Reykjavík Northern Lights Cruise without pickup

by Elding Adventure at Sea · Northern lights · Boat tours · Reykjavík

4.50· 2,419 Google reviews of the operator

Fine on your own
Eco-certified

from €106.45 per person

Next departure: Thu 22 Oct

Book Thu 22 Oct · €106.45 Other dates

Reykjavík Northern Lights Cruise without pickup — Elding Adventure at Sea

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10 photos from Elding Adventure at Sea. Tap any one for the full-size original.

Duration
2 hours
Difficulty
Very easy
Season
Sep – Apr
Starts in
Reykjavík
Pickup
Meet at the start point
Starts at
Elding ticket office
Ægisgarður 5c, Reykjavík
Guide
Guided in English
Departs
21:00, 22:00
Cancellation
Free until 24 hours before

Meeting point, in Elding Adventure at Sea's words: Please stop by the Elding office in the Old Harbour no later than 15 min. prior to tour departure to collect your ticket(s).

About this experience

Step aboard for a 1,5-2,5 hour evening cruise where nature and the city meet in a breathtaking light show. As we sail into Faxaflói bay, enjoy panoramic views of Reykjavík’s illuminated shoreline, including Harpa Concert Hall, Hallgrímskirkja, and the city’s sparkling skyline reflected in the water, before turning our gaze to the northern skies in search of the mesmerising Aurora Borealis.

When the Imagine Peace Tower is lit, we sail by to admire its powerful beam - a moment our guests especially enjoy. Then, as we leave the city behind, our attention turns to the northern skies in search of the mesmerising auroras dancing above the horizon.

Relax in our heated indoor saloon or step onto the open 360° viewing platform for uninterrupted views. Warm overalls are available to borrow, and our onboard café serves hot drinks and snacks to keep you cosy throughout the journey.

Our experienced crew continuously monitor the weather and solar activity to maximise your chances of witnessing the lights, and we sail as long as conditions at sea are favourable. Whether it’s the natural wonder of the auroras, the glowing Imagine Peace Tower, or Reykjavík’s shimmering city lights, every evening offers its own kind of magic.

Join us for an enchanting blend of nature and city nightscapes, where Reykjavík’s charm meets the northern lights at sea.

Eager for more sea adventures? Combine this activity with whale watching or check out some of our other tours.

If the lights fail to make an appearance we do not refund the tour price but in stead offer you to try again another day. You are free to go as many times as needed (within two years) to catch the show - at no extra cost.

COMBO: Combine this activity with whale watching or check our other combo tours.

Description from the operator, Elding Adventure at Sea. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

2 hr. Northern Lights & City Cruise
Access to Visitor Centre
Use of warm overalls
Excellent live guidance
Assistance with photography
Free WiFi onboard
Northern Lights guarantee (or try again for free)
Pictures taken by crew (if any)

Not included

Tip / Gratuity
Refreshments

Good to know

Sturdy footwear
Warm clothing (thermals, hat, scarf and gloves)
Tripod for better camera stability (if taking photographs)

The northern lights are a natural phenomenon and unpredictable, so remember to bring patience and optimism with you. If the northern lights are not seen on your tour you will be given a complimentary ticket, which is valid for two years. Weather is a big factor for the northern lights cruises and we may have to cancel the tour.

This tour option includes pick up / drop off to your hotel or nearby bus stop. Please confirm your hotel no later than 48 hrs. before departure.

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 a solid cloud forecast — most operators call it by late afternoon and let you rebook on a clearer night free of charge. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

1Elding Adventure at Sea 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 Iceland Reykjavik Northern Lights Bus Tour guided in Chinese冰岛雷市中文极光团 from Magic Iceland Travel is €73 — €33 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

	Elding Adventure at Sea · €106	Magic Iceland Travel · €73
How long it runs	2 hours	4 hours
How hard it is	Very easy	Easy

On everything we can measure, the Magic Iceland Travel tour is the better buy. The €33 is not buying anything we can point to, so unless you want this operator in particular, take the cheaper one.

Who this is not for

Not available in summer; the operator runs it roughly September to April.

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

Why we list it

Elding Adventure at Sea 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 Elding Adventure at Sea

Read all 2,419 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.5/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

