Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure

by Your Friend in Reykjavik · Whale watching · Puffins · Boat tours · Reykjavík

4.90· 1,779 Google reviews of the operator

Fine on your own
Eco-certified

from €106 per person

Next departure: Tue 1 Jun

Book Tue 1 Jun · €106 Other dates

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure — Your Friend in Reykjavik

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 2

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 3

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 4

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 5

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 6

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 7

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 8

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 9

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 10

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 11

Puffins & People: A Reykjavik City & Boat Adventure, photo 12

1 / 12

12 photos from Your Friend in Reykjavik. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
5 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
May – Sep
Starts in
Reykjavík
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
We meet up outside Hlöllabátar
Ingólfstorg 1, Reykjavík
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
10:00
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before

About this experience

We will meet up at Ingólfur Square in the center of Reykjavik by the two stone pillars (3 meters high) at 10 am (10:00) (By Aðalstræti).
Our Reykjavik walking tour is your introduction to Iceland. It will help you get your bearings and make the most of your stay in Iceland.

We recommend it as your first stop in Reykjavik (well, maybe check into your accommodation and drop your bags off first). Our family-friendly tour brings the history of Iceland to life with exciting stories and Icelandic mythology. We’ll visit all of the famous landmarks in the city center, such as Harpa Concert Hall, Reykjavik Harbour, and Hallgrímskirkja Church (we’ll teach you how to pronounce that) Reykjavik Pond, and the Parliament building. We'll be showing you our favorite places to eat, drink and visit (we also have an intimate knowledge of happy hour deals we're happy to share.
But, we’ll also share hidden, local spots with you, like a visit to an Elf home, things you’d miss if you didn’t know what to look for.
The city tour takes approximately 2 hours, and when you have finished your orientation.

Then you have time to grab lunch from around 12 - 12:30 pm (maybe the one and only Icelandic Hot dog?) before heading down to the harbor and starting the next adventure. Your Puffin Watching Tour on the boat leaves at 1 pm (13:00) from the Old Harbour in Reykjavík: AEgisgardur 2, 101 Reykjavík.

We sail out from the old harbor in Reykjavik, and it only takes us about 15 minutes to reach the puffin island, Akurey. On the journey out, you will be able to view Reykjavik from the seaside [remember your camera], and the guide will also share information about the buildings & islands that can be spotted along the way.

The islands we visit are covered with small hills and slopes, and both are well known for their colorful birdlife. The island’s shores are rocky, but the boat is specially designed to take us as close to the islands as possible due to its shallow draft. When you arrive at the islands, they turn off the engine so the travelers can observe the birds and the beautiful surroundings.

Your expert guide will tell you all the facts and fun stories about the cute puffins and other wildlife that might be seen on tour.

Description from the operator, Your Friend in Reykjavik. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

What's included

Reykjavík City Walk
Expert fun-loving local guides
2 hour live guided tour provided in English

Puffin Watching
Guided boat tour (1 hour)
100% sightings.
Binoculars provided on board.
You will get extra close.
20 years of experience

Good to know

Please wear layers, we are in Iceland after all

The starting point for the Puffin Watching Tour at 1 pm (13) is at the
Old Harbor House, AEgisgardur 2, 101 Reykjavík.

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is sea state — the skipper decides an hour or two before departure; in winter this happens often. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

1Your Friend in Reykjavik decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Sailing with Giants: Whale Watching from Reykjavik from Your Friend in Reykjavik is €79 — €27 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

	Your Friend in Reykjavik · €106	Your Friend in Reykjavik · €79
How long it runs	5 hours	3.5 hours

The €27 buys you 1.5 more hours out. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Who this is not for

Not available in winter; the operator runs it roughly May to September.

Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.

Why we list it

Your Friend in Reykjavik is one of 204 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Your Friend in Reykjavik

Read all 1,779 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.9/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

