Diamond Beach Iceland: 10+ Top Tips and Everything You Need to Know
Are you planning on visiting Diamond Beach Iceland? If so, here’s everything you need to know about one of the most beautiful places in the country.
I’d wanted to visit Diamond Beach for years before I finally made it there. And when I eventually saw it, it became one of my favourite places in Iceland pretty quickly.
It’s an absolutely stunning beach and so unique – there aren’t many (if any?) places in the world quite like it. And, it’s relatively easy to visit, even if it is a pretty long drive from the airport and the capital.
So, if you’re planning on visiting this gorgeous beach, here’s everything you need to know.
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❤️ If you don’t want to drive, this is the tour we recommend!
Why should you visit Diamond Beach?
If you love unique landscapes and natural beauty, you should visit Diamond Beach. If you love black sand beaches, stunning scenery, blue-tinted icebergs that look like diamonds, dramatic crashing waves, and a glacier across the road, you should visit Diamond Beach.
The beach, also known as Breiðamerkursandur, is famous for its striking black sand dotted with icebergs that have broken off from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier tongue, part of the Vatnajokull National Park.
Some of these ice chunks are as large as small cars, and they create a beautiful contrast against the volcanic sand. It’s a great place for photography, especially if you visit during sunrise as the sun rises directly over the beach.
Sunset is stunning too – that was when this photo was taken.
I wasn’t kidding when I said that it’s one of the most beautiful places in Iceland we’ve visited. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen in the world and we’ve visited over 30 countries.
Despite it being ‘just a beach’, we spent over an hour here, wandering the sand, taking what felt like a million photographs, admiring the icebergs, and watching the waves. It’s an incredibly relaxing place and can really make you feel peaceful.
We visited both Diamond Beach and the famous Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon in the winter months and they were both utterly spectacular.
So, if you’re debating whether or not it’s worth the drive, it 100% is.
However, it really is a long drive, and there’s a lot to do in the area, so you may end up wanting to spend a lot of time here.
❤️ If you don’t want to drive, this is the tour we recommend!
Where is Diamond Beach?
Diamond Beach is located along the southeastern side of Iceland. It’s on the south coast, about 5 hours by car from Reykjavik, and opposite the famous Jokulsarlon. It’s around 2.5 hours from Vik, the popular town along the south coast.
Specifically, it is located right by the Ring Road (Route 1), about 370 kilometres (230 miles) east of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. The beach is directly opposite the lagoon on the other side of the road and is very easy to reach.
If you’re on a south coast road trip or driving the Ring Road, you’ll likely pass this spot anyway, even without making it a specific stop on your itinerary.
Do you need a guided tour to visit Diamond Beach?
No, you don’t need a guided tour to visit Diamond Beach. However, many companies offer a guided tour to both the beach and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon from Reykjavik.
While this is a viable option and a very good way to see the beach if you’re staying in Reykjavik or don’t want to drive yourself, the main downside to this is the driving.
Because Diamond Beach is 5 hours from Reykjavik, you’ll be spending at least 10 hours of the day (maybe more) in a car. This means to have a decent amount of time at the beach, it’ll be a really long day.
Plus, the weather can make the driving time even longer, particularly the wind. We’ve driven all over the south of Iceland and, while the journey from Reykjavik to Vik is usually completely fine, the stretch of road between Vik and Jokulsarlon can be extremely windy.
At least if you drive yourself, you have the option to stay in a hotel along the south coast and give yourself a second day to see the beach, the lagoon, and the surrounding area.
👉 If you need to book a place to stay, check out our favourite hotels along the south coast.
Can you drive to Diamond Beach Iceland?
Yes, it’s fairly easy to drive to Diamond Beach. We visited via a self-drive day trip and had the best time. The beach is located just off the Ring Road, so you’ll pass by it on a journey along the south coast or a road trip around the island.
We always recommend driving in Iceland as it’s by far the best way to get around the island. However, out of all the drives we’ve done along the south coast, the drive to Diamond Beach was easily one of the most treacherous.
There’s a very open stretch of road just after Kirkjubæjarklaustur where the wind can get extremely strong. This was the only time on our entire trip when I thought we were going to have to pull over because the wind was buffeting the van that much.
But we slowed right down, took it steady, and made it there safely. However, we arrived an hour later than we’d planned, which is why we struggled to find a parking space. This is also partly why a guided tour may not leave you with enough time.
If the wind is really bad on the drive, you may end up having only a few hours to see the beach and the glacier lagoon. Not nearly enough time, in our opinion.
