Most visitors to Iceland face the same decision early in their planning: rent a car and figure it out, join a group bus tour, or go private. Each option has its place, but if you have never experienced a premium private tour in Iceland, you might not fully understand what the third option actually involves — and what makes it so different from the other two.
A private tour is not just a more expensive version of a group tour. It is a fundamentally different way to travel. There is no fixed itinerary shared with strangers, no rushing to stay on schedule, and no compromises on where you stop or how long you stay. Everything — from the route to the pace to the restaurant reservation — is built around you.
We have guided hundreds of private tours across Iceland over the past four years, and the reaction from first-time private tour guests is remarkably consistent: they did not expect it to feel this personal, this flexible, or this different from anything they had done before.
Here is exactly what to expect when you book a premium private tour in Iceland — from the very first conversation to the moment we drop you off.
How It All Starts: Planning Your Tour
Every great tour begins long before the guide starts the engine. At Lilja Tours, the planning process is where the real customization happens — and it is our favorite part.
Most of our clients reach out in one of two ways: a phone call or a custom tour request form. Both work equally well, and both lead to the same outcome — a conversation about what you actually want from your time in Iceland.
A phone call is often the fastest way to get started. In 20 to 30 minutes, we talk through your dates, your interests, your travel style, and any specific experiences you have in mind. Some clients come with a detailed wish list; others just know they want to see Iceland and need help shaping the trip. Both are perfectly fine. The call is free, and there is no obligation — it is simply the best way for us to understand what will make your trip exceptional.
The form is ideal if you prefer to gather your thoughts in writing first. You tell us your dates, group size, and what matters most to you, and we come back with a tailored itinerary proposal that you can review at your own pace.
But what we value most of all — and what we are proudest of — is when a new client contacts us because a past guest recommended us. Word of mouth from people who have experienced our tours firsthand is the highest compliment we can receive, and it happens more often than we ever expected. It tells us that what we deliver on the ground matches what we promise in the planning stage.
Once we understand your priorities, we design a day-by-day itinerary that accounts for driving distances, seasonal daylight, weather patterns, and the natural rhythm of each region. We suggest accommodations we know personally, recommend restaurants worth stopping for, and build in flexibility so the guide can adapt on the day. You review everything, we adjust until it feels right, and then we lock it in.
Your Guide: More Than a Driver
This is where a private tour separates itself most clearly from every other way of traveling in Iceland. Your guide is not a bus driver reading a script. Your guide is a local expert who knows these landscapes intimately, reads the weather and road conditions in real time, and adjusts the day to give you the best possible experience.
Lilja Tours is owner-operated by two people who are personally invested in every tour that goes out.
Julien, the founder and travel designer, is the person you speak with during the planning process. Originally from France, Julien’s passion for Iceland began years before founding Lilja Tours, through countless journeys across every corner of the country. Fluent in English and French, he specializes in transforming ideas into carefully orchestrated itineraries — balancing famous attractions with off-the-beaten-path discoveries tailored to each guest’s curiosity.
Philippe, co-owner and lead guide, is the person most likely behind the wheel on your tour. Philippe brings an infectious enthusiasm to every trip, combining technical mastery of Iceland’s terrains — from paved highways to the roughest highland tracks — with an innate gift for storytelling. Whether he is sharing geological insights at a dramatic viewpoint or revealing local folklore that brings a landscape to life, his greatest strength is reading each group’s energy and adapting the tour spontaneously, so every moment feels natural and perfectly timed.
Between the two of them, every aspect of your experience — from the initial design to the on-the-ground delivery — is handled by someone who owns the outcome personally. There is no middle management, no call center, no disconnect between the person who sold you the tour and the person who guides it.
Our additional guides are trained to the same standard and share the same philosophy: your day, your pace, your experience. Every guide in our team knows when to share a story and when to let the landscape speak for itself.
The Vehicle: Your Moving Base Camp
A private tour means spending significant time in a vehicle — Iceland’s distances guarantee that. So the vehicle matters more than most people realize before they arrive.
For tours on paved roads, our flagship is the Mercedes V-Class — a premium van with spacious leather seating for up to six passengers, panoramic windows, individual climate control, Wi-Fi, USB charging, and enough luggage space for even the most ambitious multiday packing. It is comfortable enough to make a three-hour drive between destinations feel like a natural part of the experience, not a chore between stops.
For highland adventures — the F-roads, river crossings, and volcanic terrain that define Iceland’s interior — we use a lifted Toyota Land Cruiser on 33-inch all-terrain tires. This vehicle is purpose-built for the conditions: river fording capability, elevated suspension for rough tracks, and the power to handle steep volcanic gravel while keeping four passengers comfortable. If you want to reach Landmannalaugar, Kerlingarfjöll, or Þórsmörk, this is how you get there — safely and in comfort.
Both vehicles are meticulously maintained and regularly inspected. They are clean, warm, and stocked with water and Wi-Fi. This is your moving base camp for the day, and it should feel like one.
A Day on Tour: What It Actually Looks Like
No two days are the same — that is the entire point of a private tour. But to give you a sense of what the experience feels like, here is a typical day on a South Coast tour.
Morning. Your guide arrives at your accommodation at the agreed time — usually between 8:00 and 9:00, depending on the season and what we are planning for the day. There is no hotel lobby meetup with 40 other tourists. It is just you, your group, and your guide, ready to go.
The drive south from Reykjavík takes about 90 minutes to reach the first major stops. Your guide uses this time to set the scene — the geology of what you are driving through, the weather outlook for the day, and what to expect at each location. If you would rather just enjoy the view in silence, that is equally fine. The guide reads your energy, not a schedule.
