expedia
Skip to main content
A person in a blue jacket gesturing, standing in front of a stone monument with 'SKÚL' inscribed, in an urban setting with buildings and a tree. 1
A large ship docked at a pier with a bridge in the background. 2
A modern building with a glass facade, a stone structure, and a tree in the foreground. 3
A circular paved area with benches, surrounded by greenery and buildings. 4
A statue in front of the Reykjavík Art Museum. 5
By Uncomfortable Iceland

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional
Free cancellation available
Price is €41 per adult
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 2h 30m
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

    • The only tour that challenges Iceland's national identity.
    • From slavery to Nazi collaboration, state sponsored racism to financial scandal.
    • Led by a local professional historian and experienced guide.
    • No prior knowledge of Icelandic history needed just curiosity and an open mind.
    • A genuinely different kind of history tour that tells you what others leave out.

Activity location

    • Reykjavik
    • Reykjavik, Reykjavíkurborg, Iceland

Meeting/Redemption Point

    • 43X8+4QG, Arnarhóll, 101 Reykjavík, Ísland | Our meeting point is by the statue of Ingólfur Arnarson on Arnarhóll, in the center of Reykjavík. The statue is easily visible from Lækjargata. Look for the Uncomfortable Iceland logo. Please arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled start time.
    • Reykjavík, Reykjavíkurborg, Iceland

Check availability

Reykjavik: Uncomfortable Iceland — Alternative History Tour

  • Activity duration is 2 hours and 30 minutes2h 30m
    2h 30m
  • English
Language options: English
Price details
€40.50 x 1 Adult€40.50
Total
Price is €40.50
Until Fri, 7 Aug

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    A 2,5 hour guided history walk through central Reykjavík
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Expert guidance from a local professional historian and experienced storyteller
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Eight stops covering key moments and sites in Icelandic history
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Insights into the myths, half-truths and deliberate silences behind Iceland's official national storey
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Coverage of topics ranging from Viking age slavery to Nazi collaboration, state sponsored racism to financial scandal
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Small group experience for a personal and engaging atmosphere
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Tour available in English and Spanish on request
  • What's includedWhat's included
    All historical context and background provided — no prior knowledge required

Know before you book

  • In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, activities services are not subject to the right of withdrawal. Supplier cancellation policy will apply.
  • This activity is provided by a professional trader (a party acting within their trade, business or profession).

What you can expect

Iceland has a great storey. Brave settlers, honest politics, a beacon of equality, innocent people living with dramatic nature. Every other tour in Reykjavík will be happy to tell you that storey.
This is not that tour.
Uncomfortable Iceland is a history walk through central Reykjavík for those who want to understand the real history behind Iceland's carefully curated national identity. Led by a local professional historian and experienced storyteller, this walk systematically choices apart the myths, half-truths and deliberate silences that make up the official version of Icelandic history.
No prior knowledge of Icelandic history is required. You just need to be curious and open to having your assumptions challenged. Your guide will lead you through the context of each storey before revealing how and why it has been distorted, suppressed or simply never told.
What we cover:
We start at Arnarhóll in the city centre in front of the statue of Iceland´s most famous viking, Ingólfur Arnarson. There we will discover the parts of Iceland´s origin storey that are much less discussed. Then we will find our way through the centre of Iceland discovering uncomfortable truths through Iceland´s history that have either been distorted or not much known outside Iceland.
Viking settlers who owned slaves and the Celtic heritage Iceland quietly forgot. Massacres celebrated as patriotism for centuries. Women executed for desire, Jewish refugees turned away and state sponsored racism. The Icelanders who collaborated with the Nazis — and the government that brought them home. The financial collapse and the myth of the recovery, a fishing system that made a handful of families extraordinarily wealthy. The statues that got moved, the monuments never built and the stories never told.
If you are looking for something that challenges how you think about Iceland — you believe history is complicated, politics is messy and national myths deserve questioning — this tour is for you. Get ready to have your perception of Iceland completely turned upside down.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    • Reykjavik
    • Reykjavik, Reykjavíkurborg, Iceland

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    • 43X8+4QG, Arnarhóll, 101 Reykjavík, Ísland | Our meeting point is by the statue of Ingólfur Arnarson on Arnarhóll, in the center of Reykjavík. The statue is easily visible from Lækjargata. Look for the Uncomfortable Iceland logo. Please arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled start time.
    • Reykjavík, Reykjavíkurborg, Iceland