Reykjavík to Jökulsárlón in Winter: Day Tour vs 2-Day Tour vs Self-Drive
Winter 2026–27 prices, drive times, road closures and daylight, and which option fits your trip
The Short Answer
For most winter visitors, a 2-day guided tour with an ice cave is the best way to get from Reykjavík
to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. It costs roughly two and a half to three times as much as a day tour,
and it saves you driving the 760 km winter round trip yourself, which has to fit into four to seven hours
of daylight. It is also the cheapest guided option that includes an ice cave and a night under dark,
rural skies for the aurora.
Which option suits you
Short on time or budget, and fine with a 14-hour bus day? Take a one-day tour,
from about 32,000 ISK per person. There is no ice cave, little time at the lagoon, and much of
the drive happens in the dark.
Want the ice cave and a chance of the northern lights without driving?
Book a 2-day tour (from about 79,990–84,900 ISK per person). If you also want the Golden
Circle, a 3-day tour starts from about 114,900 ISK with the ice cave included.
Confident winter driver, couple or group of four? Driving yourself with 1–2
nights near the lagoon is the cheapest per head for groups and the best for photographers.
Build in a spare day for storms and check road and weather conditions every morning.
The calendar above is for Nicetravel's 2-day
South Coast tour with a blue ice cave (from $718, 4.7/5 from over 250 reviews on
GetYourGuide). Pick-up in Reykjavík, a night in a hotel with breakfast and the guided ice cave are
included, and the cave visit falls in daylight on day two.
~94,990 ISK (cave extra) to ~114,900 ISK (cave included)
Yes
The best of the guided options: two dark nights
Aurora hunters, travellers with no car
Self-drive (1–2 nights)
2–3 days
~42,000–57,000 ISK each for a couple, before the ice cave
Yes, booked separately
Good to excellent: you choose where and when
Confident drivers, photographers, families
Strætó bus (route 52)
2+ days; not daily
Check straeto.is
Only with a pre-booked tour from the lagoon
Good if you stay overnight
Solo budget travellers
Fly to Höfn + rental car
2+ days
Check icelandair.com, plus the car
Yes
Good
Short trips; drivers skipping the long drive
Private tour
1–2 days
~251,033 ISK per group (day)
Only on multi-day versions
Depends on the itinerary
Families, groups, travellers who want a guide but not a bus
Prices are "from" prices seen on operator and booking pages in October
2026. They move with demand, exchange rates and season, so confirm before you book. For the
summer version of this trip and the stops along the way, see our tours from Reykjavík guide.
How Far Is Jökulsárlón from Reykjavík in Winter?
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is 379 km (236 miles) east of Reykjavík on Route 1, the Ring Road. BusTravel
Iceland quotes "around 5 hours under normal conditions" each way, which is driving time with no stops
on a dry road. Our how to get to Jökulsárlón page covers the route
itself.
In winter, plan on 6–7 hours each way once you add photo stops at Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss,
Reynisfjara and Vík, and Skaftafell, a lunch break, slower speeds on ice and the odd wind delay. The
route crosses the Mýrdalssandur outwash plain east of Vík and the Öræfi district below Öræfajökull,
one of the windiest stretches in Iceland, and the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration
(Vegagerðin) closes sections of the Ring Road when gusts become dangerous.
Plan the trip around daylight. On 21 December, Reykjavík gets roughly 4 hours of direct sun
(sunrise around 11:23, sunset around 15:28), with usable twilight from about 10:00 to 16:50. In
November, sunrise is around 9:00–10:00 and sunset around 16:00–17:00. Any one-day round trip
therefore means several hours of driving in darkness. For what November itself is like at the
lagoon, see Jökulsárlón in November.
Other experiences you might enjoy
A winter trip east from Reykjavík passes some of Iceland's best-known stops. Browse South
Coast tours to Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and Reynisfjara, Vatnajökull ice cave tours
from Jökulsárlón and Skaftafell, the year-round Katla ice cave near Vík and
northern lights tours from Reykjavík.
Option 1: One-Day Tour from Reykjavík
A Jökulsárlón day trip from Reykjavík is the cheapest guided option and the most tiring. Typical
examples for winter 2026–27:
BusTravel Iceland: about 14 hours on a large coach, minimum age 6, with hotel
pick-up at extra cost. Stops include Stjórnarfoss, Jökulsárlón, Diamond Beach, a clear-weather
photo stop at Fjallsárlón, Vík and Seljalandsfoss.
Iceland Adventure Tours: from 32,090 ISK, 14 hours, minimum age 6.
Icelandia: from about US$249, roughly 07:30 to 22:00.
Private day tours: Iceland Highlights lists a private Jökulsárlón day tour from
251,033 ISK per vehicle, which starts to make sense for groups of 4–6.
