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Reykjavik Christmas Walking Tour: Experience Icelandic Christmas Traditions in the Capital
4.5
15 Ratings
Reykjavík
Immerse yourself in Icelandic Christmas traditions on a festive walking tour through the streets of Reykjavik. Discover the 13 Santas, the Troll Grýla, and the Christmas Cat while sampling delicious Christmassy treats.
Immerse yourself in Icelandic Christmas traditions on a festive walking tour through the streets of Reykjavik. Discover the 13 Santas, the Troll Grýla, and the Christmas Cat while sampling delicious Christmassy treats.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
-
Center Hotels Plaza - Gather at the entrance of Center Hotels Plaza - Aðalstræti 4-6, 101 Reykjavík.
Please arrive 5 minutes before departure! - Ingólfur Square - Begin by admiring the ice skating rink, festive decorations, and Christmas market stalls at Ingólfur Square.
- Austurvollur Square - Visit the stunning traditional Oslo Christmas…
- Center Hotels Plaza - Gather at the entrance of Center Hotels Plaza - Aðalstræti 4-6, 101 Reykjavík.
Please arrive 5 minutes before departure!
- Ingólfur Square - Begin by admiring the ice skating rink, festive decorations, and Christmas market stalls at Ingólfur Square.
- Austurvollur Square - Visit the stunning traditional Oslo Christmas tree and discuss the tradition of trees and decorations in Icelandic homes.
- Penninn Eymundsson - Books play a significant role in Icelandic Christmas traditions, so a visit to a bookstore is essential. Discover some unique Icelandic Christmas books here.
- Lækjartorg A - The fierce Christmas cat is a prominent figure in Icelandic Christmas folklore. Delve into some Icelandic folklore at this stop.
- Litla Jolabudin - The little Christmas store is open year-round, offering a chance to explore Icelandic Christmas ornaments. Perhaps find some Christmas gifts here.
- 12 Tonar - Icelandic Christmas music draws inspiration from various countries, making a visit to our cherished downtown music store a must.
- Hallgrimskirkja - Conclude at the beautiful Hallgrímskirkja church to discuss the influence of Christianity and Norse Mythology on Christmas.
What's Included
- Expert fun-loving guide
- Expert fun-loving guide
What's Not Included
- Tips
- Tips
Additional Information
Celebrate this festive season with Your Friend in Reykjavik on a walking expedition around the brightly lit and holiday-celebrative lanes of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital.
In unison, we will delve into the Christmas customs of Iceland, unraveling the mystery of Iceland’s thirteen Santas, their terrifying mother - the child-eating Troll Grýla, and the…
Celebrate this festive season with Your Friend in Reykjavik on a walking expedition around the brightly lit and holiday-celebrative lanes of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital.
In unison, we will delve into the Christmas customs of Iceland, unraveling the mystery of Iceland’s thirteen Santas, their terrifying mother - the child-eating Troll Grýla, and the dreaded Christmas Cat.
This tour appeals to all age groups and vividly encapsulates the Icelandic Yuletide traditions through thrilling narratives and folktales. Additionally, we will get to know about Iceland’s traditional festive foods and beverages, and we might even get to try a few during our journey. We begin our Christmas-themed exploration at Fógetagarðurinn, which takes us through the heart of downtown Reykjavik.
Location
Center Hotels Plaza
Aðalstræti
We meet up in front of the entrance to Center Hotels Plaza - Aðalstræti 4- 6, 101 Reykjavík
Please be there 5 minutes before the departure!
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(15 Ratings)
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391salemf
Jan 3, 2025
Lovely tour with singing guide - Lovely tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and excited by the stories he shared with us. Our group loves the songs the guide would sing.The stop at the Candy store was lovely minus the gross candy (my personal opinion lol) you should still try it though. It was amazing to learn so much in such an interesting way.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alyssa_k
Dec 23, 2024
I had Stefan as a guide... - I had Stefan as a guide and he was amazing! He was so knowledgeable and provided us with little surprises along the way. He answered all questions, taught us some Icelandic language, and provided a deep history around the holidays in Iceland. If you’re looking for something history & holiday cheer, this is the perfect excursion for you!
