The Ultimate and Complete Guide to the Golden Circle, Iceland
The Golden Circle! One of Iceland’s most popular tourist routes. It’s a combination of some amazing natural phenomenon and landscapes all pretty close together.
You can drive around the golden circle in a day or two or book a trip which they take you around a few things. We much prefer doing it all ourselves and if there are a few of you, it’s so much cheaper to rent a car or camper and can see as much as you want!
Whether you’re on a stopover from America to somewhere in Europe, or you’re travelling there for a few days to even a few weeks, the golden circle isn’t a one to miss.
The Golden Circle also isn’t far away from Reykjavik and easier to explore some of Iceland’s amazing landscapes especially if you’re on a short trip! Ed and I spent the last few days around the Golden Circle at the end of our 10-day road trip.
What is the Golden Circle?
Icelandic tourism increases by around 10% every year, and marketing it as such as increased too. The are now numerous circular drives around different areas in Iceland and not to be confused with the Ring Road or the Diamond Circle
The Golden Circle is a small drive south from Reykjavik and back up and around. It is the most popular route due to it being close to the capital and easy to travel too. It is also one of the main attractions for tours from the capital but personally, we think it is a better experience to drive it yourself.
Things to Do in the Golden Circle
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and often the first stop when driving the golden circle. The national park is where the two tectonic plates meet, the America plate and the European plate.
These plates are moving away from each other little by little every year and you can see where the line is. You can even walk between the plates, and you can even scuba dive too!
There are multiple walks around the national park. You can explore more at ground level looking at waterfalls and natural formations, or higher up and look all across the lake.
You get to Thingvellir National Park drive the Ring Road north (road 1), then road 36, it will then be signposted, then along small road 361 to the car parks.
Things to do in Thingvellir
Hiking trails from All Trails: numerous hiking trails throughout the national park, why not hike the 6-mile circular around the whole national park?
Scuba diving between tectonic plates: where else in the world can you scuba dive or snorkel between two tectonic plates. Due to the nutrients which leak into the surrounding water, it is all clear and so beautiful
Oxarafoss Waterfall: Thingvellir’s main waterfall, smaller than some other Icelandic waterfalls, but still beautiful
Thingvellir Church: Not really what you would expect, but dates back to the 11th century and one of the oldest in Iceland
The Geysir
Strokkur Geysir is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. Every few minutes you can see the Geyser shoot water up to 80m in the air! It's strange because it's pretty reliable too. We sat for about 15 minutes and seen it go off about 3-4 times and it was amazing every time.
The Great Geysir is also nearby. It used to ‘go off’ all the time and did for 800 years however since 1916 its been pretty dormant and therefore very rare for it to erupt. Luckily the Strokkur Geysir is so reliable!
Gullfoss
Gullfoss is only a short drive from the Geyser and is one of the most popular waterfalls. Dropping 32m on a sunny day you can see shimmering rainbows and, in the winter, it glitters with ice.
When driving the Golden Circle, we stayed at the Skjol campsite which had a restaurant with amazing pizza! Cream cheese on pizza in Iceland? Who knew it could taste so amazing. They also gave us money off voucher for the secret lagoon. The campsite is just along the road from Gullfoss and only a short drive
The Secret Lagoon
If you’re then driving down route 30 you will pass the Secret Lagoon on your left-hand side. A geothermally heated natural pool not to be missed.
For only £19/$25 you can lie in this big hot pool which provides big swimming floats! We just lay and relaxed after being in the wet and cold all day and enjoyed some nice drinks there too. We visited a few nature baths/geothermal pools in Iceland and this was just so relaxing after a long day exploring.
It is also so much cheaper than blue lagoon, and a great alternative!
The Kerid Crater
A beautifully contrasted lake with blue water, red rocks and green moss all around with the remains of a collapsed volcano. The Crater lake is a quick stop off route 35.
From the Secret Lagoon, you drive south further on route 30 then across route 31 and then down route 35.
The Hot River
Iceland has multiple points throughout the island which are geothermal. Geothermal fields, pools, even driving along sometimes you can see steam coming out from a hole in the ground.
But the Hot River is situated just along from Hveragerdi. There is a car park and it takes an hour to walk there. It is a naturally heated river which you can lie in! The walk can still be pretty busy though even with the walk, so don’t expect the place to yourself
Other cool spots include Laugarvatn Lake which is near the national park and is fed by nearby streams making it a hot spring lake. There is also the Fontanan Geothermal Pool and Wellness centre for a nice relax.
How to Drive the Golden Circle
With Iceland’s tourism increasing every year it is pretty easy to rent a car or a campervan to explore what Iceland has to offer! Depending on how long you’re in Iceland for and depending on how to want to travel and sleep depends on what mode of transport you choose!
Rent a Car
if you’re travelling to Iceland for a few days, hiring a car would be the simplest and easiest option. In a car, you can drive as much or as little of the Golden Circle without feeling rushed or not enough time. And the best thing? You can hire them for as little as £20 a day!
If there are a few of you travelling, you can also split the cost making it so much more cheaper than paying for an excursion of the golden circle
Hire a Campervan
If you fancy your mode of transport also being your accommodation, then hire a camper van! An excellent way to explore Iceland by driving on its roads, cheap accommodation, and to us felt pretty cool and convenient driving around in our car/camper.
You can hire campervans, van to campervan conversions, and 4x4s with roof tents! We had a Suzuki Jimny with a roof tent, and it was amazing! Just jumped out of our tent in the morning, pulled it down as it was extremely easy to put it away (no poles!) and drive off from the campsite to the next amazing destination.
They all come with a kitchen box, or you can rent one, a camping stove and everything. By booking everything through the company they also pick you up and drop you off at the airport taking any stress away. Check out the list of places you can hire amazing campers.
Happy Campers: small camper vans from 2-5 people
Northbound: compare 4x4s with roof tents
Kuku Campers: varying size campers all with funky designs
Rental Cars: rent a car to do your own excursions
Where to Stay in the Golden Circle
Campsites in the Golden Circle
Camping was the way we did it, and we loved it! We used a Camping Card as we camped everywhere. Camping is also the cheapest way of doing it. There are so many campsites around the Golden Circle, see the campsites in the Golden Circle below
Hostels in the Golden Circle
Hostels are also a cheaper option when staying in and around the golden circle. They range in price along with the standard of accommodation
Hotels in the Golden Circle
Hotels can be an obvious option when staying in Iceland for only a few days along with providing extra comfort. There are lots of guesthouses and hotels around the Golden Circle ranging from about £110-£350 so can vary an awful lot.
But if you want to escape from the cold along with extra comforts then that's your choice.
Staying in an Airbnb in the Golden Circle
I've stayed in Airbnb's a few times, and we love them! How homey they feel, the ability to make your own food in your own kitchen and the comfort of a home was amazing.
There are multiple Airbnb rentals including rooms to entire houses for a reasonable price too! A room for 1 can cost around £36 per night and an entire house cost £120 so pretty good considering prices of other accommodation.
The Golden Circle is one of the most popular driving routes to take when travelling to Iceland and mostly because it's so close to the capital with some of the most amazing natural phenomenon!
Its so easy to drive from place to place and can take just a day or you can explore even more and visit for a few days! Ed and I drove the Golden Circle in 2 days as we spent 1 night chilling in the Secret Lagoon!
Its extremely easy to book a golden circle excursion which could easily cost upwards of £40, which although show you all of the sights and drive you from place to place. But we always believe its cheaper and more enjoyable when doing it yourself
Giving yourself more time to see the sights you want too, and maybe miss the ones you don’t
