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 24 Oct 2026

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The short version

  • 20 tours in our catalogue stop at Grjótagjá — 20 of them day tours from a single base, 0 as part of a longer package.
  • A seat on a day tour here typically costs €188, from €125 at the cheapest. Private tours are priced per vehicle and sit outside that figure.
  • 7 different operators run here, so a cancellation rarely means the day is lost.
  • Departures in our next 360 days fall in October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September.
  • 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
2020 day tours · 0 multi-day
Day tour, cheapest
€125
Day tour, typical
€188median of 12 per-person fares
Operators
7

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.

16 of the 20 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 €125 and typically runs €186, 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 10 h door to door, so check the length as carefully as the price — the cheapest seat is often the longest coach day. 7 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 €125 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.

Arctic Adventures

Mývatn, Goðafoss & Grjótagjá Half Day Tour From Akureyri

from €125 per person4.60· 5,195 Google reviews of the operator

from age 6 · meet at the start point

6 h · from Akureyri

  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h
  • Book same day

Discover North Iceland’s highlights on a half-day tour to Goðafoss, Lake Mývatn, Hverir geothermal area, Dimmuborgir lava fields, Grjótagjá cave, and Skútustaðir craters.

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Star Travel

Lake Mývatn & Geothermal Springs

from €186 per person4.90· 67 Google reviews of the operator

31% above the €142 typical for sightseeing day tours

pickup included

8 h · from Akureyri

  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h
  • Book same day

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

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Magic Iceland Travel

Akureyri: Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss & Lava Fields Cruise Tour

from €161 per person4.80· 184 Google reviews of the operator

about the usual price for boat tours

from age 6 · pickup included

6 h · from Akureyri

  • 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.

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Sýsli - Ferðir og ökukennsla ehf

Lake Mývatn and Goðafoss Shore Excursion

from €175 per person

pickup included

6 h · from Akureyri

  • Family friendly
  • Wheelchair access
  • Book the night before

A great tour around the lake Mývatn area where we see how the power of nature has formed the country and how it's still working beneath our feet. We explore beautiful spots and enjoy the stunning scenery along the way.

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Showing 12 of 20. Browse everything or build a day around it.

Who runs them

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

Arctic Adventures · Fox Adventure ehf · Imagine Iceland Travel · Magic Iceland Travel · SPS Travel · Star Travel · Sýsli - Ferðir og ökukennsla ehf

Grjótagjá: questions people ask

How many tours go to Grjótagjá?

We list 20 — 20 day tours and 0 multi-day packages, from 7 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 €125, with a typical price of €188. 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 October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September. 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 — 20 guided day tours in our catalogue stop here. 16 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 €125 per person, with €186 the more typical fare. Private tours cost more because they are priced per vehicle rather than per seat.

Hotels

Where to stay near Grjótagjá

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Grjótagjá, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in North Iceland →

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