If it’s your first time in Iceland, exploring Iceland’s Golden Circle is likely part of your trip. The route for many tourists starts in Reykjavik. It loops through a southern section of the country and back to the city. You’ll see mountains, volcanoes, lava fields, waterfalls, Icelandic horses and geysers along this 190 mile route.
If that sounds like a full day, believe me, it is. The Golden Circle tour is a full 10-hours from pickup to dropoff. Anyone can take this Golden Circle and Geothermal Baths tour. Prices start around $140 USD. It is several hours shorter and about $40 USD cheaper if you chose not to stop at the Baths.
We were happy to learn that the $140 excursion was included in the Groupon package we bought through Icelandair, saving us nearly $300! When we arrived Hotel Natura in Reykjavik, we checked in with the excursion desk at the hotel to make sure our names were on the pick-up list. It was as easy as that!
On the day of our Golden Circle adventure, we waited outside the hotel for our ride. A MASSIVE tour bus showed up. We boarded and discovered most of the seats were already taken. Apparently because of the location of our hotel, we were the last pickup, last dropoff for all tours. The bus took us to the small bus station in Reykjavik. It turned out that the tour buses pick up everyone going on any type of tour. It’s at the bus station where everyone splits up into different groups depending on the option they bought.
Unfortunately, we were directed to another tour bus that was equally as large at the first for our Golden Circle and Fontana Wellness Spa excursion. We boarded with dozens of other people and settled in to our seats.
THEN SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPENED!!!!
They’d overbooked the bus and needed volunteers to move to a different one. We jumped at the chance! This move put us on a much smaller bus with just ten other people! It turned the day from a cattle call into a free semi-private tour upgrade! YESSSS!!!
PRO TIP: In my experience, a private tour is always better than a large group tour. It’s more comfortable, you see more, and you learn a lot more. I’ll never turn down the opportunity!
Þingvellir National Park
We rolled out of Reykjavik toward the Golden Circle. Our guide/driver told us a little bit about the day. Þingvellir National Park was the first stop, about 30-miles outside of the city. It’s one of three main tourists stops on the Golden Circle. Thousands of people visit it every year. It’s also where certain scenes for Game of Thrones are shot.
Our guide decided he wanted to stretch his legs a little at this stop. He suddenly became our private tour guide as we climbed small hill. He explained that the National Park was where Iceland’s original Parliament met. Founded in 930 A.D., Iceland has the oldest Parliament in the world. The Park was designated a World Heritage Site in 2004.
It’s importance doesn’t end there. The landscape was amazing. It was wide and open. We could see a dormant volcano in the distance, a lava flow to the side and a river through the valley. I’m sure it’s even more breathtaking in summer when everything is green. After taking in the sight, we walked along a path and through the lava flow. The walls made of thick, uneven, black lava towered on either side of us as we strolled through the area. As we walked along we came upon several different waterfalls that glistened against the black backdrop of the lava.
PRO TIP: You’ll have to pay to use the restroom at Þingvellir National Park. There are free restrooms at the next three stops on this tour. If you do need to use it, don’t worry about having exact change, credit cards are accepted!
Strokkur
From the National Park, we headed to another area that’s a point of pride in Iceland. The Geysir Hot Spring area. Geothermal geysirs and pools can be found all over Iceland. But the one on the Golden Circle is one of the most impressive the country has to offer. You’ll likely smell this area before you see it because of the Sulphur build up, but you won’t have to wait forever to watch it perform. Geysir is actually now dormant, but Strokkur will grab your attention. Strokkur is closer to the road and it erupts every 3 to 10 minutes. It also has enough power to shoot water more than 200 feet into the air!
Impressive, huh?
The tour did not include lunch, but by this time we were getting a little hungry. There is a cafeteria, a restaurant and a large gift shop across the street from the geysir, if you need to grab a snack or souvenirs here.
Gullfoss
Our guide saved the best for last! After the lava flows and the geysir, he turned the bus toward Gullfoss! This is a MASSIVE waterfall. Gullfoss translates to “Golden Waterfall” in English. It’s the largest and is said to be the the most famous waterfall in Iceland … and it doesn’t disappoint.
You will get a little exercise if you want to see Gullfoss. You can hear the waterfall, but can’t see it, from the parking lot. Follow the signs and descend the steps to check out the running water. The powerful waterfall is fed by a glacier upstream. The sun was out in full force the day we visited, so we were able to see a rainbow over the falls! Gullfoss was the highlight of the this tour for us!!
As we left Gullfoss and headed toward our final stop of the tour, our driver/guide said that we were ahead of the larger bus. (Remember we were able to get onto a smaller bus at the beginning of the day?) He said because we saved time, we’d be able to do something that people on the other bus wouldn’t be able to.
PRO TIP: There isn’t much that gets me more excited than a tour guide telling me that we are able to do something that usually isn’t included. It happened to us in China too!!
During the Golden Circle tour, we saved enough time to stop and see the Islandic horses! They are beautiful creatures.
The animals are shorter and stockier than the horses we have here in the U.S. Their hair and mane are also different. It’s coarse and oily to protect them from the weather. The horses allowed us to pet them and feed them something our guide called “horse candy” … some type of treat you can buy when you stop.
After stopping at the horses, we hit the road again. This time we headed to Fontana Wellness Spa. The spa has three heated pools to relax in — regardless of how warm or cold it is outside. Remember your swimsuit or towel when you leave the hotel, you’ll need them here.
PRO TIP: Remember that you’ll need to shower before entering the water at Fontana, just like visitors to the Blue Lagoon do. Read more about what you can expect here. There is no “family room” at Fontana like the Blue Lagoon offers.
We were impressed with a short field trip at Fontana. We all filed out of the bus and walked down the beach before heading to the locker rooms. The water is so hot here, employees actually bake rye bread just by burying it in the sand! They dig a hole, bury a pot of dough, and 24 hours later dig it up. Each visitor gets to try a slice. It’s fantastic!
After several hours at the spa, everyone was exhausted. We piled back on the bus for the return trip to Reykjavik. (It’s possible I may have taken a nap on the ride) We were dropped off at our hotel in the city.
Up next … hunting for the Northern Lights!!
Heidi, This was such an enjoyable tour! We made a stopover in Iceland once, but only saw these scenes from the air.