The northern lights have no gate, so there is no ticket to buy. The price you see is the fare for a hunt: a seat, a guide who reads the forecast, the drive or the sailing, and on most fares a free retry. Fares run from $84 to $1,618, and the Reykjavik Northern Lights tickets you compare are fares for different nights. Here is what each rung buys.
Nobody can sell you the aurora, and no fare is a guaranteed sighting. What a fare can promise is what happens if you see nothing. On some fares that is a free retry for as many nights as you need; on others it is one more night; on a few, nothing is stated.
So read two figures on every card: the price, and the retry. A dearer fare with an unlimited retry can cost less per sighting than a cheap one with none. The visitor guide explains what a fare covers line by line.
| Fare band | What it is | If you see nothing | Photos | Food and drink | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $84 to $85 | A coach of 57 to 65 | One more night free | Phone tips on one | Hot chocolate | Northern Lights Bus Tour from Reykjavik with Hot Chocolate |
| $86 to $105 | Two hours on the bay | A free re-sail | None | Sold on board | Northern Lights Cruise from Downtown Reykjavik |
| $114 to $221 | A small group | None stated up to unlimited | Taken for you on most | Hot chocolate on most | Reykjavik Northern Lights Tour with Pro Aurora Photos Small Group |
| $174 to $244 | A shared 4x4 or super jeep | One, lifetime or unlimited | Included | Cocoa on two of them | Northern Lights Superjeep Tour from Reykjavik |
| $151 to $185 | A Golden Circle day plus a hunt | None stated | None | Lunch not included | Golden Circle & Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik |
| $260 to $1,618 | Your party only | One on the photographer's night | On the photographer's night | Varies | Private Northern Lights Tour from Reykjavik |
Every fare is per person except the photographer's private night, priced for a group of up to four. The multi-day tour at $1,389 includes three nights' accommodation, so it sits outside the ladder.
At $84, the coach hunt buys four hours with a guide, Wi-Fi and hot chocolate. You board at Bus Stop 12 or Bus Stop 5 for free, or take the pickup grade. If you see nothing, you join again free on one other night. Dinner is not included, and the youngest traveller is 6.
What it does not buy is space. The coach takes up to 65, and you share every stop with them. It has the most mixed record here too, at 4.2. The second coach, with a restroom on board and phone photo tips, costs $85 at the time of writing.
Mostly three things: a smaller group, photos, and a better retry. The small groups run $114 to $221. At the low end, $114 buys a minibus of 18 with digital photos of you and the aurora. At $135, the midnight minibus adds free photos, a free retry and a free reschedule if weather cancels.
At $159, the small group with pro aurora photos adds unlimited retries and pro aurora and group photos. It is the highest-rated shared hunt, at 4.9 on 524 reviews. Near the top, $212 buys the snowsuit night: jumpsuits, outdoor chairs, tripods, and a long list of snacks. Compare the whole band on the northern lights small group tours page.
The shared jeeps run $174 to $244. The 4x4 minibus at $174 adds lifetime re-booking and hand warmers. The stargazing super jeep at $221 adds a telescope and unlimited retries within two years. The Super Jeep at $244 includes photos and national park fees, but not food or drinks.
The boats are the cheap end of the market, at $86 to $105, because they run two hours and need no pickup. Snacks are not in the Old Harbour cruise's fare; drinks are bought in its heated lounge. See the northern lights jeep tours for the full jeep comparison.
At four people, and only on one fare. The photographer's night costs $1,618 for a group of up to four: about $404 each, split four ways. That is less than a single seat on the private 4x4, at $649 a person.
The private car at $260 a person needs two adults at least, so two people pay twice that. For a couple it costs more than two seats on any small group, and it states no free retry. You pay for your own pace and a vehicle nobody else boards. See each private northern lights tour Reykjavik fare with its rules.
| Private hunt | Fare | Priced | Group | If you see nothing | In the fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The private car | $260 | Per person | 2 to 8 | None stated | A local guide and hotel pickup |
| The private 4x4 | $649 | Per person | Your party | None stated | Hot chocolate, pastries, hand warmers |
| The photographer's night | $1,618 | Per group | Up to 4 | One extra tour free | At least five photos if the lights show |
Tips are excluded on all of them. Only the photographer's night states a free retry, so on the other two a cloudy night is a night spent.
Exactly as many nights as you have left. On a three-night stay, an unlimited retry booked for night one is worth up to two more nights out. On your last night, it is worth nothing.
The terms matter as much as the word. One unlimited retry is for the original participant only. One is subject to availability. One must be used within two years. And the retry on one minibus rides a big bus. Read them before you pay. The nights planner shows how to line the retry up with a trip.
Most fares set age bands, and the price for your group shows when you choose the travellers. Check the minimum age before you look at price. The Super Jeep and the snowsuit night start at 5, the coach hunt at 6, the top-rated small group at 7 and the stargazing jeep at 10. One small group takes nobody under 13.
The boats are the easiest with small children: the Old Harbour cruise has an infant band from 0 to 5, and the other boat's child band starts at 0. The northern lights with kids post covers the rest.
Five lines on each card tell you what the price is worth. Read them in this order:
Every fare here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, so you can book early and still change your mind.
A promotional price is the price you pay today, and it has an end date. As of 23 September 2026, the coach with local hunters sells at $85 for bookings made by 30 September and travel from 16 to 30 September. The small group from age 13 sells at $121 for bookings made by 8 October.
After those dates, expect both to cost more. Every other fare here is the standard price. The FAQs cover booking and cancellation.
Three to five hours in an air-conditioned minibus of 18 at most, with hot chocolate and free photos, a free retry if you see nothing, and a free reschedule if weather cancels.
From $135 per person
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Four hours in an air-conditioned vehicle with hot chocolate and Wi-Fi, all fees and taxes paid, and one free retry if you see nothing, taken on a big bus.
From $118 per person
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Three to four hours for a group of up to four with a photographer-guide: at least five photos with the lights if they show, and help with your own camera.
From $1,618 per group (up to 4)
Check AvailabilityNext: Pick a format in the best tour for your trip, or see how to do it alone in northern lights without a tour. Every fare sits side by side on Reykjavik Northern Lights Tours.