The Ultimate Golden Circle Itinerary for Iceland (+hidden gems!)
Are you looking for the perfect Golden Circle itinerary? After exploring this part of the country several times, here’s our perfect itinerary.
If you’re planning a trip to Iceland, no doubt you’ve heard of the Golden Circle. It’s one of the most popular places in the country and something that almost everyone has on their Iceland bucket list – for good reason!
Despite it being busy, it’s so worth exploring the Golden Circle. We’ve visited this area twice in two different seasons and loved it both times. It’s a wonderful way to see some of Iceland’s most fantastic landscapes all within easy driving distance of Reykjavik.
So, if you’re wondering how best to visit the Golden Circle, what stops to make, and in which order, here’s our suggested Golden Circle route.
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❤️ If you’d rather book a tour, this is the tour we took and we loved it!
How to Visit the Golden Circle
But before we get started, you may be wondering how to visit the Golden Circle. Well, there are two ways to do it. You can either hire a car and drive around the area yourself. Or, you could go on a guided tour.
There are lots of tours to the Golden Circle – in fact, it’s one of the most popular day trips you can book from Reykjavik. So, you should have no issue finding a tour group.
We did this during our first-ever trip to Iceland and it was fantastic. This is also a great option if you’re staying in Reykjavik.
👉 Check out our full review of our Golden Circle tour here.
The second time we visited the Golden Circle, we hired a car and drove.
This was a very different experience, not only because we were navigating the roads on our own, but also because we were able to add a few stops that the tour companies usually miss. Plus, we were on our own time schedule.
However, both are good ways of seeing the Golden Circle. It depends on whether you are comfortable driving in Iceland and whether the Golden Circle is part of a larger Iceland itinerary or just a day trip from Reykjavik.
This itinerary is written assuming you will be driving around the Golden Circle yourself. If you’d like to find out more about how the guided tour works, we have a full review of our experience here.
❤️ Haven’t hired a car yet? This is the company we recommend!
9:00 – Kerid Crater
The first stop on this Golden Circle itinerary is Kerid Crater. This route is the opposite way around the Circle to how the tour groups travel because this way, you can try to avoid some of the crowds at the more popular spots.
Kerid Crater itself is a bit of a hidden gem. It used to be a lot less popular than it is now, but it’s still an addition to the Golden Circle route that not all of the tour guides will add. As such, it’s often less busy, particularly compared to spots like Geysir which are often very crowded.
The crater itself is one of the prettiest examples of volcanic craters in Iceland. There are two ways of seeing it. You can either walk around the rim of the crater or climb down the steps to the bottom.
But, this will depend on what time of year you decide to visit Iceland.
When we visited in December, the steps down to the crater were blocked off because the bad weather made them too dangerous. However, we visited again in April and were able to explore the entire site.
I recommend seeing Kerid from both angles. From the top, you can see the beautiful range of reds, greens, and purples that decorate the side of the crater. But you don’t get the feel for how deep it is until you go to the bottom.
This is also the only attraction on the Golden Circle where you have to pay for tickets. Entry to Kerid Crater is 400 ISK per person which works out to around £2.25 or $2.95. Parking is free and I would estimate a visit here to last around 45 minutes to an hour.
TOP TIP: Be extra careful if you want to walk around the top on a windy day. The wind here can be brutal and if it’s really windy, stay well away from the edge.
10:30 – Secret Lagoon
Once you’ve left Kerid Crater, continue to one of Iceland’s best hot springs. Although it’s called Secret Lagoon, this place isn’t much of a secret these days. But it is the oldest swimming pool in the country and well worth a visit.
It was made in 1891 at a geothermal area near Flúðir and is one of the less-visited stops on the Golden Circle. Most people, including all the tour groups, will skip this.
I think it’s the perfect place to relax in the morning. Plus, this will mean you’ll miss most of the morning crowds around the popular spots on the route.
Tickets to the Secret Lagoon are also much cheaper than other thermal baths in Iceland. They cost 3600 ISK per person, which is around £20 or $26.50.
❤️ We recommend booking tickets to the Secret Lagoon in advance!
TOP TIP: Unlike the Blue Lagoon, you have to hire a towel separately here, which costs 1000 ISK per towel. I recommend bringing your own if you can.
13:00 – Gullfoss Waterfall
The next stop will be one of the most popular stops on the Golden Circle – Gullfoss waterfall. From here, the route gets a lot more touristy and much busier.
Gullfoss is one of the most impressive waterfalls in southern Iceland. It’s a much wider waterfall than Skogafoss, but just as powerful, if not more so.
Gullfoss offers various viewpoints, but some will depend on the season you visit Iceland.
If you visit in the winter, then you can only view the falls from the top viewing platforms. There are 3 different views in total. The two metal platforms and then there’s a third viewing area along a path at the top of the falls.
In summer, you can also walk down a path right next to the waterfall itself. This gives you a much closer view of the falls but it’s closed in the winter months as it gets too icy and dangerous.
There is also a visitor centre at Gullfoss with a shop and cafe, perfect for lunch. They sell sandwiches, cakes, hot drinks, and soup, which is delicious and offers unlimited refills.
