Choosing the best Reykjavik Walking Tour

When you visit Iceland, you want to see and do as much as possible, at least within reason. Guided tours can help connect you with local experts. And a Reykjavik walking tour is an inexpensive way to connect with a local who can show you around the capital of Iceland. Read on to see whether a Reykjavik walking tour might be a good option for you, and how to choose one.

Should you pay for a Reykjavik Walking Tour?

When you’re in Iceland, some activities require a guide. We would never recommend a glacier hike without a guide. And you’re not going to be able to go horseback riding or on a glacier lagoon boat ride without booking a tour.

But you can walk around Reykjavik without a guide, and so a Reykjavik Walking Tour isn’t mandatory. But it can make sense if:

• You have a limited amount of time in Reykjavik. If you only have half a day in the city, a Reykjavik Walking Tour can be a great way to cover a lot of ground quickly.
• You want to dive deeper than you can on your own. Tours that I’ve done have covered the educational system in Iceland, as well as current political and economic events. You won’t get that walking around on your own.
• You don’t mind the extra expense. Compared to other tours in Iceland, Reykjavik Walking Tours are very inexpensive! Some tours are “pay what you want” while a small group tour will only cost $45 US per adult or so.

Our recommended small group Reykjavik Walking Tour

If you’re looking for a small group tour, we like Your Friend in Reykjavik. They offer a Walk With a Viking Reykjavik Walking Tour that costs $45 per adult and $29 for kids 7-15. Kids 6 and under are free! The maximum group size is just 12 people, and often the group size is much smaller.

They also offer a Reykjavik Folklore Tour for the same price, as well as a more expensive but well worth it Reykjavik Food Lovers Tour:

A less expensive option for a Walking Tour in Reykjavik

If you’d like to save some money, you can also consider a “free” CityWalk tour, which isn’t really free. This is a pay what you want tour, and you will be expected to pay something at the end of the tour. There are a couple of downsides to this tour:

• The group size can be (and often is) much larger than 12.
• You still need to make a reservation, and you can only reserve a spot 5 days ahead of time.

How much should you pay? I think you can base it on the size of the group. If you’re in a group of 30+ people, that’s 3 times larger than the small group tour with Your Friend in Reykjavik. So I think it’s okay to pay around $15 US per person.

Whichever option you choose for your Reykjavik walking tour, you’ll learn a lot more about Reykjavik and Iceland!