Reykjavik Folklore Walking Tour: Meet The Elves, Trolls & Ghosts Of Iceland

Our guide, Duí, was incredible! The price of this tour is very reasonable for the experience we received. The tour was very informative, lots of fun, and the perfect way to walk through downtown Reykjavik. Our group only consisted of 8 guests total, so it was the perfect size to stick together and walk around. Our tour went a little over the 90 min duration, but I honestly would have loved to keep learning! Duí was such a delight to be around- he told the best stories and has an incredible singing voice. We were even blessed to see an intense Aurora during our tour (I’m sorry Duí if we were a little distracted!). I would recommend this tour for anyone traveling through Iceland. This will surely be a Halloween to remember!

We booked this tour because we wanted to learn about Icelandic folklore, elves, trolls, and the hidden people. Kristin absolutely delivered. She was a fantastic storyteller, took us through the graveyard, and made the stories and folklore of Iceland feel completely magical. But here's the thing. At the end of the tour, Michele and I watched Kristin walk away, looked away for approximately TWO SECONDS, and she was basically gone. There was nowhere she logically could have disappeared to that fast. Therefore, after spending the afternoon learning about the hidden people, Michele and I would like to officially report that we are fairly certain our tour guide was one of them. Honestly, that feels like the best possible endorsement of an Icelandic folklore tour. Absolutely loved it. 😂

Duo was friendly and very knowledgeable. Great story teller and singer 🤣

Dúi was a wonderful guide! He was very friendly and kept us engaged even in a freezing, windy evening! He was a wonderful storyteller and wove in the locations and stops perfectly for telling stories. He was also super helpful after the tour for recommendations and other questions too. You’ll have a wonderful tour with Your Friend In Reykjavik, especially with Dúi as your storyteller!

The tour was lively and we enjoyed it very much. We especially appreciated our guide Stefan who was a wonderful host - his talent for singing, great sense of humor and plethora of local knowledge made our experience really extraordinary. We were a group of 2 adults and two teens- everyone loved the walk and we're going to do another tour for sure next time we're back in Iceland.

Dui (our tour guide) was very descriptive, animated, had a great voice signing the nursery rhymes and songs. Knowledgeable about history and lores. Great tour

It was a very interesting telling of folklore of Iceland. It is a nice walk through Reykjavik and a good way to see some beautiful houses and a creepy cemetery.

Stefan was a delight and a great folklore storyteller. He was able to predict the church bells with comedic timing, had treats for the cats of Reyjkavick, and shared Icelandic lore and customs. He walked at a good pace- he's tall but didn't let anyone fall behind.

My wife and I did this tour with Stefan and it was fantastic! We only had one full day in Reykjavík and this was a perfect way to see around the city and learn about Iceland’s unique flare. Stefan made this tour very enjoyable- from sharing how to do old magic to singing some Icelandic lullabies, he was so entertaining and kept us engaged the whole time. Bonus was that he kept at treats with him and introduced us to some of the famous cats of downtown Reykjavík! I had this tour specifically with Stefan recommended to me by my brother who came last year, and I will be recommending it to anyone I know who comes in the future

Fascinating lore nestled among the beautiful scenery of Reykjavik! Our guide, Dui, was a delight, mixing history and humor. The tour moved at a nice pace without ever feeling rushed.

Great tour…so glad we signed up for it. We learned so much and got to see new parts of Reykjavik. Would highly recommend it!

Great mix of history, folklore and Icelandic traditions! Dui, our tour guide, was wonderful! He told stories, he sang Icelandic tails & translated them, it was a really lovely opportunity to hear some of the native language. The tour wraps up right around the corner from the famous bbp hotdog stand, perfect snack post tour!

Einar is a great storyteller! The tour needs to connect his stories, history, and info to the stops/places visited. We had to stand in 1 location for a very long time and that was uncomfortable.

It's interesting, but much darker than I was expecting. I thought there would be lighter stories about trolls and elves, but it's a much heavier history, so be ready. Still a cool tour though!

Wonderful walking tour with stories I hadn't known before. I enjoyed the mix of information given, from spells to ghosts to trolls. I signed my whole family up to do this when we came because it looked enjoyable, and it was. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. He answered questions my family had not in relation to the tour matter as well. We all have a good time and Id be keen to do tours like this next visit. :)

Arni, our stupendous tour guide gave us the most amazing experience possible. I was intrigued by all of the interesting stories he told us. We got to hear interesting stories about magical folklore while exploring the beautiful streets of Iceland. This tour is very kid friendly and I would definitely recommend this for an amazing story walk

This was such a fun and educational tour. I loved the stories and the walk through Reykjavik with history and folklore was thoroughly enjoyable. I greatly appreciated the walk through the cemetery as well. It’s truly beautiful. Thank you.