Mid-morning. You arrive at your first waterfall. On a group bus tour, you would have 20 to 30 minutes here, timed to the schedule. On a private tour, you stay until you are ready to leave. If the light shifts and the rainbow appears in the mist, you wait for it. If you want to hike to the top, we have time for that. If you have seen enough after ten minutes, we move on.
Lunch. Your guide knows which restaurants are worth the stop and which are tourist traps.
Afternoon. The second half of the day deepens the experience. This might mean a glacier hike with a specialist guide, a walk along a black sand beach while your guide explains the volcanic history, or a detour to a location most visitors never see. This is where having a local guide transforms a sightseeing trip into something more personal.
Evening. The drive back is relaxed. Your guide might suggest a stop for the golden hour light on a landscape you passed earlier, or a quick detour if conditions have changed in your favor. You are dropped off at your accommodation, and your evening is yours.
That is one day. Multiply it across a multiday itinerary, and the cumulative effect is remarkable — you see more, stress less, and remember everything because you were actually present for it.
The Flexibility Factor
This is what separates a private tour from everything else, and it bears repeating: your guide adapts to you, not the other way around.
Weather in Iceland is famously unpredictable. On a group tour, the bus goes regardless — rain, fog, or wind, the schedule does not change. On a private tour, if the morning forecast shows heavy cloud cover on the South Coast but clear skies to the west, your guide can suggest rerouting the day entirely. We have done this countless times, and it has led to some of the most memorable days our clients have experienced.
The same applies to the Northern Lights. On a multiday tour, if the aurora forecast suddenly looks promising from a different direction than planned, we adjust. We know the dark spots, the clear zones, and the best vantage points across the country. A bus tour cannot do this. A self-drive tourist with a phone app cannot do this. A guide who has been chasing Northern Lights for years across every region of Iceland can.
Flexibility also means small things that make a big difference. You want to spend an extra 20 minutes at a viewpoint because the light is extraordinary? Done. You need a coffee break? We know a place. Your kids are tired and need a slower afternoon? We adjust the plan. Nothing is rigid.
What Is Included — and What Is Not
Transparency matters, so here is a clear breakdown of what a premium private tour from Lilja Tours typically includes.
Included:
- Private guide for the full day (or the duration of your multiday tour)
- Premium vehicle with fuel and all driving costs
- Personalized itinerary designed around your interests
- Pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation in the Reykjavík area
- Activity fees (glacier hikes, ice caves, horse riding, boat tours)
- Accommodation on multiday tours
- Wi-Fi
Not included (varies by tour):
- Meals and drinks (your guide will recommend and can reserve, but food is at your own expense)
- Flights and travel insurance
For multiday tours, we provide a quote for your whole party and precise what is included or not. We believe the best client relationships start with easily readable pricing.
Who Books Private Tours in Iceland?
There is a common misconception that private tours are only for the ultra-wealthy. The reality is much more varied.
Couples make up a large portion of our guests — honeymoons, anniversaries, or simply a trip they have been dreaming about. For two people, the per-person cost of a private tour is higher than a bus tour, but the experience is incomparable.
Families are one of our fastest-growing segments. Parents with children — especially young children — find that group tours are impractical. A private tour means you set the pace around nap times, snack breaks, and attention spans. No one is waiting for you, and no one is rushing you.
Multi-generational groups — grandparents, parents, and kids traveling together — are a natural fit. Different fitness levels, different interests, and different energy levels are all accommodated in a single itinerary without compromise.
Friends traveling together often find that splitting the cost of a private tour among four or six people brings the per-person price surprisingly close to a premium group tour — with an entirely different level of experience.
Repeat visitors who have done the Golden Circle and South Coast on a previous trip come back for the highlands, the Westfjords, or a deep dive into a specific region. A private guide unlocks experiences that are simply not available to group tours or self-drivers.
Solo travelers are also welcome. Whether you are a photographer looking for a dedicated photography tour or simply prefer the comfort and freedom of having a private guide, traveling alone does not mean traveling on a bus.
How Private Tours Compare
We have written a detailed comparison of self-driving, small group tours, and private guided tours that breaks down the practical trade-offs in depth. But the short version is this:
Self-driving gives you freedom but demands constant logistics — route planning, weather monitoring, navigation, parking. You are the driver, the trip planner, and the navigator. Some travelers love this. Others discover it takes away from the experience itself.
Group bus tours are affordable and stress-free, but you sacrifice flexibility, speed, and intimacy. You are on someone else’s schedule, visiting every stop for a fixed amount of time, with dozens of other people.
Private tours give you the flexibility of self-driving and the comfort of a guided tour — combined. You control the pace, but someone else handles the driving, the logistics, and the weather decisions. And that someone knows Iceland better than any guidebook ever could.
FAQ
How much does a private tour in Iceland cost? Day tours start from approximately 140,000–250,000 ISK per vehicle (roughly $1,000–$1,800 USD), depending on the route, duration, and activities included. Multiday tours are quoted individually based on your itinerary. The cost is per vehicle, not per person — which makes private touring increasingly good value for larger groups.
How far in advance should I book? For summer (June–August) and the holiday season (December–January), we recommend booking at least two to three months ahead. For shoulder seasons, a few weeks is usually sufficient, though earlier booking gives us more availability for premium accommodations.
Can I customize a tour that’s already on your website? Absolutely. Our listed day tours are starting points, not fixed itineraries. Every tour can be adjusted — adding stops, extending the duration, combining elements from different tours, or building something completely new. And our multiday tours are always custom-made.
What happens if the weather is bad? We adapt. Your guide monitors conditions throughout the day and has alternative plans ready. In extreme cases (red weather warnings), we may reschedule or reroute for safety — but in four years of operations, we have almost always found a way to deliver an exceptional day, even when conditions were not ideal. Some of our most memorable tours have happened on “bad weather” days, because our guides know where to go when conditions shift.
