Reykjavik Folklore Walking Tour: Meet the Elves, Trolls & Ghosts of Island

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!