Experience The Golden Circle Iceland Stops

Iceland has a crazy amount of beautiful things to see, and The Golden Circle tops a lot of Must See Lists. It’s the most popular scenic route in Iceland and should be added to your itinerary when planning an Iceland trip. The official Golden Circle Iceland Stops are Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, and the Geysir Geothermal Area. There are some unofficial Golden Circle Iceland Stops on this route that I think deserve to be seen as well. I’ll cover everything in this post.

I have visited The Golden Circle in winter and summer; I’ve done a tour and also done self-driving. I’ve  done it as just a day trip and also spent a few nights in the area. The Golden Circle is an outdoor lover’s dream. I love it, and I’ll share my bits of wisdom with you.

The Golden Circle attractions are not too far from Reykjavik, so the route can be done as a day trip from the city. However, if you’d like to immerse yourself in the Icelandic countryside, I highly recommend spending a night or two in the area. Then you can visit the attractions at less busy times and fully enjoy their beauty.

You should definitely plan out your Golden Circle Iceland Stops prior to your trip. You don’t want to miss anything because you run out of time.

The Official Golden Circle Iceland Stops

• Þingvellir  National Park
• Gullfoss Waterfall
• Geysir Geothermal Area

The Extra Unofficial Golden Circle Iceland Stops – near the route and worth seeing!

• Kerid Crater
• Bruarfoss Waterfall
• Efstidallur Dairy Farm
• Foxafoss Waterfall
• Visit a hot spring in the area
• Visit an Icelandic Pool

Map of all the Golden Circle Iceland Stops:

As you can see, it’s around 4 hours of driving if you hit all the awesome stops. 

We stayed at an Airbnb with a hot tub and beautiful views of the river. We were doing Iceland with a toddler, so we decided to not try to push it and visit all these things in one day. The airbnb was amazing, and we were so glad we spent the extra time here.

Golden Circle Route & Itinerary:

Plan for 8-10 hours to see all the Golden Circle Iceland stops. 4 hours of driving + time at each attraction.

Leave Reykjavik and head to Thingvellir National Park in the morning. Spend some time there then drive to Efstidallur Dairy Farm for ice cream and lunch (they mostly serve burgers, so pack a lunch if that’s not for you). Bruarfoss is up next, just a few minute drive away. Do Gullfoss and the Geysirs next. If you’re ahead of schedule, check out Foxafoss Waterfall (optional) and a hot spring (see options below). Be sure to leave time for Kerid Crater and maybe a swimming pool (there’s an amazing one near Selfoss) on the way back to Reykjavik.

If you spend the night in the area, split the itinerary up into 2 days.

Should you Rent a Car or Do a Tour?

If you are going in the summer, I recommend self-driving The Golden Circle. You’ll have more flexibility, and there’s no huge reason to do a tour – unless you thrive on group tours and like getting the info the tour guide gives. In winter, I recommend doing a Golden Circle tour. Roads can be treacherous, and it was nice to have a guide who knew what they were doing. I used GeoIceland when I did a tour and had a great time.

When to Visit the Golden Circle Iceland Stops

I’ve done the Golden Circle in both winter and summer, and it’s so hard to say when is the best time to visit Iceland. These places are phenomenal year-round. In the winter, you get frozen waterfalls, magical snow-covered landscapes, and a potential Northern Lights viewing. But gosh I love Iceland in the summer. The Midnight Sun lets you explore these places 24/7, the weather is more pleasant, and you don’t have to worry about road closures or blizzards cancelling your plans. 

Now, let’s cover each of the Golden Circle Iceland Stops.

Thingvellir National Park

Thingvellir National Park

Here you can walk between continents and there’s a ton of history. Thingvellir is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is where an open-air parliament representing all of Iceland was established in the year AD 930. They continued to meet until 1798. I recommend checking out the visitors center to learn more about the history and geology of this park.

Thingvellir National Park is the only place where you can walk between the Eurasian and North American Tectonic Plates.

You do have to pay to park in some spots.

2 hour+ stop

Things to Do and See at Thingvellir

• Wander around and take in the beautiful scenery
• Stop at the Hakid Visitors Center
• Walk between the tectonic plates
• Snorkel or Scuba Dive in Silfra Fissure – it’s supposed to be the clearest water for this. My husband did this and recommends going with Troll Expeditions.
• Oxarafoss Waterfall (it’s man-made and looked less beautiful than Iceland’s other waterfalls)

Geysir Geothermal Area

This whole area is full of underground geothermal energy. The Must See is the erupting Strokkur Geyser. It erupts every 6-10 minutes, and it is SO cool. Watch for the blue bubble right before it explodes to around 100ft in the air.

