Going to the beach usually means ice cream and sunbathing, but at this famous location with black sands the icebergs washed up on the shore show it’s not a place for wearing just a swimming costume.
That’s because Diamond Beach, in Iceland, experiences temperatures usually at freezing or below for most of the year, and even in July it only averages around 10C.
The beach gets its name from the diamond-like clear icebergs that wash ashore, offering a stunning contrast against the black grains of sand.
According to Icelandia.com, the “jet-black sand of the beach was created over millennia, formed by volcanic activity from the nearby volcanic system”.
It said: “During volcanic eruptions, molten lava flowed down from the mountains and met the cold North Atlantic Ocean where it was cooled and solidified into black rock.
“Often, this sudden cooling causes the lava to shatter into tiny fragments, so it becomes black volcanic sand.”
Diamond Beach sits on the edge of Jökulsárlón, a large glacial lake which has grown since the glacier started retreating from the Atlantic Ocean. The lake is now around five miles from the sea and cover an area of around 6.9 square miles.
Condé Nast Traveller rates the beach as one of the “14 best beaches in Europe for 2025”.
It says: “There’s no glowing golden stretches, not a single bar blasting cheery music, row of humbug-striped deckchairs or crowd of surfers.
“You’re certainly not going to don your bikini. However, a quick stop here made the most memorable beach experience I’ve ever had. The highly volcanic earth gives this small strip of sand a charcoal hue; as if the contrast has been turned up on a photograph.”
Iceland Review reports the country welcomed around 2.21 million visitors in 2023, around a quarter more than 2022. Tourists from the United States make up the largest numbers with around 300,000 last year.
Germany, France, Poland are also high in numbers, with the UK lagging just behind with around 35,000 tourists. Most travellers, 95%, were visting for a holiday, but the rest were either on business or coming to see relatives.
