Höfn is a fishing town of 1,802 people (2025) on a peninsula in southeast Iceland, about 455 km (roughly 6 hours) from Reykjavik on the Ring Road. It is the area's service town and the best base for Vestrahorn, the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon (66 km, about 50 minutes) and the southeast ice caves, with views of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest ice cap by volume. This page contains partner links: if you book, we earn a commission at no cost to you.
Highlights
The harbour
the working port at the centre of town, where the langoustine boats land their catch.
Langoustine (Icelandic lobster)
Höfn is known as the lobster capital of Iceland, and the Humarhátíð festival is held on the first weekend of July.
Restaurants
Pakkhús (fine dining in a harbour warehouse, with reservations recommended in summer), Birki (small plates in one of the oldest houses; book ahead), Heppa (a restaurant and tap room with its own brewery, Horn), Kaffi Hornið (casual seafood, lamb and vegetarian dishes) and Hafnarbúðin (a retro diner known for its lobster burger).
The Glacier Exhibition
open in summer in the old supermarket building.
Vestrahorn
the Stokksnes mountain and black sand beach are a short drive from town; see Vestrahorn and Stokksnes.
Practical info
Tips
- Höfn is a stopover, not a destination for several days: one evening for dinner and a walk by the harbour, then a full day on the glaciers or the lagoon. Book dinner in July and August, when the few restaurants fill. Tours leave from the area for ice caves at Jökulsárlón, glacier walks at Skaftafell, and snowmobile and super jeep trips; a glacier lagoon and south coast day trip from Reykjavik runs 14 to 15 hours, which is why a night here helps. Take the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach as day stops, and plan the stay with Vatnajökull National Park. If you are driving from Reykjavik, Reykjavik to Jökulsárlón explains why most travellers sleep in the southeast. The Booking.com page for Höfn is linked in the box above.
How to get there
By the Ring Road (about 455 km from Reykjavik), or by plane: Höfn airport, 4 km from town, has scheduled flights to Reykjavik. Public buses from Reykjavik take over seven hours and run only a few times a week. Almannaskarð tunnel (1,312 m), east of town, opened in 2005.
Opening hours
Nearby
See on the map →
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