For most people the best Iceland northern lights tour is a small-group minibus hunt from Reykjavik: up to 19 people, 4 hours, from €101 per person. Book it for your first night so the free retry still fits your trip.
Why this one: up to 19 people instead of a full coach, a guide rated 4.7 out of 5 who drives towards clear sky, hot chocolate at the stop, and an open ticket for a free retry that stays valid for 3 years.
Up to 19 people4 hoursAge 8+Retry · 3 yearsHot chocolate
Source: operator listings on GetYourGuide · 6 Oct 2026. Prices are the advertised “from” price on that day and move with promotions.
How many people will stand next to you at the stops
Minibus
19 people
Big bus
Not stated by the operator
Boat
Not stated by the operator
Super jeep
Not stated by the operator
Photo tour
Not stated by the operator
Private
Not stated by the operator
just your groupa full coach
Source: operator listings on GetYourGuide · 6 Oct 2026
Every Iceland northern lights tour from Reykjavik does the same job — drive away from the city lights towards a gap in the cloud — but the vehicle decides how many people share each stop, how far the guide can go and what you pay.
Big bus (from €65). The cheapest seat: the Northern Lights Adventure Tour at €65. The most booked is the Bus Tour with Hot Cocoa at €72, with 15,106 reviews at ★4.3. You share each stop with a full coach; the operators do not state the size. Free retry on every big-bus tour we list.
Minibus (from €101). Up to 19 people, more stops, a guide with time for questions. Our pick, the Small-Group Premium tour, runs 4 hours with a 3-year open retry.
4x4 and super jeep (from €135). Smaller groups — one guide per 16 guests on the 4x4 minibus, at most 14 on the Icelandic-guided jeep — and vehicles that can leave the paved road. See the small-group and super-jeep tours.
Boat (from €47.50). Two to two and a half hours from Reykjavik’s Old Harbour, warm overalls on some boats. The boat cannot chase a gap in the cloud, so it works best on a clear forecast. Compare the northern lights cruises.
Private (from €350 for your group). Your own car and timing, but none of the private tours on GetYourGuide has more than a handful of reviews yet. Details on the private tours page.
Four to five hours, most of them in the dark
What Happens on an Iceland Northern Lights Tour
Pickup, the drive away from the city light, one to three stops, and back after midnight.
Your evening, hour by hour
most displays
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
00:00
01:00
02:00
20:30–21:30PickupHotel or bus-stop pickup in Reykjavík. Hotel rounds can take up to 30 minutes.
30–60 minAway from the city lightsThe guide picks a direction by the cloud forecast, not by a fixed route.
1.5–2.5 hAt the stopsOne to three dark stops. Hot drinks on most tours.
00:30–01:30Back after midnightDrop-off where you were picked up. Tours run 3 to 5 hours in total.
Pickup runs from 20:30 to 21:30 at your hotel or a numbered Reykjavík bus stop; the larger operators also meet at the BSÍ Bus Terminal, where Gray Line asks you to arrive 15 minutes early. The guide then chooses a direction from the cloud forecast for that night, not from a fixed route.
At the stops you get out, wait and watch, usually with hot chocolate. The most frequent displays come between about 22:30 and 01:00, so most tours bring you back between 00:30 and 01:30. Dress for standing still in the cold for an hour or more.
The sky owes you nothing. The operator owes you a second night.
Iceland Northern Lights Tour With No Lights — Free Retry Explained
How long the free retry lasts on five tours, and what changes when the operator cancels instead.
next evening1 yr2 yrs3 yrslifetimeIf the tour ran and the sky stayed darkIf the operator cancels before departure
Source: operator wording on GetYourGuide · checked 6 Oct 2026
Nobody can promise the northern lights, and the operators’ own listings say so plainly. What differs between tours is what happens when the sky stays dark — and that difference can matter more than the price gap between two similar tours.
Two different situations. If the operator cancels before departure because of cloud or wind, most refund you or move you to another evening. If the tour runs and the sky stays dark, you do not get money back: you get a free retry. Read the second rule before you book, because that is the one most people end up using.
