Luxury Iceland tours: private & tailor-made

Luxury Iceland tours designed around you: private guiding, exceptional stays and tailor-made journeys, from a Nordic travel specialist.

Travelling Iceland at its most comfortable and personal, with us, means boutique stays in the countryside, private guiding where it counts, and a journey shaped around your pace rather than a fixed group. Our premium journeys pair the freedom of a self-drive with hand-picked hotels and curated experiences, or travel fully privately with a guide. And for genuinely tailor-made luxury, designed from scratch around you, we have a dedicated Luxury and Bespoke service. See our full Iceland tours, or read on for the premium and private end.

What premium travel in Iceland means

Iceland rewards travellers who can reach the quiet places at the right moment and stay somewhere with genuine character. That access, along with distinctive countryside hotels, private guides who know the country first-hand, and the freedom to travel at your own rhythm, is what sets these journeys apart, far more than any star rating. Our premium journeys are built around Iceland's best boutique properties, which are in short supply in peak summer, so they reward booking early. For genuinely tailor-made luxury, with exceptional design-led and luxury properties and private guiding throughout, we design trips from scratch through our Luxury and Bespoke service.

Premium self-drive journeys, May to September

Best of Iceland

Our twelve-day Best of Iceland circles the island from Reykjavík to the Blue Lagoon, staying in boutique country hotels and a countryside manor house. It opens with a private guided tour of Reykjavík and the Sky Lagoon ritual, then takes in the Golden Circle, a glacier walk in Skaftafell, a Zodiac among the icebergs at the glacier lagoon, the East Fjords, Lake Mývatn and whale watching near Akureyri, before a final night at the Silica Hotel beside the Blue Lagoon, which has a private bathing lagoon for hotel guests.

Untamed Iceland Deluxe

The 14-day Untamed Iceland Deluxe is the most complete of our premium journeys. It runs from Reykjavík through the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and the north to Lake Mývatn, with private guided days around the Golden Circle and south coast, a super jeep expedition into the Askja highlands, sea kayaking, whale watching on a silent electric boat, and stays in boutique country hotels. A domestic flight brings you back from Akureyri to Reykjavík, and the trip ends with two nights at the Silica Hotel at the Blue Lagoon, with the option to upgrade to The Retreat.

Active Iceland

For travellers who want more adventure built in, Active Iceland is a premium self-drive with experiences like snorkelling in the clear waters of Silfra, exploring inside a glacier, and glacier hiking, alongside the classic sights.

Private journeys, year-round

For a trip that is yours alone, our Private Iceland journeys travel with a private guide and driver, based in Reykjavík, taking in the Golden Circle and the south on your own schedule. The winter trip focuses on the Northern Lights, and the summer version makes the most of the long days. Because they are privately guided rather than self-drive, they are our recommended way to travel privately in winter.

Fully tailor-made luxury

Iceland has a growing collection of design-led and remote properties that suit this kind of travel, from countryside boutique hotels to lodges in genuinely wild settings. Dining has kept pace: the country now has three Michelin-starred restaurants, Dill, Óx and Moss at the Blue Lagoon, and we can build a meal at any of them into a journey. A private soak at the Blue Lagoon, an evening under the Northern Lights, or a stay deep in the highlands can all be woven in, arranged around you rather than a timetable.

When to travel

For travel beyond our set journeys, we design bespoke Iceland trips from scratch, tailored around your interests, pace and the properties you want to stay in, often featuring exceptional design-led and luxury stays with private guiding throughout. This is where true luxury lives, shaped entirely around you. See our Luxury and Bespoke service, or talk to our specialists about a trip made just for you.

The stays, spas and dining that set these apart

Iceland has a growing collection of design-led and remote properties that suit this kind of travel, from countryside boutique hotels and manor houses to the Silica Hotel and The Retreat at the Blue Lagoon. A soak is part of the experience, whether at the Blue Lagoon, the oceanfront Sky Lagoon near Reykjavík, or the Hvammsvík sea baths in a quiet fjord. Dining has kept pace too: Iceland now has three Michelin-starred restaurants, Dill, Óx and Moss at the Blue Lagoon, and we can build a meal at any of them into a journey.

When to travel

The season shapes the trip. Our premium self-drive journeys run from May to September, when the roads and long days suit independent travel and the highlands open up. Winter, roughly late September to early April, is the time for the Northern Lights and snow, best travelled privately guided rather than self-drive. For more, see our guides to Iceland tours and the best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a premium Iceland trip different?

Less the price and more the experience: boutique and design-led stays, private guided days or fully private guiding, access to quiet places at the right time, and a journey shaped around you rather than a fixed group.

Are these trips private or self-drive?

Both options exist. Best of Iceland, Untamed Iceland Deluxe and Active Iceland are premium self-drive journeys with private guided days, running May to September. Private Iceland is fully privately guided and runs in winter or summer.

Can an Iceland trip be fully tailor-made?

Yes. Alongside these set journeys, we design fully bespoke trips from scratch through our Luxury and Bespoke service, around your interests, pace and choice of stays.

When is the best time for a premium trip to Iceland?

May to September for the self-drive journeys and the midnight sun; winter, from about late September to early April, for the Northern Lights on a privately guided trip.

Do these trips include the Northern Lights?

In winter, on the privately guided Private Iceland trip, yes, they are a focus, though the aurora is natural and can never be guaranteed. The summer journeys fall outside the aurora season.

Plan your trip

Talk to our specialists about a private or bespoke Iceland journey, or browse our full range of Iceland tours. Get in touch and we will shape the trip around you.

About the author

Satu Vänskä-Westgarth is Director of Product at 50 Degrees North. Finnish, and living in Norway for more than fifteen years, she has worked across the travel industry from raft guiding and travel writing to product strategy, and designs the company's Nordic journeys around authentic, local experiences. A keen photographer, she travels widely across the north, from Lofoten to the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Read more about Satu Vänskä-Westgarth.