There are other trails in the area and a visitors center. Always stay on the path; the water can be incredibly hot.

Free

This is around a 30 min stop if you just want to watch Strokkur Geyser erupt a few times.

Gullfoss Waterfall in winter.

Gullfoss Waterfall

This waterfall is massive and so beautiful. In winter, the surrounding area is covered in snow. In summer, you can catch rainbows and golden water. Gullfoss is 2 tiers and empties into a deep canyon. It’s quite the sight. There’s a parking area with a visitors center, shop, and restaurant. You can walk above the falls or take the steps down and get closer. Both paths are close to the parking lot.

Free

30 mins – 1 hour stop

Efstidallur Dairy Farm

This dairy farm has a restaurant (mostly serves burgers), awesome ice cream, areas to see the cows and other farm animals, and a playground with a huge bounce pad. 

30 mins – 1 hour stop.

Bruarfoss Waterfall – SO BEAUTIFUL

Bruarfoss Waterfall

Iceland is FULL of amazing waterfalls, but this one was our favorite. It’s glacier-fed, the water is an insane blue, there’s a bridge to get great views of the falls, and you can continue on and hike to 2 other waterfalls if you want.

There are a couple different places where you can park, and there are 3 waterfalls on the trail if you want to do a whole hike. You can park near Bruarfoss (at the top of the hike) and do a short hike to Bruarfoss Falls. Look for a Bruarfoss sign with a picture of Bruarfoss on it that says 3km with an arrow – that’s where you’ll park.

If you want to continue your hike to Midfoss and then Hlauptungufoss you can easily do that. It’s 4.1 miles roundtrip. Here’s the Alltrails link. We hiked to Midfoss and turned around, making the hike around 2.5 miles or so. Bruarfoss is by far the best waterfall of the hike, so if you only have time for Bruarfoss, don’t regret missing the other two.

This will take 40 mins – 2.5 hours, depending on how far you decide to hike.

Foxafoss Waterfall with wildflowers in summer

Foxafoss Waterfall

This stop isn’t totally necessary because it’s not the prettiest waterfall around the Golden Circle. And you do have to pay to park. But it is still gorgeous, there were beautiful flowers all around when we were there, and the different views you can get of it made it feel worth a visit. You can walk really close to the falls.

If you’re staying nearby, you can walk or run over and avoid the parking fees. That’s what I did, and it is one of the best running destinations I’ve ever had. 

20 minute stop.

Kerid Crater

Kerid Crater

Ahh Kerid Crater is lovely. It’s a volcanic crater lake that was formed 6,500 years ago. You pay to park 450 ISK (worth it) and then can walk around the top of the crater. It’s so beautiful! And windy 🙂 And only a 0.9 mile hike. You can also walk down a bunch of stairs to the bottom of the crater, which is 100% worth it. The view right by the water is stunning.

30 min – 1 hour stop. 

Hot Springs in the Area (Optional Stop)

Hrunalaug Hot Spring. Kind of pricey and can be crowded.

Fontana Spa. You can bake bread in the ground. Also kind of pricey.

Secret Lagoon. The oldest natural pool in Iceland.

Kualaug Hot Spring. This is kind of a strange spot as it only fits a couple people and legitimately looks like a puddle. But the water is warm, only one car can park near it at a time, and it’s free.

Icelandic Pool (Optional Stop)

If you’re doing all the stops on the map I’ve included, it will put you near Selfoss after Kerid Crater. There is an AMAZING Icelandic pool there. You must visit an Icelandic Pool while in Iceland, and this one is an awesome one.

Golden Circle Iceland Stops – Enjoy!

Iceland is such an incredible country. I am and always will be in love with it. 

Part of Iceland’s dreaminess is that it is just full of hidden beauty. So yes, I’ve covered the actual and optional Golden Circle Iceland Stops, but I’m positive there are other hidden gems in the area. If you have anything to share, please comment below! And share with a friend to start planning your Iceland trip!

Happy Adventuring!

The Golden Circle Iceland Stops – Pin for later!