Reykjavik: The Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour

Reykjavik’s sweet side is more than cinnamon rolls and tourist chocolate. This two-hour walking tour introduces you to kleina, snúður, Icelandic candy, local ice cream, and the country’s famously complicated friendship with licorice. Guides such as Matthias and Oli bring the food to life with stories, history, and practical restaurant tips.

I like the small group limit of 12, which should make it easier to ask questions and hear the guide in busy downtown streets. I also like the variety: you move from a bakery to a chocolate and candy shop, then an ice cream parlor, rather than eating the same kind of treat all afternoon.

The main consideration is the $90 price. That can be good value if you want a guided introduction and several tastings, but it is more than you would spend buying one pastry and an ice cream on your own. Licorice also appears in several possible tastings, though alternatives are available if it is not your thing.

Key points to know before you book

• Kleina and snúður bring classic Icelandic baking into focus, with time to learn how these familiar treats are made.
• Licorice is part of the fun, appearing in chocolates and candy, but you can choose other options.
• The route stays in central Reykjavik, beginning and ending at Ingólfur Square.
• A maximum of 12 people keeps the tour personal, useful for solo visitors and anyone wanting local food advice.
• Season and timing affect the samples, so the exact pastries, candy, and ice cream flavors can change.
• The $90 fee pays for guidance and variety, not simply a single meal or dessert.

Why Reykjavik’s sweets tell a bigger story

Icelandic food can seem defined by fish, lamb, and hardy traditional dishes. Yet the everyday food culture of Reykjavik also lives in bakeries, corner candy shops, and ice cream parlors. This tour gives you a pleasant way to see that side of the city while walking between stops.

The treats are not presented as random sugar hits. Kleina reflects a familiar Nordic pastry tradition, while snúður gives you an Icelandic take on the cinnamon roll. Chocolate and candy introduce flavors that may be less familiar, especially licorice, birch sugar, and local wild berries.

I find that useful because food tells you what people actually buy and enjoy. A museum can explain Icelandic culture, but a bakery counter and a candy shelf show you part of daily Reykjavik life in a more direct way.

The tour is also built for curiosity. Your guide explains the history of the sweets, points out places to eat and drink, and helps you understand what you are tasting. That advice can be worth as much as the snacks if you are early in your stay and still deciding where to eat.

Starting at Ingólfur Square

Your guide meets you at Ingólfur Square, beside the two stone pillars that rise more than three meters high. The square is in front of Center Hotels Plaza at Aðalstræti 6, near the beginning of Austurstræti.

This meeting point matters because central Reykjavik has several statues and squares with similar names. Do not wait by the statue of Ingólfur Arnarson or by the statue of Jón Sigurðsson at Austurvöllur. If you are walking down Laugavegur, continue straight until you reach the square and can go no farther.

Use Google Maps or another map app. Icelandic street names can be tricky to read and pronounce, and a short delay can become a problem once the group has left. Arrive at least five minutes early. Guides usually wear a light blue jacket marked Your Friend in Reykjavik on the back, making them easier to spot.

The tour ends at the same square, so you do not need to arrange a taxi or find your way back from another neighborhood. That also makes this a handy first-day activity when you want a quick orientation to downtown.

Baka Baka and the first pastry tasting

After a short introduction around Ingólfur Square, the group heads to Baka Baka for about 25 minutes of tasting. This is where the tour begins to feel like more than a list of stops.

You can expect pastries such as kleina, a deep-fried, doughnut-like treat, and possibly snúður, the Icelandic cinnamon roll. Danish pastry may also appear, depending on the day. One guide, Oli, is particularly good at keeping the tasting varied and fun, while Matthias has been praised for adding extra context to the food, including cocoa and even dried fish on one outing.

The exact selection changes with the season, day, and tour time. That is worth understanding before you book. You are not guaranteed one fixed menu, but you are promised pastry and sweets, with the bakeries and products chosen for that particular visit.

Kleina is a good introduction because it is simple, portable, and tied to home-style baking. Ask your guide how it is made and how the bakery prepares it. The tasting is brief enough to leave room for later stops, so pace yourself rather than treating the first bakery as lunch.

Walking along Laugavegur

The route then uses Laugavegur, Reykjavik’s main shopping street, for around 20 minutes of guided sightseeing. The walk helps connect the food stops, but it also gives you a look at central Reykjavik between bites.

This is a useful part of the tour for first-time visitors. You are not only moving from one shop to another. You are learning where the central shopping area sits in relation to Ingólfur Square and getting a guide’s recommendations for food and drink.

Do remember that this is an urban walking tour, not a bus excursion. Wear weather-appropriate clothes, even if the forecast looks mild. Reykjavik weather can make a short walk feel much longer when you are underdressed.

The pace should suit most people who are comfortable walking around a city for two hours, and the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible. If you have specific mobility needs, it is still sensible to confirm the day’s route when booking, since food shops can vary.

Loo.koo.mas and Icelandic candy culture

The stop at Loo.koo.mas lasts about 15 minutes and focuses on shopping. This is a chance to look beyond the pastry case and see the colorful, packaged side of Icelandic sweets.

Icelandic candy often combines chocolate and licorice, a pairing that can surprise visitors. The tour may include Draumur, an iconic Icelandic chocolate bar, or Þristur, known for its chocolate and licorice combination. Licorice here is described as sweet and mild, so it may be less forceful than the dark, medicinal versions you have tried elsewhere.

If you dislike licorice, you are not trapped. Other options are available, and the guide can help you choose. Still, I would encourage you to try a small piece if offered. The point is not to pretend every flavor is your favorite. It is to understand a taste that has a real place in Icelandic candy culture.

