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If you’re planning a trip to Iceland and only have one full day to explore outside of Reykjavik, here’s a tip: experience the Golden Circle tour. It’s one of the easiest (and most popular) ways to see the country’s most jaw-dropping natural wonders. All packed into one amazing day.
It’s not every day that you get to see geysers shooting steaming water into the sky, massive waterfalls crashing into deep canyons and ancient valleys where continents quite literally drift apart.
What is the Golden Circle?
The Golden Circle is a famous scenic route in Iceland that connects three of the country’s most iconic natural sights:
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Thingvellir National Park
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Gullfoss Waterfall
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The Geysir Geothermal Area
The whole loop is just a few hours from Reykjavik, making it a super convenient day trip. It’s perfect if you want a taste of Iceland’s wild beauty and rich history, but don’t have a ton of time.
How to experience the Golden Circle
There are two main ways to see the Golden Circle:
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Self-drive: If you love road trips and the idea of pulling over whenever something catches your eye, hiring a car might be your style. Iceland’s roads are relatively quiet and you’ll have total freedom over your schedule.
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Guided tour: If you’d rather sit back, relax and soak up all the amazing scenery without worrying about driving or directions, a guided tour is the way to go. You’ll also learn a lot from a local guide – cool stories, history and hidden facts that you might not get on your own.
Since it was our first time in Iceland, we decided to go with a guided tour. It was a great choice. We got to relax, enjoy the ride and just take in all the beautiful scenery.
Top Highlights of The Golden Circle Tour Iceland
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir is Iceland’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s where the world’s oldest parliament was founded over a thousand years ago!
But here’s the truly unique part: the park sits in a rift valley between two massive tectonic plates – the North American and Eurasian plates. You can literally walk between continents here. For some adventurous folk, you can actually dive here too. The Silfra fissure is the only place in the world where you can dive or snorkel directly in a crack between two tectonic plates.
Gullfoss Waterfall
Gullfoss, or the “Golden Falls.” This waterfall is one of Iceland’s most iconic. It’s a powerful two-tiered cascade of water that plunges into a deep canyon. If you visit on a sunny day, you might even spot a rainbow dancing in the mist. And if you visit in winter you may even see it frozen over! When we visited Iceland in October, it was incredibly windy. It was so windy that I thought I was going to get blown away so my husband had to take all the photos!
There is a cafe here so we stopped for a tasty bowl of hot soup to warm us up for the rest of our Icelandic adventures.
Geysir Geothermal Area
Geysir Geothermal area could be described as Iceland’s version of a natural fountain show. It is full of bubbling mud pits, hot springs, and, of course, geysers.
The original Geysir (yep, the one that gave all others their name) doesn’t erupt much anymore. The most active geyser however is called Strokkur and erupts every few minutes shooting a huge jet of boiling water as high as 30 metres into the air.
Because of the nature of this area, it is important to note that visitors must stay within the marked areas as the water is extremely hot (don’t do an Ed Sheeran!).
Final Thoughts
If you’re short on time but want to experience some of Iceland’s most iconic sights, the Golden Circle is an absolute must. It’s scenic, fascinating and surprisingly easy to do in a single day.
Whether you drive yourself or hop on a guided tour, you’ll come away with unforgettable memories and probably hundreds of photos!
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