Lava cave & hot spring · North Iceland

Grjótagjá

Also written Grjotagja — we keep the Icelandic spelling.

A lava fissure with hot water inside, on private land. Looking is allowed; bathing is not.

prices and departures checked 13 Sept 2026

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The short version

  • 12 tours in our catalogue stop at Grjótagjá — 12 of them day tours from a single base, 0 as part of a longer package.
  • A seat on a day tour here typically costs €187, from €122 at the cheapest. Private tours are priced per vehicle and sit outside that figure.
  • 5 different operators run here, so a cancellation rarely means the day is lost.
  • Departures in our next 360 days fall in September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August.
  • Seasonal here: Midnight sun (May–July), Lupine in bloom (June–July).

The facts

Type
Lava cave & hot spring
Region
North Iceland
Tours that stop here
1212 day tours · 0 multi-day
Day tour, cheapest
€122
Day tour, typical
€187median of 8 per-person fares
Operators
5

What is seasonal here

None of these have fixed dates, so each one says what its real dates depend on.

Midnight sun

May–July

True midnight sun only above the Arctic Circle — Grímsey. The mainland gets civil twilight all night, which looks much the same.

Lupine in bloom

June–July

Introduced, controversial and impossible to miss when it flowers. Peaks a fortnight later in the north than the south.

What people do here

Getting here without a car

Every tour we sell that stops at Grjótagjá leaves from Akureyri. Akureyri, where most of them start, is about 5 h 35 min from Reykjavík by road.

9 of the 12 collect you from your accommodation or a designated stop, so the tour is the transport — there is nothing else to arrange and no timetable to read.

A seat on a day tour here starts at €122 and typically runs €181, per person, private charters excluded because those are priced per vehicle and would flatter the figure. There is no scheduled bus we can sell you to Grjótagjá, so a guided day is the practical way in without a car.

The days themselves run from about 5 h 30 min to 9 h door to door, so check the length as carefully as the price — the cheapest seat is often the longest coach day. 5 different operators run here, which matters more without a car than with one: if the weather cancels your day, there is usually another departure rather than a lost trip.

Being driven is the easy answer here: enough operators run it that a cancellation rarely loses you the day, and you get to look out of the window instead of at the road.

Cheapest way in without a car: a guided day tour from Akureyri, from €122 per person.

We have done the sums on this properly: why we tell people to skip the rental car in winter.

Tours that stop at Grjótagjá

Taken from each operator's own itinerary, not from marketing copy — these are tours whose agenda names Grjótagjá as a stop.

Lake Mývatn & Geothermal Springs8 hours

Star Travel

Lake Mývatn & Geothermal Springs

4.90· 67 Google reviews of the operator

Leaves from Akureyri

  • Hotel pickup
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h

Small group tour to Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss Waterfall and the Nature baths

from

€181 per person

30% above the €140 typical

or book on its own →
Akureyri: Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss & Lava Fields Cruise Tour6 hours

Magic Iceland Travel

Akureyri: Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss & Lava Fields Cruise Tour

4.80· 177 Google reviews of the operator

Leaves from Akureyri

  • Hotel pickup
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h

Explore the volcanic wonders of North Iceland on this comfortable shore excursion from Akureyri. Visit the majestic Goðafoss waterfall, the lava formations of Dimmuborgir, the famous Mývatn craters and the surreal landscapes of the Fly Lands.

from

€158 per person

about the usual price

or book on its own →
Akureyri: Private Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss & Lava Fields Cruise Tour6 hours

Magic Iceland Travel

Akureyri: Private Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss & Lava Fields Cruise Tour

4.80· 177 Google reviews of the operator

Leaves from Akureyri

  • Hotel pickup
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h

Embark on an epic journey from Akureyri to North Iceland's volcanic marvels - witness Goðafoss waterfall, Dimmuborgir's lava labyrinth, Mývatn craters, and the otherworldly Fly Lands on this thrilling shore adventure.

from

€2,435 per vehicle

or book on its own →

Who runs them

5 operators, all of whom we hold a contract with. We do not list every company in Iceland, on purpose.

Arctic Adventures · Imagine Iceland Travel · Magic Iceland Travel · SPS Travel · Star Travel

Grjótagjá: questions people ask

How many tours go to Grjótagjá?

We list 12 — 12 day tours and 0 multi-day packages, from 5 operators. That is what we currently have contracts for, not everything that exists in Iceland.

How much does it cost to visit Grjótagjá?

The place itself is usually free to enter; what you pay for is getting there. A day tour seat runs from €122, with a typical price of €187. Some sites charge separately for parking or admission — check the individual tour.

When can you visit Grjótagjá?

Looking at the next 360 days of live availability, departures fall in September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August. That is a rolling window rather than the full year, so a month missing here is not necessarily a month with nothing running.

Do you need a tour, or can you drive to Grjótagjá yourself?

Both work. Driving gives you the stops you want and the time you want them; a tour removes the winter road decisions and lets everyone look out of the window. We sell the tours and say so — if self-driving suits you better, it suits you better.

Can you get to Grjótagjá without a car?

Yes — 12 guided day tours in our catalogue stop here. 9 of the tours pick you up from your accommodation, so no onward transport is needed.

How far is Grjótagjá from Reykjavík?

The tours that go here mostly start in Akureyri, about 5 h 35 min from Reykjavík on roads that stay open all year. That is driving time in normal conditions and not an estimate of your day — a tour that reaches Grjótagjá and comes back is a good deal longer than twice that.

What is the cheapest way to get to Grjótagjá?

A guided day tour from Akureyri, from €122 per person, with €181 the more typical fare. Private tours cost more because they are priced per vehicle rather than per seat.

Put it in a day

Grjótagjá is rarely a whole day on its own. The planner knows how long each tour takes and how far apart the start points are, so it can build the rest of the day around it.

Plan a day around Grjótagjá