Dyrholaey Arch, south Iceland

GPS POINTS N63° 31′ 54.500″ W19° 30′ 43.187″

Dyrholaey Arch, south Iceland

Location: South Iceland
Directions from Reykjavík to Dyrholaey on Google maps.
Duration: Cirka 2 hours and 20 minutes drive from Reykjavík to Dyrholaey.

Tucked away down a little side street off the main road, Dyrhólaey (like many places in Iceland) would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it. But what a shame it would be to skip this detour off the main route. Home to hundreds of nesting puffins & sweeping views of the south coast, these seaside cliffs are easily accessible & incredibly impressive. The lower area is where you’ll see puffins & after a short drive up a steep hill of switchbacks to the lighthouse, you’ll be rewarded with a view of the south coast which seems to stretch all the way to Reykjavik.

From Reykjavik: Take Highway 1 to Selfoss. You will cross through the town of Hveragerdi until you arrive at Selfoss. From there, continue on Highway 1 east. You will drive through the town of Hella and Hvolsvollur. From Hvolsvollur, drive until you see a right turn to road 218. Follow that until you arrive at Dyrholaey parking lot (you will see signs along the way).

Once you have arrived at Dyrholaey, you will have passed several great attractions that we recommend you visit. First of all, there is Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, one of Iceland’s most popular tourist destinations. Few kilometers down the road from Seljalandsfoss Waterfall is Skogafoss Waterfall, one of Iceland’s biggest waterfalls with a width of 25 meters and an astounding drop of 60 meters.

If you head further east of Dyrholaey, you will stumble upon Vik, a charming town famous for its cliffs and black sandy beach. Vik is actually located next to Iceland’s most famous beach, The Black Sand Beach.