The 15 Cruises & Boat Tours in Iceland That Earn Their Price

Reykjavík: Whale Watching and Marine Life Cruise - Old Harbour House to the Boat: Timing, Check-In, and What 3 Hours Feels Like

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 9,838 reviews · 3 hours · from $87Our pick

3-hour whale-watching cruise from Reykjavik’s harbor in Faxaflói Bay, with trained guides, heated cabins, WiFi, and real sightings.

“This was one of the best experiences I’ve ever done on holiday. Getting to see two humpback whales in their natural habitat was absolutely phenomenal. The boat was comfortable with many vantage points, and it had a fully stocked bar with loads of snacks and a variety of drinks to choose from. The staff were friendly and informative.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Sailing, Tour Reviews, Whale Watching

Reykjavík: Whale Watching Cruise on the Amelia Rose Yacht

2.Whale Watching Cruise on the Amelia Rose Yacht

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,911 reviews · 3 hours · from $107

3-hour Reykjavik whale watching on the Amelia Rose yacht. Warm blankets, WiFi, three decks, possible humpbacks, dolphins, and porpoises.

“Amazing! Beautiful landscape, many birds and if course we saw the humpback and the minke whales. Thank you to the crew and the team for providing interesting facts about birds and whales. Unforgettable experience!”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Northern Lights Tours, Sailing, Tour Reviews, Tours

Reykjavik: Northern Lights Yacht Tour

3.Northern Lights Yacht Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,253 reviews · 2 hours · from $93

2-hour Reykjavik Northern Lights yacht cruise with triple deck viewing, warm blankets, Wi-Fi, and a cozy bar near Old Harbor.

“The boat was nice, not overcrowded and we could choose a seat inside or outside. The guide pointed out the northern lights and spent time with us on how to change our phone settings to get a decent photo of them. The bar inside had a choice of drinks, but I would highly recommend the hot chocolate with amaretto in for a cold night As we found out what to look for on this tour, we were then able to spot northern lights again the next night right above our hotel by the marina”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Puffin Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Reykjavik: Puffin Watching Boat Tour

4.Puffin Watching Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,052 reviews · 1 hour · from $64

See Atlantic puffins up close on a 1-hour boat ride from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour to Lundey and Akurey, with binoculars and a 100% sighting guarantee.

“Great short tour with lots of new information and many many chances to see the Puffins.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Dolphin Watching, Sailing, Tour Reviews, Whale Watching

Reykjavik: Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Yacht Cruise

5.Whale Watching and Dolphin Watching Yacht Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 707 reviews · 3 hours · from $106

Reykjavik whale and dolphin cruise in Faxafloi Bay. Warm blankets, onboard WiFi, and a return ticket if no sightings. 3 hours.

“we were so happy, within 20 mins of being out in the boat we saw Banana and Apple the 2 humpback whales, they came right up to boat and kept playing circle games with us. what an experience.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Sailing, Tour Reviews, Whale Watching

Whale Watching Cruise on a Yacht in Reykjavik

6.Whale Watching Cruise on a Yacht in Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 684 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $102

Reykjavik yacht whale watching from Old Harbour, guided wildlife spotting in Faxaflói Bay, plus Harpa and island views for 3 hours.

“I highly recommend going on the Amelia Rose excursion. The staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. The boat has plenty of room inside and out to stand or sit, toilets and a bar to buy drinks. There are no guarantees of seeing the whales but the crew will try their best. We were lucky and saw harbour porpoises, dolphins, minke whales and a humpback whale on the way back into the harbour. Wrap up warm it is cold. Thank you to the crew this is an experience we will treasure.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Guided, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whale Watching

Whale-Watching Boat Tour with Expert Guide from Reykjavik

7.Whale-Watching Boat Tour with Expert Guide from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 651 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $86

Reykjavik whale-watching from Old Harbor with thermal gear, heated indoor seating, expert commentary, and Wi-Fi. 2.5 or 3.5 hours.

“Amazing, stunning, exillerating experience. Fantastic food. Great for families too. Expensive so make sure you have spare money off and family to babysit if you want to do some of the experiences”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Guided, Puffin Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Puffin Cruise with Expert Tour Guide from Reykjavik

8.Puffin Cruise with Expert Tour Guide from Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 636 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $63

Short guided puffin cruise from Reykjavik to Akurey Island, with binoculars and close-in nesting seabird views on an efficient ride.

