Is Vik worth visiting?
The one real village on the South Coast, and the question every itinerary hits: quick stop, or worth staying the night?
Written with Björn Einarsson, Iceland South Coast tour guide and local specialist
The short answer
Yes, Vik i Myrdal is worth visiting. It is the only real village on this stretch of the South Coast, wedged between mountains and the sea, with a landmark hilltop church, its own black sand beach at Vikurfjara, and the last proper cluster of shops, food and fuel before the long empty road east. Most day trips stop here for lunch, and it also makes a handy overnight base for anyone wanting more time around Reynisfjara.
Blink on the drive east and you could almost miss it. Vik i Myrdal is tiny, a few hundred people tucked under a green mountain where the road meets the ocean. Yet almost every South Coast itinerary passes through it, and plenty of people ask afterwards whether they should have given it more than a lunch break. Here is the honest read on what Vik offers.
What is actually in Vik
Vik is small, and that is part of the appeal. The landmark is the little white church with the red roof, perched on a hill above the village with a wide view over the black coastline. Below it sits the village itself: a handful of guesthouses and hotels, a couple of restaurants and cafes, a well-known wool shop, a supermarket and a petrol station. On the practical side, this is the last reliable spot for food, fuel and toilets before a long, thinly serviced stretch of Route 1 heading east. For day-trippers, that alone makes it the natural lunch and comfort stop.
The church and the beaches
The Vik church is the postcard shot, and the climb up to it is short and worth it for the view. The village also has its own black sand beach, Vikurfjara, right at the edge of town, which is calmer and generally safer than the more famous Reynisfjara a short drive west. From Vik you get some of the best distant views of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks rising out of the water. Puffins nest along the cliffs at nearby Dyrholaey roughly from May to August, so in summer the whole area around the village turns into good wildlife territory.
Quick stop vs overnight
Most people experience Vik as a 50-minute lunch stop on a South Coast day trip, and for a lot of travellers that is exactly enough. Stay a night, though, and the character of the place changes: the tour buses leave, the village goes quiet, and you get first light on the beaches and a real shot at the northern lights in the dark winter months. Here is how the two options compare.
| Consideration | Quick stop (lunch) | Overnight stay |
|---|---|---|
| Time in the area | Under an hour | Evening, morning, next day |
| Reynisfjara at quiet hours | No | Yes, early or late |
| Northern lights (winter) | Unlikely | Good chance on clear nights |
| Cost and planning | None, included on tours | Book ahead, prices high in season |
| Best for | Seeing the highlights fast | Photographers, slow travellers |
For a first Iceland trip with limited days, the lunch stop usually wins: you see Vik, you eat, you move on to Reynisfjara down the road. If you are a photographer, or you want the beaches and sea stacks without a crowd, a night in Vik earns its keep.
The easiest way to include Vik
If you would rather not build the logistics yourself, the guided South Coast day trip from Reykjavik already folds Vik into the route as its lunch break, then continues the short drive to Reynisfjara. You get the village, the church view and the black beach in one planned day, with someone else driving the long coastal road. For most visitors that is the simplest way to see Vik without turning it into a project.
Common questions
Is Vik worth staying overnight?
It can be. An overnight lets you see Reynisfjara and Vikurfjara without the day-tour crowds, catch first light, and, in winter, watch for the northern lights once the buses have gone. For a fast first trip, the standard lunch stop is often enough.
How far is Vik from Reynisfjara?
Very close. Reynisfjara black sand beach is only a few minutes' drive west of Vik, which is why South Coast tours pair the two, stopping in Vik for lunch and at Reynisfjara nearby.
What is there to do in Vik?
Visit the hilltop church for the view, walk the village's own black beach at Vikurfjara, browse the wool shop, and use it as a base for Reynisfjara and, in summer, the puffin cliffs at Dyrholaey. It is also the main food and fuel stop on this part of the coast.
Does the South Coast tour stop in Vik?
Yes. The guided South Coast day trip from Reykjavik breaks in Vik for lunch, then stops at Reynisfjara a short drive away, so you see both on the same day without planning the logistics yourself.