Stamping my feet to keep the chill away, I waited eagerly at the bus stop for out of town. My destination was Iceland’s Golden Circle, a route that visits some of the most incredible natural wonders in southwest Iceland. I was beyond excited to leave Reykjavík and experience the acclaimed Icelandic scenery that I’d heard so much about.
Luckily, the three major sites of the Golden Circle—plus two extra sites that I highly recommend visiting—only span about 250 km. It’s easily doable in a day trip from Reykjavík. As our coach eventually pulled up, I scrambled into the warm, rushing to get a window seat. With the insightful and humorous words of Hannes, our local guide, in my ears, we left Reykjavík on our day trip round the Golden Circle.
This itinerary begins and ends in Reykjavík, making it a perfect day trip from Iceland’s capital. However, it’s also possible to integrate a tour round the Golden Circle into a longer road trip around the rest of Iceland.
Stop 1: Kerid Crater
Stop 2: Faxi Waterfall
Stop 3: Gullfoss Waterfall
Stop 4: Strokkur Geysir
Stop 5: Thingvellir National Park
Our first stop on the Golden Circle was Kerid Crater, one of the Golden Circle’s less visited spots. Scientists believe that the crater was once a volcano, and after erupting it collapsed inwards, leaving a giant hole in the earth.
Peering down from the crater’s rim, I felt like I could be on Mars. The massive hollow in the ground is made of red soil and rocks, creating a striking contrast with the aquamarine lake that sits at the bottom.
I’d love to visit Kerid Crater again in the depths of winter, when the lake would be completely frozen over. The vivid aquamarine water that Kerid is famous for would not be visible. However, the white of the ice would still create a stark contrast with the crater’s red soil. And what better way to embody the Land of Ice and Fire than a frozen lake in the middle of a volcanic crater!
Distance from Reykjavík: 70 km / 45 miles
Driving time: 1 hr
Cost: 400 ISK (about £2; as of late 2018)
Back on the road around the Golden Circle, our next stop was Faxi Waterfall. Faxi is another of the less visited stops on the Golden Circle but it’s such a hidden gem. We were the only visitors there!
Hannes, our guide described Faxi as a “taster” for Gullfoss Waterfall, the Golden Circle’s main attraction. He pitched Faxi as “serene” and “peaceful”. I’m sure it is for native Icelanders, but I was very surprised when we reached Faxi and discovered that it was a roaring waterfall in its own right!
Spanning 80 metres Faxi Waterfall is much wider than it is tall, so I can understand how it might seem smaller than it is. Yet this didn’t detract from the foaming, turbid water that cascaded off the shallow drop before winding downriver through the golden countryside.
Distance from previous location: 35 km / 20 miles
Driving time: 30 mins
Cost: there are differing reports of this! Some people have paid up to 700 ISK (about £4).
Gullfoss Waterfall was my highlight of the Golden Circle. In fact, the Golden Circle is named after Gullfoss, which translates to “Golden Falls”. The waterfall pours into a high and narrow canyon, causing a massive emanation of fine spray to soak whomever approaches.
In many countries, Gullfoss’s viewing platforms would have been chiselled away neatly with barriers separating it from the gushing water. In contrast, the majority of Iceland’s landscape remains raw and untouched. To reach the viewpoints I had to clamber over sharp, rugged rocks. They were soaked from the waterfall’s spray and I had to move on all fours, trussed in my layers, so that I didn’t slip.
While all of the Golden Circle is breathtaking, the raw beauty of Gullfoss is so stunning. If you only visit one spot on the Golden Circle, let it be the wilderness of Gullfoss Waterfall!
Distance from previous location: 20 km / 12 miles
Driving time: 20 mins
Cost: free. See up-to-date visitor information here.
Strokkur Geyser is situated in the Haukadalur Geothermal Valley, along with many smaller geysers and thermal pools. Winding trails of hot, bubbling water run alongside the valley’s main paths. Strokkur is the “little brother” of Geysir—the original geyser that all others are named after—which rarely erupts anymore. However, Strokkur still puts on a very impressive display.
I waited less than three minutes before Strokkur erupted. Just at this moment, the sun made an appearance, and an arching rainbow framed the column of water. The boiling water shot at least 20 metres high, lingering for a moment, seemingly suspended mid-air, before spraying down on the enamoured spectators. It was such a magical sight!
Distance from previous location: 10 km / 6 miles
Driving time: 10 mins
Cost: free (as of late 2018)
Thingvellir National Park sits in the valley between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The park’s landscape is surreal, with gushing waterfalls, rocky fissures and Iceland’s largest lake.
There are a lot of hiking trails through Thingvellir, so I recommend leaving enough time to fully explore the Icelandic wilderness.
I hiked up through the valley to the top of Thingvellir’s ridge. It was coldest I was throughout my whole time in Iceland! The wind was brutal, ripping uninterrupted across the plains until it reached us by the ridge’s crust. My scarf whipped around me and I huddled into my hat, but the winter sun was about to set, and it was worth the cold to watch the golden light bathing the plains.
Distance from previous location: 60 km / 35 miles
Driving time: 1 hour
Cost: free, but parking costs 750 ISK (about £4). See up-to-date visitor information here.
Return to Reykjavík: 45 km / 30 miles
Driving time: 45 minutes
Iceland’s Golden Circle is only accessible by road. A great option is to hire a car, especially if you’re already planning a road trip around the rest of Iceland. All the spots on this list have car parks, though some of them have a small fee to enter.
If renting a car is out, there are plenty of day trips from Reykjavík that you can book. I went on a full-day coach tour with Local Iceland Tours that visited all these spots. It cost just under £55 and included all parking and entry fees. The best bit about this tour was that we were accompanied by Hannes, a local guide who regaled us with stories of Iceland as we trundled through the countryside.
My one regret about my trip to Iceland is that I only spent this one day amongst the country’s amazing scenery. Even between stops on the Golden Circle, the natural landscape was breathtaking. The snow-streaked mountains above boiling thermal pools; the rich, golden grasslands as summer turned to winter; the way the low-hanging mist mingled with the geothermal steam . . . All of it was beautiful.
After touring the Golden Circle, I would have loved to circle Iceland’s Ring Road, which runs round the entire country. Though it was just a taster of Iceland’s natural wonders, everything I witnessed on the Golden Circle—from falls to geysers to plains—was stunningly raw and beautiful.
Iceland, I’ll be back!
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2 Comments
Melanie Newdick · 10/30/2020 at 5:12 PM
This is a really great itinerary so thanks for posting. Iceland is at the top of my list of places to go and I had been looking at doing a tour or going it alone and driving – driving sounds like the better option for me as a result of reading this.
Daisy · 10/31/2020 at 2:02 PM
I’m so glad to hear that! Honestly, I would recommend driving for anyone who has the budget / driving licence / feels safe enough (and I felt so safe in Iceland) just because of the freedom it gives you. I hope you get to visit Iceland soon!