Iceland Airwaves Festival — Self-Launched Reykjavík Music Week
5 days · Reykjavík, Iceland
G Adventures charges £1,600
No-markup version: ~£562 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of G Adventures' 5-day Iceland Airwaves trip: base yourself in a downtown Reykjavík hostel or guesthouse, buy your own Airwaves ticket (3-day wristband, roughly £180-220), and build your own programme around the festival's biggest days. G Adventures bundles 4 hotel nights, 4 breakfasts, a 3-day festival ticket and a CEO guide — but the festival itself is open to the public and Reykjavík's live-music venues, off-venue gigs, record shops, pools and hot dogs are all walkable from the city centre. Day 2 is yours for a glacier hike or a Golden Circle minibus tour, both bookable independently on GetYourGuide or directly with local operators. Note Iceland is expensive: even the budget version of this trip is dominated by accommodation and festival tickets, but you'll save a few hundred pounds versus the group tour and get full control of your gig schedule.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Reykjavík, settle in, catch the first Airwaves buzz
Reykjavík
Fly into Keflavík (KEF) and take the Flybus or Airport Direct coach into town (~3,000-4,000 ISK, about £18-24, 45-50 min) — book online in advance for a small discount, or use the cheaper Strætó city bus route 55 if you're feeling thrifty. Check into a downtown hostel or guesthouse around Laugavegur or the Skólavörðustígur area so you can walk everywhere. Collect your Airwaves wristband from the festival box office (check opening hours — usually from early afternoon on the first day). Spend the late afternoon wandering the harbour, Hallgrímskirkja and the old town, then grab a cheap dinner — Bæjarins Beztu hot dogs (~£4), a bakery sandwich, or the Bonus supermarket for self-catering supplies. Evening: head to the official Airwaves opening gig or an off-venue show; most off-venue gigs in bars, record shops and cafes are free with or without a wristband.
🚌Flybus/Strætó from KEF to Reykjavík, then walking
🛏Downtown Reykjavík hostel dorm (e.g. Kex Hostel, Hostel B47 or Loft HI) or budget guesthouse near Laugavegur
- →Flybus transfer from Keflavík airport
- →Collect Airwaves wristband
- →Self-guided walk: Hallgrímskirkja, harbour, Laugavegur
- →Free off-venue gigs in city bars
Glacier hike on Sólheimajökull or the Golden Circle
Sólheimajökull / Golden Circle
Use today — festival's quieter build-up day — for the landscape. Option A: guided glacier hike on Sólheimajökull with crampons and ice axes, bookable on GetYourGuide or directly with local operators like Arctic Adventures or Icelandic Mountain Guides (~£160-190 including Reykjavík pickup, 10-11 hours). Option B: Golden Circle minibus day tour (Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss) from ~£60-80 on GetYourGuide or Klook. Option C (cheapest): public bus to the trailhead for a self-guided walk, or rent a bike in town (~£30/day) and ride the coastal path out to Seltjarnarnes and Grafarvogur. Be back by early evening, cook or eat cheap (Noodle Station, Skál! or a supermarket dinner), then catch the night's Airwaves programme.
🚌Operator pickup for day tour; walking/bike in town
🛏Downtown Reykjavík hostel dorm or budget guesthouse
- →Sólheimajökull glacier hike (self-booked)
- →OR Golden Circle minibus tour
- →OR bike rental and coastal ride
- →Airwaves evening gigs
Full Airwaves day — headline venues and off-venue marathon
Reykjavík
A proper festival day. Sleep in, then hit the free off-venue circuit from early afternoon — the official Airwaves app schedules dozens of free gigs in bars, shops and cafes, often the best place to stumble on the 'next big thing'. In the evening your wristband gets you into the main venues (Harpa, Art Museum, Iðnó and others) for headline international and Icelandic acts. Eat between sets: skyr and a bakery pastry, a hot dog, or a bowl of lamb soup. Bars are pricey (~£8-10 a beer) — happy hours in Reykjavík are early evening, so plan around them. Take earplugs and pace yourself; venues are all walkable within 15 minutes of each other.
🚌Walking
🛏Downtown Reykjavík hostel dorm or budget guesthouse
- →Free off-venue gigs in the afternoon
- →Main-venue Airwaves shows (wristband)
- →Happy hour hopping on Laugavegur
Pools, records and the final Airwaves night
Reykjavík
Recovery morning: visit one of Reykjavík's public geothermal pools — Sundhöllin or Laugardalslaug (~£7-8 entry, towel and swimsuit required) — or take the local bus to Nauthólsvík geothermal beach. Afternoon: browse the record shops and second-hand stores on Skólavörðustígur and Hverfisgata, maybe a free walking tour of the city centre (tip-based, ~£10 tip). Big traditional Icelandic dinner if you fancy it (a sit-down fish or lamb main is £25-35; or eat cheap at a food hall like Hlemmur Mathöll for £12-15). Then back out for the final night of Airwaves — headline sets plus after-parties and club nights running into the small hours.
🚌Walking and local Strætó bus
🛏Downtown Reykjavík hostel dorm or budget guesthouse
- →Geothermal pool (Sundhöllin or Laugardalslaug)
- →Record shop and design shopping on Skólavörðustígur
- →Tip-based free city walking tour
- →Final Airwaves night + after-parties
Depart Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Check out and, if your flight allows, squeeze in one last bakery breakfast and a walk along the harbour or out to the Grótta lighthouse. Take the Flybus or Strætó back to Keflavík — allow 3 hours before a European flight and 3.5 hours before a long-haul one, as the airport is busy and check-in queues are long. Airport food is expensive, so buy snacks in town first.
🚌Flybus/Strætó to KEF airport
🛏N/A — departure day
- →Last harbour walk or Grótta lighthouse
- →Flybus transfer to Keflavík airport
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£562 | £1,600 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,038 per person (65%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£562
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Iceland Airwaves Festival — Self-Launched Reykjavík Music Week cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £562 per person for 5 days in Reykjavík, Iceland. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,600 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £562 — a saving of roughly £1,038 (65%) per person.
How long is the Reykjavík, Iceland trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Reykjavík, Iceland.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a festivals, culture, city-breaks trip through Reykjavík, Iceland, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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