9 Self-Guided Tours in Iceland Worth Booking

1.South Coast Iceland from Reykjavik with Guide & Touchscreen Audio

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 330 reviews · from $115Our pick

Spend about 11 hours touring Iceland’s South Coast by coach, with guides such as Darren, Karen, Oliver, or Ramon, plus touchscreen audio in 10 languages. You’ll see Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Sólheimajökull, Reynisfjara, Vík, volcanoes, and ocean views. Hotel pickup costs extra.

“The tour guide we had, Oliver, was EXCELLENT! He was a walking encyclopedia about the sites we visited.”

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2.Hellisheiði Geothermal Exhibition: Entry and Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 88 reviews · 1 day · from $21

At Hellisheiði Geothermal Exhibition, about 20 minutes from Reykjavík, you explore an operating geothermal power plant beneath Mount Hengill. Use your own smartphone and headphones for the English or Icelandic audio tour, follow interactive displays, visit the Carbfix room, and pause at indoor viewing platforms. Allow about an hour, or stay longer at your own pace.

“The Hellishedi Geothermal Exhibition was well worth the trip to get there and the entry fee. For those ignorant of the process (the vast majority, I expect) to extract thermal power and hot water from the earth, go straight to Exhibit Stop 9, Production Process, and spend sufficient time there to learn how the industrial process works and to fully appreciate the research, engineering, and money needed to succeed. Stop 9 will also better inform you of what you see at other stops. My only disappointment of the Exhibition is that we did not have a guided tour by an employee. I had thought we would have been provided a…”

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3.Reykjavik Main Sights and Hidden Spots: A Self-Guided Audio Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 39 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours (approx.) · from $11

Use the VoiceMap app to walk from Hallgrimskirkja through central Reykjavik, Harpa, the Old Harbour, and onward to parliament. The GPS-triggered audio plays as you reach each stop, while offline maps and audio let you explore without mobile data. Plan on 90 minutes to 2 hours, or longer with coffee and photo stops.

“Extremely easy to use with your phone. No need to do anything but listen to the audio and take pictures. It guides you the whole way. And even though we arrived in Iceland a day later than expected, we were able to use it when we got here.”

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4.Iceland’s Golden Circle Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 38 reviews · 3 to 6 hours (approx.)

Drive Iceland’s Golden Circle at your own pace with Guide With Action’s GPS-triggered audio tour. Start in Reykjavik, follow offline maps to Thingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, Skálholt, Sólheimar, and Kerid Crater, and hear more than 100 stories about Icelandic history, geology, Vikings, and folklore.

“After realising that it would not work until you were on the route covered by the app, it was easy to use and enjoyably informative. Much better way to explore the various sites in your own time by Hire car over a number ofdays to suit yourself. Good dialogue and highly recommended.”

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5.Self-Guided Tour of Ísafjörður: Art, History, and Architecture

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $9Best value

This self-guided VoiceMap walk leads you from the Westfjord History Museum to Silfurtorg in about 75 to 90 minutes. Hear a local narrator share Ísafjörður stories as you pass the church, old hospital, Whalebone Arch, Fishermen’s Monument, Kerecis, and 3D Crosswalk. Download the route, bring headphones, and walk at your own pace.

“Be sure to download the Voice map ahead of time and make certain it is operating. It takes a bit of time to do it. I really enjoyed the tour until I had to take some other streets due to the construction occurring. There was sanding being done on buildings and I could not tolerate the dust. Tried to get it to match my location but gave up.”

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6.Reykjavik Scavenger Hunt and Highlights Self Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $9

Use the World City Trail app to follow a 3.1-kilometer Reykjavik route, solve easy riddles, and hear stories about eight outdoor sights. Start any time, pause for food or photos, and finish where you choose. This private, guide-free tour costs $9.60 per person and requires mobile data.

“Really good trail. Loads to see and good clues. The write ups at each clue were a bit repetitive but other than that a great trail! Would recommend.”

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7.Icelands Reykjavik Self Guided Walking Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) · from $19

Use the Action Tour Guide app to walk a 1.6-mile Reykjavik route with more than 30 location-triggered audio stories. You’ll hear Icelandic history, legends, and local details while visiting Hallgrimskirkja, Sun Voyager, Harpa, Parliament House, City Hall, and other central sights. The tour is in English, works offline, and includes lifetime access.

“The map is easy to follow and shares several interesting facts along each stop. Highly recommended!!”

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8.Snaefellsnes Peninsula Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.)

Drive Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula with the Action audio app as your guide. For $49.99 per car of up to four people, you get offline maps, GPS-triggered stories, and lifetime access to more than 83 stops. Follow the route from Ingjaldshólskirkja to Kirkjufell, pausing for walks, photos, food, and side trips whenever you like.

“The black church was so cool! And it was great to have the freedom to travel on my own while getting all the information of a tour group”

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9.Reykjanes Peninsula: Volcanos & Blue Lagoon Self-Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews

Follow an app-based audio route from Njarðvík across the Reykjanes Peninsula to Seltún. You’ll hear stories about Vikings, pirates, trolls, geology, and fishing while visiting Gunnuhver, the Bridge Between Continents, lava shores, sea cliffs, and Fagradalsfjall. Buy one tour for up to four people in a car. Blue Lagoon entry requires a separate reservation.

“The tour was spot on with locations. Worked flawlessly! Commentary was interesting, curent and insightful. The route was easy to navigate. Tour is very doable in just over three hours. However, I could easily spend up to 6 hours with several of the side trips. FYI: Only one restroom (WC) towards the last stop.”

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