Cruises in Iceland

Iceland is an island of deep fjords and small harbor towns, so it seems like an obvious place to see by ship. When I first wrote this page, that was mostly wishful thinking: a handful of big-ship itineraries called at Reykjavik for a day, and there was no real way to sail around the island. That has changed. Cruise ships now call at more than 20 Icelandic ports, and sailing all the way around the country is a regular itinerary.

I still hold my original opinion, though. A ship shows you the coast, but Iceland's best sights sit inland: waterfalls, glaciers, lava fields and hot springs. If you can, spend at least part of your trip on land.

How cruising Iceland works now

There are three main ways to do it.

A port call on a longer voyage

Many North Atlantic and northern Europe itineraries stop in Reykjavik and sometimes one or two other ports for a day. It's a taste, and a day in port is enough for the city itself or a shore excursion to the Golden Circle. It isn't enough for much else.

Around Iceland

Circumnavigation cruises start and end in Iceland and call at towns all the way around the coast. According to the industry group Cruise Iceland, 57 of these voyages ran in 2025. If this is the trip you want, book soon: the same report expects only 33 in 2027, a 42% drop. The report blames government policy, including the infrastructure fee charged on cruise passengers. That fee was reduced at the end of 2025, and bookings for 2028 look better.

Small expedition ships call too, though Cruise Iceland reports their numbers have been falling since 2023, with 2026 the exception.

Starting or ending your cruise in Reykjavik

Reykjavik's port authority, Faxaflóahafnir, now runs Vör, its new passenger terminal at Skarfabakki, which opened for the 2026 cruise season. The whole point is to get more passengers starting or ending their cruise in Iceland. If your cruise does, add a few days on land before or after. Our three days in Iceland and stopover guides are a good starting point.

Where ships call

Cruise Iceland's member ports include Reykjavik, Akureyri, Ísafjörður, Húsavík, Seyðisfjörður, Grundarfjörður, Stykkishólmur, Siglufjörður, Vestmannaeyjar, Djúpivogur and the Arctic Circle island of Grímsey. A few of them, and what to do there:

• Reykjavik: the capital. Walk to Hallgrímskirkja for the view, then take a dip in one of the city pools.
• Akureyri: the north's main town, and the jumping-off point for Lake Mývatn and Goðafoss.
• Húsavík: Iceland's whale-watching town, home of the Whale Museum.
• Ísafjörður: the base for the Westfjords and boat trips toward Hornstrandir.
• Grundarfjörður and Stykkishólmur: gateways to the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
• Vestmannaeyjar: the Westman Islands, with the 1973 lava field and puffin cliffs.

Sailing to Iceland without a cruise line

If you like the idea of arriving by sea, there's one scheduled passenger ferry: Smyril Line's Norröna, from Hirtshals in Denmark via the Faroe Islands to Seyðisfjörður in the East Fjords. It takes cars, which makes it popular with people planning a long road trip. It doesn't sail to Iceland in winter; see ferries to Iceland for the 2026 schedule.

Is a cruise the right way to see Iceland?

If you want to unpack once and see a lot of coastline, a circumnavigation does that well, and it reaches small places like Grímsey that most road trips skip. If you want the glaciers, the south coast waterfalls and the highlands, you'll do better with a rental car and a Ring Road plan. The port of Reykjavik uses its new terminal for events from October to March, outside the busy cruise months, and those warmer months are also when the roads are at their best. Check when to go before you decide.

Photo by towniep