Small-group day with Kerið crater
Small group, max. 19 · 8 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from €109
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The Golden Circle
Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss in a day from Reykjavík, with Silfra, hot springs and the Langjökull glacier close by. Compare the tours and book the one that fits your trip.
Open all year · About 242 km from Reykjavík and back · Strokkur erupts every few minutes
Three tours to start with
A small-group day of no more than 19 people with Kerið and hotel pickup, the classic loop with 90 minutes in the Secret Lagoon at Flúðir, and a snorkel between two continental plates in the Silfra fissure.
Golden Circle, Kerið and Secret Lagoon
Coach, Secret Lagoon entry · 10 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from €115
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Silfra drysuit snorkelling, meet on site
Snorkelling, drysuit · 3 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from €126
Book on GetYourGuideThree sights east of Reykjavík
The Golden Circle is the name for a loop through South Iceland that links three places. Þingvellir, about 49 km east of Reykjavík, is a rift valley on the edge of the North American plate where the Alþingi assembly met each year from around 930 until 1798. It became a national park by law in 1930 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The Silfra fissure in the park is filled with clear, cold water at 2 to 4 °C, where you can snorkel or dive in a drysuit.
An hour further east, the hot spring field of Haukadalur has been protected as a natural monument since 2020. The Great Geysir rarely erupts now, but Strokkur beside it goes off every few minutes. Ten minutes beyond, Gullfoss drops in two steps of 11 and 20 metres into the canyon of the Hvítá. Most loops return by Kerið, a volcanic crater about 55 m deep with a lake at the bottom.
Around these stops are hot pools at Flúðir and Laugarvatn, the tomato greenhouse at Friðheimar and Langjökull, the second-largest glacier in Iceland, where snowmobiles, monster trucks and an ice tunnel take visitors onto the ice. The best time to visit explains how the season changes the day, from four hours of sun in December to bright nights in June.
Questions travellers ask
How long does the Golden Circle take?
The loop from Reykjavík to Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and Kerið is about 242 km by our route calculation, just under four hours of driving without stops. Guided day tours take seven to nine hours, and those with a hot spring or a glacier up to eleven.
Can I visit the Golden Circle in winter?
Yes, all the sights are open all year. On 21 December the sun is up at Þingvellir only from 11:21 to 15:24, and Safetravel warns that wind and drifting snow can make roads dangerous, so a guided tour is worth considering in the dark months.
Is there a public bus to the Golden Circle?
We found no scheduled public bus to Þingvellir, Geysir or Gullfoss in the official sources we checked. Without a car, a guided tour from Reykjavík or a private transfer is the practical option.
Can I see the northern lights on the Golden Circle?
From roughly September to April, when the nights are dark enough. The Icelandic Met Office says the aurora needs dark and partly clear skies; some tours add an evening search for the lights, but no one can promise a sighting.
Is this the official tourist office?
No. Visit Golden Circle is an independent guide. Þingvellir National Park is managed by the Þingvellir Committee under the Icelandic parliament (thingvellir.is), the regional tourism organisation is Visit South Iceland (south.is), and the official travel guide for the country is Visit Iceland (visiticeland.com).
Tours from €71
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