Region
South Iceland
33 day tours · 48 attractions · 2.5 h from Reykjavík
The country’s greatest-hits reel: waterfalls you can walk behind, black sand beaches, outlet glaciers a stroll from the road, and Vík — the village at the edge of everything. Doable as a long day from Reykjavík; better with a night or two.
- 33 day tours
- 48 attractions
- 2.5 h from Reykjavík
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Tours in the south
All 33 South day tours →
Multi-day Tours2-Day South Coast, Ice Cave, Glacier Hike & Northern Lights Tour
October–April · 2 days · Pickup from 08:00
From $658.50
Glacier ToursFull-Day Glacier Hike and Ice Climb from Skaftafell
From $487.73
Helicopter ToursGlacier Edge Helicopter Tour from Skaftafell with Landing
From $748.28
Glacier ToursGlacier Hike Experience on Sólheimajökull Glacier - Meet on location
2.5–3 hours · Meet at Sólheimajökull at 10:45 · Minimum age 10
From $100
Glacier ToursGlacier Hike and South Coast Private Tour
11–12 hours · Pickup 08:00–08:30 · Minimum age 10
From $1,774
Glacier ToursGlacier Hike w. Photos, South Coast Waterfalls & Black Sand Beach
Approximately 11 hours · Pickup 08:00–08:30 · Minimum age 10
From $180
Towns & places in the south
All 23 places →
Selfoss
Selfoss is a town of about 11,000 people in Sveitarfélagið Árborg. Kerið crater is 13 kilometres away, the Reykjadalur valley 15 and the Raufarhólshellir cave 19.
Hveragerði
Hveragerði is a town of 3,342 people in the south of Iceland. The geothermal valley of Reykjadalur is four kilometres away, and the Reykjaböð hot springs six.
Vík
Vík is a village of 740 people in Mýrdalshreppur, on the south coast. Reynisfjara beach is four kilometres away, the Dyrhólaey cliffs six, and Sólheimajökull glacier 21.
Hvolsvöllur
Hvolsvöllur is a town of 1,181 people in Rangárþing eystra. Seljalandsfoss is 19 kilometres away and the Eyjafjallajökull volcano 33 — both a drive from the town, not a walk.
Höfn
Höfn is a town of 1,813 people in Hornafjörður, on the south-east coast. Its full name is Höfn í Hornafirði, and the Fláajökull glacier is 25 kilometres away.
Flúðir
Flúðir is a village of 539 people in Hrunamannahreppur. The Secret Lagoon is a kilometre from the centre, Friðheimar eight kilometres away and the Geysir geothermal field 20.
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Kirkjubæjarklaustur is a village of 210 people in Skaftárhreppur. Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon is seven kilometres away, and the village has restaurants and campsites of its own.
Laugarvatn
Laugarvatn is a lakeside village of 280 people in Bláskógabyggð. Brúarfoss is 11 kilometres away and Kerið crater 21 — both a drive from the village rather than a walk.
Vestmannaeyjar
Vestmannaeyjar is an archipelago off the south coast, home to 4,518 people. The volcano Eldfell stands a kilometre from the town, and the islands are reached by sea or air.
Hella
Hella is a town of 1,083 people in Rangárþing ytra. Seljalandsfoss is 32 kilometres away, so the town works as a base for the south coast rather than a sight in itself.
Reykholt
Reykholt is a village of 474 people in Bláskógabyggð, South Iceland. Geysir is 16 kilometres away and Secret Lagoon eight, while Friðheimar serves food in the village itself.
Eyrarbakki
Eyrarbakki is a village of 615 people on the south coast in Árborg. Rauða Húsið serves food in the village, and Raufarhólshellir cave is 15 kilometres away.
