Höfn hotels: Iceland’s langoustine town
Höfn í Hornafirði is the ring road’s south-east base, 460 km from Reykjavík and 80 km east of Jökulsárlón. The town is small, roughly 2,300 people, and its reputation rests on humar (Icelandic langoustine) served in every restaurant on the harbour. Höfn is the sensible overnight between the South Coast and the East Fjords, and the closest full-service base for a Vatnajökull glacier tour.
Three we recommend
Fosshotel Vatnajökull
A modernised roadside hotel 15 minutes west of Höfn on the ring road, looking directly at the Vatnajökull ice cap. Rooms are recently refurbished, the restaurant does the town’s langoustine well, and the location is better for photography than the town proper.
Price band: $240 to $340 per night (ISK 33,000 to 47,000)
Milk Factory Hotel
A former dairy converted into a 33-room hotel in the town centre. Walk to the harbour restaurants and the small maritime museum. The restaurant, Ottó, uses langoustine landed the same morning.
Price band: $260 to $360 per night (ISK 36,000 to 50,000)
Hótel Höfn
The town’s original hotel, three storeys on the harbour with a straightforward menu and reliable rooms. Not the newest, still the easiest walk to Pakkhús and Humarhöfnin, the two langoustine restaurants that are worth the trip.
Price band: $210 to $290 per night (ISK 29,000 to 40,000)
Practical tips
- Book a langoustine dinner at Pakkhús or Humarhöfnin before you arrive; both sell out from July through September.
- Höfn to Jökulsárlón is 80 km of easy driving; leave by 08:00 to reach the glacier lagoon before the tour buses arrive at 10:30.
- The Höfn airport handles a domestic flight from Reykjavík three times a week and is a serious time saver if you are not driving the ring road.