafe stands, at Reynivellir 3, 781 Hornafjörður. The café sells sandwiches, coffee, hot chocolate and soft drinks, and opens all year (9:00 to 17:00 from November to February). Icebergs that have broken off Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, drift across the lagoon towards the sea; seals often swim between them.
The boats are run by the same company: an amphibian boat of 30 to 40 minutes and a Zodiac of 1 hour 15 minutes that goes closer to the glacier. Their tour hours run from May to 15 November for the amphibian and from May to October for the Zodiac; the 2026 prices are 7,100 ISK and 16,600 ISK for an adult. On the day trips the boat is an option at booking or paid on site. The boat tours cover both boats, the season and Fjallsárlón, the smaller lagoon 10.9 km by road to the west.
The Diamond Beach
Across the road is the black-sand beach the national park calls Fellsfjara and everyone else calls the Diamond Beach: ice from the lagoon flows out to sea and washes back up on the sand. It is 0.9 km by road from the café, and the park asks walkers not to cross the bridge on foot but to go under it. Visit South Iceland’s advice is to stay off the ice, keep away from ice close to the sea and watch for waves that come in unexpectedly. The Diamond Beach has the rest.
When to go
The national park says the area is accessible all year, and the day trips run all year. Summer brings the boats and long days; the boats’ listed seasons end by mid-November, and on 1 November 2026 the Icelandic Met Office’s sun table for Reykjavik had sunrise at 09:10 and sunset at 17:10, so a winter day trip drives the first and last hours in the dark. Winter is also when ice cave tours run from the lagoon. Jökulsárlón in winter goes through the trade-offs, the ice cave tours explain how they work, and two- and three-day trips cut the hours on the bus.
Road notices
Route 1 crosses the lagoon’s outlet on a single-lane bridge from 1967, and the Road Administration closes it for a night when it repairs the bridge or paves the road (most recently on the night of 27 September 2026, with no detour possible). Nothing was closed when this page was checked in November 2026. Road status and storm closures are on umferdin.is and the traffic line 1777.
If 14 hours on the road is too much, a south coast day to Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and Vík is half the distance; reykjaviksouthcoasttour.com covers that coast and its black-sand beach in more depth.
Icebergs and Black Sand in One Day
Book the day trip for a dry-looking day early in your stay, dress for wind on the beach, and keep the boat option for the months it runs. Starting from $214 per person in current promotion (usually $237).
See datesMore Operators to the Lagoon
Jökulsárlón Tours with Open Dates
Day trips and lagoon activities with live availability. Times, what is included and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Jökulsárlón Tours: Questions
The day trip from Reykjavik, the boats and their season, the Diamond Beach, ice caves, parking and the drive.
Yes, but it is a long day. The lagoon is 380 km by road from Reykjavik City Hall, so the day trips run about 14 hours with pickup in the city. BusTravel Iceland's tour gives about an hour and a half at the lagoon, a visit to the Diamond Beach, dinner in Vík and a stop at Seljalandsfoss; it is from $214 a person (checked November 2026). See Reykjavik to Jökulsárlón.
On the lagoon's shore by Route 1, at Reynivellir 3, 781 Hornafjörður. It sits in Vatnajökull National Park, 380 km by road from Reykjavik City Hall and 56.9 km from the Skaftafell visitor centre; the Diamond Beach is across the road, 0.9 km by road. The company runs the lagoon's amphibian and Zodiac boat tours and a café; this site is an independent guide, not the company.
From May into the autumn. The amphibian boat (30 to 40 minutes) lists tour hours from May to 15 November, 10:00 to 17:00 from October; the Zodiac (1 hour 15 minutes) runs May to October. The operator's FAQ says the boats usually run from early May through October, depending on weather and ice. The listed seasons end 15 November (amphibian) and October (Zodiac); the company says it may still run outside those dates if conditions allow, so for a winter date ask before counting on a boat. The café stays open. See the boat tours.
7,100 ISK for the amphibian, 16,600 ISK for the Zodiac (adults 13+, 2026 prices). Children 6 to 12 pay 3,500 ISK on the amphibian and under 6 ride free; the Zodiac takes children from 10, at 8,300 ISK to age 12. The day trips sell the boat as an option at booking or on site.
Next to it, across Route 1. The national park calls the beach Fellsfjara: ice from the lagoon drifts out to sea and washes up on the black sand. Visit South Iceland's advice is to never climb onto the ice, to stay away from ice close to the sea and to watch for waves, which can come in unexpectedly. See the Diamond Beach.
Yes, 1,110 ISK for a car with five seats or fewer. Vatnajökull National Park charges a regional parking fee at Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell: plates are photographed on arrival and the fee is paid in the Parka app or at the machines in the car parks, valid until midnight on the day it is paid. A tour bus pays its own fee.
In the winter season, with a guide. Ice cave tours meet at the lagoon and ride in a 4x4 to Breiðamerkurjökull; the national park lets only guides under its contracts take groups onto the glacier and into caves, after a safety assessment. See ice cave tours.
Yes, if you plan for short days. The national park says the area is accessible all year from Route 1. In winter the boat seasons have ended, the ice cave tours run, and daylight is short, so the day trips drive part of the way in the dark. See Jökulsárlón in winter.
Still have questions? Email us at info@jokulsarlontour.com