Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
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Iceland Travel GuideLOCAL TRAVEL AGENCY IN ICELAND
My trip
Talk to a local
Höfn í Hornafirði is a fishing town on a small peninsula in Southeast Iceland, known across the country for langoustine (locally called lobster). It is about 460 km (around 5.5 hours) from Reykjavík, free to visit, open all year, and a good overnight base for the Southeast.
Höfn í Hornafirði, usually just called Höfn, grew up as a trading and fishing harbour on Hornafjörður fjord and is now the largest town in Southeast Iceland, with a working fishing fleet still landing catch at the harbour. The name simply means "harbour", after one of the few natural harbours on this coast. It has become best known outside the region for langoustine, referred to locally as "lobster", served in restaurants around town and celebrated each summer with the Höfn Lobster Festival. That is how it got its nickname, the Lobster Capital of Iceland.
The town sits on a low peninsula with the sea on three sides, at the foot of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest ice cap by volume. On a clear day you look straight across the fjord to a row of glacier tongues coming down from the ice. The glacial rivers have shaped the whole district, washing sand and gravel out across the lowlands.
For most visitors, Höfn is less a sightseeing stop and more the natural place to sleep, eat and refuel while exploring the Southeast: it sits within easy reach of Jökulsárlón, Diamond Beach, Vestrahorn and the edge of Vatnajökull, making it a practical hub rather than a single attraction in itself. Tourism has grown fast here and is now one of the main sources of income alongside fishing.
Höfn is the cultural and service centre of the Hornafjörður district and its most densely populated place. The streets are lined with brightly painted houses, and the town has its own sports club, Sindri.
Höfn is a young town by Icelandic standards. It was founded in 1897, when the merchant Ottó Tulinius moved his trading post here from Papós, further east. As late as 1946 only about 300 people lived here.
From that small trading post it grew into Southeast Iceland's main service town, built around a harbour that still supports an active fishing fleet. Langoustine landed here supplies restaurants across the country, and the local catch is central to the town's identity, celebrated each summer at the Höfn Lobster Festival.
Route 1 along the South Coast can close temporarily in winter storms, especially around Skeiðarársandur and the exposed stretches near Jökulsárlón, so check road conditions on umferdin.is before travelling this route from October to April.
Höfn is small, and you can walk between most of these in a few minutes.
The town once had a glacier exhibition, but it has closed.
Dates move a little from year to year, so check the town's programme before you plan around either event.
The best-known sights are the mountain Vestrahorn and the black dunes of Stokksnes, a short drive east, with the turf-roofed Viking Village film set beside them. Further east, Fauskasandur is a quiet black beach with a lone rock stack, and Eystrahorn closes off the bay.
Closer to town, the small waterfalls Bergárfoss and Skútafoss are easy stops, and the outdoor hot tubs at Hoffell sit near the glacier Hoffellsjökull, north-west of Höfn. To the west, Heinabergslón is a calm glacier lagoon where kayak trips run in summer.
Hotels, guesthouses, a campsite, restaurants, cafés, a swimming pool, a golf course, a supermarket, a pharmacy, a post office and fuel stations are all available in town.
Höfn has the widest choice of hotels and guesthouses in the Southeast and is the natural base for exploring Jökulsárlón, Vestrahorn and the edge of Vatnajökull.
The town's fishing fleet lands langoustine, called "lobster" locally, which is served across its restaurants and celebrated at the annual Höfn Lobster Festival.
About 460 km, around 5.5 hours by car along the South Coast.
Yes, it is about 80 km away, around an hour's drive, making Höfn a convenient overnight stop for visiting the lagoon and Diamond Beach.
Hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, a supermarket, a swimming pool and fuel stations.
Yes, Hornafjörður Airport has scheduled domestic flights at certain times of year.
Höfn means "harbour" in Icelandic. The full name, Höfn í Hornafirði, means the harbour in Hornafjörður.
Humarhátíð is held every summer, around the end of June or the start of July. Check the exact dates each year.
Eat langoustine by the harbour, swim at the town pool, visit the small museums and join a glacier hike, ice cave or kayak tour on Vatnajökull.
Tours and trips that include Höfn í Hornafirði, booked directly with a local travel agency in Iceland.