Can you add an ice cave? No. BusTravel states that its glacier tours from
Jökulsárlón take 3–4 hours and do not fit into the day tour, and recommends a 2-day tour instead.
Most other operators' day tours work the same way. The lagoon boat rides that some day tours sell in
summer do not run in winter; see our guide to winter alternatives to the boat tours.
Pros
Lowest guided price, and no hotel needed.
No driving stress; the guide makes the weather calls.
Works if you're based in Reykjavík with only one free day.
Cons
Around 10 of the 14 hours are spent on the bus.
Time at the lagoon and Diamond Beach is short.
In December the outbound leg starts in darkness and the return is almost entirely after
dark.
No ice cave, and a poor chance of the aurora.
Who it suits: travellers with one spare day, people who cope well with long bus
rides, and anyone who simply wants to see the icebergs once.
A winter day tour, hour by hour (07:00 departure)
Time
What happens
07:00
Pick-up in Reykjavík, drive east in darkness
~10:30–11:00
First stop as it gets light (for example the Vík area or Stjórnarfoss)
~13:00–14:30
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach
~15:30
Light fades; head west
~18:00
Dinner stop, usually in Vík
~19:30
Seljalandsfoss (floodlit or dark in deep winter)
~21:00–22:00
Back in Reykjavík; bad weather can make it later
Option 2: 2-Day Tour with an Ice Cave
This is the best fit for most winter visitors. You spend the night in the southeast, so the lagoon,
Diamond Beach and an ice cave all get daylight on day two. Current examples:
Reykjavík Excursions: "2 Day South Coast – Ice Cave, Skaftafell &
Jökulsárlón", from 79,990 ISK, minimum age 8.
Nicetravel: 2-day South Coast with a blue ice cave, from 84,900 ISK, with
guaranteed departures. On GetYourGuide this is the 2-day
South Coast tour with a blue ice cave, our pick for most readers.
Iceland Highlights: 2-day South Coast with a natural ice cave, from 84,900 ISK;
a 09:00 start on day one, with November and December departures confirmed.
Arctic Adventures: 2-day South Iceland ice cave tour, from about US$452.
Troll Expeditions: 2-day South Coast, ice cave and glacier hike, from about
US$658. On GetYourGuide, Troll's 2-day
Blue Ice Cave & Jökulsárlón tour (4.6/5 from 94 reviews) swaps in a longer glacier
hike if the cave isn't accessible.
Usually included: minibus transport with Reykjavík pick-up, one night in a hotel with breakfast, and
the guided ice cave with helmets and crampons. Dinner is usually extra, and if you're travelling
alone you often pay a supplement for a private room. Check each listing for the minimum age (8 is
common), the group size (many are small-group minibuses) and whether a glacier hike is added.
Pros
Ice cave included, in daylight, when the season allows.
A night away from city lights for the northern lights.
Much more relaxed, with about half the driving per day.
Cons
Roughly two and a half to three times the cost of a day tour.
Ice caves depend on conditions; operators substitute a glacier hike or another activity if
a cave is unsafe.
A fixed itinerary, and shared rooms unless you pay extra.
Sample itinerary
Day 1: Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara black sand beach and Vík, then east
to a hotel near Skaftafell or Jökulsárlón, with an aurora watch if skies clear.
Day 2: Ice cave tour by super jeep from Jökulsárlón or Skaftafell, then
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach, and the long drive back to Reykjavík in the
evening.
A 3-day tour adds the Golden Circle and a second dark night, which gives you two chances at the
aurora instead of one.
Nicetravel: 3-day South Coast, Golden Circle, ice cave and Jökulsárlón, from
114,900 ISK; November–March only, minimum age 8, two nights with breakfast and the ice cave
included, pick-up 08:30–09:00.
Iceland Highlights: 3-day Golden Circle, South Coast and Glacier Lagoon from
94,990 ISK (November–April), but the ice cave is an optional extra.
Arctic Adventures and Troll Expeditions sell similar 3-day
winter minibus tours at roughly US$900–1,070.
On GetYourGuide, the 3-day
South Coast winter tour with an ice cave (from $977, 4.8/5 from over 200 reviews) stays on the
South Coast with the cave included. If you want the Golden Circle too, the 3-day
Golden Circle, Glacier Lagoon and ice cave tour (from $991, 4.7/5 from 84 reviews) covers both,
on a smaller review record. Always check whether the cave is included: the cheapest "from" price is
often the version without it.
Option 4: Driving Yourself
Driving yourself gives you the most freedom: sunrise at Diamond Beach, the aurora from a dark
pull-out, no group schedule. It also gives you the most responsibility. If you are not used to ice,
crosswinds and long dark stretches, read our weather and road conditions page
first, and our self-drive vs guided tour comparison covers the
year-round trade-offs.
