The Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour

The best thing about The Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour is that it turns a simple Reykjavik walk into a series of edible stops. You begin among the stone pillars of Ingólfstorg, stroll along Laugavegur, then sample pastries, candy, skyr, ice cream, and other Icelandic tastes with a local guide.

I like the small maximum of 12, which keeps the walk personal, and I like that all the tastings are included in the $109.04 price. Guides such as Óli, Þór, Ester, Bo, Einar, and Páll have been praised for mixing food with stories about Icelandic life, history, and growing up in the country.

The main caution is value. If you already know Reykjavik’s cafés, or if you want only desserts, the tour may feel expensive and a few savory tastes, such as dried haddock or fermented shark, may not fit your idea of a sweet tour. You should also arrive hungry.

Key points to know before booking

• Start with Reykjavik’s old center: Meet by the tall stone pillars at Ingólfstorg, then walk through the central streets toward Laugavegur.
• Food and stories come together: The guide explains Icelandic customs, local history, and the background of each treat.
• Expect more than pastries: Tastings can include hot chocolate, candy, skyr, ice cream, cake, dried fish, and fermented shark.
• The group stays small: A maximum of 12 people makes it easier to ask questions, and light bookings may create a private-feeling outing.
• Plan around a full stomach: Several pastries and desserts add up quickly, so a large lunch beforehand is a mistake.
• Lactose intolerance is a concern: Ice cream is part of the route, and the experience is not recommended if you cannot tolerate lactose.

A sweet introduction at Ingólfstorg

The tour begins at 2 p.m. at Ingólfstorg, the square in central Reykjavik in front of Center Hotels Plaza. Look for the two stone pillars, each more than three meters high. Your guide usually wears a light blue jacket marked Your Friend in Reykjavik on the back.

This is a useful meeting point because it puts you right in the old center, close to Aðalstræti and Austurstræti. The guide spends about 10 minutes here, and the opening is not just a roll call. The square provides a setting for early stories about Reykjavik and Icelandic culture. One child-focused review describes an introduction involving the Nordic gods, which helped keep two eight-year-olds interested from the start.

That matters if you are traveling with children. Food gives younger visitors a reason to keep walking, while the stories give the route more shape than a simple café crawl.

Walking Laugavegur between the tastings

The next part takes you along Laugavegur, one of central Reykjavik’s main streets. The walking is described as easy paced, with about 10 minutes set aside for the downtown stroll. You are not signing up for a long city hike, but you should still wear comfortable shoes and bring a waterproof layer. Reykjavik weather can change quickly, and the route spends time outdoors between indoor stops.

The guide fills this section with anecdotes about the city, Icelandic people, and local life. Bo, Óli, Þór, Einar, and others have been praised for answering questions and giving practical suggestions for the rest of a Reykjavik visit. That makes this tour especially useful early in your stay. You get a quick sense of the center, hear what foods matter locally, and can ask your guide for ideas while you still have time to use them.

The walking also keeps the experience from becoming a series of disconnected snacks. You see the streets between stops and get a little orientation along the way.

Baka Baka and the pleasure of Icelandic pastry

Baka Baka is the first major food stop, with about 20 minutes planned here. This is where the tour leans most clearly into the pastry side of its name. Expect baked treats made with traditional recipes, with the exact selection dependent on what is being served.

Pastries are often the strongest part of the experience for people who want a taste of everyday Iceland rather than a formal meal. Several samples can make a familiar item feel new when the guide explains how it fits into local habits. The Happy Marriage pastry was singled out as a favorite, and it is a good example of the sort of memorable, distinctly Icelandic sweet that makes the tour worthwhile.

Hot chocolate has also been part of the Baka Baka stop. On a cold Reykjavik afternoon, that simple pairing can be more satisfying than a long explanation about baking. You get something warm, sweet, and easy to enjoy while hearing about the shop and the surrounding area.

Still, keep your expectations sensible. This is a tasting, not a full bakery meal. You receive samples included in the tour, not a free choice from everything behind the counter.

Taste of Iceland brings savory surprises

Taste of Iceland changes the rhythm. Here, the tasting can include skyr, fermented shark, and other Icelandic specialties. Skyr is mild, thick, and familiar to many people as a yogurt-like dairy food, though it has its own Icelandic identity. Fermented shark is another matter. It is a traditional food and an adventurous taste, not a dessert.

This stop is useful because it gives the tour cultural range. Icelandic food is not only cinnamon-scented pastry and ice cream. Some local tastes are tied to older ways of preserving food, and trying a small portion lets you understand that tradition without ordering a whole serving.

The drawback is clear. One customer felt that a small piece of dried haddock did not belong on a sweet tour and would have preferred more interesting items from the menu. If your goal is strictly cake, candy, and pastry, you may find this stop less satisfying. If you want a broader introduction to Icelandic food, the savory samples add welcome context.

The selection can also affect your sense of value. The tour includes bites, but you are not simply choosing the most expensive or elaborate item at every shop. Think of it as a guided sampler with a story attached.

Valdís proves Icelanders eat ice cream in any weather

At Ísbúðin litla Valdís, you get about 15 minutes for ice cream. The shop is presented as a long-running local favorite, with the guide helping you choose among its flavors. The route treats ice cream as a normal Icelandic pleasure, not a warm-weather-only food.

That detail is fun, especially if you visit in chilly weather and wonder why an ice cream shop is on the route. Your guide can share the local attitude, and the cold setting becomes part of the joke. The stop also gives children a clear highlight after the less familiar tastes at Taste of Iceland.

There is an important practical point here: the tour is not recommended for people who are lactose intolerant because ice cream is part of the experience. The information provided does not promise dairy-free substitutions, so you should not book expecting the menu to be adjusted.

