Updated · prices read from our operators' live listings
Short answer: €139 per person is what most people pay. The cheapest we sell is €19 and the most expensive is €384. That range comes from 107 real whale watching tours across 25 operators — live prices, not estimates.
Boat size and season. A big steel boat from the Old Harbour is the cheap end; a small RIB with twelve people costs more and gets closer. Summer sailings cost a little more than winter.
Cheapest is not always right — a €50 saving hurts less than a wasted day. These are the low-price options we'd still put our name to.
Your Friend in Reykjavik
43% below the €139 typical for whale watching tours
pickup included
3 h 30 · from Reykjavík
Enjoy the breath taking views of Iceland’s coastline as you glide through the waters of Faxaflói Bay
Húsavík Whale Museum
86% below the €139 typical for whale watching tours
meet at the start point · works in rain
1 h · from Húsavík
Discover the fascinating world of whales at Húsavík Whale Museum
Sea Trips Reykjavík
50% below the €110 typical for puffin tours
meet at the start point
1 h · from Reykjavík
Come aboard on the Axel Rose or Harpa yacht and see the incredible wealth of marine wildlife that lives in the waters just off the shores of Reykjavík City.
If a whale watching tour is the thing you came to Iceland for, pay the middle price rather than the floor — the difference usually buys a smaller group and a guide with time for you. If it's a nice-to-have on a day you're already busy, the cheapest option does the job. Either way, book it for a day early in your trip: if weather cancels it, you'll have another day to try again. Most of these run in Reykjavík, Westfjords, North Iceland, South Coast.
We sell 107 whale watching tours from 25 Icelandic operators. The cheapest is €19 per person, the typical price is €139, and the top end is €384. Boat size and season. A big steel boat from the Old Harbour is the cheap end; a small RIB with twelve people costs more and gets closer. Summer sailings cost a little more than winter.
No. You pay the operator's own price and we take a commission out of it, so booking here costs the same as booking direct — with one checkout if you book several tours.
On most of these, yes: cancel more than 24 hours before and you get the full amount back. The exact rule belongs to the operator and is shown on each tour page before you pay.
April to October, with June to August the most reliable. Humpbacks and minke whales feed in Faxaflói off Reykjavík and in the northern fjords all summer, and white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises turn up on most trips. Winter boats still sail from Reykjavík, but sightings drop and the sea is rougher. If whales are the point of your trip, come in summer and book an early departure; seas are usually calmer in the morning.
Sometimes. Boats run from the Old Harbour all year, and winter trips do find whales, mostly humpbacks and the occasional orca. But December means short daylight, cold wind and a higher chance the operator cancels for weather. Sightings are noticeably less frequent than in summer. If you are here in winter, go anyway, but treat it as a sea trip with a chance of whales rather than a whale trip. Most operators offer a free second trip if nothing shows.
See all 107 whale watching tours, or fit one into a day-by-day plan.
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