“Great guide. She has a PhD with research on oceanic studies. Cery in depth discussion not just on puffins. My kids love the tour.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Northern Lights Tours, Tour Reviews

Northern Lights Cruise from Downtown Reykjavik

9.Northern Lights Cruise from Downtown Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 610 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $105

Reykjavik northern lights cruise from Elding: warm overalls, heated cabin, city views in Faxafloi Bay, plus a free return if no aurora.

“Disappointed we didn’t see the Northern Lights on a clear night with stars outside. Clear visibility. The girl who spoke was very difficult to understand at times.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Dolphin Watching, Sailing, Tour Reviews, Whale Watching

Whale Watching & Dolphin Yacht Cruise

10.Whale Watching & Dolphin Yacht Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 488 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $108

Whale watching by yacht from Reykjavik’s Old Harbor. Heated decks, Wi-Fi live photos, expert guides, blankets, and a second free cruise.

“We had a great trip. Saw one whale. Only reason I didn't leave 5 stars is when they give you your ticket, they also give you a coupon for 15% off food menu. We said we might as well use it and ate there after. Only for the guy to say it's only valid on soup. Which obviously it doesn't state that anywhere.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Puffin Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whale Watching

Reykjavik: Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour

11.Whales and Puffins Express Cruise Combo Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 442 reviews · from $148

Reykjavík combo cruise: puffins on Old Skúli and whale watching in Faxaflói Bay, warm overalls, binoculars, and a puffin sightings guarantee.

“Essentially two separate tours as you come back to the harbour for a quick half hour change over. We did the Puffin tour first and it was fantastic, the guide had really good knowledge of the birds, the boat got nice and close to the colony and they were in good form flying around us and making a lot of noise. We then did the whale tour and whilst the whales were sadly being shy, we still got a few glimpses. The tour provider gave us a free return because the whales were not showing themselves as much as normal. Top set of tours, highly recommend.Read more”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Northern Lights Tours, Tour Reviews

From Reykjavik: Northern Lights Sightseeing Cruise

12.Northern Lights Sightseeing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 438 reviews · 2 hours · from $88

Reykjavik Northern Lights cruise on open water, with a guide, blankets, two observation decks, and free Wi-Fi for $88, in 2 hours.

“It was pretty well organised. It wasn’t very busy on the boat we had so we got seats downstairs & upstairs as we liked. We got to see the northern lights which is the whole point. We were rebooked initially from cloudy night and the night we went was a clear night and we got some fantastic pictures and could see the lights with our eyes. It was warm in the boat and freezing on the top, but that’s the time of year! We left on time and came back on time about 9pm I think around 11pm”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Northern Lights Tours, Sailing, Tour Reviews

Northern Lights Yacht Cruise in Reykjavik

13.Northern Lights Yacht Cruise in Reykjavik

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 428 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $94

Chase the northern lights from a Reykjavik yacht in warm comfort, with whale-spotting in Faxafloi Bay and a free return if the aurora won’t show.

“Very easy to find tickets and boat. We were very fortunate as lights were all around us and very easy to see/photograph.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whale Watching

Reykjavik: Whale Watching Tour by RIB Boat

14.Whale Watching Tour by RIB Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 393 reviews · 2 hours · from $194

Reykjavik RIB whale watching in Faxaflói Bay, with warm gear, fast 32-knot runs, possible puffins in summer, plus museum entry.

“It was so much fun our guide was so patient and really made our day !”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Full-Day, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Tours, South Coast Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Reykjavik: Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & South Coast Full Day Tour

15.Glacier Lagoon Boat Ride & South Coast Full Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 363 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $259

Glacier Lagoon boat ride from Reykjavik plus Diamond Beach, Vík, and waterfall stops, including Seljalandsfoss walk behind the falls.

“This is a very long day trip. Be prepared to spend about 14 to 15 hours on the tour. Be mindful of the time given to explore the sight and the use of restroom and food breaks. At times there was just not enough time to explore and grab food. There are multiple stops for restrooms breaks but if you want to get food at any of the stops we recommend you grab something pre-made. We didn’t have enough time to eat our me because there were multiple tour groups arriving at the same time and we were only given 30 minutes.”

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