Jökulsárlón Tours from Reykjavík and at the Lagoon

How to choose

Most of a day trip is spent on the bus, which is why the time you can give the southeast matters more than which tour looks best on paper.

A day trip from Reykjavík

You are picked up in Reykjavík in the morning and dropped back late at night. The standard full-day tour runs about 14 hours and includes a boat ride on the lagoon; the small-group version runs 14 to 16 hours. You see the South Coast stops on the way and Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach at the far end. It works if Reykjavík is your only base and you have one free day; it is hard going if long bus rides tire you.

A two- or three-day tour

You still start and end in Reykjavík, but you sleep in the southeast. The lagoon becomes a destination rather than a rushed stop: the 2-day and 3-day tours add a glacier hike and give you daylight at the lagoon instead of arriving late in the afternoon. If you can spare the nights, this is the better way to see it.

Your own car and an activity at the lagoon

If you are driving the Ring Road, you do not need a tour from Reykjavík at all. Park at the lagoon, walk along the shore, cross to Diamond Beach, and add one activity that starts there: an ice cave tour (2–4 hours), a glacier walk (4.5 hours) or a kayak-and-hike combination (5 to 6 hours). Parking is charged by the national park: 1,110 ISK for a car with up to five seats, valid until midnight.

Parking and walks at the lagoon →

Every trip from Reykjavík, side by side

The boat ride is what separates the day trips most: some include it, some sell it as an extra, some leave it out. Prices are "from" prices on 4 October 2026.

Which one fits you