Whether you’re stopping by on a quick day or two from Reykjavik or taking a week to drive the Ring Road around the country, the Golden Circle is a must-do scenic drive when visiting Iceland. From waterfalls to geysers to hot springs and more, the beauty of the natural wonders on the Golden Circle stops are endless!
What is the Golden Circle?
The Golden Circle scenic loop is a 300 km (or about 140 miles). You can drive this loop clockwise or counter-clockwise from Reykjavik, but since we were coming from the Blue Lagoon, we chose to drive the Golden Circle counter-clockwise which is how this guide will follow. Along the way, the stops include dramatic out-of-this-planet rock formations, volcanic craters, geothermal hot springs, gushing geysers, stunning waterfalls, and more.
It takes about 3-4 hours just to drive around the scenic loop itself, so adding in stops and time to explore areas, you can easily fill a full day with stopping along the drive. The Golden Circle can be considered a tourist loop as many tour companies follow this route, but it is easy to follow by yourself as well!
We did not drive the Golden Circle exactly the same circular loop that tour companies do, since we were staying the night at Laugarvatn rather than heading back towards Reykjavik. Therefore, if you are driving the loop with starting and ending at Reykjavik, I would move everything in Thingvellir National Park to the very end after Laugarvatn.
Things to Know Before You Go
When to Visit?
The Golden Circle is open year-round to visit, but the natural scenery may change depending on the season. Summer is the best for longer daylight hours, but shoulder season is better for fewer crowds. Generally, June through August is the best for calmer weather or September to October for fewer crowds. We visited in October!
What is weather like?
The weather on the Golden Circle is notorious for fast-changing, unpredictable weather that can shift rapidly between sun, rain, wind, and snow, all within a single afternoon. Generally, the summer has calmer weather and is probably the best weather, but still be prepared for rain showers and strong winds that can occur at any time.
Can I take a tour?
Yes! The Golden Circle is Iceland’s most popular day trip from Reykjavik, so you can take a guided tour with various tour companies like Reykjavik Excursions and Arctic Adventures. Since we did not take a guided tour and instead self-drove the Golden Circle, I don’t have personal experience to how good these are, but I think the reviews speak for themselves!
1. Reykjavik
As the capital city of the country and right next to the airport, Reykjavik is likely the first stop you’ll make when visiting Iceland. It is the cultural and business hub of Iceland, as well as the home to over half of the country’s population.
Read more about Reykjavik HERE.
2. Blue Lagoon
This geothermal hot spring spa is world-famous for its milky, vibrant blue water filled with silica minerals. The most basic admission includes access to the lagoon, steam bath, sauna, mud mask bar, a swim-up bar. This is an even better spot to soak away the flight fatigue and refresh yourself before your trip to Iceland.
Read more about our Blue Lagoon experience HERE.
3. Kerið Crater
This picturesque blue lake against its crimson rock background makes this the best first stop along the Golden Circle!
Kerid Crater is a volcanic crater lake that was formed by a caldera collapse after magma drained underground. This is unlike how typical volcanic craters form, as thye are usually created by explosive eruptions. It is only 3,000 to 6,500 years old which is geoloically young for a volcano crater.
You can walk around the entire crater rim and then walk down the short staircase to reach the bottom of the crater lake! It is roughly 180 feet down to the bottom.
Entry is 700 ISK (5 USD) for parking and restrooms included.
4. Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park
This national park features dramatic rock formations, valleys, and Iceland’s largest natural lake (Þingvallavatn). The landscape was formed by the Mid-Atlantic Rift when North America’s and Eurasia’s tectonic plates drifted apart. Thus, it formed Almannagja Gorge and Silfra Fissure, in which the glacier water filtered through lava rocks to become a crystal-clear lake.
Thingvellir is the original site of the Althingi, Iceland’s national parliament, and read out the laws to the people on top of a rock.
Almannagja Gorge
After the Mid-Atlantic Rift, this gorge marks the meeting point between North America and Eurasia’s tectonic plates. Thus, it forms a gorge with a walking path between dramatic cliffs and is a great area to go for a hike.
At Almannagja is also where the country officially declared independence from Denmark in 1944 during a national celebration for the founding of the Republic of Iceland.
Öxarárfoss Waterfall
Within Almannagja Gorge, Oxararfoss Waterfall flows from the Oxara River over lava rock formations. It’s about 44 feet (13 meters) high and 20 feet (6 meters) wide. If you visit during winter, the water freezes over!
The nearest parking lot is just a short walk to the base of the waterfalls or you can take a 3 mile loop trail via the Almannagja Trail.
Almannagja Gorge and Oxararfoss were also featured in Game of Thrones in season 4 as the area leading to the Vale of Arryn.
Þingvallakirk (Thingvellir Church) and Cemetery
Located within the old Althingi assembly site, Thingvallakirkja is a small wooden church that was founded in 1015 and completed in 1859. This is still an active parish church and hosts services, weddings, and community events.