Review provided by Viator
Kayla_l
Dec 21, 2024
A great experience - I went on this tour with my husband and we were very excited to learn about the Christmas traditions and culture. Our guide was great and was very informative in a fun way. We recommend this tour to any group coming! A plus was we enjoyed hot chocolate and treats.
Review provided by Viator
Kelly_p
Dec 16, 2024
Great tour - An excellent and informative tour. Our guide was very friendly and had a lot of great information about the city. Hearing about Icelandic Christmas traditions was an extra fun experience.
Review provided by Viator
937raenaf
Jan 12, 2024
A fantastic time - This tour was my absolute favorite! She took us everywhere downtown and explained all the traditions, folklore, history, etc. We even got a present at the end. And she let us try some famous Icelandic cuisine. Highly highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marymunoz7989
Jan 8, 2024
A lovely way to learn about Icelandic Christmas traditions - My husband and I visited Iceland for the first time and began our holiday with a Your Friend in Reykjavik tour.
Our guide, Stefan, was hilarious and informative as we embarked on our Christmas traditions walk, covering off everything from elves to Eurovision, Grỳla to Game of Thrones. (And the fact that Die Hard *is* a Christmas movie!)
It was a great way to get our bearings in the city as well as learning of all the fabulously endearing Icelandic Christmas traditions (several of which we'd like to import back to Scotland). It was clear how proud Stefan is of his city. We stopped at several sites along the way, with the storytelling and general chatter flowing easily. We even stopped to feed the ducks!
A lovely start to our holiday - I only wish I could give more than 5 stars!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fairchesterl
Dec 24, 2023
Reykjavik Holiday Hot Spots - Lovely walking tour of the city’s holiday hot spots! Our tour guide Bo was very knowledgeable with great stories past and present. Highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paula_e
Dec 23, 2023
Musical version of the Christmas tour - For music lovers like our family, (four 20 somethings and 2 parents 50 somthing), this was a fun tour. Einar gave us a musical version, which was entertaining. Singing around the Christmas tree in the town square (not hubby's favorite), hearing a hymn written by his grandmother in the state church (lovely), local candy tasting (not to be missed), and drinks and cookies in the record shop (delicious) with more Icelandic Christmas music,(very enjoyable and we will be looking up the artists). He also sent us pictures taken at the Christmas Cat, record shop and at the Hallgrímskirkja church following the tour. It was easy to find the meeting point. I'm not sure this is a great tour for little ones, but our young adult group found it entertaining.
Review provided by Viator
Chelsea_z
Jan 3, 2025
Shiesty business practice - Got to be really honest about this one...it was extremely disappointing. We booked based on the description that we'd get to see/tour the Christmas markets and have that experience. Aside from our guide being 15 mins late (which is an eternity when the temps are in the negative degrees), he began his introduction simply stating because it was NYE, the Christmas markets were all closed and pretty much everything in the description of the tour would not be happening, but he'd be doing his best to give us something. Though, we did like the guide, our question is this: if they knew the markets would be closed on the 31st and they couldn't offer the tour as described...why run the tour that day?!!? They didn't have to offer it. Or, they could also easily have just contacted us ahead of time, told us things would be different on the day we booked and offer us the opportunity to cancel. But, instead, they took our money, had us show up, and then told us we were never going to get what we actually paid for. Just shiesty business practice in our opinion and also the reason for our rating. I'd not book again with them based on this experience.
Review provided by Viator
598lucm
Dec 30, 2024
Disapointing tour - I’m pretty disappointed with the tour. Even though the guide was nice and snack was awesome. It was supposed to be a Christmas tour with explanations of the local Xmas traditions and it ended up being mainly a downtown tour with tips for cheap eat and cheap drinks. We stopped at the Flea Market, Christmas store, Yule cat, watched the gooses and had a snack with stories. Guide could not even name all the 13 Yule lads and vaguely named what they do. :( neither share how families gather and what they do.
Really felt like doing a tour with a random friend in Reykjavik (!)
And on top of that the meeting point in the email was not even the right one. They sent a text message 10 minutes prior to meeting time, but being abroad all of the 5 participants had their phone on travel mode - i.e no SMS.
I shared the above comment with the tour organizer via email and they never replied.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
