Reykjavik Northern Lights bus tours are the cheapest way out of the city light: a big coach, a guide who reads the forecast, and hot chocolate under the sky. You board at a numbered bus stop or take a pickup, and on the plain hunts you ride again free on one other night if you see nothing.
Board at Bus Stop 12 or Bus Stop 5 at no charge, or take the pickup grade, for four hours on a coach of up to 65. Hot chocolate and Wi-Fi come with it, and one more night is free if you see nothing.
From $84 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Wi-Fi and a restroom on board a coach of up to 57, hot chocolate under the sky, and tips for photographing the lights on your phone. If the lights stay away, a free retry depends on availability. From age 6.
From $85 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The Golden Circle by day, with 40 minutes at Þingvellir, over an hour at Geysir and the crater fee paid, then a break in town and about four hours hunting. Restroom on board; no retry stated.
From $151 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Entrance tickets for the crater and the Secret Lagoon are in the fare on this long Golden Circle day, followed by about three hours on the evening hunt. Lunch is extra, and no retry is stated for the lights.
From $185 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The cheapest hunt leaves Bus Stop 12 or Bus Stop 5 at $84, and every coach here refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead. Pick your night and see the start time before you pay.
Check availabilityA coach hunt is a four-hour night out on a full-size coach. You meet it at Bus Stop 12 at Höfðatorg or Bus Stop 5 at Harpa, or you book the grade that collects you. The guide reads the cloud map and activity forecast in the afternoon, then drives you away from the city's light to wherever the sky looks clearest.
There are two kinds. The plain coach hunts cost $84 to $85, last about four hours and give you one more night free if the lights stay away. The Golden Circle double days put a full sightseeing day in front of the hunt, cost $151 to $185, and state no free retry. The visitor guide explains what every kind of fare covers.
At $84, the plain coach is the floor of the market. You get a guide, Wi-Fi and hot chocolate, and the one free retry protects your money if the first night clouds over. Small groups start at $114.
Bus Stop 12 and Bus Stop 5 are in the centre, and boarding there costs nothing extra. If your hotel is near either, you skip the pickup window and know exactly where to stand. The pickup points page shows both stops.
The coach with local hunters and the Golden Circle and aurora day both have a restroom on board. On a four-hour night in the cold, that matters more than it sounds. The small groups state none.
Only the coaches sell the Golden Circle and the lights on one fare. You see Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss by day, rest in town for two hours, and hunt after dark. If your trip is short, that is two plans on one fare.
This is the choice most people are weighing. You trade a lower fare for a larger group, and usually for taking your own photos.
| Coach hunt | Small group | |
|---|---|---|
| Fares | $84 to $85 | $114 to $221 |
| Group, where stated | 57 to 65 | 14 to 28 |
| Start | Bus Stop 12 or 5, or pickup | Hotel or a set stop |
| If you see nothing | One more night free | None stated up to unlimited |
| Photos | Phone tips on one | Taken for you on most |
| Restroom on board | On one | Not stated |
If a smaller group or photos matter more than the fare, compare the northern lights tour Reykjavik small group options, where most of the minibuses sit.
You get the seat, the guide, Wi-Fi and hot chocolate on the plain hunts. The coach with local hunters adds a restroom and tips for photographing the lights on your phone. The Golden Circle day adds the crater fee and a restroom; the Secret Lagoon day adds the crater and lagoon entrance tickets.
You do not get dinner on the cheapest coach, or food beyond the hot chocolate on the other. Lunch is extra on both double days. You do not get photos taken for you. And you share every stop with the rest of the coach. One traveller described it as a lot of waiting around and watching the sky, which is what any hunt is.
| What to expect | |
|---|---|
| Fares | $84 to $185 per person |
| Length | About 4 hours; 12½ to 13½ with the Golden Circle |
| Meeting points | Bus Stop 12 at Höfðatorg, Bus Stop 5 at Harpa, or pickup |
| Youngest | 6 on the plain hunts |
| If you see nothing | One more night on the plain hunts; none stated on the double days |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours ahead |
Book your first evening, so the free night has somewhere to land. Be at your stop before the time you are given; a coach has many stops to make. Dress for standing still in the cold for long spells, and bring cash or a card for dinner, which is not included. The nights planner lines the retry up with your trip.
The Golden Circle by day with the crater fee paid, a break in town, then about four hours hunting on a coach with a restroom. Pick your date and see the start time before you pay.
Check availabilityNext: Choose between coach and minibus in the best tour for your trip, or price the night in what each fare buys. Every fare sits side by side on Reykjavik Northern Lights Tours.