Reykjavik Hop on Hop Off tours
The tourist bus in Reykjavik is an excellent option if you want to have a break during your visit to the city. Here are some advantages of taking this transportation.
Reykjavik bus | ©Matt.Bateman
One of the things that you can not fail to include among the things to see and do in Reykjavik, is a tour around the city aboard a tourist bus. This type of transportation gives you the opportunity to see as many places as possible in less time and saving money.
I will show you some of the advantages of this tour, as well as tell you the details of how to get a pass to enjoy this activity during your visit to the city. If you are going with children this is one of the mandatory tours to do with them.
Reykjavik Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Bus Tour
A complete tour of all of Reykjavík valid for 24 hours
Discover the most popular attractions throughout the city during a flexible tour through the streets of Reykjavik and admire the modern architecture that abounds in every corner of the city.
This 24 hour Reykjavik sightseeing bus pass offers you the possibility to visit each of these places at the pace you want. You can stay as long as you want at each of the attractions and above all you have the possibility to get off at any place without restrictions.
With 16 stops this option is definitely one of the best alternatives to visit Reykjavik without spending too much money. Within the payment of this ticket is not included the price of the entrance fees to the paid attractions.
The best tourist buses in the city
In Reykjavik there is only one tour bus that has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is definitely a must ride if you go to Reykjavik to visit, and above all it is one of the best options to include in the itinerary of things to do, especially if you are looking for the best time to visit Reykjavik but you have little time to do it.
One of the reasons why this sightseeing tour is definitely the best option to know the city and save money, is because it offers free stops, so you can get on and off as many times as you want during the time of the pass to know the city.
It is a double-decker bus that has comfortable spaces so you can travel throughout the city with the necessary comfort to really enjoy the ride.
It has a built-in upper deck from which you can appreciate panoramic views of the entire city, during one of the best tours of Reykjavik while enjoying the commentary in the language of your choice because the audio guides are available to narrate the entire tour and tell you interesting stories about each place you get to.
This bus has become one of the most popular attractions in Reykjavik mainly because it gives you the opportunity to see places that with a rental car for sightseeing, you might miss.
Different routes of the Reykjavík tour bus
This tourist bus is identified with the red route and consists of 16 stops where you are free to get off to explore each site of tourist interest. This route starts each day at Harpa Concert Hall and ends at the iconic Hofdi House.
At any of the 16 stops you can get off to explore the site and then get back on the bus as many times as you like. As you know, this pass lasts 24 hours so you can use it as many times as you want.
If you prefer to stay on the bus touring the entire city without getting off at any of the stipulated stops, you can also do so without any problem. One of the best things about this experience is the freedom you have to visit the city of Reykjavik without a schedule and at your own pace.
You can take the red bus route at any point of the daily itinerary, but you have to know that you can get on a bus every 45 minutes, this means that if you miss the one hour bus, then you will have to wait approximately 45 minutes to have the opportunity to get back on board.
Advantages of using the sightseeing bus
This bus operates only during daytime and evening hours, so it is one of the best ways to visit the city during the day. Although Reykjavik is a quiet and peaceful city, it is large enough to need a good means of transportation to get around.
The preferred mode of transportation for tourists is definitely the tourist double-decker bus. Among the advantages of this adventure is the personalized use of time, which means that you will have the possibility of getting to know the city according to your time availability.
Other of the most advantageous features of this tourist bus are described below.
- You have access to free wifi on board the bus so you can search for information about everything you want to know more about each tourist site, it also has enough speed to let you post on your social networks all the photos you want.
- It is equipped with air conditioning for the comfort of all passengers, but if you feel very cold, I recommend you to go with thermal clothing even inside the city, because temperatures are usually low even in summer.
- It has free stops, which is ideal to get to know the whole city at your own pace and according to your time availability to do so. If you are on a family trip, you can take as long as you want and if you are only in the city for a short time, it will be useful for a quick tour.
- It has an audio guide in different languages, including Spanish, in which you can listen to all the history of each of the sights you will visit on your tour.
- It is an excellent option to save money and at the same time have the opportunity to travel to almost the entire city for a single cost. Other means of transportation may be more expensive than this alternative.
- Bus ticket prices are usually classified according to the age of the user. Children under the age of 12 do not have to pay a ticket to get on the bus, which is a great saving if you are traveling to Iceland as a family and want to know what to see and do in Reykjavik with children.
- It is an option that you can use to your advantage both in summer and winter, however, in summer it is usually more advantageous to use this route because the atmosphere of Reykjavik in summer is considerably more pleasant than during the rest of the year.
How long is the full tour of the tourist bus
The full tour aboard this tourist bus can take about an hour without getting off at any stop. But if you decide to get off to explore each of the places you will see during the trip, then it can last as long as you want.
If you opt for the option of discovering the sights one by one, I recommend you use the stop at one of the most popular shopping malls in the city, to shop for souvenirs and other details that you may want to take back home as a souvenir.
As for the duration of the pass, this is enabled for 24 hours, after this time, if you want to continue touring the city of Reykjavik because you missed places to know and see, you must buy a new ticket that will take you to know these places.
What will I see from the tourist bus?
One of the things I like the most about this tour bus is that it takes you to the most popular places in the capital and gives you the possibility to take your time to know each of the locations where you will stop.
In that sense, the itinerary shows you interesting places that otherwise would be impossible to visit in its entirety in a single day. Here is a brief overview of the attractions and interesting sites that you can visit at each of the 16 stops.
