Small-group Golden Circle Classic Tour from Reykjavik
Description
Visit the popular sights of the Golden Circle on this 8-hour tour from Reykjavik. Ride through the Icelandic countryside in a minibus to Thingvellir National Park, Gulfoss Waterfall, Geysir and Kerið crater. On-board WiFi is included.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The first stop of the day is the town Hveragerði, where we have a short restroom stop. Hveragerði is about 45 min drive from Reykjavik. There are restrooms, a bakery and an exhibition about earth quakes. Consider this a short pit-stop on our way to the Golden Circle.
Gullfoss, is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland. It is powerful and tall. Through it the river Hvítá, which is a glacier river originating from Langjökull, plunges down this two step waterfall. There are a handful of viewing platforms to observe the waterfall and above Gullfoss there is Gullfoss center where there are restrooms, a cafeteria and gift shops. NOTE: The path leading all the way up to the waterfall is closed during the winter season.
In Haukadalur there is a field of hot springs associated with the hot spring Geysir, but Geysir is one of the most famous hot spring in the world and used to be a geyser. The main display is the hot spring geyser Strokkur, which erupts approximately every 5 minutes. Here we have time to walk around the area and this is also where we break for lunch. At Geysir center you find restrooms, gift-shops and the restaurant Glíma which serves for suitable for any pallet or diet.
Þingvellir is full of history and natural beauty. It stands between the North-American and Eurasian tectonic plates. This rift valley has a special place in the hearts of all Icelanders. It is where our nation was formed by the Norse Viking settlers when they established the oldest parliament in the modern world, Alþingi Íslendinga, in the year 930 AD. At this stop there will be enough time to walk around and explore this natural marvel. This is the closest you can get to being in two continents at the same time. We will have the opportunity to walk in the rift valley, where the tectonic plates are pulling apart. We can observe this movement since under the national park the Eurasian and the North-American tectonic plates are moving apart by ~2 cm every year. Þingvellir was designated as a World Heritage of UNESCO in 2004 and is unquestionably one of the most beautiful and historic places in Iceland. In the area there are restrooms and coffee shops for visitors.
We'll stop at Kerið crater, a 6500 year old volcanic formation containing a small lake. This crater is characterised by the contrasting colours of the moss, red volcanic rock and light blue water. Be sure to venture down to the lake side and take in the majestic beauty that is Kerið.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note that Your Day Tours offers pick-up service from selected pickup points in the Downtown Reykjavik area. We can unfortunately not offer pick-up service from private apartments, Airbnb apartments, hotels located in the suburban areas of Reykjavík or Keflavik Airport for our tours. If your pick-up location is not on our pick-up list then we kindly ask you to locate the closest pick-up point to your accommodation from the map or list below and meet us there for your tour. IMPORTANT: Pick-up begins at your tour's departure time, so please be at your designated pickup location at that time. Depending on traffic and your location, it may take your guide up to 30 minutes to reach you. DROP-OFF: You will be dropped off at approximately 17:00 (5:00pm) from your original pick-up location. Times may change depending on weather and road conditions. *If you're arriving via cruise ship to Skarfabakki cruise terminal (312 or 315), please follow the signs and make your way to the "Pre-Booked Tours" pick up location to the east of the terminal buildings.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Minimum age is 6 years
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Unfortunately we are unable to transport or store travel luggage or suitcases
Reviews(2,341)
“Small” group was larger than I expected. Bus was filled to maximum. Guide was helpful and informative.
The Golden Circle small group tour is worthwhile as you see a lot of sights. Our tour guide gave us sufficient time to get through each sight. One would not know these sights are there without getting off the main road. Most sights can be seen with very little walking, but one can explore further from the parking lot on easily accessible paths.
This was an outstanding tour with a fabulous guide, Palli, who gave use a wonderful, overall insight into his beautiful country. Thank you Palli!
Sites were well chosen. Driver seemed reasonably knowledgeable, but heavy accent made him difficult to understand at times.
Great way to see so much in one day. The roads are not busy in Iceland and most could easy feel confident driving. But most locations you have to pay for parking on top of entrance. This tour just made everything easier.
Amazing day with Bruno. We had done the Golden Circle tour a few years ago, but all of us enjoyed the extra surprises in the itinerary provided by Bruno. In addition, we appreciated going in reverse order to minimize the crowds. We are all experienced travelers and felt this tour was excellent.
Excellent tour, good weather, our driver guide was outstanding.
Fabulous day tour seeing the sights of the Golden Circle. Minibus tour great for being in a smaller group. Excellent guide in Franklin who was extremely knowledgeable and personable. Gulfoss was spectacular. Pastries at the bakery were also great!
I could not recommend this more! If you have to be on a cruise ship, do not worry. They are so very mindful of the time to make sure you make it. All of the stops were so different and all amazing with time to explore.
Seamless, comfortable, interesting, informative and fun!