Self-drive costs (2 days / 1 night, Reykjavík–Jökulsárlón return)
Item
Typical winter cost (ISK)
Notes
4x4/AWD rental, 2 days
24,000–40,000
Winter SUVs run roughly 12,000–20,000 ISK a day; a small 2WD is roughly 5,000–10,000 ISK a day
Extra insurance (gravel, sand & ash, SCDW)
6,000–12,000
Gravel protection alone is about 1,500–3,000 ISK a day
Fuel (~850 km)
~16,000–19,000
Petrol was about 274–279 ISK a litre in early October 2026; assumes ~7–8 L/100 km
Kilometre road fee
~5,900
6.95 ISK/km for cars and SUVs up to 3.5 tonnes since 1 January 2026, per Ísland.is; collected by the rental company (some charge a flat 1,390 ISK a day)
Parking
~3,500–4,500
Jökulsárlón 1,110 ISK on Parka, one payment zone covering both Diamond Beach lots (some guides list 1,040 ISK); Skaftafell ~1,100 ISK with a 50% same-day discount at another Vatnajökull National Park site; Seljalandsfoss ~1,000 ISK; Skógafoss ~1,000 ISK. See our parking guide.
Hotel, 1 night (double room)
~26,000–33,000
Mid-range near the lagoon, such as Hali Country Hotel; budget guesthouses from ~18,000
Total per car / room
~84,000–113,000
Before ice cave tours (~18,000–27,500 ISK per person)
Winter driving essentials
Check every morning: road.is / umferdin.is for closures, en.vedur.is for wind
warnings (yellow and orange alerts), and safetravel.is for alerts. If a section is closed, do
not drive around the barrier.
Know the closure points: Mýrdalssandur east of Vík and Öræfi below
Öræfajökull are where the Ring Road most often shuts. On 14 October 2026 the Icelandic Road and
Coastal Administration put a staffed "soft closure" on the Ring Road from Heimaland by
Markarfljót to Freysnes, as reported by mbl.is, during a Met Office orange warning with local
gusts above 40 m/s (Iceland Review).
Tyres: studded tyres are permitted from 1 November to 15 April (Reykjavík City
and Ísland.is). Icelandic rules make the driver responsible for equipping the car for the road
conditions, and winter tyres need at least 3 mm of tread. Reputable rental companies fit
winter tyres as standard, so ask whether yours are studded.
4x4 or 2WD? The Ring Road is paved and ploughed, so a 4x4 is not legally
required. A 4x4 or AWD with good winter tyres gives you more margin on ice and snow, and we
recommend one from November to March.
Insurance: gravel and sand-and-ash damage are common on the South Coast and
are not covered by basic CDW. Wind can rip car doors off their hinges, so open them with two
hands.
Daylight: drive the long stretches in daylight and arrive before dark whenever
you can.
Buffer day: leave at least one spare day before your flight home.
Sample 2–3 day self-drive plan
Day 1: Leave Reykjavík before dawn, reach Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss at first
light, then Reynisfjara and Vík. Overnight in Vík or Kirkjubæjarklaustur.
Day 2: Skaftafell, Fjallsárlón, then Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach,
with a blue
ice cave tour from Jökulsárlón (from $195, 4.6/5 from over 900 reviews) in a morning or
midday slot and the beach at sunset. Overnight near the lagoon, with the aurora if it's clear. For
camera settings, see our photography guide.
Day 3: Sunrise at Diamond Beach, then the drive back to Reykjavík (6–7 hours with
stops).
Since 1 January 2026, Strætó's long-distance South Coast service is route 52
Reykjavík–Höfn, and route 51 now only runs Reykjavík–Selfoss. Route 52 stops at Jökulsárlón
but does not run every day, and Vegagerðin listed it in June 2026 among the rural routes being
adjusted in the second half of the year. Check straeto.is for the current days, times and fare.
The catch is the timetable. Reports from 2026 have the eastbound bus leaving Reykjavík in the
afternoon and reaching Jökulsárlón in the evening, which means arriving in the dark and needing at
least one night nearby, and the stop is several kilometres from most hotels. It works for a patient
solo traveller; for most people it is a poor choice in winter.
Fly Reykjavík–Höfn
Eagle Air no longer flies this route. Icelandair took over the subsidised flights from Reykjavík's
domestic airport to Höfn on 1 September 2025, under a Vegagerðin contract running to 31 August 2028
that plans five flights a week on 37-seat Dash 8-200 aircraft. The flight takes about 55 minutes.
Check icelandair.com for winter days and fares. Europcar/Höldur has a car rental desk at Hornafjörður
Airport, so book a car in advance; Jökulsárlón is about an hour's drive west of Höfn. This works well
for a 2-day trip that skips most of the long drive, but small-plane flights are sensitive to winter
weather.
