Romantic Southern Iceland Hot Springs and Coast
A romantic weekend in Iceland’s Southern Region works best when you plan it around the hours when each place is open and the light is good. This page runs from morning to night and then adds the dark-season option. Costs are in Icelandic króna (ISK).
Morning: a walk at Þingvellir or by a waterfall
Þingvellir is a UNESCO site with a path through the Almannagjá rift. The park is free to walk, and parking is 1,000 ISK per day for a car with 5 or fewer seats. Seljalandsfoss makes a second option, with a path behind the fall that is closed whenever ice forms, roughly November to March.
Afternoon: the coast near Vík
Reynisfjara and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks are the main sight here. Keep your distance from the water. Official signs use warning lights: do not enter the yellow zone when yellow is on, and do not pass the sign when red is on. Sneaker waves can sweep the sand with no warning, so never turn your back on the sea, stay off the basalt columns and out of the Hálsanefshellir cave in rough surf, and do not plan on reaching either after winter storms. Parking costs about 1,000 ISK in the lower lot and 750 ISK in the upper lot.
Evening: choose a hot spring
| Secret Lagoon, Flúðir | Laugarvatn Fontana | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | 4,500 ISK (15 and over) | 7,490 ISK (16 and over) |
| Seniors and disabled | 3,300 ISK with ID (67 and over for seniors) | 6,490 ISK |
| Closing time | 19:00 in winter, 20:00 in summer | 21:00 daily |
The Secret Lagoon opens at 10:00. Its winter season runs 1 October to 31 May and its summer season 1 June to 30 September. Towel or swimsuit hire is 1,200 ISK each. Fontana reopened in 2026 after a renovation and opens at 10:00. Its rye-bread bakery tour is booked separately, at 11:45 and 14:30 plus 10:15 in summer.
A day for Diamond Beach
For a longer trip east, Diamond Beach beside the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is public, and sunset times differ a great deal between seasons. The lagoon and beach are in Hornafjörður, counted in the Southern Region since 2020.
Northern Lights
In the dark season, a lodge in the countryside on the South Coast has less light around it. Nobody can promise a sighting, so allow a few nights. Follow the forecast at vedur.is .
Practical notes
Check road.is for road status and safetravel.is for alerts. Call 112 in an emergency.
Read more: Couple activities in the Southern Region and multi-day trips help plan the route.
Browse places to stay on Booking.com .