Where to Stay Near Vatnajökull National Park

• Top choice Ice Cave & Glacier Hike from US$167 Duration4 hours^[5]Rating4.62 from 848 reviews^[5]Live tour guideEnglish^[5]CancellationFree, up to 24 hours before^[5] Check availability
• Blue Ice Glacier Hike from US$106 Duration4 hours^[6]Rating4.71 from 1,357 reviews^[6]Live tour guideEnglish^[6]CancellationFree, up to 24 hours before^[6] See this tour
• Vatnajökull Ice Cave Tour from US$164 Duration3 hours^[7]Rating4.25 from 2,171 reviews^[7]Live tour guideEnglish^[7]CancellationFree, up to 24 hours before^[7] See this tour

Where to stay near Vatnajökull National Park

Vatnajökull is vast, and that shapes where you sleep. The ice cap has a surface area of approximately 8,100 square kilometres (3,127 square miles) and is the largest glacier in both Iceland and Europe.^[9] Its southern edge runs roughly parallel to the Ring Road, and the beds are strung out along that same stretch of tarmac between the Skaftafell area and the Jökulsárlón lagoon. There is no town at the glacier itself. Instead you choose between the birch slopes and campsite at Skaftafell, the farm country and small hotels around the lagoon, and the harbour town of Höfn further east along the coast.

Think about what your days actually look like. If you are walking on Falljökull or heading into an ice cave from Skaftafell, sleeping close by turns a pre-dawn drive into a short hop. If the lagoon and Diamond Beach are the draw, the farms around Jökulsárlón put you there before the day coaches arrive. Höfn gives you a proper town with fuel, a supermarket, restaurants and a wider choice of rooms, which matters if you are travelling with children or want a restaurant dinner rather than a campsite stove. Vatnajökull National Park was inscribed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites on 5 July 2019.^[10]

Skaftafell: staying by the glacier trailheads

Skaftafell is the classic base for the south side of the ice. The visitor centre, Skaftafellsstofa, opens 10-17 in January and February, 9-17 from March to May, 9-19 in June to August, 9-18 in September and October, 9-17 in November and 10-17 in December.^[4] It is where you ask about trail conditions, pick up a map and find out what the weather has done to the paths. Parking at Skaftafell is subject to a regional fee: a Category A passenger car with 5 or fewer seats is charged 1,110 ISK.^[8]

Around the visitor centre you will find a campsite, a small shop and a cluster of guesthouses and hotels, with more rooms a short drive west towards Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Skaftafell is about 327 km (203 miles) from Reykjavík by car via Route 1, a drive that takes approximately 4.5 hours.^[1] Most people break that journey with a night on the south coast, which turns a long transfer into a relaxed day of waterfalls and black sand beaches. The glacier hike itself begins with a bus or coach leg from Skaftafell before the walking starts.^[5]

Morning light on the outlet glaciers below Vatnajökull

Hotels near Vatnajökull: the Fosshotel option

Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon is the four-star superior hotel a stone's throw from Skaftafell, with 125 rooms.^[3] Its amenities include complimentary parking, electric car charging points, a gym and a wellness spa.^[3] It stands on the same stretch of the ring road as the glacier trailheads, between the Skaftafell turn-off and the lagoon, and it is the natural pick for travellers who want a bath, a bar and a spa after a day on the ice.

Beyond it, the beds near Skaftafell are mostly small: guesthouses, farm stays, a campsite and a few country hotels, with more rooms along the road towards Kirkjubæjarklaustur and towards the lagoon. Standards are high and room counts are low, so book the nights either side of your glacier hike first and stay flexible about the rest. In winter, when the ice cave tours run, the nearest beds go early, and a room further along the coast is far less appealing after dark than one you can reach in a few minutes.

Höfn hotels and the eastern side of the glacier

Höfn is a working harbour town on the south-east coast, with fuel, a supermarket, a swimming pool and a good spread of hotels and guesthouses. It sits east of the glacier, which suits travellers driving the Ring Road anticlockwise, or anyone who wants a town rather than a roadside cluster of cabins. The town also makes a sensible fallback when the beds at Skaftafell and around the lagoon are taken.