Harpa Concert Hall
It is an imposing structure that serves as a concert and conference hall in the center of Reykjavik. It is an architectural work of pride of the locals. You can get off to see Harpa from inside or just admire it from the bus.
Old Harbour Souvenirs
It is a picturesque place with multiple houses in the style of Reykjavik that have become small souvenir stores. Old Harbour Souvenirs is a good stop to appreciate the place and especially to make interesting purchases before continuing with the tour.
Reykjavík Maritime Museum
It is the maritime museum of Reykjavík, and if you decide to visit it, you will have a trip back in time assured, where you will learn a little more about the history of the Vikings and how they had a great impact on the traditional Nordic culture.
Whales of Iceland
This is another of the most important museums of Reykjavik, being the one dedicated to the species of the sea. In Whales of Iceland you can learn everything that has to do with marine life and its characteristic species.
National Museum of Iceland
This is one of the museums dedicated to the history of the island, inside the National Museum of Iceland you can find many samples of ancient civilizations, such as statuettes representing great gods of Norse and Scandinavian mythology.
Lækjargata
It is one of the most popular streets in Reykjavík and leads you directly to Lake Tjörnin. If you are looking for a good place to take beautiful pictures, I definitely recommend you to stop in this street. It also has a very typical Icelandic scenery.
Laugavegur
This is a hiking place very close to Reykjavík, where you can start a nice tour of other places of interest such as the glacial valley of Porsmork. If you want to follow that route, I recommend hiring one of the best Reykjavík bike tours to do so.
Reykjavík Art Museum Kjarvalsstaðir
Of course in this route could not miss one of the most modern museums in Iceland, and is the Reykjavík Art Museum Kjarvalsstaðir, dedicated to art and sculpture. And is that Reykjavík is a cultural city, so the locals give special value to the visual arts.
Hallgrimskirkja
Hallgrimskirkja is the most important church in Iceland as a whole. It has an impressive structure, being together with Harpa, one of the most outstanding structures of Iceland's capital architecture. A unique place to take beautiful pictures.
BSÍ
This is the bus stop, so in theory, it is not a place to stop and visit, however, if you want to take another bus to visit other interesting places on the island, I invite you to stay at this station.
Perlan
The Perlan is a must-see attraction. It is a kind of planetarium that is located in the capital city and has a futuristic structure consisting of a pair of cylinders with a glass dome on top. If you want to see ice caves and aurora borealis without leaving Reykjavik, this is the place to experience them.
Hilton Reykjavik Nordica
It is one of the most attractive hotels in the city, in addition to having a gourmet restaurant with very good reviews, so if it's lunchtime and you want to recharge your batteries, you can't miss this stop to try good Icelandic and international food.
Laugardalur
This fun place is a good stop especially if you go with children. You will have the opportunity to swim outdoors in the warm hot springs. You can also enjoy a relaxing walk through the trees before continuing on the bus route.
Skarfabakki Harbour
This is the cruise terminal in Reykjavík, belonging to the Icelandic Ports Society. If you are going on a cruise to visit the island but do not want to miss the city tour, this is the station where you should join the tour. In case you are already on board, I recommend you to look at the place from your seat on the bus.
Hofdi House
It is a property that is located towards the north of Reykjavik and its construction dates back to 1909. If you like history and politics, you will enjoy a stop at Hofdi House, the abode that hosted the decisive meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan to end the Cold War.
During the itinerary you will also have the opportunity to visit some clothing stores so you can do your routine shopping. At each of the places on the itinerary you will have the opportunity to take amazing pictures, both in winter and summer.
Once you arrive at the Hofdi House stop, you return on the same itinerary, so you can always stay at your starting point.
How much does the tour bus ticket cost?
The cost of the ticket to board this tourist bus can change according to the age of each user. Generally it has a cost that can range from 26 to 34 euros for adults. Young people between 12 and 15 years old pay approximately 17 euros per ticket, while children under 12 years old can get on for free.
This cost structure can change considerably depending on how you book your ticket. If you buy online, the ticket may be much cheaper, as well as being advantageous because you avoid running out of tickets by the time you want to take the tour.
The price of these tickets is usually the same during the winter and during the summer, although the routes may change slightly according to the weather conditions of each season.
Tourist bus timetable
This tourist bus operates only in daylight, so it has a stipulated schedule to operate. Although this schedule changes according to the season whether it is winter or summer, its schedule changes are very slight and it does not take advantage of the long daylight during the summer, being its schedule between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm.
In case you visit Reykjavik in winter and want to board the bus, you will probably encounter a night show because during this season the nights are much longer extending up to 20 hours each day.
With so little sunlight and a schedule of 9:30am to 4:15pm each day, there is plenty of room for you to see and visit this city at night, appreciating the lights that illuminate the city and often give a better perspective of the tourist sites.
How does the tourist bus work?
The first thing you need to know about the operation of this tourist bus in Reykjavik is that it operates every day of the year, leaving out only the national holiday which is June 17. The bus also stops operating during the 6th and 20th of August.
As for how to buy the ticket to get on the bus, what I recommend is to buy it online, so you can be sure that you will have reserved your place on the tourist bus.
Once you buy the ticket it is valid and the time you have to use it starts to run. On the other hand, you do not need to activate it in any way for it to start working, you just have to get on the bus and present your ticket to the driver.
When you buy the ticket you will have all the information you need about the route, the schedules and the number of stops, as well as the place where you can take the bus the first time.
This bus operates by stops, so try to get the closest stop to your place of accommodation, because the fare of this tourist transport does not include the pick up and return to the hotel, but each passenger must get to the bus stop on their own.