It’s not uncommon for the road to be closed completely because the wind is too strong and not safe for people to drive down. And we’ve seen countless cars that have come off the road and ended up in a ditch due to misjudging the weather.
So yes, it is definitely possible to drive to Diamond Beach and we have done so safely. However, I recommend checking safe.is before setting off towards the beach to see if there are any road closures or anything that could impact your journey.
❤️ If you don’t want to drive, this is the tour we recommend!
What is the best time to visit Diamond Beach?
The best time to visit Diamond Beach is a popular debate. We visited in late March and the beach was full of icebergs and completely beautiful.
However, I have a friend who visited in late May and her experience was nothing like this. The beach was still beautiful, but there were barely any icebergs.
The amount of ice on the beach fluctuates throughout the year. If it’s really cold in Iceland, the glacier can stay frozen, meaning less ice breaks off and washes onto the beach. Warmer weather can mean that the ice melts quicker which, of course, also means fewer icebergs.
However, there’s very little way to predict how many or how little icebergs you’ll see on Diamond Beach because it’s always changing. There’s not really a ‘best time of year’ to visit for this reason. Plus, sometimes there can be just a few icebergs one day and loads the next!
The weather
Of course, the weather may also impact your decision. The summer months bring warmer weather, while the winter brings snow showers, freezing temperatures, and lots of wind.
But you can also get freak winter weather in summer in Iceland, so best to wrap up warm and bring layers no matter the season.
However, one thing you can’t get all year round is the northern lights. Due to the lack of light pollution, you can often see the lights over the beach in winter. The Midnight Sun can also be seen here in the summer months and the low sun looks stunning against the ice.
All in all, I don’t think there is a best time to visit as Diamond Beach in Iceland can be enjoyed all year round.
How long do you need at Diamond Beach?
We spent an hour here, just wandering about, taking in the scenery, and admiring the beach. We also built a mini ice fort, hunted around for icebergs shaped like chairs to turn into a ‘throne’, and watched the waves crashing against the ice.
To be honest, we could probably have spent longer here if we really wanted to. However, since we visited in March, we didn’t want to drive back down the Ring Road in the dark.
In my opinion, you’ll need to allocate at least an hour here, if not longer. Plus, chances are, you’re also heading across the road to Jokulsarlon where you’ll be spending another hour at a minimum, but much longer if you’ve also booked a boat tour.
Plus, there’s so much to do in the area, like visiting different glacier tongues, hiking to the stunning Svartifoss waterfall, and going on a glacier hike in Vatnajökull National Park.
I would highly recommend spending the night somewhere near Jokulsarlon and spending two days exploring the surrounding area as there truly is a lot to see here.
Top tips for visiting Diamond Beach Iceland
Based on our experience during our visit and the experience of other travellers who have come to this beach, here are some of the top tips to bear in mind before you visit:
- During the winter months, you’re more likely to get really windy weather which can make both the drive and the beach itself less enjoyable.
- Parking at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon can get very crowded. Out of our entire Iceland road trip, the only two places we struggled to park were Jokulsarlon and Geysir on the Golden Circle.
- Both Diamond Beach and Jokulsarlon have paid parking. This costs 1000 ISK per car for all day. Download the Parka.is app to pay for parking.
- You can walk across from the lagoon to the beach, however, you’ll need to cross the single-lane car bridge. If you simply walk from the lagoon, you’ll be on the wrong side of the beach, which typically has fewer icebergs.
- Diamond Beach can get very crowded, especially in the summer months when Iceland is at its busiest. If you visit early in the morning or later at night, you’ll be more likely to beat the crowds as the tour groups will have left.
- Dress in layers no matter which season you visit. The weather in Iceland can change very quickly and snowstorms in summer are not unheard of.
- Sunrise is a fantastic time to visit the lagoon, however, it can get quite busy during this time as well, especially with photographers.
- Be careful of the waves as, a little like visiting Reynisfjara Beach, they can be bigger than you expect. We saw one man get utterly drenched by a wave when we visited the beach because he got too close to the water’s edge.
❤️ If you don’t want to drive, this is the tour we recommend!
Is visiting Diamond Beach worth it?
100% yes! Diamond Beach is well worth a visit and is easily one of the most stunning places to visit in all of Iceland.
The combination of bold black sand, blue-tinged icebergs, the glittering glacier opposite, and the crashing waves is just such a magical experience and I can almost guarantee you’ll have a fantastic time if you visit here.
👉 If you do visit Diamond Beach, I highly recommend staying in the area. Here are all of our favourite hotels near Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.
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