Booking choice: The small-group South Coast day, from $132 per person. Check dates Tour details
A guided South Coast day from Reykjavik costs between $105 and $195 per person on Viator in October 2026. A private jeep is $750 for the whole group. All of them drive about 375 km in a day, Reykjavik to Vik and back, so roughly five hours of the ten are on the bus.
What changes with the price is the size of the vehicle, the number of extra stops, and whether anyone puts crampons on your boots. The figures below are the from-prices on the listings, checked in October 2026. Lunch is never included.
The quick answer
Big coaches cost $105 to $134, small-group minibuses of 19 people at most $132 to $183, and tours with a guided glacier hike $185 to $195. The private jeep is $750 per group of up to five, not per person. Parking fees are included on every tour; lunch, boot rental and drinks are not. For most people the $132 small-group day is the sweet spot: the same stops as a coach, a quarter of the people, and 75 minutes on Reynisfjara.
How much does a South Coast tour from Reykjavik cost in 2026?
From $105 on a Gray Line coach to $195 with a glacier hike, per person. A private jeep costs $750 per group of one to five.
Every day tour on this site, cheapest first. Duration includes the drive both ways.
| Tour | From | Vehicle | Hours | On the glacier? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Line coach | $105 | Coach, up to 70 | 10 | Viewpoint walk |
| Reykjavik Excursions coach | $108 | Coach, up to 99 | 10 | Viewpoint walk |
| Small-group minibus | $132 | Minibus, max 19 | 10 | Viewpoint walk |
| BusTravel coach | $134 | Coach, up to 65 | 10 | Viewpoint walk |
| Wild South Coast | $149 | Minibus, max 19 | 10 to 13 | Optional 1.5 h hike |
| South Coast Sagas | $163 | Minibus, max 19 | 10 | Viewpoint walk |
| Iceland Horizon | $183 | Minibus, max 19 | 10 to 11 | Viewpoint walk |
| Glacier hike and black beach | $185 | Minibus, max 18 | 11 | Guided hike |
| South Coast and glacier hike | $195 | Minibus, max 18 | 12 | Guided hike |
| Private jeep | $750 per group | Jeep, 1 to 5 people | 10 | Viewpoint walk |
The $149 for the Wild tour is the option without the hike; the hike option costs more at checkout. The 2-day trip to Jokulsarlon is $689 per person with a night in the south, a different product altogether.
All the classic stops in a minibus of 19 at most, for $24 more than the cheapest coach.
Check dates for the small-group South Coast dayWhy do tours on the same route cost $105 to $195?
Three things: how many people share the vehicle, how many extra stops the day squeezes in, and whether a glacier guide and gear are part of it.
- Group size: a 70 or 99-seat coach spreads the driver, fuel and parking over far more people than a 19-seat minibus. Coaches are $105 to $134; minibuses start at $132.
- Extra stops: South Coast Sagas adds Gljufrabui and a stop in Vik; the Wild tour adds Gljufrabui and drives past Dyrholaey; the private jeep stops at both.
- The glacier: a guided hike on Solheimajokull needs a certified glacier guide, crampons, a harness, an ice axe and a helmet for everyone. That is the jump to $185 to $195.
- Time at the stops: the cheaper coaches give 20 to 40 minutes a stop. The small-group day gives 75 minutes on Reynisfjara.
What is included in the price, and what is not?
Transport, a driver-guide and every parking fee are included. Lunch, drinks, glacier boots and any museum ticket are extra.
Parking at Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Solheimajokull and Reynisfjara costs a car 750 to 1,000 ISK at each stop in 2026 (Parka). A tour pays that for you. What you still pay for:
- Lunch: no tour here includes it. Most stop at the Black Beach Restaurant at Reynisfjara or in Vik, where there is a Kronan supermarket. A guest on the small-group tour wrote: "Lunch stop was at the black sand beach and only had one restaurant but food was delicious ! You won't have other lunch stops so eat here [...]"
- Glacier gear you don't own: hiking boots, a waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers rent for 1,750 ISK each on the glacier hike tour.
- Skogar Museum: 3,000 ISK for adults in 2026 (skogasafn.is). No day tour here builds it in.
- Tips: not expected in Iceland. Nobody will ask.
Is the cheapest South Coast tour worth it?
Yes, if you accept a big coach and shorter stops. Check the beach before you book: the $105 Gray Line listing names the beach at Vik, not Reynisfjara.
Gray Line gives you an hour in Vik and 45 minutes on Vikurfjara, the black beach in front of the village. Plans move with the day: one guest in October 2026 reported "a last minute lunch detour to Reynisfyara rest stop rather than in Vik". If the basalt columns of Reynisfjara are the photo you came for, book a tour that lists them.
Reykjavik Excursions at $108 does list Reynisfjara, for 40 minutes, from the BSI terminal on a coach of up to 99. One reviewer called it "One of the best deals in Iceland." Another put the catch plainly: "I wish it would have been a smaller group tour, but that was on me for not reading the fine print."
