Things to do on the Golden Circle

6 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Most visitors see the Golden Circle as three stops: Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss. If you drive yourself or stay a night nearby, the villages between them add a lot. Laugarvatn and Flúðir have hot pools, Hveragerði has a zipline, and the Kerið crater sits close to the road back to Reykjavík. The tickets below are for doing these on your own schedule; if you prefer a guided day with a lagoon included, see the Golden Circle tours with a lagoon.

Hot pools with your own ticket

The Secret Lagoon at Flúðir is the oldest of them. Its operator calls it the oldest swimming pool in Iceland: it was built in 1891, saw the country’s first swimming lessons in 1909 and reopened in 2014 after decades of disuse. The water is kept at 38 to 39 °C, a small geyser beside the pool erupts every few minutes, and there are changing rooms, lockers and showers. It lies about an hour from Geysir and 1 hour 20 minutes from Reykjavík. Towels and swimwear are not included in the ticket, and children need an adult with them. From October to May the pool opens from 10:00 to 19:00, and from June to September until 20:00.

Laugarvatn Fontana sits on the shore of Lake Laugarvatn, with infinity pools, a pier into the lake, a steam bath that uses steam rising from the hot ground and a sauna. The baths reopened on 1 August 2026 after a complete renovation. The Laugarás Lagoon, also in the Golden Circle area, sells three levels of admission on its spa and dining ticket. Closer to Reykjavík, Reykjaböð lies in the Reykjadalur valley about 35 minutes from the city, with water at 38 to 40 °C, a sauna, a cold plunge and a Kneipp pool; it admits children from 10.

Rye bread from the hot ground

Fontana also bakes rye bread in the hot ground. The geothermal bread demonstration lasts 30 minutes: the host walks the group down a path, digs up a pot of dough that went into the ground the day before and explains how it bakes for about 24 hours in the heat. Then you taste the bread, still warm, with a slice of smoked trout. It is not suitable for vegans. Reviews praise the hosts and the tasting. Guests who expected to bake themselves were disappointed, as one volunteer lifts the pot while everyone watches, and some groups were large. Combined with a soak in the Fontana baths, it makes a slow afternoon in Laugarvatn.

Kerið on your own

The Kerið crater is about 55 metres deep, 170 metres wide and 270 metres across, with a small lake at the bottom. A path follows the rim and another leads down to the water. Parking is free, there are toilets and a food truck, and the operator charges an entry fee, covered by the Kerið entry ticket. Its website says the crater is open when the sun is shining. Day tours do not always stop here: reviews of some tours mention that the crater was left out on their departure, so if the crater matters to you, check the tour or drive there yourself.

Zipline and rafting

The Mega Zipline in Hveragerði runs over the Black Canyon from April to October. After a transfer to the canyon and an easy walk of about 500 metres, you ride a 1-kilometre line in a seated harness at 50 to 80 km/h. The ride takes 50 minutes in all, starts at 9 years and has a weight range of 30 to 120 kg. If weather cancels it, you get a full refund.

Rafting on the Hvítá, the glacial river that also runs over Gullfoss, lasts three hours and is described by the operator as fun for the whole family. The tour page gives no minimum age or meeting point, so check both before booking.

Places without a ticket

Several places need no booking. Brúarfoss, the blue waterfall, is a five-minute walk from its newer car park, where a parking fee applies; from the older trailhead it is 3.5 kilometres each way, about an hour on foot, and muddy after rain, according to Perlan. The Friðheimar tomato greenhouse in Reykholt serves food daily from 11:30 to 16:00 and runs a horse show; see fridheimar.is for the details. At Þingvellir, the Hakið visitor centre above the Almannagjá gorge has an exhibition of about 40 minutes on the rift and the old parliament, free for under-18s.

Northern lights after the Golden Circle

From roughly September to April, an evening tour can follow a Golden Circle day. Between May and early August the nights at this latitude stay too light. The Golden Circle and aurora evening covers Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and Kerið, brings you back to Reykjavík for a few hours to rest and eat, and then heads out again with hot chocolate. It runs for about 12.5 hours with up to 59 guests, and children can join from 8. The tour with the Blue Lagoon and an aurora hunt fits the soak into the same day and lets you rejoin the operator’s aurora bus on another night for free if the lights do not show.

No tour can promise the aurora. The Icelandic Met Office explains that it needs dark and partly clear skies, and its aurora forecast shows the expected activity on a scale of 0 to 9 together with a cloud map.

Two or three days

A longer trip puts the Golden Circle on the first day and then heads east. The three-day tour with an ice cave covers Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss on day one, continues along the south coast to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and visits a natural ice cave, with two nights in double or twin rooms with breakfast. Each guest may bring one bag of up to 20 kg. The three-day Golden Circle and south coast tour follows a similar line. Our itineraries show how to fit the stops into one or two days on your own.

If your trip continues to Akureyri and the north of Iceland, see our sister guide akureyritourism.com.