We were pleasantly surprised by this charming tour! The legend story telling, history knowledge, singing, friendly atmosphere that DUI created in our group was personal and down to earth. Perfect size group, easy to ask questions and feel it was a personal experience. How sweet to take a pic of the group and hand out mementos at the end!

My husband and I really enjoyed this tour. We heard a number of stories about Icelandic folklore which were all interesting. The guide was personable and funny. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning about the folk stories in Iceland.

Stefan, our guide, was incredibly informative, friendly, and had a fantastic sense of humor! He was engaging from start to finish, making the tour fun and enjoyable for everyone. We had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting Reykjavík! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Viator app also worked seamlessly for booking and storing our event tickets. The directions to the meeting point were clear and helpful, with convenient links to Google Maps. Highly recommend downloading the app.

⁠Stefán was a great guide and we got to learn a little bit about the history of Iceland as well as the stories behind some of their lore. He introduced us to places we would not have found on our own (like the cemetery) and helped us to understand some old beliefs and why they came to be. An enjoyable walk and definitely not a difficult one for those who might be concerned.

What a great afternoon with Arnie. The sun was out, the streets quiet as it was a public holiday in Reykjavik and Arnie was so informative, funny and knowledgeable with great communication skills. Pace was leisurely so all the group could keep up. Thanks for great story telling Arnie.

We had such a great time on this tour! Stefan was amazing and such a great storyteller! It is a walking tour, but not very far and frequent breaks.

This tour was absolutely fantastic, we had so much fun walking around and our tour guide Dúi told the stories with a real whimsicalness while also being educational on the history of the city. We did this tour on our very first day of our trip and thought it was the most wonderful introduction to the city.

Stefán is a master of storytelling. It was truly delightful walking with him through the city and listen to him explaining the Icelandic folklore. I would book the tour again :)

This was a very cool and educational experience. I love mythology and folklore and try to book a tour like this wherever I go. Even though I was already familiar with Norse mythology, I still learned quite a bit from this tour. There was some general Norse mythology stuff just as background and reference point, but the "meat" of the tour was very much Iceland specific. You would get no complaints from me if the guide just stood there and told us stories about Odin and Thor, but the very specific Icelandic flavor of the things that were discussed and the relevant locations was very much appreciated. I had no idea that Iceland had such a rich and unique folklore tradition that is very distinct from what comes to mind when you think Scandinavian folklore. The value of this tour was two fold. On the one hand, there were the cool stories and getting to know more about a fascinating culture. But that part stands on its own. We could have done this bit in the pub over a few beers (future tour idea maybe?) and I would have been happy. But the locations! The locations add a whole new aspect to this fantastic tour. I got to see more of the city proper. My lodgings were located in the touristy part of town where all the bars are, close to the big church and the rainbow street (no complaints on that front,) but I had no idea that there was a whole other part of Reykjavík that had some of the most amazing modern architecture I've seen on four continents. That should honestly just be a tour in and of itself. Love cool buildings? Let us show them to you and tell you cool facts about them! I'd book that. But I digress! We saw some really cool sites around Reykjavík. I need to come back just to see all the museums. Every stop we made had an interesting story related to it and even if it wasn't really relevant to whatever bit of cool Icelandic folklore our guide happened to be imparting to us at that moment, it still made the story better. Our guide told us about several Icelandic poems and lullabies. And then he sang them! He freaking sang them to us! How awesome is that? I'll tell you how awesome. Very bloody awesome! The tour included a visit to the local cemetery, and he showed us the graves of some of his relatives, which added a personal touch to the whole thing. At the end, we visited a secret garden. If you didn't know it was there, you'd walk right by it, none the wiser. I'm not gonna tell where it is. Book the tour and find out. Just know it's really cool. The weather wasn't exactly THE BEST for a walking tour. It was chilly, windy, and rainy. But the rain was just a light on and off sprinkle, the wind was pretty mild, and the cold was no worse than normal. It's was all in all a normal Icelandic day. I would have just preferred it if it wasn't 😀. Apparently these reviews have a character limit and I blew right past it so I had to revise my review. Long story short: if you're into mythology and folklore, book this tour. You'll learn a lot and want to learn more. Also, if you're building a road and there's a large, weird looking stone in the way, go around it. There's probably elves there, and it's better to be safe than sorry.

A fun experience that actually helped us later in our trip without the stories and myth some of the souvenirs didn’t make Sense. High energy great story telling. Saw neat parts of the city.

The Folklore walking tour was the perfect way to start our stay in Reykjavik! Our guide Stefan was very knowledgeable and a great storyteller. We saw beautiful parts of the city, including a secret garden, and heard fascinating, hilarious, and unique stories of Icelandic folklore. I appreciated that our tour was 8 people, as it made it feel very personal. Your Friend in Reykjavik and Stefan provided a wonderful experience, communicated clearly, and added personal touches that went above and beyond your average tour. We loved the recommendations provided after the tour, along with our group photo! Book this tour for a taste of true Icelandic culture in this beautiful city.