The cheapest day that lists Reynisfjara: a full-size coach from the BSI terminal, with all four classic stops.
Explore the South Coast coach tour Tour detailsIs a small-group tour worth the extra money?
For most people, yes. $24 more than the cheapest coach buys a minibus of 19 at most, quicker boarding at every stop and nearly twice the time on Reynisfjara.
The small-group day is the most-reviewed South Coast tour on Viator, rated 4.8. Its stop times from the listing: Seljalandsfoss 45 minutes, Skogafoss 40, Solheimajokull 45, Reynisfjara 1 hour 15, Vik 15. Compare 30 to 40 minutes a stop on the Reykjavik Excursions coach.
The trade-off is legroom. A guest in September 2026 found that "the 19-passenger minibus felt cramped since all seats were fi[lled]", and another in October: "The bus was a bit cramped, but our driver was experienced and taught us a lot." On the big coaches a separate guide talks while the driver drives; on a minibus the driver is the guide.
The day most people pick: 19 seats at most, 75 minutes on Reynisfjara and a driver-guide who knows the road in the wind.
Explore the small-group South Coast day Tour detailsHow much more does a glacier hike cost?
About $55 to $65 more than a standard minibus day. The two full hike tours cost $185 and $195.
The Troll.is glacier hike tour ($195, 12 hours, ages 8 and up) adds a guided walk on Solheimajokull to the usual stops. The glacier hike and black beach day ($185, 11 hours, ages 10 and up) gives four hours at the glacier but drops Skogafoss from its published itinerary. Troll sells its own version on troll.is from $179 in October 2026, so booking direct can save a little; Viator adds free cancellation up to 24 hours before and the reviews in one place.
Every standard tour stops at the same glacier for 30 to 45 minutes, and you walk to a viewpoint near the ice. Whether the hike is worth $60 is the subject of the glacier hike guide.
Walk on the glacier instead of looking at it: crampons, harness and helmet are part of the price.
Check dates for the South Coast day with a glacier hikeIs the private South Coast tour really $750 per person?
No. The listing says per person, but the only option is a group of one to five people, so $750 covers the whole jeep.
Split five ways, the private jeep is $150 a head, less than two of the minibus tours. With four it is $187.50; with two, $375 each. You get hotel pickup, your own driver-guide, and stops the coaches skip: Gljufrabui and Dyrholaey, with an hour each at Skogafoss and the glacier. It is rated 5.0.
A guest in May 2026 wrote: "He was very helpful with our restrictions in mobility and moved at our pace. No rush and the day was ours." For families of four or five, or anyone who walks slowly, it is the best value on this page.
One price for up to five people, your own guide, and Gljufrabui and Dyrholaey on the way.
Explore the private South Coast day Tour detailsIs it cheaper to drive the South Coast yourself?
For two or more people in summer, usually yes. Parking, the 2026 kilometre fee and fuel come to roughly 13,000 ISK before the car itself.
Parking at four stops is about 3,750 ISK plus Parka's 89 ISK fee per payment. The new kilometre fee is 6.95 ISK per km (island.is), about 2,600 ISK for the 375 km round trip. Petrol was around 282 ISK a litre in October 2026. Add the rental, and a couple still pays less than two tour seats at $132.
What the tour price buys is everything else: no 375 km drive, a guide, and a driver used to winter ice and Eyjafjoll wind. The full sum is in self-drive or tour.
Leave the 375 km to someone else: parking is paid and the guide does the driving.
Check dates for the small-group South Coast dayFrequently asked questions
Is lunch included on a South Coast tour?
No. No tour on this site includes lunch. You buy it at the Black Beach Restaurant at Reynisfjara or in Vik, so bring snacks and water for the bus.
Do children pay less on South Coast tours?
On most tours, yes: the listings have child prices, for ages 6 to 12 on the small-group day and 4 to 12 on South Coast Sagas. The glacier hike tours charge from age 8 or 10 at the adult rate.
Are parking fees included in the tour price?
Yes. Every tour here pays the parking at each stop. You only pay parking if you drive yourself, about 750 to 1,000 ISK per stop in 2026.
Can I cancel if the weather is bad?
Every tour here cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours before. If the operator cancels for storms or closed roads, you get a refund or a new date.
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Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Small-Group South Coast Day Tour
- Minibus with Wi-Fi, 19 guests at most
- English-speaking driver-guide
- Pickup at Reykjavik bus stops or the cruise terminal
South Coast and Vik by Coach
- Coach ride with a guide
- Free Wi-Fi on board
- Pickup at your hotel or a bus stop, if chosen
South Coast and Glacier Hike
- Guided hike on Solheimajokull
- Crampons, harness, ice axe and helmet
- Minibus, 18 guests at most
