Best of Iceland (Classic ( From 29 Mar '27))

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★ 5.0(5 reviews)

TourRadar

Best of Iceland (Classic ( From 29 Mar '27))

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 6 days

from $1425

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Six days around Iceland with Contiki

This is a six-day Contiki tour that starts in Reykjavik and takes you around the full ring of Iceland’s most celebrated sights. You will be based in the capital for the first leg, then work your way along the south coast and back up through the west before returning to where you began. The pace is steady: six days to cover a country that rewards patience more than speed, and the itinerary is built for first-time visitors who want the highlights without having to plan the driving themselves. The tour runs in English with a fully guided format, meaning a guide stays with the group throughout rather than meeting you at each stop. At 1,425 USD per person, it sits among the cheaper options in its category, which makes it a practical entry point for travellers who want Iceland’s core circuit without the premium price tags attached to shorter or more specialised trips.

Photographs from Contiki's listing. They show the package, not necessarily your day.

What the price covers and what it does not

The 1,425 USD entry price includes your food for the duration of the tour. That is the single most important detail in the cost breakdown, because meals on the road in Iceland are where budgets tend to stretch. The operator also includes guiding in the fare, with an English-speaking guide stated as part of the arrangement. Beyond those two items, the operator does not break down what else sits inside the base price, so you should assume that accommodation and transport are covered as standard for a tour of this kind, but the precise split is not published. What you will not be paying on top is any admission or parking fee at the places on the itinerary. None of the stops charges entry, so the price you see is the price that gets you through the day. There is no free cancellation on this booking, which is worth noting before you commit. Among the 1,392 listings in this directory, 730 offer that flexibility; this one does not, so plan your dates carefully.

What the score is worth

The tour carries a 5.0 rating, but that figure comes from only five reviews. Five people is a thin base, and the score should be read as an early signal rather than a settled verdict. In its category of 62 five- and six-day packages, this tour ranks 51st by strength of evidence, which reflects the small number of reviews rather than any criticism of the experience. By price it is far more competitive: 1,425 USD puts it eighth cheapest in its group, within the least expensive 13 percent of a range that stretches from 644 to 7,595 USD. What that means in practice is that you are paying near the bottom of the market for a tour whose early reviews are uniformly positive, but whose track record is still being written. If you want more data before deciding, the Land of the Northern Lights tour in the same category has 183 reviews behind a 4.4 score, which gives you a much fuller picture of what travellers actually experienced.

Season and time of day

The tour starts from 29 March 2027, which places it at the very beginning of the Icelandic spring. In March, Reykjavik averages a high of 4 degrees and a low of minus 1, so you are still in winter coat territory. By May the averages climb to 10 degrees high and 4 low, and the daylight stretches noticeably. The tour covers six days, which means you will experience the transition from early spring chill to something closer to mild. The sun in late March rises early enough to give you a full day of sightseeing, and by May you are looking at long evenings that extend the useful hours for being outdoors. The cold is manageable, but the wind is the factor that will shape your packing more than the thermometer. For a tour of this length, the practical window is the one the operator has chosen: you get the low-season prices and the empty roads of early spring, with the trade-off that some higher mountain routes may still be affected by snow.

What happens on the ground

The tour departs from Reykjavik, a city of 139,804 people with a greater capital region of 253,230. The city itself covers 244 square kilometres and received its charter on 18 August 1786, which makes it a young capital by European standards. Your guide will meet the group in the city and handle the logistics from there. The stops on the itinerary are Icelandic sights of the kind that do not have staffed entrances or ticket booths. You will pull up, walk out, and take in what is in front of you. The guide’s role is to set the context and keep the group moving on schedule. Because the weather in Iceland can change quickly, the guide has discretion to adjust the order of stops or the time spent at each one. A road that is open in the morning can close by afternoon, and the guide’s judgement is what keeps the tour on track.

Who this tour suits

This tour suits travellers who want Iceland’s main circuit covered in under a week without arranging their own rental car or navigating the country’s weather forecasts. It is a group tour, so you should be comfortable with a fixed schedule and the company of other travellers. The food being included removes a daily decision and a daily expense, which makes it a good fit for anyone who prefers to pay up front rather than track spending as they go. It is less suited to those who want flexibility or who prefer to travel independently. If you want a longer trek with a different character, the 5-Day Laugavegur Trek in Huts costs 2,962 USD and runs five days with a 4.7 rating from 14 reviews, but it is a hiking-focused itinerary rather than a sightseeing circuit. If you are drawn to the northern lights specifically, the Iceland Northern Lights tour at 2,770 USD over five days, or the Northern Lights Escape at 2,265 USD over six days, both aim at that phenomenon. For a first trip to Iceland that covers the ground efficiently and cheaply, this Contiki tour is the more straightforward choice.

★★★★★

TourRadar

Best of Iceland (Classic ( From 29 Mar '27))

★ 5.0 · 5 reviews

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the partner catalogue as exported in September 2026.

from $1425

Check availability6 days • Start and end in Reykjavik