11 – 15 January 2026

Journey to the home of Europe's northernmost Jewish community

Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the land where rabbis say blessings over volcanoes, hot springs are used for mikvahs and Shabbat sometimes starts after midnight. Learn about the wartime émigrés who created Iceland’s classical music scene, meet members of the current Jewish community, soak in the Blue Lagoon, see geysers in the Golden Circle, and take a cruise to view the Northern Lights. Price will include a comfortable, well-situated hotel, private coach transfers and meals based on local delicacies (vegetarian and pescatarian).

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Tour info

Destination: Iceland
Dates: Sunday 11 – Thursday 15 January 2026
Cost*: £2,745pp sharing a double/twin room, £3,100pp inc. single supplement
Deposit required: £895pp by 26 May 2025 (final payment by 26 July 2025)
Booking: To reserve your place, please click the button below and complete the form

*This is a full package tour, so the price includes:

• Return flights on IcelandAir from Heathrow to Reykjavik;

• Comfortable, well-equipped and well-located accommodation;

• Coach travel throughout the tour;

• Entrance tickets, guided tours and extra lectures;

• All applicable taxes and tips;

• All breakfasts, three dinners and the final lunch (not including alcohol). All food provided will be vegetarian or pescatarian (no seafood/non-kosher fish).

ITINERARY*

Sunday 11 January

Icelandair flight FI 451 – London Heathrow to Keflavík International Airport – Dep. 12:15, Arr. 15:30

A coach will meet us at Keflavík International Airport to take us to Reykjavik's Storm Hotel. This Nordic-designed hotel is located close to Laugavegur Street, the capital's beating heart for art, shops, eateries and bars. After time to check in and freshen up, we will have an introductory chat with Iceland's Chief Rabbi Avraham Feldman, followed by an early evening group dinner at Saeta Svinid Gastropub. Once we've eaten, we'll set off for a Northern Lights Cruise. For the most intensity, colour and movement, these are best viewed at night with as little light pollution as possible. As we float on Faxaflói bay, Aurora Borealis experts will talk us through the experience. It is recommended that you wear warm clothes for this excursion, including a hat and gloves. As the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, we cannot guarantee that we will see them, but if we don't, we will try again tomorrow.

Monday 12 January

Today we will take in Reykjavik's rich cultural offerings. The city – which is the northernmost capital in the world – is home to 60 percent of Iceland's entire population, roughly 320,000 people, and its name translates to 'Smoky Bay', named by early settlers for the columns of steam that rose from the hot springs in the area. It is a city rich in history, literature, art and music, and in the last 100 years that heritage has been enhanced by Jewish refugees.

After a leisurely breakfast, we will spend the morning in Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús. Then you will have free time for an independent lunch, exploration and shopping in the beautiful harbourside area. Later in the afternoon, we'll reconvene as a group, to visit Harpa Concert Hall and enjoy a talk by musicologist and author Árni Heimir Ingólfsson about the Jewish musicians who brought classical music to iceland.

The evening will be at your own leisure and cost, including dinner. However, keep in mind that if we didn't manage to see the Northern Lights on Sunday night, we will try again tonight. If that proves to be the case, you may wish to eat early and close to the hotel, then meet us for another cruise.

Tuesday 13 January

Following breakfast, we will set off on a Super Jeep tour of the island, accompanied by expert guides. The all-terrain vehicles will allow us to comfortably explore across rock, ice and beaches, stopping for an independent lunch en-route. We'll drive along the Golden Circle, a famous route that takes in Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to the valley that separates the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate; Geysir geothermal area, where you'll witness the powerful eruptions of boiling water Iceland is famed for; and Gullfoss, a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river that is 1.6 miles long and plunges over 100 feet deep. We'll finish the day with a group dinner at Matarkjallarinn in Reykjavík.

Wednesday 14 January

Prepare to be pampered today as we take a coach after breakfast to the Blue Lagoon. Entry tickets to this renowned hot spring inlcude a towel, one drink and a Silica Mud Mask, which contains the rejuvenating and nourishing clay-like mineral silica from the geothermal waters. Soak in the hot pools, surrounded by a volcanic landscape, and take advantage of the in-water bar serving smoothies, juices, other soft drinks, beer and wine (extra drinks after your first are at your own cost, as is lunch). Once we're fully reenergised, we'll have dinner at Grillmarkaðurinn. And if we still haven't seen the Northern Lights, tonight we'll give it one last go.

Thursday 15 January

As Reykjavík is a UNESCO City of Literature, it's only right that we soak some of it in before heading home. Following breakfast, and checking out of the hotel, we will take a literary walking tour of the capital, including a visit to Iceland's oldest bookstore, Eymundsson, which was established in 1872. There, we hope to be in conversation with Sjón, an Icelandic poet, novelist, lyricist, and screenwriter who frequently collaborates with the singer Björk. Sjón's complicated family heritage led him to explore Iceland's role in World War II, the history of Nazism and Jewish identity in his work. We'll conclude the trip with a final group lunch in a harbour restaurant with a wonderful sea view, after which we'll board the coach transfer to Keflavík International Airport in time to catch the 16:20 flight back to London.

Icelandair flight FI 454 – Keflavík International Airport to London Heathrow – Dep. 16:20, Arr. 19:30

*Please note that as this tour is booked so far ahead, the itinerary is subject to change.