Half-Day Combo Tour to Goðafoss, Laufas and The Christmas House
Description
Our guides are fully qualified and have extensive knowledge of the area. Not only will you learn about the history, landscape and present day life on this tour you will also hear Icelandic folktales. This is a round trip through some of the most picturesque landscape in North Iceland. The total tour length is 4 hours. All travel time is included in that length. We first drive for approximently 35 min to Goðafoss, then another 30 min to Laufas Turfhouse Museum. From Laufas there is then another 30 min drive to the beautiful Christmas House & Gardens. After visiting the Christmas house we drive a short sightseeing around the town of Akureyri before dropping the passenger off. This is a fully guided, informative and enjoyable tour, all entrance fee is included in the tour price.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We drive past the Botanical garden and passengers can be droped off here at the end of the tour.
Godafoss waterfall is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland with easy access from both sides of the river. It is surrounded by stunning basalt columns.
The atmospheric and picturesque heritage site of Laufás is full of history with its large farmhouse and beautiful 19th Church. It has been the home of priests since at least 1047 until 1935 with the current priest still living on the premises. The house includes long corridors and many interconnected rooms. The current buildings are from the middle of the 19th century and furnished with household items and clothes from the period. One of Laufás characteristics is the Bridal room where brides prepared themselves for the big event. The existing church was built in 1865, among its special items is a pulpit from 1698. Laufás Visitor Centre has a cosy atmosphere and additional information about nature, wildlife and history of the vicinity. Local handcraft and souvenir shop and refreshments. The old turf house is part of the National Museum’s Historic Buildings Collection.
Open all year round, this magical house and garden looks like it came straight from a book of fairy tales. Outside in the garden there are plenty of hidden things for you to find and enjoy. Upon entering the Christmas House you are greeted with the warmth of a log fire and the songs and the scents of the festive season even in the middle of summer. Try to find the Icelandic Yule lad´s troll mother (Gryla) hidden in her cave. The Christmas House is a magical place to visit, all year round. Every corner is filled with Christmas magic so take your time to look around. Next to the Christmas house is a wonderful shop where you can sample local jams or buy a souvenir to take home. Great way to hear about and experience some local Christmas traditions.
At the end of the day we drive you around the town of Akureyri for a short guided tour. Highlights include the old town, Botanical gardens, Church of Akureyri and the town centre. Let your driver know if you would like to disembark at any of these locations.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up starts 15 minutes before the departure time of the tour. Our vehicles are marked with our name: The Traveling Viking
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The total tour length is 4 hours. All travel time is included in that length. We first drive for approximently 35 min to Goðafoss, then another 30 min from there to Laufas Turfhouse Museum, and from there another 30 min to the Christmas House. From the Christmas house we do a short sightseeing around Akureyri before dropping the passenger off.
Reviews(167)
It is a pleasant tour, but the sound system on the bus was awful and we could rarely hear any of the drivers commentary. If you pay that much for a tour, you deserve a good sound system.
Just enough time to see this area of Iceland, VERY good tour guide who told us stories about the area, comfortable bus, easy walking, fun day. Only thing that could make it better was to tell us which tour operator or what bus we should look for when we got off the ship.
This was overall a great tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and did a wonderful job passing that knowledge on to us as we drove through Iceland. The Goðafoss waterfalls were excellent (mini-Niagra), even though we were blasted by 45 mph wind and the volcanic grit that came with it. Laufas was also interesting and the guide there was also excellent. The Christmas House was basically an overcrowded gift shop...could have done without that. Logistics were excellent, as the tour bus was waiting ~100m from the cruise ship exit.
Our guide was excellent! I think the name was somewhat like Laura. She not only told us the history - she shared stories of her family and growing up in Akureyri. She also pointed out the free vs cost wash rooms. We had plenty of time to enjoy the falls and thatched home. The Christmas place is really a couple of shops. Finally found crowberry jam in the home store.
The small group shore excursion was allot of fun. Our guide Ingi was very knowledgeable and funny. The falls were amazing - I recommend this tour!
Lovely, learned alot ,very interesting. It was an enjoyable experience. Everyone would enjoy this tour.
Ingi, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and personable. He gave us history of the island while driving us to our next destination.
This was a great excursion all the way around. Our tour guide, John was a hoot! He was knowledgeable, friendly and super funny. We loved all of the stops and would recommend this to others!
This tour was the perfect length of time. We rode in a comfy bus by the Touring Viking. Our driver was an Islamic native and perfect in his role as driver and tour guide. He spoke of the local history, told stories of folklore and threw in the perfect amount of humor. The waterfalls were stunning and the OLD house built into the side of the hills with tunnels between the rooms. Our tour ended with a stop at a Christmas House. Very nice.
Overall very good! Our hostess was highly knowledgeable & informative. Beautiful views. Excellent bus driver. Time at stops very short. First stop at falls extremely crowded.