Gullfoss is also one of the few popular attractions in Iceland where parking is free.
14:15 – Geysir Geothermal Area
Next, head to one of my favourite places to visit in Iceland. Admittedly, this might be the busiest place you’ll experience in the country, but it’s stunning, so you can understand why.
Strokkur is the most famous geyser in Iceland. It’s located only around 10 minutes by car from Gullfoss and, just like the waterfall, parking is free.
It can get very busy, though. This was the only place we visited during our last Iceland road trip where we struggled to find a parking space!
Once you’ve parked, cross the road, and you’ll enter the geothermal site. There is a short walk from the car park to the hot spring, but you’ll also pass some pretty cool landscapes along the way, including ‘Little Geysir’ and several colourful mud pots.
Strokkur erupts roughly every 10-15 minutes. But, sometimes it only does a small spout while other times it can shoot water up to 70 metres into the air. So, you might be waiting a while for a good eruption.
This area can also get very crowded, so it may take a little time before you get a good view.
After you’ve spent some time watching the main Geysir, explore the rest of the park. There are several other geysers, although these are dormant and don’t erupt. There are some very pretty ones though, with vivid shades of blue.
There’s a large visitor centre here as well with a cafe, toilets, and a shop. When we were on a guided tour, we had a coffee and a bowl of soup here for lunch, and it was delicious.
15:45 – Bruarfoss Waterfall
The next stop on this Golden Circle itinerary is another hidden gem. Bruarfoss is the bluest waterfall in Iceland and once you see it, you’ll understand why. I thought the colours were edited before I saw it in real life, but nope – it really is that blue!
To get there, drive around 20 minutes southwest from Geysir towards Thingvellir. Then, turn off down a gravel dirt track for the final 5 minutes.
This track leads to the newly built car park. Previously, getting here involved a 2-hour hike!
This car park is chargeable and will cost you 750 ISK per car (roughly £4.20 or $5.50), but it makes the waterfall much more accessible. Just be careful when you drive down the road, as the gravel can chip your hire car!
The waterfall is around a 5-minute walk from the car park. There’s also a bridge so you can admire the waterfall from both sides.
The colour is amazing. Plus, it’s much less crowded than some of the other spots on this Golden Circle itinerary. We stayed here for around 30 minutes just admiring the scenery.
👉 Check out our full guide to visiting Bruarfoss here.
16:45 – Thingvellir National Park
The final stop on the Golden Circle route is Thingvellir National Park. This is the last of the 3 most popular stops on the Golden Circle and one that all the tour buses visit. However, they don’t usually visit this late in the day, so hopefully, it won’t be too busy.
When you arrive, head to the main visitor centre. There are several different car parks in Thingvellir, so be sure to head to this one. Parking costs 1000 ISK per standard-sized car, which is around £5.60 or $7.40.
When we visited, we went on a small hike around the park. This took us through the ridge between the tectonic plates and then to Oxararfoss waterfall. From there, we looped around past Silfra fissure, Þingvellir church, and back to the car park.
The hike took around an hour in total and was a great way to get an introduction to the park. There are plenty of other hikes in Thingvellir, but if this is your first time visiting the Golden Circle, you’ll probably want to stick to the most popular route.
18:00 – Head to Your Next Destination
Once you’ve finished exploring the park, that’s the end of the Golden Circle route.
This route can be done in either direction depending on where you’re starting from, so if it’s easier to visit Thingvellir first, definitely do this.
As I mentioned, there are lots of other things you can explore in Thingvellir, so you can easily spend longer on the Golden Circle if you want to. Plus, this is one of the best places to chase the northern lights in Iceland.
But, if you only have a day for this road trip, then you can either head back to Reykjavik or continue your trip around Iceland.
❤️ If you’d rather book a tour, this is the tour we took and we loved it!
What is The Best Time to Visit the Golden Circle?
One of the best things about the Golden Circle is that it can be visited all year round.
In summer, everything is green and lush, whereas the winter in the Golden Circle brings snowy scenery and icy waterfalls. Both times of year are beautiful and it really depends on what you’re looking for from Iceland.
Winter in Iceland is a wonderland for snowy activities and northern lights, whereas summer is a great time to see the midnight sun, and the landscapes are much more vibrant.
Summer is also much busier and more expensive, so this is something to consider.
We’ve visited twice – once in December and again in March – and loved it both times. But, there was actually more ice in some areas in spring than there was in December!
Is the Golden Circle Worth It?
Yes, the Golden Circle is 100% worth it if you’re planning on visiting Iceland. It’s such an incredible part of the country and you can see some of Iceland’s greatest wonders here. Even if you only have 2 days in Iceland, this is worth visiting.
It will undoubtedly be busy, you expect that to some degree.
If you really want to beat some of the crowds, you can stay in a hotel in the area. That way, you can get up before the tour buses arrive, or stay long after they’ve left.
No matter what season you visit the area and how long you decide to spend here, the Golden Circle is a wonderful place to visit in Iceland.
We hope this itinerary has helped you plan your trip to the Golden Circle. And, as always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop us a message!
👉 Looking for somewhere to stay on the Golden Circle? Check out all of our favourite hotels!
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