CityWalk

A Reykjavik-only walking tour company

CityWalk runs its own walking tours in downtown Reykjavík, Iceland, with its own employed guides, and also sells tickets to other companies' Icelandic attractions as partner tours. The about page says it "was founded in 2014 by Marteinn, a 25-year-old history graduate at the time, born and raised in the city", and that "CityWalk is the only one in town solely focused on walking tours of Reykjavík." Marteinn Briem still guides as well as running the company, and his wife Edda handles marketing and accounting.

All the company's own tours are in central Reykjavík. The footer lists a phone number, +354 787 7779, and Icelandic company and VAT numbers, and describes CityWalk as "the Official Partner of SANDEMANs Tours in Reykjavik", without explaining what that partnership covers. The homepage headline reads "City Walk ranked #1 on TripAdvisor in Iceland", followed by the line "Questioned by Tripadvisor whether computer bots were being used", which the site does not explain further.

The about page is unusually frank about how the business is run. It says there is no office or overhead, "resulting in better salaries to guides than competitors", and that "many are full or part time employees according to Union laws of Iceland" rather than freelancers charged a fee. It adds: "We've never taken advantage of interns and au-pair services which unfortunately seem to be common shortcuts in Iceland's travel industry."

The tours

Free Walking Tour Reykjavik. "The famous two hour free walking tour in Downtown Reykjavik focuses on the history of Iceland, the evolution of Reykjavík as a town and Icelandic culture in general, laid out in an informative and comic way." There is no fixed price: "each participant sets the price of the tour afterwards", which the site labels "Pay as You Please".

VIP Small Group Walking Tour. A 2.5 hour walk "in a small group unlike the 'free' walking tour", visiting "the old town, Parliament and rainbow street". The site says it is "Suitable for all ages".

Reykjavik Street Food Walking Tour. A small-group food walk with "8+ tastes from various popular restaurants", about 3 hours long, beginning at the harbor and ending by Hallgrímskirkja Church.

Íslendingaganga. A tour in Icelandic, described on the homepage as a walk through the city center with a historian, with optional food added, pitched as team building for companies and social clubs.

Private Walking Tour. Tailored walks "for groups of all sizes", with a flexible start, finish, date and a length of 2-3 hrs. The price "scales from 48.000 ISK (roughly 400 USD) and up, depending on what is included". The page lists "No Age Limit" and "Wheelchair accessible".

The private tour page publishes a food and drink list with prices and the time each stop takes out of the walk: licorice 1000 ISK, a box of 30 pieces of fermented shark 2000 ISK, a 500 ml bottle of Brennivín 6000 ISK, hot dogs 800 ISK per person, cinnamon and licorice buns 800 ISK, rye bread ice cream 1500 ISK, lamb soup 2500 ISK, lobster soup 3500, vegan dahl 3000, pan-fried char or salmon 3500 ISK, a platter of "Controversial samples" (whale, puffin, horse) 3500 ISK, and rack of lamb at 5000 ISK per person. "Drinks never included unless you want flights pre-ordered and somewhat of a bar tour."

Partner tours

The site also sells other operators' experiences, each with a "Price from" in ISK: a Northern Lights Bus Tour from 8,990ISK, Perlan from 6,890ISK, the Phallological Museum from 3,500ISK, Sky Lagoon from 12,990ISK, Whale Watching Classic from 12,490ISK, FlyOver Iceland from 5690ISK, the Lava Show from 6,590ISK, Laugarás Lagoon from 6,900ISK, a Þórsmörk Super Jeep Tour from 39,000ISK and a Puffin Tour from 6,990ISK, among others. These are resold, not run by CityWalk, and the site does not describe their booking or cancellation terms.

Guides and the day itself

The team page profiles each guide in some detail. Marteinn's own tours, it says, "tend to be spiced up with much sarcasm and interaction with the crowd". Tómas has a history degree and knows the WWII and American base period; Eiríkur joined in March 2015 and runs motorcycle tours in Asia; Sara is a high school teacher in winter; Jóhannes is a law graduate and stand-up comedian; Mauricio, from the Dominican Republic, is described as "the first non-native Icelander in the squad"; Ási and Óli come from theater; and Arnór works with the union of historians. The site says the guides "are fully aware that they are representing a country, hence we choose our words carefully and show the utmost respect we can to everybody. Whilst still trying to walk the thin line of humor."

Reviews on the homepage, which are the company's selection, repeatedly name guides such as Jakob, Mo, Thor and Ási, and one notes that a tour "scheduled for 2 hrs" ran to 2.5. Another reviewer was surprised the group did not walk to the church.

Booking

The free, small-group and food tours are booked online with a "Book now" button. Private tours go through a request form that asks for a preferred date, time, starting location, extras from the food list, and details of the group, including "the age span in the group and possible mobility issues", and the site promises "a reply with a quote within 24 hrs". It also offers "a direct booking discount through the format below for those with limited budget available."

What the site leaves open

The site does not say where the free or small-group tours meet, what time they start, or what the small-group and food tours cost. It does not state a maximum group size, even for the "small group" tours, or which languages the tours are given in beyond the Icelandic-language Íslendingaganga. No cancellation terms appear on the tour pages, though the footer links a Terms & Conditions page, and accessibility is addressed only for the private tour.

CityWalk suits visitors to Reykjavík who want a history-focused, humorous introduction to the city from local guides, with the choice of a free walk, a small group or a food tour. Its private tours stand out for a published base price and a priced menu of Icelandic food stops, which makes planning easy for groups and families.