Photo: Unsplash
Popular routes
Golden Circle
The country’s most-driven route. None of the three stops is like the others: a plain where two continents pull apart, a boiling valley and a river pouring into a canyon.
- Distance
- ~230 km
- Time
- 6 – 9 hours
- Base
- Reykjavík
The Golden Circle isn’t the name of a single road; it’s really a habit: a practical loop that links three different roads out of Reykjavík and brings you back to where you started. It’s paved the whole way, open all year and fits comfortably into a single day, which is why most first-time visitors give their first day to it.
There are three main stops, each completely different: a vast plain where two continents are drifting apart, a valley where underground water boils to the surface and a river thundering into a canyon. The distances between them are short, so the real question isn’t time on the road but how long you linger at each stop.
The crowds usually peak between 11:00 and 15:00. The tour buses leave Reykjavík around 09:00 and reach the same stops at roughly the same times. Setting off just one hour earlier means seeing the same views with half the crowd. In winter daylight is limited to about six hours, but the three main stops still fit; you just have to drop the detours and extras.
The short answer
- When to set off
- Before 8 am
- Which direction
- Þingvellir first
- Car
- A small car is fine
- What you pay for
- Þingvellir and Kerið parking
- Season
- All year
Stops on the route
In driving order. Each stop has its own page with coordinates, road conditions and what to know before you go.
-
Historic site Free
Þingvellir National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Þingvellir is where the Alþingi, one of the world’s oldest parliaments, was founded in AD 930. Split by deep gorges and fissures where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates pull apart, the national park, with its unique geology and lake, is Iceland’s national heart.
Hveragerði 29 km Reykjavík 41 km
- 2 hours
- Paved
- Easy
-
Geyser Free
Geysir
In the Haukadalur valley, the Great Geysir is the legendary hot spring that gave every geyser in the world its name. It rarely erupts these days, but its active neighbour Strokkur, shooting hot water into the air every few minutes, is the Golden Circle’s favourite stop.
Flúðir 20 km Reykjavík 81 km
- 45 min
- Paved
- Easy
-
Waterfall Free
Gullfoss
Tumbling into a canyon in two steps on the Hvítá river, Gullfoss (“Golden Falls”) is the most impressive natural landmark on the Golden Circle. Known for its exuberant summer flow and the rainbows in its rising spray, the waterfall is also a symbol of Iceland’s unique history of nature conservation.
Flúðir 24 km Reykjavík 90 km
- 1 hour
- Paved
- Easy
-
Volcano Paid
Kerið Crater Lake
Formed about 3,000 years ago, Kerið is a deep, circular explosion crater ringed by red volcanic rock. The vivid aquamarine and turquoise lake at its bottom makes a superb contrast with the black and red scoria slopes, and a path lets you walk down to the crater floor.
Selfoss 12 km Reykjavík 52 km
- 30 min
- Paved
- Easy
-
Waterfall Free
Faxifoss
Faxi, on the Tungufljót river, is a wide and peaceful waterfall on the Golden Circle route, known for its salmon ladder and picnic area. There’s a parking fee.
Flúðir 16 km Reykjavík 84 km
- 25 min
- Paved
- Easy
-
Hot spring Paid
Laugarvatn Fontana
On the Golden Circle by Lake Laugarvatn, Fontana is famous for its natural steam rooms, geothermal hot pools and lake views. A tasting of traditional rye bread (rúgbrauð), baked buried in geothermally heated sand, adds an authentic flavour to the spa experience.
Flúðir 22 km Reykjavík 59 km
- 2 hours
- Paved
- Easy
