Lake & volcanic area · North Iceland

Mývatn

Also written Myvatn — we keep the Icelandic spelling.

A shallow lake ringed by pseudo-craters, lava formations and geothermal ground. Midges in summer are relentless and harmless.

prices and departures checked 24 Oct 2026

Add us as a preferred source in Google

The short version

  • 54 tours in our catalogue stop at Mývatn — 30 of them day tours from a single base, 24 as part of a longer package.
  • A seat on a day tour here typically costs €242, from €43 at the cheapest. Private tours are priced per vehicle and sit outside that figure.
  • 17 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
Lake & volcanic area
Region
North Iceland
Tours that stop here
5430 day tours · 24 multi-day
Day tour, cheapest
€43
Day tour, typical
€242median of 23 per-person fares
Operators
17
From Reykjavík
300 km (185 mi)straight line — the road is longer
Coordinates
65.5700, -16.6000

Daylight through the year

Iceland's daylight swings further than almost anywhere people holiday, and it decides what a tour can actually show you. Times are for the 15th of each month at this spot.

MonthSunriseSunsetDaylight
January10:5515:354 h 39 min
March07:3019:0211 h 32 min
June01:4600:2722 h 40 min
September06:2419:4013 h 16 min
December11:2114:423 h 20 min

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

The 27 tours we sell that stop at Mývatn leave from Akureyri, Húsavík and Reykjavík, with a handful from one other town. Akureyri, where most of them start, is about 5 h 35 min from Reykjavík by road.

21 of the 27 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 €43 and typically runs €210, per person, private charters excluded because those are priced per vehicle and would flatter the figure. There is also a scheduled bus or transfer serving Mývatn, from €110 — cheaper than a tour, with no guide and no stops on the way.

The days themselves run from about 1 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. 13 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 €43 per person.

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

The Traveling Viking

Lake Myvatn & Dettifoss

from €242 per person5.0· 19 Google reviews of the operator

70% above the €142 typical for sightseeing day tours

pickup included

8 h · from Akureyri

  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation until departure
  • Book the night before
Check dates
⋯
Book this one on its own →

Scheduled bus or transfer options to Mývatn: Private Taxi Transfer Lake Mývatn Area (Reykjahlíð, Skútustaðir or Hotels) - Akureyri · Akureyri Airport (AEY) - To Mývatn hotels · Private Taxi Transfer Akureyri - Lake Mývatn Area (Reykjahlíð, Skútustaðir or Hotels)

Tours that stop at Mývatn

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

Check dates
⋯
Book this one on its own →

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.

Check dates
⋯
Book this one on its own →

The Traveling Viking

Lake Myvatn & Dettifoss

from €242 per person5.0· 19 Google reviews of the operator

70% above the €142 typical for sightseeing day tours

pickup included

8 h · from Akureyri

  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation until departure
  • Book the night before

A tour for all seasons to the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Feel the ground shake beneath your feet, and the mist in your face as you stand near this fall. The tour also takes you to the magnificent Lake Myvatn area.

Check dates
⋯
Book this one on its own →

Showing 12 of 54. Browse everything or build a day around it.

Who runs them

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

Arctic Adventures · Arctic Yeti Ehf · BusTravel Iceland · Fox Adventure ehf · Geo Travel · Icarus Rising ehf · Icelandic Adventures / Iceland Fishing Guide · Imagine Iceland Travel · Magic Iceland Travel · Mývatn Öl · Nordur Travel Services ehf · SPS Travel

Mývatn: questions people ask

How many tours go to Mývatn?

We list 54 — 30 day tours and 24 multi-day packages, from 17 operators. That is what we currently have contracts for, not everything that exists in Iceland.

How much does it cost to visit Mývatn?

The place itself is usually free to enter; what you pay for is getting there. A day tour seat runs from €43, with a typical price of €242. Some sites charge separately for parking or admission — check the individual tour.

When can you visit Mývatn?

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.

How much daylight is there at Mývatn?

January: 4 h 39 min · March: 11 h 32 min · June: 22 h 40 min · September: 13 h 16 min · December: 3 h 20 min. Iceland stays on UTC all year, so there is no clock change to allow for.

Do you need a tour, or can you drive to Mývatn 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 Mývatn without a car?

Yes — 27 guided day tours in our catalogue stop here, and a scheduled bus or transfer serves it as well. 21 of the tours pick you up from your accommodation, so no onward transport is needed.

How far is Mývatn 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 Mývatn and comes back is a good deal longer than twice that.

What is the cheapest way to get to Mývatn?

A guided day tour from Akureyri, from €43 per person, with €210 the more typical fare. Private tours cost more because they are priced per vehicle rather than per seat.

Hotels

Where to stay near Mývatn

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

All hotels in North Iceland →

Put it in a day

Mývatn 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 Mývatn