Reykjavik: The Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour

Reykjavik’s sweet tooth tour is less about filling up on dessert than learning how Icelanders snack. In two hours, you walk from Ingólfur Square along the city center’s shopping streets, stopping for kleina, snúður, chocolate, licorice, ice cream, and other nammi, the Icelandic word for candy. The exact treats change with the season, but there is always plenty to taste.

I like the small maximum of 12 people, which gives guides such as Matthias and Oli room to chat rather than simply pass out samples. I also like the useful food advice: you get ideas for bakeries, candy shops, and places to eat after the tour ends.

The main consideration is the price, $90 per person. That is fair if you value the guide, the variety, and the local context, but it is more than you would spend buying a pastry and a chocolate bar on your own. Licorice also appears several times, although you will have other choices if that flavor is not for you.

Key points to know before you book

• Kleina and snúður give you a taste of everyday Icelandic baking, not just imported sweets.
• Baka Baka, Loo.koo.mas, Ísbúðin litla Valdís, and Taste of Iceland each offer a different kind of stop.
• Icelandic chocolate often meets licorice, with bars such as Draumur and Þristur among the possible treats.
• The group is limited to 12 people, a useful size for questions and conversation.
• The route begins and ends at Ingólfur Square, making it easy to fit into a day of sightseeing in central Reykjavik.
• The menu changes by day, time, and season, so book this for variety and discovery rather than one fixed tasting list.

Why this food walk works in Reykjavik

Reykjavik is easy to explore on foot, but it can be hard to know which bakery or candy shop deserves your time. The city center is compact, yet the best local bite is not always the shop with the brightest sign. This tour gives you a reason to step inside several places and try small portions without buying a full bag of every sweet that catches your eye.

I like the cultural angle. Icelandic sweets reflect several strands of the country’s food life: old-fashioned home baking, modern specialty chocolate, dairy traditions, and a strong fondness for candy. You are not only tasting sugar. You are learning why licorice appears so often, how pastries fit into daily coffee breaks, and how Icelanders enjoy ice cream even in cold weather.

The guide adds much of the value. English is the tour language, and the guide explains the foods in plain terms while sharing practical suggestions about where to eat and drink around Reykjavik. Guides Matthias and Oli have both led this experience, and the format allows time for questions and casual conversation.

This is also a handy first-day activity. A solo visitor can meet a small group and get your bearings fast while walking through central Reykjavik. Families and couples can use it as a light break between museums, shopping, and other city stops.

Starting at Ingólfur Square

The meeting point is Ingólfur Square, beside two stone pillars more than three meters high. It is in front of Center Hotels Plaza at Aðalstræti 6, near the beginning of Austurstræti. The guide usually wears a light blue jacket marked Your Friend in Reykjavik on the back.

The location matters because Reykjavik has more than one statue or square associated with important Icelandic figures. Do not go to the statue of Ingólfur Arnarsson or the statue of Jón Sigurðsson at Austurvöllur. The correct place is the square near the harbor end of the central shopping area.

You should arrive at least five minutes early. Once the walking group has left, it can be difficult for the guide to locate anyone arriving late. Google Maps is a smart aid here, since Icelandic street names can be tricky to read and pronounce.

The tour begins with a short introduction and sightseeing around Ingólfur Square. This opening gives the guide a chance to explain the plan and set the tone. You are not rushing straight into a bakery, and that short pause helps connect the food stops to the center of town.

Baka Baka and the first pastry tasting

The first major stop is Baka Baka, where you spend about 25 minutes tasting food. A bakery is a good starting point because Icelandic sweets are not limited to packaged candy. Fresh pastries show the everyday side of local food culture.

You might sample kleina, a deep-fried pastry often compared with a doughnut, and snúður, an Icelandic cinnamon roll. Other pastries can appear, including Danish-style baking. One tasting included particularly good Danish pastry, which tells you something useful about the range: the menu may include classic Icelandic items alongside pastries shaped by wider Nordic baking traditions.

The guide explains how these treats are made and where they fit into Icelandic habits. That context is worth paying for if you enjoy knowing what is behind the food on your plate. Without it, kleina is simply a fried pastry. With the explanation, it becomes a small link to home baking and local café life.

The tasting is not a full breakfast or lunch. Portions are samples, and the tour continues through several more stops. If you arrive hungry, that can be helpful, but do not expect one bakery visit to replace a meal.

Walking Laugavegur between bites

After Baka Baka, the route continues along Laugavegur for about 20 minutes of guided sightseeing. Laugavegur is Reykjavik’s main shopping street, so this section breaks up the eating with a look at the city center.

The walk also creates room for the guide to talk. You can ask where to find a good coffee, which shops are worth returning to, or what local foods deserve attention during the rest of your stay. This is one reason I would book the tour early in a Reykjavik visit rather than at the end. The recommendations can still shape your next meals.

The pace is designed as a city walk, not a strenuous hike. Still, you are outdoors for much of the experience, so bring weather-appropriate clothing. Icelandic weather can change quickly, and a cold or wet walk is less pleasant when you are stopping for sweets.

Loo.koo.mas and the candy-shop stop

The next stop is Loo.koo.mas, with about 15 minutes set aside for shopping. This is where the tour shifts from bakery food to packaged sweets and specialty treats.

The name hints at the importance of licorice in Icelandic candy culture. Icelandic licorice is often milder and sweeter than visitors expect. It may be combined with chocolate, which creates the sweet-and-salty or sweet-and-herbal contrast that many people either love immediately or need time to understand.

You might encounter chocolate bars such as Draumur, or Þristur, a combination of licorice and chocolate. If you dislike licorice, tell the guide. Other options are available, and the tasting is not meant to force one flavor on everyone.

