First time in Iceland

First trip to Iceland

The tours that cover what you came for without needing a hire car, a 4x4 licence or a weather gamble — Golden Circle, South Coast, a lagoon and the lights.

The short version

  • 220 of our 1,717 tours come through this filter — 220 day tours and 0 multi-day, from 43 operators.
  • Cheapest day tour here is €79 a person.
  • This is a filter over operator data, not a hand-picked list. What it does is spelled out below, so you can judge whether it matches what you actually need.

How this list was built

Day tours with hotel pickup, rated easy or very easy, whose own itinerary stops at somewhere a first trip is actually built around — Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara, Jökulsárlón or one of the lagoons. Those come from the operator's agenda rather than its marketing copy. Nothing needing your own vehicle. Popular is not the same as best, so these are sorted by what travellers rate.

220 day tours

Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon Tour10 hours

BusTravel Iceland

Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon Tour

4.8· 40 Bókun reviews of this tour

Leaves from Reykjavík

  • Hotel pickup
  • Wi-fi on board
  • Family friendly

Geysir and Hot-springs on this award winning tour, voted one of Northern Europe´s Top 20 by Viator

from

€115 per person

43% below the €200 typical

or book on its own →
South Coast - Private Tour (1–6 passengers)9 hours

Cool Holidays Travel ehf

South Coast - Private Tour (1–6 passengers)

5.00· 72 Google reviews of the operator

Leaves from Reykjavík

  • Hotel pickup
  • Wi-fi on board
  • Family friendly

Private South Coast tour in a Mercedes-Benz V-Class – discover Iceland’s top highlights with your personal local guide.

from

€1,891 per vehicle

or book on its own →
Golden Circle Afternoon Small Group Tour6 hours

Arctic Adventures

Golden Circle Afternoon Small Group Tour

4.60· 5,129 Google reviews of the operator

Leaves from Reykjavík

  • Hotel pickup
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h

We will visit the classic sites on the Golden Circle: Thingvellir National park, Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir geothermal area. Afternoon minibus tour.

from

€100 per person

28% below the €140 typical

or book on its own →
South Shore Adventure10 hours

Arctic Adventures

South Shore Adventure

4.60· 5,129 Google reviews of the operator

Leaves from Reykjavík

  • Hotel pickup
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h

A great day tour along the south coast of Iceland where you will be able to see and experience waterfalls, black sand beach and magnificent landscapes.

from

€129 per person

about the usual price

or book on its own →
Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon9 hours

Arctic Adventures

Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon

4.60· 5,129 Google reviews of the operator

Leaves from Reykjavík

  • Hotel pickup
  • Family friendly
  • Free cancellation 24 h

Soak in a natural pool and explore three of the most popular attractions in Iceland. The Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon Iceland offers great value in a small group setting.

from

€136 per person

32% below the €200 typical

or book on its own →

Showing 24 of 220. Browse everything.

Why book these with us

  • One checkout, any number of operators

    Book a glacier hike from one company and a whale boat from another in a single payment, with one booking reference.

  • Rankings are not for sale

    We sort by rating, never by what an operator pays us. No supplier can buy a higher position here.

  • 153 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted

    We don't list everything in Iceland, on purpose. Every operator here is one we would book ourselves.

  • If it falls short, we fix it

    Free cancellation up to 24 hours before most tours — and if an operator lets you down, tell us and we sort it out.

First time in Iceland: questions people ask

How much do first time in iceland tours cost?

From €79 to €394 a person, with a typical price of €174. That is the median of 70 per-person day-tour fares we currently sell. Multi-day packages and private charters are priced differently and sit outside those figures.

What is the cheapest of the first time in iceland tours?

Golden Circle Full day Bus Tour guided in Chinese冰岛黄金圈中文一日团 with Magic Iceland Travel , at €79 a person. Read what it actually is before booking on price alone — the cheapest line is sometimes an admission ticket rather than a guided trip, and a large coach costs less per seat than a small-group minibus because it gives you less time at each stop.

Why do some first time in iceland tours not show a price?