The church is free to enter and is open to the public during summer months (June-August) whenever there is a park ranger on duty.
Near the church is also a series of buildings that serves as the summer residence for the Icelandic prime minister.
Langistígur
This is a scenic hiking area within Thingvellir that, similar to Almannagja Gorge, allows you to walk on a crevasse between the dramatic rock formations and lush vegetation.
This was another area that was filmed in Game of Thrones!
Hrafnagjá Observation Deck
Even though this is a quick stop within Thingvellir, the Hrafnagjá Observation has amazing views of the rift valley, lake, and rock formations.
The lava rocks are covered in fjallagrös (Icelandic moss), which is actually a lichen (a symbiotic organism made of fungus and algae)!
Silfra Fissure
A popular tour in Thingvellir is to go snorkeling in crystal clear water in the Silfra Fissure. You don’t need previous diving certifications for this experience. There are various tours that combine snorkeling with the Golden Circle, horseback riding, diving, and more options.
Sadly, we didn’t do this due to time and money (tours typically cost between $130-$200 USD), but the waters looked incredible!
5. Geysir Geothermal Area
The Geysir Geothermal Area is located within the Haukadalur Valley and home to multiple exploding hot springs and boiling mud pits.
The Great Geysir
The Geysir hot spring is one of the most famous geysers in the world, on par with those of Yellowstone, New Zealand, and more, and where the title “geyser” originated from. Meaning “to erupt” in Icelandic, even though Geysir is essentially dormant, visitors can still come here to see the original site of this might geyser.
Strokkur Geyser
Although the original Geysir rarely erupts anymore, you’ll be able to see a geyser erupt at this geothermal area easily at Strokkur Geyser (the Churn). This active geyser erupts every 5 to 10 minutes and shoots hot water up to 65 feet (20 meters) in the air. If you’re lucky, sometimes it can erupt up to 130 feet (49 meters)!
Litli Geysir
Translated to “Little Geyser,” this is a small, minor hot spring that is constantly bubbling and churning. It is one of 30 small geysers at the Geysir Geothermal Area.
Gullfoss Waterfall
Also known as the “Golden Falls,” Gullfoss is one of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls. It is a two-tiered waterfall with water sourced from the Langjokull Glacier and surrounded by a canyon.
The upper falls viewpoint is an easily accessbile ramp/boardwalk for a panoramic view of Gullfoss while going down the lower falls viewpoints requires walking down the staircase to get a close-up perspective.
It is roughly 100 feet (30 meters) down to the lower falls from the upper rim. If you venture towards the lower falls, definitely be prepared for you and your camera to get some mist sprayed on you from the waterfalls!
Laugarvatn
About one hour drive from Reykjavik, Laugarvatn is a small village with a geothermal lake.
Laugarvatn Fontana
The Laugarvatn Fontana is a lakefront spa and wellness center built on natural hot springs. Their facilities include a geothermal swimming pool, steam rooms, saunas, and mineral baths.
Another notable attraction at Laugarvatn Fontana is the geothermal rye bakery, where visitors can take tours to see how they bake rye bread by burying it in the black sand and simmering for 24 hours using the heat of the geothermal geyser. After digging it out, visitors can taste the rye bread with some butter!
We arrived at 7 PM, so the Fontana was closed, but luckily our guesthouse (Héraðsskólinn Historic Guesthouse) had some geothermal rye bread for us to try in their lobby!
This is our final stop for the day, but not the final stop on the official Golden Circle map! We weren’t heading back to Reykjavik just yet as we’re continuing on our Ring Road road trip, but see more Golden Circle stops under “Things We Missed.”
Gallery
As always, I’m better with pictures than I am with words and always take way too many to include within my articles!
Things We Missed
Since we weren’t heading back to Reykjavik just yet and instead staying the night at Laugarvatn Fontana before continuing on our Ring Road roadtrip towards Vik, there are a few stops that we missed along the way between Laugarvatn and Reykjavik.
Efstidalur
Efstidalur II is a history dairy farm, hotel, and restaurant that has been run by the same family over eight generations since the 1750s. Here, you can stop for homemade ice crema, see the dairy cows through the observation windows, go horseback riding, or stay the night at the hotel.
Silfra Fissure
As mentioned above, you can take a snorkeling or diving tour at Silfra or just see the fissure from the various viewpoints and trail at Thingvellir National Park.
Thorufoss (Þórufoss)
This is a main waterfall that we missed! It is 62 feet (18 meters) tall and was also featured in Game of Thrones as the home of the Children of the Forest.
What’s Next?
We’re continuing on our Ring Road drive to Vik as we continue making our way around the country and seeing more waterfalls, Icelandic horses, black sand beaches, and glacier lagoons!
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