The shopping stop may also be useful if you want edible souvenirs. The tour includes samples, but the cost of any extra candy you decide to buy is not included in the $90 price. This is one place where you can make your own choice instead of receiving a large amount of food you may not want to carry.

Ísbúðin litla Valdís for a cold treat

The route continues to Ísbúðin litla Valdís for around 20 minutes of ice cream tasting. This changes the texture and temperature of the tour after the baked goods and chocolate.

You may find familiar flavors, along with Icelandic options such as licorice or skyr. Skyr is the country’s thick cultured dairy product, and its appearance in ice cream gives you another way to encounter a food strongly associated with Iceland.

The exact flavor choices depend on what is available that day. That uncertainty is a small drawback for anyone who wants to plan every bite in advance, but it also keeps the tour tied to real local shops rather than a fixed demonstration menu.

I like the ice cream stop because it breaks up the sweetness. After a warm pastry and chocolate, a cold spoonful gives the tour a different rhythm. You also get time to decide how much you want to eat, which matters on a two-hour tasting route.

Taste of Iceland and the final round

The final tasting stop is Taste of Iceland, where you have about 20 minutes for more sweets. This may include candy, chocolate, or other Icelandic treats, with the exact selection changing by season and time.

By this point, you have seen several sides of the city’s sweet trade: a bakery, a specialist shop, an ice cream parlor, and another candy-focused stop. The variety is the main strength of the route. You are not simply comparing pastries. You are seeing how Icelanders enjoy small treats across different kinds of shops.

The guide continues to explain ingredients and local habits. Licorice, birch sugar, wild berries, chocolate, and skyr may all enter the conversation. You can ask which products make good gifts, what to buy later, and where to find savory food after the sugar rush.

The tour then returns to Ingólfur Square. That finish is practical. You can continue sightseeing in the center, head back to your hotel, or use the guide’s recommendations while the advice is still fresh.

What the $90 price really covers

At $90 per person, this is not a cheap snack stop. You are paying for an English-speaking local guide, a two-hour route, and samples of pastries, sweets, and ice cream. The guide also supplies food context and recommendations that you would not necessarily get by walking into the same shops alone.

The value depends on how you like to travel. If you enjoy choosing your own food and reading menus, you can probably spend less independently. You would also have more control over quantities and flavors.

I think the price makes more sense for solo visitors, first-time visitors, and anyone who wants a ready-made introduction to Reykjavik’s food shops. The small-group cap helps. With no more than 12 people, you should have a better chance to ask about ingredients, restaurants, and the city than you would on a large coach-style outing.

The samples are spread across several stops, so do not expect a full lunch. Think of it as a guided tasting session. If you have a big appetite, eat something light beforehand, but leave room for kleina, chocolate, ice cream, and candy.

The guide can be the difference

The best part of a food walk is often the person leading it. Here, the guide is expected to explain Icelandic sweets and the wider culinary culture in English, rather than simply point to each counter.

Matthias has a warm, personable style and has included cocoa, licorice, ice cream, and even dried fish in the tasting conversation. Oli brings energy and humor, and the route he leads can include a strong mix of pastries and other sweets, including Danish pastry.

Guide assignments can change, so you should not book expecting one particular person. Still, the emphasis on local recommendations is important. Ask where to eat after the tour, which treats are worth buying for home, and which flavors are most traditional.

This is also a comfortable format if you are traveling alone. A small shared group gives you company for two hours without requiring a full-day commitment. One practical benefit is that you can get your bearings in downtown Reykjavik while doing something enjoyable.

Who should take this tour

I would recommend it to anyone who plans to spend time in central Reykjavik and enjoys trying local food in small portions. It is especially suited to:

• Solo visitors who want an easy first activity with a group
• Couples and families with a strong interest in dessert
• Food-focused visitors who want more than a standard city walk
• First-time visitors who need restaurant and cafe suggestions
• People curious about Icelandic licorice, chocolate, and dairy products

It may be less suitable if you do not eat sweets, need a full meal, or dislike the idea of a changing menu. The tour also includes walking outdoors, so weather-ready clothing is essential.

People with licorice concerns should not automatically skip it. You will have other options, and the guide can explain the milder Icelandic style. If you have food allergies, the supplied information does not specify allergy procedures, so ask the operator before booking.

Booking details that matter

The tour lasts two hours and runs at set starting times shown during booking. It is conducted in English by a live guide and returns to Ingólfur Square.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the start for a full refund, and the reserve-now, pay-later option lets you keep your plans flexible. Those terms are useful in Iceland, where weather can affect how you arrange each day.

The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible. Since the route passes through several food businesses, contact the operator in advance if you need details about shop entrances or seating.

Should you book the Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour?

Book it if you want a guided introduction to Reykjavik’s bakeries, candy shops, and ice cream culture, especially early in your stay. The mix of kleina, snúður, chocolate, licorice, ice cream, and local advice gives you a useful taste of the city in a short block of time.

Skip it if you prefer to snack independently or if $90 feels too high for samples rather than a meal. The changing selection is part of the appeal, but it also means you cannot guarantee every named treat.

For most dessert fans, I see this as a pleasant and practical way to get your bearings. Just arrive early at the correct square, dress for the weather, and save a little appetite for Iceland’s sweet side.

FAQ

How long does the Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour last?

The tour lasts two hours, with starting times shown when you check availability.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Ingólfur Square in central Reykjavik, beside the two stone pillars more than three meters high.

Where does the tour finish?

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

What food is included?

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

Is licorice required?

No. Other options are available if you do not like licorice, although licorice is an important part of several Icelandic sweets.

How many people are in the group?

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

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible.

What language is the tour conducted in?

The live tour guide conducts the experience in English.

What should I wear?

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