Cruise to Iceland
Reykjavik has two harbours but Iceland has 16 more
As we focus on Reykjavik as a base to explore Iceland from we’ll look at the two harbours it offers for cruise liners. The Old harbour and strangely enough the New Harbour. You can take a guess as to which one most giant cruise ships will dock at. The New Harbour is bigger, newer and can accept two large cruise ships at a time. It is also a few miles outside the centre of Reykjavik.
The Old Harbour does actually accept a few cruise liners a year, although these usually tend to be on the slightly smaller side than the floating cities common on the seas now.
Where is the cruise ship terminal in Iceland
There are two areas you can dock when visiting Reykjavik on an ocean cruise ship. These are the New Harbour (Skarfabakki) or the Old Harbour.
The New Harbour or Skarfabakki
Situated around 2 miles from the city centre this new harbour of Iceland is where most cruise liners will dock. It is modern, large and can cope with the huge ships that now traverse the seas. Being modern, the terminal has everything you would expect a visitor would need to make themselves comfortable for their stop over such as shops, internet and restrooms.
The port is big enough to take two large cruise liners at once.
From New Harbour there are free shuttle buses that will run you into the city centre in around 10 minutes. You can also pick up a taxi but be warned these are expensive. If you have pre-booked a tour or shore excursion then most of these will have a pick up and drop off stop at the harbour. Finally the hop-on hop-off bus includes the terminal in its route. In theory it passes by every thirty minutes or so, but do not rely on this as it can run later too.
The Old Harbour
As its name suggests this is where the older and smaller boats will dock when visiting Reykjavik or working there. It is right in the heart of the town, so if you happen to be on a smaller cruise ship and it stops at Old Harbour, you can alight and be exploring the city centre in seconds. Reykjavik is a walking city, it is easy to wander around and see most of the sights on foot. You can though use the hop-on hop-off bus or take a tour which will also pick up passengers from this location.
As it is the Old Harbour, you’ll find other vessels in dock here, such as whale watching, the ferries or fishing boats.
There are two harbours in Reykjavik, the old and the new. The new harbour takes the bigger ships and is 2 miles outside the city centre.
Shore excursions in Reykjavik
Reykjavik is an excellent stopping point on a cruise. The city itself has the charm of a small town, but the facilities and attractions of a capital city. This means you’ll find plenty of things to do in Reykjavik. From visiting museums and churches, thermal spas, bars and clubs, restaurants, walking, shopping and just taking in the incredible scenery.
On top of this, Iceland’s capital city is a perfect jumping off point to explore further afield. You can easily take 6hr tours from Reykjavik, such as the famous Golden Circle Tour or visit the Blue Lagoon and be back to your ship in plenty of time. If you are staying longer then you can spend time in both Reykjavik and go deeper into Iceland and discover the incredible landscapes, waterfalls, lagoons and more.
Shore Excursions from Reykjavik
Attractions close to Skarfabakki Cruise Terminal
Within 10 minutes you can be in the heart of the city and exploring everything it has to offer, but the closest attractions to the terminal are Volcano House, The Saga Museum and The Northern Lights Centre (Aurora Reykjavik).
