Reykjavik Christmas Walking Tour: Experience Icelandic Christmas Traditions in the Capital

9 Ratings

Reykjavík

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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

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Highlights

Fógetagarðurinn - The statue of Skúli the sheriff, the father of Reykjavik.
The beautiful blue Christmas tree by the square.
Ingólfur Square - First, we admire the Ice skating rink, holiday decorations, and Christmas market stalls at Ingólfur Square.
Austurvollur Square - A visit to the beautiful traditional Oslo Christmas tree. Talking…

What's Included

Expert fun-loving guide

What's Not Included

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…

Location

Fógetagarðurinn

Aðalstræti

We meet up by the statue of Skúli the sheriff at Fógetagarðurinn in the center of Reykjavik. The Square is in front of Hotel Reykjavik Centrum, Aðalstræti 16.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(9 Ratings)

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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

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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

Lisa_j

Dec 20, 2023

Unique introduction to Iceland - Barti did a nice job sharing the folklore and history of Christmas and the Yule lads. This made so much of what we saw in gift shops amd around town make sense. He was personable and very sweet! He was in the Christmas spirit with his Christmas sweater and Santa hat! My teenage kids (13, 19, 21) really enjoyed our walk through town, stopping at a few places to shop, and hot cocoa at a local hangout.

Review provided by Viator

Pamelakirby08

Dec 10, 2023

This was an interesting... - This was an interesting walking tour as we learned so much about their Christmas traditions. We had two additional guides in training which was nice as we were able to talk with three guides and were able to learn to much more about the country.

Review provided by Viator

The_d

Dec 20, 2022

Great early afternoon with Stefan! - Thank you Stefan for a great early afternoon walk learning about Christmas traditions in Iceland! Very chill, and lots of information. The spots chosen were perfect, especially the shop were we drank hot chocolate!

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Juliad_uk

Dec 14, 2022

Get into the Christmas spirit in Reykjavik - The Christmas Walking Tour is a great way to find out about Icelandic Christmas traditions, get familiar with the layout of the city, and do a little Christmas shopping. I did the tour on my first full day in Reykjavik and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Brian_g

Dec 30, 2022

Nice tour - Went to Iceland for Christmas. The tour gave a sense of the city of Reykjavik and Icelandic Christmas traditions (the black cat, 13 trolls, fermented shark/rays, etc). The tour guide was friendly and knowledgable. The tour takes you to the national Christmas tree, a large cathedral. and a couple of shops. The guide mixed in some general information about the history of Iceland to supplement the Christmas customs. The tea/coffee/hot chocolate break was well-timed to get out of the cold. It was also a good way to get acquainted with downtown.

Review provided by Viator

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up to 15 guests

1 Adult