Experience the best of Höfn

Höfn stands on a low peninsula in south-east Iceland, with the broad white dome of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest ice cap by volume, rising beyond the lagoon and a ring of glacier tongues. The town is built around a busy harbour, and its name simply means harbour. Black sand, birds and wide skies surround it, and the Ring Road passes through, more than 450 kilometres from Reykjavík.

Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon about 80 kilometres to the west, fills with icebergs that drift towards the sea, and washed-up pieces of ice glitter on Diamond Beach beside it. Closer to town, the black dunes and jagged peak of Vestrahorn, on the Stokksnes peninsula, make a dramatic scene. Vatnajökull National Park offers glacier walks, and Skaftafell, a base for hikes on the ice, lies further west.

Langoustine, called humar, is the local speciality: small tails grilled in garlic butter, or served in a creamy soup, with lamb and fresh fish also common. Midsummer nights stay bright, and in winter the dark skies bring the northern lights. The weather is changeable, windy and cool all year.