1 of the 220 are priced on request rather than published, which almost always means a private charter where the cost depends on group size and pickup point. Ask us and we will get a quote from the operator.

How many first time in iceland tours do you sell, and who runs them?

220 of them, from 43 operators: BusTravel Iceland, Cool Holidays Travel ehf, Sleipnir Tours, Arctic Adventures, Hrafnar Guides, Simply Iceland and 37 more. Every one is a company we hold a contract with — we do not list everything in Iceland, on purpose.

How long do first time in iceland tours take?

Day tours run from 1 hour to 16 hours, most commonly about 10 hours. Pickup and drop-off are usually inside that figure, so a three-hour tour from Reykjavík can mean closer to four door to door.

Are there cheaper options than a full first time in iceland tour?

4 of these are admissions or tickets rather than guided tours — Private Airport Transfer: KEF → Blue Lagoon from €107, for instance. Worth knowing if you are driving yourself and only need entry.

Do first time in iceland tours include hotel pickup?

220 of 220 (100%) offer pickup. The rest ask you to meet on location. Pickup is the single most common cause of a missed tour in Iceland: it runs to a window rather than a time, and the bus will not wait long.

Can I book a private version of the first time in iceland tours?

121 of the 220 are private, the other 99 are shared departures. Private costs more in total but is priced per vehicle, so for four or more people it often works out close per head — and you set the pace.

When can I do the first time in iceland tours?

Across the next 360 days of live availability we hold departures in September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August. That is a rolling window rather than the whole year, so a month missing from that list is not necessarily a month with nothing running.

Are the first time in iceland tours seasonal?

31 of 220 run only part of the year; the other 189 run all year round. In Iceland that is usually about daylight or ice rather than demand.

How late can I book first time in iceland tours?

Cutoffs run from 1 to 23 hours before departure, and 101 of them accept bookings inside 24 hours — so booking the night before is often possible. Popular winter tours sell out days ahead regardless of the cutoff.

Can I cancel a first time in iceland tour booking?

165 of 220 (75%) allow free cancellation at least 24 hours before departure. The exact window is on each tour page and comes from the operator's own policy, not ours. If the operator cancels for weather you are refunded in full.

How fit do I need to be for first time in iceland tours?

Operators rate them: 174 easy, 46 very easy. Iceland's ratings assume weather — an easy walk in still air is a different proposition in 15 m/s of wind.

Is there a minimum age for first time in iceland tours?

80 of the 220 set one, ranging from 1 to 12 years. The rest have no stated minimum, which usually means infants are allowed but not that the tour suits them.

Are first time in iceland tours suitable for children?

164 of 220 are marked family-friendly by the operator. That is their judgement rather than ours, and it usually means the walking is short and the vehicle has a toilet.

Are any first time in iceland tours accessible?

Operators have flagged accessibility on some: 24 for prams and strollers, 16 for limited mobility, 6 for limited sight, 4 for wheelchair users. Ring us before booking rather than relying on the flag alone — Icelandic sites vary enormously and a flag does not describe the terrain at the stop.

What is included in first time in iceland tours?

Varies by operator. Across these: wi-fi on board on 65, parking fees on 60, fuel surcharge on 37, admission fees on 35, bus fare on 13. Anything not listed as included is not included — Icelandic operators are literal about this.

Are first time in iceland tours guided, and in what language?

181 of 220 are guided in person, with guiding offered in Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German and 7 more. English is standard on every shared departure in Iceland; other languages usually mean a private guide.

Where do first time in iceland tours start from?

They start from Capital Region (Reykjavík), Golden Circle area (Selfoss, Flúðir, Þingvellir), South Coast (Hella, Hvolsvöllur, Vík), Snæfellsnes, East Iceland (Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður), Keflavík Airport and 3 more. Where a tour starts matters more in Iceland than how long it lasts: the same tour from Reykjavík and from Vík are different days entirely.

What happens to first time in iceland tours in bad weather?

The operator cancels and refunds you in full — Icelandic operators cancel readily, and that is a good sign rather than a bad one. What they will not do is refund you for a tour that ran and simply had poor visibility. Wind cancels more tours here than rain or cold.

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