Golden Circle tours with a lagoon

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

A lagoon turns the Golden Circle into a long but slower day. The coach covers Þingvellir, the Geysir area and Gullfoss as usual, and most tours here add the Kerið crater too. Then comes one and a half to two hours in warm water. Where that soak happens decides the shape of the day: the Secret Lagoon sits in the middle of the route, while the Blue Lagoon, the Sky Lagoon and Hvammsvík lie beyond Reykjavík and come last.

The Secret Lagoon at Flúðir

The Secret Lagoon, Gamla laugin in Icelandic, is a natural hot-spring pool at Flúðir that its operator calls the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. It was built in 1891, hosted the country’s first swimming lessons in 1909, fell out of use after 1947 and reopened in 2014. A small geyser beside the pool, Litli Geysir, spouts every few minutes, and the water stays at 38 to 39 °C.

The Secret Lagoon tour with Kerið starts at the crater, with time to walk the rim and go down to the water, then spends an hour and a half in the pool before Strokkur, Gullfoss and Þingvellir. It lasts ten hours and takes children from two. Lagoon entry is included, the towel is not, so bring your own or rent one there. In mid-May the Secret Lagoon closes for upgrades, and on those dates the tour goes to Laugarvatn Fontana instead. The Secret Lagoon guided tour runs over eight hours with a driver-guide and hotel pickup; the operator asks you to bring swimwear, a towel and cash for lunch.

Ending the day at the Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon lies on the Reykjanes peninsula, not on the Golden Circle, so these tours run 11 hours or more. On the tour with Blue Lagoon entry and Kerið, the minibus collects you within Reykjavík and allows about two hours at the lagoon. The admission type is chosen when you book, a towel is included, and children aged two to eleven share a locker with an adult. The tour is not suitable for children under five.

The tour with a Blue Lagoon drop-off works differently. The bus covers Þingvellir, Strokkur, Gullfoss and Kerið, reaches the lagoon at around 17:00 and leaves at about 19:15, but the lagoon ticket is not included and has to be booked in advance on your own. The minibus tour to the Blue Lagoon, by contrast, includes Comfort entry with a towel, a face mask and a drink.

Its reviews also show what can happen in winter. In November the order was reversed for one group: the day started at the lagoon and reached Þingvellir at 17:45, more than an hour after sunset, when the park was too dark to see. On 1 December the sun sets at Þingvellir at 15:43, so ask about the order before you book a winter date. The Blue Lagoon closes at 22:00 for most of the year and at 23:00 from 22 June to 20 August, and guests are asked to leave the water 30 minutes before closing. The lagoon has closed at short notice during recent eruptions on Reykjanes, so check its status before you book.

The Sky Lagoon and Hvammsvík

The Sky Lagoon is in Kópavogur, which makes it an easy last stop on the way back to Reykjavík. The Sky Lagoon tour with Kerið picks you up between 08:30 and 09:00, reaches the lagoon just before 17:00 and leaves at 19:00, getting back to the city at around 19:20. A Pure or Sky Pass with the seven-step ritual and a towel is included; swimwear and lunch are not. Reviews praise the driver-guides and the soak as the end of the day. They also note a lot of walking for anyone unsteady on their feet and, on one bus, a speaker system too weak to hear the commentary.

The Sky Lagoon also pairs well with the Friðheimar tomato greenhouse in Reykholt. The small-group tour with a farm stop runs for 10.5 hours, though reviews mention days closer to 12 hours and as many as eight pickup and drop-off points. The Friðheimar lunch and Sky Lagoon tour includes the meal and lets you pick your own departure from the lagoon; it is for ages 12 and up. The private tour with the Sky Lagoon and lunch takes your group in a private vehicle, includes an all-inclusive lunch at Friðheimar apart from alcohol and a Sér Pass with private changing rooms, and also starts at 12 years.

Hvammsvík lies on the Hvalfjörður fjord, well away from the Golden Circle. The small-group tour that ends there starts at a geothermal park in Hveragerði with a small geyser and a bakery, continues around the Golden Circle and Kerið and finishes with two hours in the Hvammsvík hot springs, entry included. The group is capped at 19.

Laugarás and the longest day

The tour with Friðheimar and the Laugarás Lagoon stays inside the Golden Circle area: a minibus covers Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, stops at the greenhouse for lunch at your own cost and ends at the lagoon. The operator lists it as unsuitable for children under five and for people with heart problems.

The longest option adds the northern lights. The tour with the Blue Lagoon and an aurora hunt lasts 15 hours, includes the Blue Lagoon Comfort package with a towel, a silica mask and a drink, and heads out after dark to look for the aurora with hot chocolate. Sightings are never certain. If the sky stays empty, you can join the operator’s northern lights bus on another night for free, an offer valid for 36 months. The aurora needs darkness, so between May and early August the nights are too light for it; the tour is for ages 14 and up.

What to pack

Bring swimwear on every tour and a towel unless the booking includes one. Visit South Iceland recommends layers, a wind- and waterproof jacket and grips for your shoes in winter, which helps on the walk from a warm pool to a cold bus. Lunch is not included on most of these tours. If you would rather choose your own pool, the things to do page lists single entry tickets, and Laugarvatn and Flúðir describes the villages around the Secret Lagoon and Fontana.