Iola Wilson
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
We had an incredible sunset whale watching trip. From the beginning, every member of staff was attentive and helpful. Our guide shared lots of info on the wildlife we spotted - birds and whales. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the boat wasn't busy so we had room to move around and spot wildlife. Lots of tips on how to spot whales were shared. We saw a minke whale and then in the distance the sprays from several humpbacks.We made our way towards these and then stayed with one for ages - it was magical! The captain was very generous with time - because our encounter was quite far out, our trip was over 3.5 hours, we were not rushed back because time was running out! We saw lots of different bird species too. The sunset was stunning and we were able to enjoy this on the way back and also get some beautiful pictures of Reykjavik as we approached. We were also impressed with the way Elding respect the wildlife. Our 9 year old learned so much about whale spotting and ga been putting it to use on our cruise - spotting minkes and humpbacks from the ship! Thank you so much, Elding, for a truly memorable and magical evening!
Frank Campbell
★★★★★ · a month ago
Great experience! Information on what and where very clear on the website and the ground staff very nice and friendly when one went for the tickets. The crew were helpful, fun and full of information on the whales but also other wildlife that could be seen. They were really persistent in ensuring we actually did see a whale, and we ended up being quite far out of the port with the total cruise time around 3.5 hrs instead of the envisioned 2.5 hrs. We were most grateful for their efforts!!! It was much appreciated that after the tour itself we received an e-mail with photos the crew had taken of our particular cruise. Highly recommended!
Emily A
★★★★★ · a month ago
Our whale watching tour was so special. I will start with the whales: we definitely saw them! We found a couple of humpbacks busy feeding and out guide did a great job of pointing them out and describing the behaviors we were seeing. It was truly amazing. The crew has the skills and experience to find what’s in the area. Additionally, they provided us with pictures of the whales and a journal entry about our voyage. We heard from someone else on the boat that if you go out and do not see any wildlife, they will provide you with a voucher to come out again another time (this family was on their re-do but your mileage may vary as I didn’t hear or read about this.) But of course, one cannot control the outcome, and still I would recommend this trip. It was such a fun way to see the city of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains. We had a beautiful day with a bit of wind and they provided motion-sickness tablets for free, but remaining outside I did not experience much malaise. I also want to say that the company was very accommodating. We had booked a morning tour that we couldn’t get to due to travel disruptions and they were very willing to honor our reservation at a later time slot.
Casey Phifer
★★★★★ · 2 months ago
Booking excursions through Elding was seamless, and I really appreciated their ecological focus. I first took their free ferry to Viðey with my Reykjavík City Pass, then enjoyed the experience so much that I booked both their classic whale watching and puffin tours. Everything felt easy and well organized, from the cold weather gear to the books, wildlife guides, and knowledgeable experts who narrated the tours and answered questions along the way. These excursions gave me some of my favorite memories of Iceland while getting to learn. about the wildlife and explore Faxaflói Bay. Highly recommend!

Reviews from Google · updated 21 Oct 2026

Read before you book

Blue Lagoon and northern lights: one day or two?Do them on different days. The one-day combo is 15 hours and €306; the lagoon fits your arrival or departure, and a €73 lights bus fits any clear night.
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.
Northern lights with kids: which tour worksNorthern lights tours with children from Reykjavík: the boat, the minibus and the private family tour. Minimum ages, the late hours and what to pack.

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.

Northern lights — questions people ask

When is the best time to see the northern lights in Iceland?

September to April, when the nights are dark enough. Within that, late September to March gives the longest dark hours, and the equinox months, September and March, often have active skies. There are no lights in June or July; the sky never gets dark. Anyone selling you a June lights tour is selling you a bus ride. Give yourself at least three nights, because clouds, not the aurora, are the usual reason people miss them.

Are the northern lights guaranteed on a tour?

No. Nobody can promise them, and we will not. Two things have to line up: a clear sky and solar activity. Guides check the cloud forecast at vedur.is and drive to gaps, which is the real value of a tour over standing outside your hotel. What most operators do promise is a free second attempt if the lights do not show. Check the exact retry policy on the tour page, because the number of retries and the validity period vary.

Is a northern lights bus tour or a boat tour better?

Bus, if you want the best odds. A minibus can drive an hour inland to find a clear patch; a boat stays in Faxaflói and sees whatever sky is over Reykjavík. Boats are shorter, about two hours, and pleasant with hot chocolate, and Reykjavik Sailors' cruise (/experience/6637/) includes a free retry. For a serious hunt, a small-group minibus like BusTravel's (/experience/150646/) or a 4x4 tour (/experience/1088067/) is the better bet.

Can I see the northern lights from Reykjavík itself?

Yes, on strong nights. The city is small and the sky over the sea to the north is fairly dark. Grótta lighthouse at the western tip and the Ægisíða shoreline are the usual spots, twenty minutes' walk from the centre. On average nights the street lights drown out a faint aurora, which is why tours drive out. If the forecast shows high activity and clear sky, walk to Grótta first and save the tour money.

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 →

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from

€106.45 per person

Elding Adventure at Sea'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.

Departs21:0022:00

Reykjavík: light 08:37–17:48, 9 h 11 min of daylight.

✓ Free cancellation until 24 hours before
✓ Instant confirmation by email
✓ If Elding Adventure at Sea 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: Elding Adventure at Sea'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 €6 on the cheapest pair. One basket, one payment, however many operators they come from.