Night 1of a four-night stay leaves three more evenings
The one rule that makes a retry useful: book your first night. A three-year ticket helps only if you are still in Iceland. Booking the tour for night one of a four-night stay leaves three more evenings for a retry or a weather cancellation. Booking it for the last night leaves none. One operator, David The Guide, puts the same advice into its listing.
Where the retry runs. Usually on the same tour — with one notable exception: the Small-Group Premium minibus sends you back on the operator’s big bus. Either way, you arrange the retry date with the operator, and it depends on seats being free that night.
Two safety nets have no end date: a lifetime guarantee for €70 with Gray Line, which also has the weakest rating of the three most-booked tours (★3.7), and unlimited retries on the Aurora Viking photo tour at €147.02. If you want a small group and still have three years to come back, the Small-Group Premium minibus is our pick at €101.
The cheapest tour in each format, from the shortest boat trip to a private car and a five-day package.
Boat from the Old Harbour
€47.50per person
Reykjavík: Northern Lights & City CruiseSee the tour
Big bus
€65per person
Reykjavik: Northern Lights Adventure Tour with Hot ChocolateSee the tour
Minibus with photo coaching
€72.15per person
Reykjavik: Northern Lights Hunt with Photography CoachingSee the tour
Small-group minibus
€101per person
Small-Group Premium Northern Lights Tour from ReykjavikSee the tour
4x4 and super jeep
€135–€212.95per person
Northern Lights: 4x4 Tour with Treats, Hot Cocoa & PhotosSee the tour
Private car
€350for your group
Reykjavik: Private Northern Lights Tour with Hotel PickupSee private tours
Multi-day package
€588.06–€1,415per person
From Reykjavik: 3-Day Northern Lights Hunt & Glacier LagoonSee packages
Source: operator listings on GetYourGuide · 6 Oct 2026
Prices are the advertised “from” price on GetYourGuide on 6 Oct 2026, per person unless marked. They move with promotions, and the price for your date can be higher. Private tours are priced for your whole group, not per person.
Iceland Northern Lights Tour Combined with a Day Trip
Four tours that add a day of sights before the evening hunt — handy when you have only one or two days in Reykjavik.
Day
Evening hunt
Golden Circle + Northern LightsÞingvellir, Geysir and Strokkur, Gullfoss — then the aurora hunt after dark.9 hours★ 4.4 · 396 reviews€140per personBook this tour
Day
Evening hunt
Iceland South Coast and Northern Lights TourSeljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and Reynisfjara black-sand beach, then about 3 hours of hunting.13 hours★ 4.3 · 97 reviews€147per personBook this tour
Day
Evening hunt
Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon + Northern LightsÞingvellir, Gullfoss, Geysir, Kerið crater and 2 hours in the Blue Lagoon, with entry included.15 hours★ 4.8 · 271 reviews€293per personBook this tour
Day
Evening hunt
Lava Tunnel + Northern LightsOne hour inside the Raufarhólshellir lava tube with helmets and head torches, then the hunt.4 hours★ 4.7 · 89 reviews€180per personBook this tour
One night of chances, or several
Iceland Northern Lights Tour or a Multi-Day Package
A package on GetYourGuide lasts 2–5 days with hotels and breakfast, but no flights.
MinibusOne evening from Reykjavik
PackageA multi-day package
Price€47.50–€213 per person€588–€1,415 per person
Nights to look up1, plus a retry on most tours1 to 4, away from city light
Where you sleepYour Reykjavik hotelHotels on the South Coast (Vík area)
DaytimeFreeGolden Circle, South Coast, glacier lagoon
If no lightsFree retry on most tours (3 years on our pick)No retry — lights not guaranteed
FlexibilityBook the night you landFixed start, pickup about 08:30
For whomShort stays and city basesThree to five free days and no car
The honest answer, and how a tour compares with driving out on your own.
Worth it for most first-time visitors staying three nights or more.