Private tour
A private day tour (from about 251,033 ISK per vehicle) costs much the same as four or five seats on
a premium day tour, with your own pace and stops. Private 2-day versions with an ice cave run from
about 290,000 ISK per group. This suits families with young children or anyone who wants a guide but
not a bus. Book these with the operators directly; we haven't found a private Reykjavík–Jökulsárlón
listing on GetYourGuide we can recommend.
What It Costs: Solo, Couple and Group of Four
Option
Solo
Couple
Group of 4
Day tour (no ice cave)
~32,000
~64,000
~128,000
2-day tour (ice cave incl.)
~80,000–85,000 + single supplement
~160,000–170,000
~320,000–340,000 (min. age often 8)
3-day tour (ice cave incl.)
~115,000 + single supplement
~230,000
~460,000
Self-drive, 1 night, + ice cave
~105,000–140,000
~125,000–165,000
~195,000–255,000 (2 rooms or a family room)
Bus + 1 night + ice cave
Bus fare + hotel + cave
Bus fares + hotel + caves
Rarely practical
All figures are rough ISK estimates built from the October 2026 prices
above; children's fares, single supplements and hotel rates will change the totals. Travelling
alone, you get the best value from a guided tour. Once there are three or four of you sharing a car,
driving yourself becomes the cheapest way to see an ice cave.
Which Should You Choose?
You have one free day and just want to see the icebergs: the day
tour.
You want an ice cave and you're not driving: the 2-day
tour.
The northern lights are a top priority: a 3-day
tour, or driving yourself with two nights in the southeast. See our northern lights guide.
You're a photographer who wants blue hour at Diamond Beach: drive yourself, or
take a private tour.
You've never driven on ice, or your trip is only 3–4 days: don't drive yourself.
One closure could wipe out your plan.
You're travelling over the holidays: check holiday opening hours and departures
with each operator before you book.
Yes, but it is a 14-hour day with about 760 km of driving, much of it in darkness, and only
a short stop at the lagoon. Guided day tours start at about 32,000 ISK, or $230 for the
most-reviewed tour on GetYourGuide. Driving it yourself in one day is not recommended in
winter.
About 5 hours without stops on a clear road (379 km). With sightseeing stops, winter speeds
and possible wind delays, plan 6–7 hours each way.
It can be, for a careful driver in a well-equipped car who checks road.is, vedur.is and
safetravel.is every day and turns back when warnings are issued. The main hazards are ice,
darkness and strong crosswinds on Mýrdalssandur and in Öræfi.
For most visitors, yes. For roughly two and a half to three times the price of a day tour,
you get an ice cave, a hotel night with a chance of the aurora, and daylight at the lagoon
instead of a rushed stop.
It is not legally required, because the Ring Road is paved and ploughed, but a 4x4 or AWD
with studded or good winter tyres is strongly recommended from November to March.
Yes. Strætó route 52 (Reykjavík–Höfn) stops at Jökulsárlón, but it does not run every day
and reaches the lagoon in the evening, so you need at least one night nearby. Check
straeto.is for the current days, times and fare.
Not at Vatnajökull. Ice cave tours there take 3–4 hours, which day-tour schedules can't fit.
Book a 2-day or 3-day tour, or stay overnight and join an ice cave tour from Jökulsárlón or
Skaftafell. Shorter Katla ice cave day trips from Reykjavík
do exist, but they don't go to Jökulsárlón.
No. Lagoon boat tours are seasonal and do not run in winter. The amphibian boat's published tour
hours end on 15 November, and the boats return in May. See our guide to winter alternatives to the boat
tours.
Caveats and Sources
Information checked in October 2026. Prices, timetables and departures change with season,
demand and weather, so always confirm with the operator, straeto.is, road.is and vedur.is before you
travel.
Sources used
Operator pages from BusTravel Iceland, Reykjavík Excursions, Nicetravel, Iceland Highlights,
Arctic Adventures, Troll Expeditions, Iceland Adventure Tours and Icelandia
Strætó: changed route system in the countryside (route 52 from 1 January 2026); Vegagerðin:
adjustments to rural bus routes (June 2026)
Vegagerðin and Isavia Domestic Airports: Icelandair's Höfn route contract (September 2025 to
August 2028)
mbl.is, Iceland Review and Iceland Magazine reports on Ring Road storm closures
Reykjavík City and Ísland.is on studded tyres (1 November–15 April) and tread depth
Ísland.is on the 2026 kilometre road fee (6.95 ISK/km); October 2026 fuel price trackers;
Parka and parking fee guides
Visit Reykjavík and Iceland Highlights daylight tables