Iceland · SHORE EXCURSIONS
10 reviewed
The 10 strongest shore excursions on the island sit below, best first. Each entry gives its fare, its hours, and whatever distinguishes it from the entry underneath, which usually settles the question inside two minutes.
German-speaking small-group Golden Circle shore excursion from Reykjavík, with Kerið, Gullfoss, Strokkur, Þingvellir, plus hot spring bread.
“Tolles Programm für einen Tag Island. Tour in kleinen Gruppen. Petra ist ein toller Guide, weiß alles über Island und geht super auf die Gruppe ein, z.b wenn Kinder dabei sind.”
Small-group Golden Circle from Reykjavik Port in 7 hours: Gullfoss, Thingvellir rift, active Geysir. Local guide, WiFi, on-time return.
“Trip and guide were excellent!!. The bus was very cramped. Not a lot of leg room and very narrow aisles”
Cruise-friendly trip from Akureyri to Goðafoss and Lake Mývatn, then Mývatn Nature Baths for a soak in geothermal water.
“Always on time, the tour was good as far as what we saw… the only issue was with the lunch provided, which included just one option, and we were not able to eat the sandwiches at the thermal baths, we were told that we needed to eat at the parking lot…. I suggest in the future to provide a voucher from the cafeteria at the baths, this way we would be allowed to eat our lunch inside”
Cruise Faxafloi Bay from Reykjavik for a wildlife search with expert commentary, warm thermal gear, WiFi, and a try-again ticket.
“The cruise itself was fine. A nice boat. Plenty of space to move around. On the down side, the boat was not really handicapped accessible. Many people were getting seasick along the way. And, oh yeah, there were no whales. We got an offer to go on another whale-watching cruise in the futurebut will we ever return to Iceland to take them up on the offer?”
See basalt-column Stuðlagil Canyon and the 27 m Gufufoss waterfall on a 5-hour Seyðisfjörður shore trip with a friendly English guide.
“Our guide was fantastic! He shared an incredible amount of knowledge and personal stories of growing up and living in Iceland. The canyon is spectacular but there are a LOT of stairs to go down/up to get to the viewing platform. Also, be aware that the canyon is about 90 min from the cruise port but the scenery is amazing and there are 2-3 waterfall stops along the way back. I’d highly recommend!”
Reykjavik puffin cruise to Akurey Island for guided birdwatching with loaner binoculars, coffee, and close-to-shore views.
“Loved seeing the Puffins floating on the sea near the island in the harbor where the covered boat had taken us. Our guide, Joel, was super nice and very knowledgeable regarding the Puffins. He also pointed out other unusual birds for that area.”
Small-group Lake Mývatn and Goðafoss shore excursion from Akureyri with lava fields, steam vents, and a geothermal bathing cave.
“Crazy amount of people in every place we went! Tour guide added 2hrs on our tour. We had to wait for two people that went to the Geo baths as they were put on tour bus by mistake.”
Golden Circle shore excursion from Reykjavik, with air-conditioned minivan, guided stops at Gullfoss and Thingvellir, and cruise-port pickup.
“I don’t really know what happened, but the vendor left us high and dry in Reykjavik. They miscommunicated pickup information for the wrong date and wrong tour. Good news - a full refund was received.”
Small-group Golden Circle shore excursion from Reykjavik with an English guide, Hveragerði fissure, Kerið, Gullfoss, Strokkur, and Þingvellir.
“We were in a van with only eight of us. Our driver was also the guide and took us to the usual places of interest along the Golden Circle. It was a long tour, actually even longer than the eight hours listed in the online description. The weather waRead more”
Cruise-friendly small-group trip from Akureyri to Goðafoss and Mývatn, with German guide, geothermal stops, and Game of Thrones Grjótagjá views.
“Sehr schöner Kleinbus mit einem sehr gut deutsch sprechendem Guide. Es war an jedem Stopp ausreichend Zeit und es wurde versucht, den großen Reisebussen aus dem Weg zu gehen. Absolute Empfehlung.”