This stop can be useful for souvenirs. Unlike a pastry, packaged candy travels well, and a local bar or bag of nammi gives you something distinctive to take home. The selection changes, so consider this a chance to ask the guide what is most typical rather than assuming every item will be available.

Icelandic ice cream at Ísbúðin litla Valdís

At Ísbúðin litla Valdís, you spend around 20 minutes tasting ice cream. The cold dessert may sound surprising in Iceland, but ice cream is a popular treat there, and this stop shows a lighter, creamier side of the country’s sweet culture.

You can choose from several flavors. Possibilities include licorice and flavors connected with skyr, Iceland’s well-known cultured dairy product. The precise choices depend on the day and season, so you should treat this as a flexible tasting rather than a promise of one particular scoop.

I like the contrast with the earlier pastry. After fried dough and chocolate, ice cream changes the texture and pace. It also gives you a chance to choose according to your own taste, which is useful if licorice has not won you over.

This is a food tasting, not a long sit-down break. If you need a proper meal, plan one before or after the tour. The route ends back at Ingólfur Square, so you can easily continue to lunch, shopping, or another central Reykjavik sight.

Taste of Iceland and the final sweets

The final tasting stop is Taste of Iceland, where you spend about 20 minutes with more candy and sweet products. By this stage, you have sampled fresh baking, specialty chocolate, ice cream, and packaged sweets. The variety is the strongest part of the route.

You might try more chocolate and licorice combinations, as well as other Icelandic candies. One particularly useful feature is the guide’s willingness to explain unfamiliar items. Icelandic candy shelves can be confusing if you do not know what you are looking at, and a quick explanation can save you from buying a large bag of something you will not enjoy.

The tour then returns to Ingólfur Square. That simple finish is convenient. You do not need a taxi or a second map search to get back to the center, and the guide can give final recommendations before you head off.

How much food do you actually get?

The tour includes samples of pastries, sweets, and ice cream. The stops are spread across two hours, so you receive several small portions rather than one large serving at each shop.

In practical terms, I would think of this as a generous snack session, not a meal. The combination of kleina, snúður, chocolate, candy, and ice cream can add up, especially if you have a sweet tooth, but you may still want lunch or dinner afterward.

The changing menu is both a strength and a limitation. It keeps the tour tied to what is fresh and available, and it prevents the experience from feeling like a fixed script. On the other hand, you cannot book it expecting one exact pastry, one exact chocolate bar, or one guaranteed ice cream flavor.

That flexibility suits curious eaters. It is less suitable if you have your heart set on a specific item.

Is $90 a fair price?

At $90 per person, the tour is not a bargain food crawl. You are paying for more than the retail value of the samples. The price covers an English-speaking local guide, access to several stops, the small group format, and the time saved researching where to go.

I see the value most clearly for a first visit to Reykjavik. You get a short walking tour, a broad introduction to local sweets, and practical food suggestions you can use later. A solo visitor may also find the social side useful, since a maximum of 12 people is small enough for conversation without feeling like a large bus group.

If you already know Reykjavik well, or if you prefer to choose one bakery and eat a full portion, the price may feel high. You can buy pastries and candy independently for much less. The question is whether you want guided context and variety, or simply dessert.

The strongest value comes when you book it near the start of your stay. You can return to a favorite shop, use the guide’s restaurant tips, and buy candy for later. It makes less sense on your final afternoon if you will not have time to act on those suggestions.

Who will enjoy this tour most?

I would recommend it to anyone who plans trips around food, especially people who want more than the familiar names of Icelandic cuisine. It is also a good fit for solo visitors, since the small group and conversational guide make the activity easy to join.

Families with children may appreciate the clear focus and short walking distance, though the sweets themselves are the main event. Couples can use it as a relaxed city-center outing rather than another major sightseeing stop.

You should be open to trying licorice. You do not need to like it, and the guide can offer alternatives, but it is part of the Icelandic candy story and may appear in chocolate, ice cream, or other samples.

The activity is wheelchair accessible. Everyone should still wear clothing suited to the weather, since the route includes outdoor walking between shops.

Booking details that matter

The experience lasts two hours and is offered at different starting times, depending on availability. It begins and ends at Ingólfur Square, and the guide speaks English.

Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later, which helps if your Iceland plans are still shifting.

Bring a weatherproof outer layer and comfortable clothing for walking. Arrive at least five minutes early, and confirm the map location carefully. The correct meeting point is Ingólfur Square, not Austurvöllur.

Should you book the Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour?

Book it if you want a friendly introduction to Reykjavik’s bakery, chocolate, ice cream, and candy culture, with enough local explanation to make the food memorable. The variety, the small group, and the guide’s recommendations are the main reasons to choose it.

Skip it if you want a full meal, dislike sweets, or would rather spend $90 on several independent café visits. For most curious food lovers, though, this is a pleasant way to begin exploring central Reykjavik. You leave with a better sense of what Icelanders snack on, a few treats to buy later, and a useful list of places to try next.

FAQ

How long does the Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour last?

The tour lasts two hours, including walking, sightseeing, and food tastings.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Ingólfur Square in central Reykjavik, beside two stone pillars more than three meters high. The square is in front of Center Hotels Plaza at Aðalstræti 6.

Where does the tour end?

The activity ends back at Ingólfur Square, the same place where it begins.

What foods are included?

The tour includes samples of Icelandic pastries, sweets, and ice cream. Possible treats include kleina, snúður, chocolate, licorice, candy, and ice cream flavors such as licorice or skyr.

Will I have to eat licorice?

No. Licorice is part of the tasting, but other options are available if you do not like it.

How many people are in the group?

The tour is always a small-group experience with a maximum of 12 people.

What language is the tour in?

The live guided tour is conducted in English.

What should I wear?

Wear clothing suitable for the weather, since the experience includes walking outdoors between food stops.