Sanket Das
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
Your Friend in Reykjavik is the best tour company in Reykjavik . I took Walk with a Viking Tour , Snaefellsnes Peninsula day tour and 6 days around Iceland Adventure tour . I spent 8 Nights in Iceland . I stayed 2 nights at Hotel Reykjavik Grand , 1 night at Hotel Geirland , 1 night at Hotel Hofn , 1 night at Wilderness Center , 1 night at Akureyri Berjaya Iceland Hotels , 1 night at Hotel Laugarbakki , 1 night at Hotel Keflavik . It was an amazing tour . My experience in Iceland was magical and heavenly . I also visited Blue Lagoon and it was a nice experience. I enjoyed my every second in Iceland . Iceland is one of the most beautiful country on our planet . I would keep visiting Iceland in the future . Thank you for making my Iceland journey special and memorable .
Wendy Uhlig
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
We had a great time on our Iceland Folklore tour. Our guide was Einar. He was a fantastic storyteller!! Hidden people/elves, trolls and ghost stories - and a lot of Icelandic history. Thank you Einar!!
Nanci Ritter
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
Petra was an incredible guide. We asked her to show us as much as she could before taking our crazy family of 10 to the airport for our flights to three different cities ! First stop was the beautiful church in downtown Reykjavik that had just opened with an organ recital. Next stop a lovely spot and observation sight overlooking the city by the Pearl. Cold and wet she found us a lovely coffee shop with the best pastries for a welcome mid morning rest next to the sea. Back in the van we drove for a bit before having the opportunity to explore a geothermal field on our way to the airport. A perfect day and ending to our time in Iceland. Petra shared alot of history and information from the perspective of a local which we all appreciated and enjoyed!
Vincent Damas
★★★★★ · 4 months ago
Nice walking trip in Reykjavik city centre with our local guide Hrafn, very friendly and knowledgeable. A good introduction to Iceland on the very first day of our 2 weeks road-trip around the island 👍

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

What to do on your arrival afternoon in ReykjavíkFood walk, whale watching or bed on the afternoon you land — which one survives a red-eye, which one wastes the day, and the combo we'd actually book.
Boat tours in Iceland: the five kinds explainedWhale boats, aurora cruises, glacier-lagoon zodiacs, island ferries and sea angling. What each one actually is, what it costs, and which are worth a slot.
Northern lights tour: bus, boat or super-jeep?Bus, boat and super-jeep lights hunts from Reykjavík compared on real odds, comfort and price, with the one we'd book first.

Reviews from our travellers

Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.

Reviews arrive the day after each trip — none yet for this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.

Whale watching — questions people ask

When is the best time for whale watching in Iceland?

April to October, with June to August the most reliable. Humpbacks and minke whales feed in Faxaflói off Reykjavík and in the northern fjords all summer, and white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises turn up on most trips. Winter boats still sail from Reykjavík, but sightings drop and the sea is rougher. If whales are the point of your trip, come in summer and book an early departure; seas are usually calmer in the morning.

Can you see whales from Reykjavík in December?

Sometimes. Boats run from the Old Harbour all year, and winter trips do find whales, mostly humpbacks and the occasional orca. But December means short daylight, cold wind and a higher chance the operator cancels for weather. Sightings are noticeably less frequent than in summer. If you are here in winter, go anyway, but treat it as a sea trip with a chance of whales rather than a whale trip. Most operators offer a free second trip if nothing shows.

Is Húsavík or Reykjavík better for whale watching?

Húsavík, if you can get there. Skjálfandi Bay in the north sees humpbacks close to shore from May to September, and the small family-run boats like Friends of Moby Dick (/experience/752602/) keep group sizes down. Reykjavík is more convenient: boats leave the Old Harbour five minutes from most hotels and run all year. Akureyri and Dalvík in Eyjafjörður are also strong. If you are only in Reykjavík, go from Reykjavík and do not feel short-changed.

Will I get seasick on a whale watching tour?

You might. Faxaflói is open sea and the boats roll, especially in wind. Take a tablet an hour before departure, stay on deck in fresh air and watch the horizon rather than your phone. Morning trips tend to be calmer than afternoon ones. If you know you suffer badly, a two-hour RIB trip (/experience/155331/) is faster and bumpier but shorter, or pick a northern fjord like Eyjafjörður, which is more sheltered than the bay off Reykjavík.

Hotels

Where to stay for this tour

From the cheapest to the top end of what is near Reykjavík, from our hotel partners. Rooms are booked on our hotels site.

All hotels in Reykjavík →

One checkout, any number of operators
Rankings are not for sale
203 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted
If it falls short, we fix it

from

€106 per person

Your Friend in Reykjavik's own price. 3% off the whole trip when you book two or more tours together, in one checkout.

Your date

The next departure we can see — change it if this tour is for another day.

Pick a date to check departures.

Departs10:00

Reykjavík: light 03:25–23:26, 20 h 1 min of daylight.

✓ Free cancellation until 24 hours before
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Your Friend in Reykjavik cancels for weather or safety: a full refund, or another date
✓ Card — Apple Pay or Google Pay where your device offers it — through Stripe; the charge is made in Icelandic krónur
✓ Price promise: Your Friend in Reykjavik's own price, or we refund the difference
✓ One checkout, even with tours from several operators
✓ Vetted operator — the six checks every operator passes

Pairs well with

Add any of these to this tour and 3 % comes off both at checkout — about €5 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.