The Reykjavík Christmas Food Tour

A December food tour through Reykjavík built around Icelandic Christmas traditions, tasting dishes like smoked lamb and glazed pork alongside seasonal drinks such as jólaglögg. It runs as a small group with a guide, walking between stops downtown.

• Traditional Icelandic Christmas foods: smoked lamb, laufabrauð, glazed pork, reindeer pâté, gravlax and pickled herring
• Seasonal drinks including jólaöl, malt og appelsín and jólaglögg
• A stop at the Little Christmas Shop
• A small locally inspired gift included
• Easy, flat walking route around downtown Reykjavík

Your day, stop by stop

2Smoked lamb and laufabrauð tastingTwo of Iceland's best-known Christmas foods.

Hangikjöt, smoked lamb, and laufabrauð, thin fried bread cut with decorative patterns, are classic parts of an Icelandic Christmas meal, and you taste both here.

3Glazed pork and reindeer pâtéMore traditional festive dishes along the route.

Hamborgarhryggur, a glazed Christmas pork roast similar to ham, is a modern Icelandic Christmas favourite, and you taste it alongside reindeer pâté.

4Gravlax and pickled herringCured and pickled fish, both staples of the season.

Cured salmon, gravlax, and pickled herring are common on Icelandic holiday tables, often served with rye bread, and you taste both along the route.

5Christmas drinks tastingJólaöl, malt og appelsín and jólaglögg.

You try jólaöl, the Christmas malt drink, malt og appelsín, a non-alcoholic malt soda, and warm spiced jólaglögg. Hot cocoa is available in place of the jólaglögg if you prefer a non-alcoholic drink.

Non-alcoholic option · hot cocoa available in place of jólaglögg

6The Little Christmas ShopA stop for festive decorations and a small gift.

A stop at a shop devoted to festive decorations, where the tour gives you a small, locally inspired gift to take home. The gift is included in the price.

7Tour ends downtownFinish up in the city centre after around 2.5 km of walking.

The tour finishes in the city centre after about 2.5 kilometres of easy, flat walking, close to the restaurants and shops if you want to carry on.

About the Reykjavík Christmas food tour

This tour is built entirely around Icelandic Christmas food traditions, known locally as jólamatur. Over about three hours, you walk between stops in downtown Reykjavík tasting dishes that Icelanders traditionally eat in December: smoked lamb (hangikjöt), laufabrauð (thin, decoratively cut fried bread), glazed Christmas pork, reindeer pâté, cured salmon and pickled herring, along with drinks like jólaöl (Christmas malt beer), malt og appelsín (a non-alcoholic malt soda) and jólaglögg (spiced mulled wine, with hot cocoa as an alternative).

Along the way there's a stop at the Little Christmas Shop and a small locally inspired gift to take home, plus about 2.5 km of walking through streets decorated for the season. Your guide explains the stories behind each dish, several of which trace back to Iceland's farming past and older midwinter customs.

As with the walking tour, this only runs in December, so it suits a winter visit timed around the holidays. Dress warmly, since you're outdoors between tasting stops, and let the operator know in advance about any dietary restrictions, as the traditional menu is heavy on meat, fish and dairy.

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