Jökulsárlón Cafe, Toilets and Facilities Before Your Ice Cave Tour

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Café by Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon

Jökulsárlón is not a town. It is a lagoon at the edge of Breiðamerkurjökull, with a car park, a service area and a short walk to the water. The nearest place with a full supermarket and a fuel station is some distance away, so the easiest plan is to treat eating and drinking as part of your day out. Jökulsárlón is about 370 km (230 miles) from Reykjavík, and the drive takes roughly 5 hours each way in good conditions.^[3]

The cafe by the lagoon is the natural place to stop for soup, a sandwich, a pastry and a coffee before or after your ice cave slot. It is a visitor site cafe rather than a full restaurant, with a short menu and seating that fills quickly when coaches arrive. A useful habit is to bring a few of your own snacks, buy the hot food and drinks on site, and eat while you wait for your departure time. In one recent summer, rangers recorded around 100,000 tourists visiting in July alone.^[6]

If you would rather not rely on the cafe, a picnic in the car is a sensible backup. There is a short path to the water, and the light on the icebergs in the middle of the day is part of the reason people come this far. Bring a thermos, a couple of sandwiches and something to sit on, and keep the food in the boot so the smell does not fill the vehicle. On a clear winter day the wind off the lagoon is bitter, so eat inside and save your walk for the ice.

Toilets and queues before departure

Toilets are at the lagoon service area, next to the car park, and they are the last ones before the glacier. Your tour starts at Jökulsárlón, transfers by Jeep or SUV into Vatnajökull National Park, then returns the same way.^[2] There is nothing on the ice itself, so make the stop part of your routine when you park rather than leaving it until the last minute. Allow a little extra time and the whole departure feels calmer.

Queues build when several coaches arrive at once, which usually happens around the middle of the day and again in the late afternoon. Arriving a little early gives you room to use the toilets, fill a bottle and still be at the meeting point ready. Winter light is short: across Iceland, daylight runs from 4 to 5 hours in late December to about 21 hours by late June.^[7] In midwinter, fit your toilet, food and fuel stops inside the daylight window rather than leaving them for afterwards.

Blue ice inside a Vatnajökull cave, shaped each winter by meltwater.

Eating and drinking inside the ice cave

You do not eat inside the ice cave, and you would not want to. The tunnels and chambers are made of ice and meltwater, they are cold, and groups move through them in single file. A sturdy helmet is essential protection against falling ice and low-hanging cave ceilings, and it is generally provided by your tour operator.^[1] Leave your food in the vehicle, eat properly before you go, and have something waiting for the drive back.

Natural ice caves in Vatnajökull form in October and last through April, and returning meltwater takes them back in May.^[8] If you carry a flask, fill it and leave it in the Jeep for the return leg. A hot drink after a cold cave is one of the small pleasures of a winter day in Iceland. Book ahead if you are travelling in the popular weeks, and check your meeting time the evening before so nobody is rushing.

Carrying water onto the glacier

Bring a refillable bottle each and fill it before you leave. The guided ice cave tour runs 3 hours.^[2] Most of that is spent standing, walking on ice and waiting while the group moves through narrow sections, and cold air makes thirst easy to miss. A bottle that fits in a jacket pocket is better than a heavy flask, because you will be wearing a helmet and may need both hands free on the ice.

Tap water in Iceland is cold and clean, so fill up at your guesthouse or at the service area instead of buying bottles for the whole trip. Average winter temperatures in Iceland are around 32°F (0°C), and the wind on the glacier makes it feel sharper.^[7] Water in a soft bottle can freeze if it sits in an outside pocket, so keep it inside your jacket. Drink a little before you set off and again in the Jeep afterwards.

Think about the amount you actually drink on a short winter tour. A large bottle is weight you carry for no reason, while a small one you finish is perfect. If you take a hot drink, decant it into a flask that seals properly and test the lid before it goes in your bag. Sweet snacks help in the cold, and wrapped biscuits or a handful of nuts are easier to eat with gloves on than anything needing two hands.

Fuel and grocery stops near Jökulsárlón

This is a remote stretch of the south coast and the drive is long. Jökulsárlón is about 370 km (230 miles) from Reykjavík, and the drive takes roughly 5 hours each way in good conditions.^[3] Fill the tank before the last leg, keep it topped up through winter, and carry more water and snacks than you think you need. A headwind, a snow shower or a slow convoy of campervans can add real time to the journey.

If you would rather not drive, several longer tours break the journey with stops. One south coast route from Reykjavík includes stops at Hvolsvöllur, Skógafoss, a local restaurant, Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach.^[9] Diamond Beach is in Southeast Iceland, where black volcanic sand is scattered with clear glacial ice that breaks off from Breiðamerkurjökull, drifts through the lagoon and washes ashore.^[10] A tour day is long. Eat a solid breakfast before you leave and take snacks for the coach.

Bag storage and valuables security

On the ice cave tour you leave your bag in the Jeep or SUV while you walk to the cave. A vehicle is not a safe place for anything you would hate to lose. Keep your passport, phone, cards and keys in a zipped inner pocket that stays on you, and leave the rest of your luggage at your accommodation. If you are changing hotels the same day, take the small bag and leave the big one behind.

Cameras and phones slow down in the cold, so carry a spare battery inside your jacket rather than in a rucksack. A dry bag or a simple plastic sleeve keeps spray and snow off electronics. Weight matters too, because you may be walking on uneven ice and a heavy daypack makes that harder. Water, a snack, a spare layer and your documents are enough for a short winter tour at the lagoon.

Before you leave the car, do a quick pocket check: phone, wallet, keys, booking reference, any medication. Say it out loud once and you will not think about it again on the ice. If you are travelling with children, give each of them one small job, such as carrying the water or holding the camera, and the walk to the cave tends to go more smoothly for everyone.

Hot meals after your glacier tour

Most people come off the ice ready for something hot. The cafe at the lagoon is the closest option, and the drive back towards Reykjavík passes small towns with fuel, supermarkets and simple restaurants. If you are heading east, the next services are further on. Either way, plan your main meal of the day around the tour rather than hoping to find something at the moment you feel hungry.

A final word on timing. The guided ice cave tour lasts 3 hours and has free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.^[2] That flexibility helps when weather changes your plans, which it often does in an Icelandic winter. Check the forecast the night before, keep your food and fuel stops simple, and the day stays easy. Bring a spare snack for the drive home. The road after sunset feels much longer than it did on the way out.

Before you set off

1. Eat and drink first

   Have a proper meal at the lagoon cafe before your slot, and use the toilets while you are there.

2. Fill your bottles

   Top up a refillable bottle for each person and keep it inside your jacket, not in an outside pocket.

3. Pack light for the Jeep

   Leave big bags behind, keep valuables zipped on you, and take water, a snack and a spare layer.

4. Check the forecast

   Look at the road and weather forecast the night before your tour and adjust your food stops if needed.

5. Reach the meeting point early

   Arrive with time to park, use the toilets again and find your guide before the coach rush.

Common questions