From the team’s own list
Where locals eat in the south
About South Iceland
Where South Iceland begins and ends
South Iceland is a strip, not a point. It runs from Hveragerði, about forty minutes from Reykjavík, along the Ring Road to Höfn in Hornafjörður — 445 kilometres and six and a half hours of driving from the capital. Almost everything people picture when they picture Iceland sits somewhere along that line: waterfalls, black sand, outlet glaciers and a lagoon full of icebergs.
What you actually stop for
The first hour past Hvolsvöllur delivers the two waterfalls — Seljalandsfoss, which you can walk behind, and Skógafoss, which you cannot. Then Sólheimajökull, where a glacier tongue comes down almost to the road, and Reynisfjara with its basalt columns and sea stacks. Beyond Vík the landscape empties out: Fjaðrárgljúfur, the Skaftafell glacier hikes, and finally Jökulsárlón and the Diamond Beach. Inland, Þórsmörk and Landmannalaugar are a different kind of day again.
One day, or three?
The honest answer depends on how far east you want to get. Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and Reynisfjara make a genuine long day from Reykjavík — Vík is 187 kilometres out, under three hours each way. Jökulsárlón does not. It is 380 kilometres each way, so a day trip means roughly 760 kilometres of driving and very little time out of the car. With one night on the road it becomes comfortable, and with two it becomes a holiday.
The towns along the way
Selfoss is the practical capital of the region with about 11,000 people, and Hveragerði, 3,342, grows its food in geothermal greenhouses. Hvolsvöllur (1,181) and Hella (1,083) are the last real service towns before the coast opens up. Vík has 740 residents and more visitors than that on most summer days — it had 299 in 2014, which is the clearest single illustration of what tourism did to this coastline.
When to go
Summer gives you the long light and it is the only time the highland roads to Þórsmörk and Landmannalaugar are open — those are F-roads, and a normal hire car is neither insured nor able. Winter buys you ice caves and the northern lights and costs you daylight and, sometimes, the road itself. Check road conditions on road.is before you set out, in any season.
South Iceland — frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive the South Coast?
Reykjavík to Vík is 187 kilometres, about two and three-quarter hours without stops. To Jökulsárlón is 380 kilometres and five and a half hours, and to Höfn 445 kilometres and about six and a half. Those are driving times only — the stops are what take the day.
Can you see Jökulsárlón in a day from Reykjavík?
You can, and most people wish they had not. It is roughly 760 kilometres there and back, eleven hours behind the wheel before you stop anywhere. One night in Vík or Kirkjubæjarklaustur turns it into a trip rather than an endurance test.
What is the difference between the South Coast and the Golden Circle?
The Golden Circle is an inland loop east of Reykjavík — Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss — and you end up back where you started. The South Coast is a straight line along the Ring Road towards Vík and beyond. They are different days, and plenty of people do both.
Do you need a 4x4 in South Iceland?
Not for the Ring Road or any of the well-known stops. You do for the F-roads inland to Þórsmörk and Landmannalaugar, which involve unbridged river crossings, are open in summer only, and are excluded from the insurance on an ordinary hire car.
Where should you stay on the South Coast?
For one night out, Vík or Kirkjubæjarklaustur puts the glacier lagoon within reach the next morning. For a base you return to, Selfoss and Hvolsvöllur are closer to Reykjavík and have more choice.
Is Reynisfjara safe?
Treat it as genuinely dangerous. Reynisfjara gets sneaker waves that run far higher up the beach than the previous ones, and people have been killed there. Stay well back from the water, never turn your back on it, and watch the warning-light system at the entrance.
When can you see the northern lights in South Iceland?
Roughly September to mid-April, when the nights are dark enough. You need clear sky and solar activity as well, so no one can promise them on a given night — which is why most northern-lights tours offer another attempt if the first one fails.
How do you get to Vestmannaeyjar?
By ferry from the south coast to Heimaey, the only inhabited island of the group, or by a short flight. The crossing is weather-dependent and the departure harbour can change in winter, so check the schedule on the day rather than booking the rest of your plans around it.
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