Is a private tour in Iceland worth it?

For families, groups of three or more, photographers and anyone who wants their own pace, usually yes. For solo travellers on a budget, a bus tour is often the better choice.

Do private tours visit the same places as bus tours?

Yes, and more. You see the same highlights, plus any extra stops you ask for.

Where do bus tours pick you up in Reykjavík?

Usually at numbered bus stops in the city centre, because large coaches cannot drive into many central streets. Private tours collect you at your hotel.

Is a private tour priced per person?

No. With us the price is per car for your whole group, up to 4 people in a car or 7 in a van where a van is offered.

Can we change the plan during a private tour?

Yes. Your driver adapts the order and the time at each stop to your wishes and the weather.

Are private tours available in winter?

Yes, all year. In winter the route is planned around the short daylight and the forecast.

Can you pick us up outside Reykjavík?

Yes, on request. Tell us where you are staying when you book.

Are child seats included?

Yes, free of charge on request.

How do we book a private tour?

Choose a tour on our tours page, pick a date and time, or message us on WhatsApp for a custom day.

Golden Circle & day tours

Private Tour or Bus Tour in Iceland? What You Really Get for the Money

Drive Reykjavik team · 5 min read · October 2026

Every morning, dozens of tours leave Reykjavík for the Golden Circle and the South Coast. Some are large coaches with 50 seats, some are minibuses, and some are private cars with a single family inside. They visit the same waterfalls and geysers, so what are you actually paying for?

We run private tours, so we will be clear about when a bus tour is the smarter choice too.

The difference at a glance

Bus tour: a seat on a shared vehicle, fixed route and timetable, the lowest price per person.
Private tour: your own car and driver, your pace and your stops, one price for the whole car.
Pick-up: bus tours usually collect from bus stops in central Reykjavík; a private tour picks you up at your door.
Group size: a bus can carry dozens of people; a private tour is just your group.
Break-even: for three or four people, the difference per person shrinks a lot.

Clear blue water in a rift between dark rock walls at Þingvellir National Park — The clear water of Þingvellir, the first stop on the Golden Circle.Photo: Drive Reykjavik

When a bus tour is a good choice

You are travelling alone or as a couple on a tight budget.
You enjoy meeting other travellers and do not mind a fixed schedule.
You are happy with the standard stops and the time allowed at each.
You are staying close to a bus stop in central Reykjavík.

Big tour companies run reliable, well-organised trips. For many visitors they are exactly right.

What a private tour gives you

Your own pace: stay longer at the places you love, skip the ones you do not.
Your own stops: a farm café, a horse by the road, a viewpoint with nobody else there. Just ask.
Pick-up at your door, not at a bus stop, which matters in winter wind and with children.
Timing around the crowds: leave earlier or later than the coaches to reach the famous stops when they are quieter.
Comfort: a quiet car, space for camera bags and child seats free on request.
A local driver who answers your questions and adapts the day to the weather.

Crowds and timing

The coaches leave Reykjavík at similar times and arrive at Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss in waves. With a private tour you can reverse the route or start earlier and see Gullfoss before the buses arrive. On the South Coast, a private car can stay at Reynisfjara after the coaches have left, when the beach is much quieter.

View over the green rift valley of Þingvellir National Park with a lake and mountains — Þingvellir from above, a place worth time rather than a rushed stop.Photo: Drive Reykjavik

Cost: per person versus per car

A bus tour is priced per seat, a private tour per car. For one or two people the bus is clearly cheaper. For a family of four or a group of friends, the gap narrows, because the private price is shared, and once you add door-to-door pick-up, flexible stops and no waiting for others, many families find the private tour better value. Our tours page shows the price per car for every route.

Families with children

Children rarely enjoy a fixed timetable. With a private tour you can stop when someone is hungry, cold or needs a toilet, take a longer break at a playground in a village, and keep the child seats in the car all day. Our family guide has more ideas.

What a private Golden Circle day looks like

8:30 to 9:00: pick-up at your hotel door in Reykjavík.
10:00: Þingvellir National Park, with time to walk through the Almannagjá rift.
12:00: lunch at a farm restaurant or a village café of your choice.
13:30: the Geysir area, where Strokkur erupts every few minutes.
15:00: Gullfoss, the great two-step waterfall.
Afternoon: optional extras such as Kerið crater, a geothermal bath or a greenhouse visit, then back to Reykjavík.

Times are only an example. On a private tour you can start earlier, swap the order or add a stop, and your driver adjusts the day as you go.

Questions to ask before booking any tour

Is the price per person or per vehicle, and what exactly is included?
Where is the pick-up: at my hotel or at a bus stop?
How many people will be on the tour?
How long do we have at each stop?
What happens if the weather is bad, and what is the cancellation policy?

Private tours in winter

In winter, daylight is short and the weather can change the plan. A private driver can move the order of the stops to follow the best light, wait out a squall in a café, or finish early if the forecast turns. On a bus tour the whole group follows one plan.

Our private tours

We have been driving travellers around Iceland for ten years. Every tour is private for your group only, with pick-up from your hotel in Reykjavík, a fixed price per car and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Popular choices are the Golden Circle, the South Coast and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. We also build custom days on request: message us on WhatsApp at +354 777 3949.