Yes, ifYou have three or more nights, so a retry can still happenYou don’t want to drive icy roads at nightYou’ve never seen the lights and want a guide who reads the cloud map
No, ifYou are in Iceland for one night and the forecast is fully cloudyYou already have a car, winter-driving experience and flexible eveningsYou only want a quick look on a strong night — try the city edge first
Source: ratings and reviews on GetYourGuide · 6 Oct 2026
Straight answers first
Northern Lights Tour Iceland FAQ
For most visitors the best northern lights tour in Iceland is a small-group minibus hunt from Reykjavik, such as the Small-Group Premium tour at €101 (★4.4, 3,182 reviews): up to 19 people, 4 hours, and a 3-year free retry. Pick a big bus for the lowest price, a photo tour if you want portraits under the lights, or a private car if you travel as a family.
Book by the thing you care about most. Lowest price: a big bus from €65. Fewer people at the stops: a minibus (up to 19) or a 4x4 (up to 14). Pictures of you under the aurora: a photo tour from €147.02. Your own timing: a private tour from €350 for your group. The formats table puts all of them side by side.
Almost every Iceland northern lights tour starts in Reykjavik, with hotel or bus-stop pickup between 20:30 and 21:30. Our pick is the small-group minibus at €101 per person; the most-booked tour is the big-bus Northern Lights Bus Tour with Hot Cocoa at €72 with 15,106 reviews. See what happens on the evening before you choose.
An evening northern lights tour in Iceland costs €47.50–€213 per person on GetYourGuide (6 Oct 2026): a boat from €47.50, a big bus from €65, a small-group minibus from €101, a 4x4 from €135. Private tours start at about €350 for your group, and 2–5-day packages at €588. Our price guide breaks every format down.
If the tour runs and the sky stays dark, you do not get your money back — you get a free retry. How long it lasts depends on the operator: from the next evening to a lifetime guarantee. Our pick gives an open ticket valid for 3 years, on the operator’s big-bus tour. The retry comparison shows five operators side by side.
When the operator cancels before departure, most offer another evening or a full refund. Arctic Adventures announces weather cancellations by 18:15 on the day; the Small-Group Premium tour refunds in full if the weather cancels every night of your stay. Booking your first night leaves room for both a cancellation and a retry.
Tours run from late August or early September to about mid-April, and experts disagree on the single best month: Reykjavik Excursions names November to January for the longest darkness, Guide to Iceland names March for activity. Clear sky matters more than the month. Our Northern Lights Iceland guide shows darkness month by month.
Pickups in Reykjavik run from 20:30 to 21:30, depending on the operator and the season, and most tours bring you back between 00:30 and 01:30. Gray Line, for example, runs 21:00–00:00 from October to mid-March and 22:00–01:00 in late August, September and from mid-March to mid-April.
An evening northern lights tour lasts 2 to 5 hours: boats about 2–2.5 hours, big buses 3–4 hours, small groups and 4x4 tours 4–5 hours. Combinations with a day trip run 9 to 15 hours, and packages last 2 to 5 days. Longer tours give the guide more time to drive towards clear sky.
Yes, but the minimum age depends on the tour: 5 years on the EastWest minibus, 6 on the Northern Lights Bus coach and the Arctic Adventures super jeep, 7 on the Aurora Viking photo tour, 8 on the Small-Group Premium minibus. Several operators do not state a limit, so ask before you book. A private tour is the easiest with small children.
Dress for standing still outdoors at night: average night lows in Reykjavik are about −2 °C from December to March and around +6 °C in September. Wear warm layers, a windproof and waterproof outer layer, a hat, gloves and boots with grip. Some boat tours lend warm overalls, and several land tours lend blankets.
Sometimes, on strong nights, but city lights wash out weaker displays, which is why tours drive 30–60 minutes away from Reykjavik. If you want to try on your own, check the Icelandic Met Office cloud forecast first. A tour adds a guide who reads the cloud map live and a free retry if the sky stays dark.
A tour is better if you do not want to drive icy roads at night or read a cloud forecast yourself, and it usually includes a free retry. Driving yourself is better if you already have a car, winter-driving experience and flexible evenings. The comparison below sets both out row by row.
An Iceland northern lights tour is worth it for most first-time visitors staying three nights or more: the guide drives to clearer sky, and the free retry gives you more than one chance. It is less worth it for a single night with a fully cloudy forecast. See the honest verdict.
If you read this far, this is the one
Small-Group Premium Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik
