Tours in Iceland

Start in Reykjavík, because almost everyone does. Walk downhill from the church on the hill and the city comes at you in small, painted pieces: corrugated iron in bright colours, a bakery with a line out the door, a pond with more ducks than people. It is a small capital that behaves like a big one after dark, and you can cover the centre on foot in an afternoon without once feeling rushed.

This is where we have tours, so it is where to linger. Come hungry. Icelandic food is better than its reputation, and the best way in is a slow walk with someone who knows which counter does the pastries, where the hot dog stand is worth the wait, and what to order with a local beer. Along the way you pass the parliament building, the old theatre and the rainbow street that leads up toward the church. Then the evening turns. Reykjavík's bars are close together, the games are friendly, and a guide will get you talking to the person on the next stool.

Past the capital, the country opens out. The Golden Circle is the classic day out from the city, with geysers, a waterfall and the rift valley at Þingvellir. The south coast brings black sand beaches, cliffs and waterfalls you can walk behind. The Snæfellsnes peninsula packs mountains, lava fields and fishing villages into one drive. Further on you find the glacier lagoons, the Westfjords, Akureyri in the north and the lake country around Mývatn. Light and weather change by the hour, so pack for all of it.

We do not sell tours to all of these yet. If one of them is on your list, ask. A local guide can build a day around it, and that is often how the best trips here get made.