Things to do in Höfn
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Höfn
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: all tours running, puffins, midnight sun, warmest weather.
Quieter and still good; northern lights begin, some tours wind down.
Shoulder; boat tours restart, crowds not yet.
The lagoon ices over, glacier hikes run, aurora season; short days and storm road closures.
What's on
- Humarhátíð (Langoustine Festival) June
Höfn's lobster festival, the town's big weekend.
- Icelandic National Day 17 June
Celebrated in Höfn like everywhere in Iceland.
Best things to do in Höfn
Vestrahorn
The jagged black mountain over the black-sand beach, best at sunrise, entry via Viking Café.
Jökulsárlón
The great glacier lagoon with calving icebergs, boat tours May to October, book ahead.
Diamond Beach
Icebergs stranded on black sand across the bridge, best in low morning or evening sun.
Fjallsárlón
The quieter glacier lagoon with the glacier tongue closer, the calm alternative.
Vatnajökull
The guided glacier hike on Europe's largest ice cap, crampons and blue crevasses, book ahead.
Stokksnes Viking Village
The full-scale Viking longhouse film set on the Vestrahorn road, included in the entry fee.
Höfn harbour
The working fishing harbour walk, the town's actual economy, best at sunset.
Hoffell Hot Tubs
Natural geothermal tubs in a field under the mountains, the local soak, honor system.
Where to stay in Höfn
Höfn town center
first-timers and restaurant access
Harbour edge
the view from your room
Countryside between Höfn and Jökulsárlón
the lagoon-first trip
East of town toward Stokksnes
Vestrahorn at sunrise
Think twice about
- The industrial estate by the fish factory
Cheap rooms, the smell, the trucks. Sleep in town instead.
- Listings sold as Höfn area 40+ km west with no restaurant
Fine as a lagoon base, but check the map: an hour from dinner options.
- Ring Road laybys for camping
Illegal and fined; use the town campsite.
Best restaurants in Höfn
Pakkhús Restaurant
The harbour langoustine restaurant, the dinner to book in Höfn.
Kaffi Hornið
The town's cafe-restaurant, lobster pizza and soup, open long hours daily.
Ósinn
Hotel Höfn's restaurant, Icelandic dishes with the langoustine emphasis, evenings.
Heppa Restaurant
The newer harbour restaurant and bar, langoustine and cod croquettes.
Fosshotel Vatnajökull
The hotel dining room with the glacier view, langoustines headlining.
Hali Country Hotel
The country hotel restaurant on the lagoon road, the lunch stop west of town.
Best coffee in Höfn
Viking Café
The cafe at the Vestrahorn gate, soup and coffee plus the beach-road entry.
Outdoor things to do in Höfn
Skaftafell
The national park's southern hub, glacier viewpoints and the trail network, a full day.
Svartifoss
The basalt-column waterfall, 90 minutes round trip uphill, go early.
Ingólfshöfði
The puffin headland by haycart tour, May to August, book ahead.
Djúpivogur
The slow east-fjords fishing village with the granite egg sculpture, an hour east.
Fjaðrárgljúfur
The winding mossy canyon with rim viewpoints, 90 minutes west, go early.
Best hotels in Höfn
Fosshotel Vatnajökull
The glacier-view hotel on the town's edge, the area's flagship.
Berjaya Höfn Hotel
Central and straightforward, the practical town pick.
Hotel Höfn
The town's old hotel on the harbour edge, with the Ósinn restaurant.
Milk Factory
The converted dairy, design-led, the boutique pick.
Hótel Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon Hotel
The closest proper hotel to the lagoon, the lagoon-first base.
Hotel Smyrlabjörg
Family-run hotel between Höfn and the lagoon.
Arnanes Country Hotel
Quiet country hotel east of town with a pool, toward Stokksnes.
Is Höfn expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ISK 28,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ISK 45,000 a person |
| Splurge | ISK 95,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Jökulsárlón: a few days ahead
- Vatnajökull: a few days ahead
- Ingólfshöfði: a few days ahead
- Pakkhús Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Fosshotel Vatnajökull: weeks ahead
- Hótel Jökulsárlón - Glacier Lagoon Hotel: weeks ahead
- Glacier hikes and lagoon boat tours: book days ahead in summer.
- Pakkhús: book ahead for dinner in summer.
- June-August accommodation: book weeks ahead.
Is Höfn safe?
- Höfn is safe; the risks are weather and water: sudden storms, the lagoon's cold water and unstable ice, single-lane bridges. Never climb on the icebergs. Emergency number: 112.
Höfn travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The lagoon parking lot at midday means three tour buses at once; go before 10am or after 4pm.
- Langoustine (humar) is the local catch; other lobster is imported.
- The Stokksnes access fee maintains the road; the mountain is still the best value around.
- In a storm, take the Ring Road; highland tracks are not for rental 2WDs.
Getting around Höfn: public transport and more
- You need a car; sights are 15-80 km apart with no useful public transport.
- The Ring Road is paved throughout; only the Stokksnes road is gravel (fine for 2WD).
- Fuel in Höfn before heading west; stations are far apart.
- In winter check road.is and vedur.is every morning; the Ring Road can close in storms.
Who Höfn suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Höfn your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store