For everyone else, Valdís helps break up the heavier pastry course. The short stop keeps the pace moving, though people who want time to sit and enjoy a full dessert may find 15 minutes brief.

Skyr cake at Dass Reykjavik

The final named stop is Dass Reykjavik, where you try a cake made with skyr. About 25 minutes are allocated here, making it one of the longer food stops. It is a fitting finish because it combines the tour’s main themes: Icelandic dairy, cake, and a local ingredient with cultural importance.

Skyr has a clean, tangy quality that keeps a cake from tasting flat or overly sugary. The experience gives you another use for an ingredient you may already have encountered at breakfast or in a supermarket. For many people, this sort of connection is more useful than simply eating an unfamiliar sweet and moving on.

The tour ends back at the meeting point. Since the activity lasts about two hours and begins at 2 p.m., it works well as an afternoon plan before dinner. You may want to make dinner later than usual, though. The portions are described as generous enough that one person arrived after lunch and still felt very full at the end.

What the guides add to the food

Food tours depend heavily on the person leading them, and this one has a wide range of guides. Óli has been praised for making the walk feel personal and for offering useful Reykjavik recommendations. Þór, also identified as Bjarni Þór, is described as mixing food stories with history and culture.

Ester brings a low-key style suited to an easy afternoon, while Bo has been praised for explaining Icelandic history along the route. Páll made one family outing more memorable by stopping to feed swans with the children. Other guides named in the feedback include Einar, Stefan, Guðjón, Mathias, and Arnr.

That variety means your experience will not be identical from one departure to the next. The common thread is the guide-led conversation. You are not just handed a pastry and sent on your way. You can ask about Icelandic habits, local history, and the foods in front of you.

The small group helps here. With a maximum of 12 people, the guide has a better chance to respond to individual questions. When bookings are light, the outing may become a private experience for only two people, though you should not book assuming that will happen.

Photos can also be part of the personal touch. One guide took pictures during the walk and shared them afterward, but this should be treated as a pleasant possibility rather than a guaranteed feature.

How much food do you really get?

The route includes several stops, and all listed tastings are included in the cost. The named food venues are Baka Baka, Taste of Iceland, Valdís, and Dass Reykjavik, while some descriptions and direct experiences refer to five food stops. The exact number and selection may vary, so it is best to think in terms of a steady run of samples rather than a fixed restaurant menu.

The possible lineup includes:

• Icelandic pastries, including the Happy Marriage
• Hot chocolate
• Candy
• Skyr
• Skyr cake
• Ice cream
• Dried haddock
• Fermented shark
• Other local bites

That range explains why some people find the tour filling and fun, while others question the price. If you bought every item separately, the total cost would include not only food but also the guide’s time, local explanations, route planning, and the convenience of knowing where to go.

At $109.04 per person, this is not a cheap snack outing. I would see it as a two-hour cultural food experience. The price makes more sense if you want a guide and enjoy trying several small portions without researching the stops yourself. It makes less sense if you already know the city and are happy to visit cafés on your own.

Who will enjoy this Reykjavik walk most?

I would recommend the tour to first-time visitors who want an easy introduction to central Reykjavik. It is also a strong match for families. The food gives children something to anticipate, and the guides have shown patience with questions from young participants.

People who enjoy local food traditions will get the most from the less predictable tastes. Fermented shark and dried haddock may not become your favorites, but they show you a side of Iceland that a standard dessert crawl would miss.

This is also a good choice for a first day in the city. The walk is short, the route stays central, and the guide can help you make plans for the rest of your visit. You do not need to commit to a full-day excursion or spend time outside Reykjavik.

I would hesitate if you have a strict dairy restriction, dislike savory food on a dessert tour, or prefer to choose your own portions. It may also feel repetitive if you have already visited most of the listed shops.

Timing, group size, and cancellation details

The tour starts at 2 p.m., lasts about two hours, and ends at the starting point. Meet at Hlöllabátar, Ingólfstorgi 1, by the square and the tall stone pillars. The activity is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket.

Most people can take part, the meeting point is near public transportation, and service animals are allowed. The group has a maximum of 12 people. Confirmation arrives when you book.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not accepted for a refund. The company also requires a minimum number of participants, so if that minimum is not met, you are offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Should you book The Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour?

Book it if you want guided food sampling with local conversation, especially at the beginning of a Reykjavik stay. The best reasons are the friendly guide style, the small group, the included tastings, and the mix of familiar sweets with distinctly Icelandic foods.

Skip it if you want a pure dessert crawl or prefer to spend $109.04 on your own café choices. You can visit many food stops independently, and the tour does not guarantee that every bite will be sweet or that you will receive the most elaborate menu item.

For most first-time visitors with a healthy appetite, I think the tour offers a pleasant, practical way to get oriented. Just arrive hungry, wear shoes suited to a short city walk, and keep room for dinner later.

FAQ

Where does The Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour begin?

It begins at Hlöllabátar, Ingólfstorgi 1, in central Reykjavik. Meet by the two stone pillars in Ingólfstorg, in front of Center Hotels Plaza.

What time does the tour start?

The start time is 2 p.m.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately two hours.

What foods are included?

Samples can include Icelandic pastries, hot chocolate, candy, skyr, skyr cake, ice cream, dried haddock, fermented shark, and other local treats. All included tastings are covered in the tour cost.

Is the tour suitable for children?

Most people can participate, and the small group format can work well for families. Children have enjoyed the pastries, candy, ice cream, yogurt, and the guide’s stories.

How many people can join the tour?

The maximum group size is 12 travelers.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes. You must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time to receive a full refund. Changes or cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start are not accepted for a refund.