If you’re interested in Icelandic folklore, this tour with Stefan is a must. He is incredibly knowledgeable, fun, entertaining, personable, and wonderfully dramatic in the way he tells the stories. He took the time to ask questions and get to know everyone, making the experience feel much more personal than a typical tour. He brought Icelandic legends to life and made the history and folklore easy to imagine. We learned a lot, laughed throughout the tour, and left with a much deeper appreciation for Iceland’s culture. One of the highlights of our time in Iceland. Highly recommended!

Árni was a genuine and warm guide, showing a special passion and eloquence around the memories and lore that surrounded us in our walk - and which permeated all the places we saw more widely in Iceland. Charming, easy to talk to, and ready for all questions, a truly great companion in a rich and rewarding tour.

Árni was a great tour guide. It was like walking with a friend. We learned a lot about the history of Iceland and heard lots of great stories about elves and trolls. A highlight was the Hólavallagarður Cemetery.

Dui was fantastic. He told us stories, he sang us songs, he did a phenomenal job! There wasn't a place to sit at all of our stops, so hopefully you can stand and walk for the 1.5 hours.

The information was nicely presented. The pace of the walking and story telling was unhurried and informative. We enjoyed the stories and singing. We appreciated the tip to visit the National Museum which we thoroughly enjoyed the following day.

Our guide, Hrafn, was a fabulous storyteller and expert in his material!

Our guide Hravn was a gifted storyteller and made the tour so interesting and fun. I am certain several of the stories will stay with me forever. This was one of several tours with this company and all of the guides have been great.

Oli was a fantastic tour leader. We were really impressed with his knowledge of local history, myths, and ghost stories. Highly recommend him and this tour!

Dui was so kind and accommodating. He brought so much life to the stories. Even singing to us multiple times. His words, and songs, were beautiful and haunting. He really captured the lore of his beautiful country.

Booked this trip with Viator, which is always an easy and convenient way to go. Instructions for meet up were in the app, and we were also emailed and messaged. Our guide was Ester E and she made it interesting and fun. This is a light-hearted tour, suitable for all ages. Easy walking. We enjoyed it!

We had a great time on this unique tour! Einar, our tour guide, was friendly and very engaging. We learned a lot about Icelandic folklore and history. Would definitely recommend!

The tour was fun. Oli, our guide told us a lot of stories about elves, trolls, and ghosts. It was a great way to see some of the city and to learn about Icelandic folklore.

This tour was a bit lacklustre. We spent most of our time chatting between ourselves because the guide only spoke for a minute or so at each spot. Needs work on the content.

This was such a great experience! Dúi was our guide, and he told the most interesting and entertaining stories. He also sang a few traditional songs. He has a lovely singing voice! We learned so much about the folklore of Iceland, and he also helped orient us to the city and its sights. I can’t say enough good things about this tour.

Our guide was very kind, animated and a true storyteller! He was well versed in Icelandic folklore! My challenge was that he was so engaged in his storytelling that it seemed he wasn’t reading our body language. We were standing in the same spot (in the park area at the beginning of the tour) for a long time. Our group shared that we had just landed that morning and we were all exhausted. We were fidgeting bc our legs were hurting by just standing there and he could have talked while we walked. In that same area, he seemed oblivious to the construction noise intermittently going on 50 yards behind him. It was an entertaining way to hear a few stories, see the only “operating” Catholic Church and cemetery (where we learned quite a bit about his family members). He obviously loves what he does and his country’s folklore! I can recommend this tour if it’s nice out and doesn’t cost too much (booked a long time ago and I can’t remember what we paid).

The tour was full of interesting facts about the city of reiki vec and it's culture of little people and giants. If you like corky history tours you will love this tour.

Interesting to learn more about the Islandic culture and the country. Would recommend to someone who doesn't know Reykjavik very well.

Matthias was our guide for the evening tour, and what a fun experience this was! Not only did we get lots of spooky and whimsical stories, but we got tons of Icelandic history as well. My husband and I spent the rest of our trip pointing out "elf rocks" and "trolls" to one another. This tour was so much fun and truly a highlight for us. Thank you!

It was VERY cold and at first, when our guide said the tour would be 1.5-2 hours, I thought, “we will never last that long,” but the time went by quickly with the stories and exploration of a cemetery, a stop by a church, etc. I’m very glad we decided to do it!

Einar was a wonderful guide. Took us inside when we were freezing to give us Interesting information. It was fun Learning about Iceland traditions. He told us great stories and sang us great songs.

We took our tour with Matthias and my goodness was he a wealth of knowledge, and so incredibly warm and kind. It is so clear he enjoys these tours and connecting with tourists to tell them about these stories. Incredible storyteller, attentive to all the needs of a tour group with diverse walking speeds, and offered so much more than just folklore during this walk.