Reykjavik: Beer and Booze Tour

GYG

Reykjavik: Beer and Booze Tour

★ 4.9(69 reviews)

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 2.5 hours

from $125

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

Two hours and a half through Reykjavik's bars

This is a walking tour of Reykjavik's drinking spots, run by Your Friend In Reykjavik. It starts in the city and runs for 2.5 hours, moving between bars and pubs that a visitor would be unlikely to find alone. The guide speaks English, and the group stays small enough that you can ask questions as you go. The tour is priced from 125 USD, which puts it among the cheaper options in its category, and it suits travellers who want to see how the city drinks rather than just where it eats. You will not need to arrange transport, because everything happens on foot within the centre. The itinerary takes in Reykjavik itself, and the tour also reaches Vik i Myrdal, which is a long way south of the capital. That journey is part of the package, so the 2.5 hours cover more than a few blocks of the city centre.

Photographs from the operator Your Friend In Reykjavik. They show the listing, not your day.

What the price covers and what it does not

The 125 USD entry price buys you the guided walk and the company of an English-speaking guide for the full 2.5 hours. The operator is explicit that food is not part of the deal, and neither is hotel pickup. You make your own way to the starting point, and you pay for your own drinks as you go. This is a minority position among the 21 tours in this category, where only six other operators say the same. Most food tours in Reykjavik bundle the tastings into the price, so this one stands apart by leaving the eating and drinking to you. That means you can control what you spend, but it also means you should bring cash or a card for the bar tabs. The operator offers free cancellation, though no deadline is given for when you need to decide.

What a 4.9 score from 69 reviews is worth

The tour holds a 4.9 rating, which is the highest score a listing can reasonably carry. The number behind it matters more than the score itself. Sixty-nine reviews is a modest sample. It is enough to show that the tour works well for the people who have taken it, but it is not the thousands of reviews that back the foodie walking tour in the same category, which also scores 4.9 from 1,933 ratings. In a category of 21 tours, this one ranks fourth by the number of reviews, which puts it in the top fifth for visibility and feedback. The rating is consistent with the operator's other work, and it is honest to say that the sample is small enough that a few unhappy customers could shift the number. Still, a 4.9 from 69 people who bothered to write is a solid record, and it places this tour among the better-documented options in Reykjavik's food and drink scene.

When the tour makes sense

Reykjavik's temperatures stay above freezing from April through October, with highs climbing from 7 degrees in April to 15 degrees in July. The tour runs in the evening, when the sun is low and the air cools quickly. In the summer months, the midnight sun keeps the streets light until late, and the mild evenings from June to August, with highs of 13 to 15 degrees, make bar-hopping on foot comfortable. From September onward, the averages drop to 11 degrees and below, and by November the high is 5 degrees. The winter months of December through February hover around 3 degrees, which is cold enough that the walk between bars becomes part of the challenge. The tour's 2.5 hours are short enough that you will not spend a full evening outside, but you should dress for the walk in any season. The spring months of April and May, with highs of 7 to 10 degrees, offer a good balance of daylight and mild air, and the early autumn of September, at 11 degrees, is still pleasant for an evening stroll between stops.

What to expect when you join

The tour gathers in Reykjavik, and you will meet your guide at the starting point. There is no hotel pickup, so you need to find your own way there, which is straightforward in a city this size. The guide leads the group on foot between the bars, and the pace is set by the group. The weather matters more here than at a fixed venue. Rain and wind are common in Reykjavik, and the walk between stops can be wet. In winter, the pavements can be icy, so sturdy shoes are worth wearing. The bars themselves are warm and staffed, so the cold is only an issue for the short stretches outside. The tour does not include food, so if you want to line your stomach before the drinks, you should eat beforehand. The operator notes that the tour is not wheelchair accessible, which reflects the nature of the bar crawl and the walk between venues.

Who should take this tour and who should not

This tour suits travellers who want to drink like a local and learn about Reykjavik's beer and spirits scene from someone who knows it. It is a good fit for solo travellers and small groups who want company for an evening, and for anyone who prefers to pay for their own drinks rather than have them bundled into a package. It is not for people who want food included, since the operator is clear that the price covers only the guiding. If you want a meal with your drinks, the Guided Foodie Walking Tour with 6 Tastings runs for 3 hours from 150 USD and includes the tastings, which makes it the better choice for a full evening out. The Eimverk Distillery Guided Tour with Tasting is a shorter and cheaper alternative at 1.2 hours from 47 USD, if you want to focus on one distillery rather than move between bars. The Beer and Booze Tour is the right pick when you want variety and a guide to take you to places you would not find on your own, and you are happy to settle your own tab as you go.

GYG

Reykjavik: Beer and Booze Tour

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the state of the catalogue, not the state of this morning.

from $125

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