From Höfn you can reach the lagoon and the Skaftafell meeting points along the ring road, and the evening return is straightforward on a road you have already driven. Many people use it as a two-night base, driving west for the glacier hike and the lagoon in one loop and keeping the long transfers to a minimum. If you are continuing towards the East Fjords, Höfn is also the natural place to sleep before the road turns north.

Jökulsárlón: lagoon, ice caves and short drives

Staying near Jökulsárlón puts the lagoon, Diamond Beach and the Breiðamerkurjökull ice cave meeting points on your doorstep. The direct drive from Skaftafell to Jökulsárlón is 35.4 miles (57 km) and takes about 50 minutes in normal traffic.^[11] That is short enough to combine both areas in a single day, but staying on the lagoon side means you can walk the shoreline early or late, when the light is at its best and the car parks are quiet.

The ice caves in Vatnajökull are only accessible during winter months, from November and usually throughout March, depending on the weather.^[2] Outside that window the glacier walks still run, and if you are here in summer there are caves elsewhere in Iceland that stay open: the Katla Ice Cave, a natural ice cave in the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier above the Katla volcano, is one of the few ice caves in Iceland that can be visited year-round.^[12]

Pairing your stay with a blue ice cave hike

The tour that many people build a night around is the Blue Ice Cave and Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull from Skaftafell. It lasts 4 hours and follows a route of bus or coach, Vatnajökull, Falljökull and bus or coach again, with a group limited to 12 participants.^[5] The live tour guide is English speaking, and the meeting point is in the Skaftafell area. Keep that in mind when you plan your arrival day.

It is rated 4.62 from 848 reviews, and it is priced from US$167.^[5] You can reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation is available up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[5] Falljökull, the glacier you walk on, is a striking outlet glacier of the vast Vatnajökull ice cap.^[13] On easy glacier hikes such as the Blue Ice Experience on Skaftafell the minimum age is 8 years old, and more difficult glacier walks may have a higher minimum age.^[14]

Planning your trip: season, drive and layers

Skaftafell is about 327 km (203 miles) from Reykjavík by car via Route 1, a drive that takes approximately 4.5 hours.^[1] The ice cap you are visiting averages about 380 metres thick, though in places it is almost a kilometre deep.^[15] The three most famous volcanoes beneath the ice are Grímsvötn, Öraefajökull and Bardarbunga.^[16] Hvannadalshnúkur, the highest peak in Iceland, reaches 2110 m (6900 ft).^[17] The outlet glaciers have retreated exceptionally fast since the year 2000, and their mass loss is among the highest recorded in the world.^[18]

For clothing, think layers rather than one heavy coat: a thermal base, a fleece, a waterproof shell, gloves, a hat and boots with some ankle support. You will be standing on ice for a while, and a spare pair of gloves in your bag is worth the weight. Winter days are short, which makes an early start sensible if you have driving to do afterwards, and the road across the sandur can close when the wind picks up, so check conditions before you set out. Booking early matters most in the ice cave months, when the nearest rooms are in demand.

Plan your glacier stay

1. Choose your base first

   Skaftafell, the Jökulsárlón farms and Höfn suit different parts of the trip. Pick the nights you care about most.

2. Check the ice cave season

   Ice caves in Vatnajökull can only be visited from November and usually through March, depending on the weather.^[2]

3. Work out the drive

   Skaftafell is about 327 km (203 miles) from Reykjavík via Route 1, a drive of around 4.5 hours.^[1]

4. Book the hike early

   The Blue Ice Cave and Glacier Hike on Vatnajökull is limited to 12 participants and costs from US$167.^[5]

5. Pack for ice, not for the car

   Warm layers, waterproofs, gloves and sturdy boots matter more than anything else you pack for a day on the ice.

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