A Self-Drive Tour of the Golden Circle
The Golden Circle — a route consisting of three major sites easily reached within a day from Reykjavík — is one of the most popular tourist activities in Iceland. In fact, if you only have two days in the whole country, Lonely Planet Iceland
With public transportation lacking in Iceland, visitors have two choices for accessing the sites — joining a group tour or renting a car and doing a self-drive tour. We chose to self-drive for a few reasons –
1. It’s cheaper. Well, we broke even. Group tours are around 9,000 kroner, or $50usd per person, while renting a car is about 20,000 kroner, or $110usd per day. So even with the cost of fuel, with three people we were actually breaking even. Had we added another person to the mix we would have been saving. And the wonderful thing about the Golden Circle is that all three sites are actually free, so the car and fuel are the only fixed costs.
2. It’s more flexible. We we able to spend as much or as little time at each site as we wished, and we were able to make detours to check out nearby attractions or activities. Most importantly, to me anyway, I was able to request photo-ops ever 5 miles and was patiently indulged. I don’t think that would have worked with a busload of other people. Which brings me to my last point…
3. We hate other people. Just kidding. But really, my mom, sister and I get so little time all together, we really wanted to be able to converse freely without being rude to a group. Plus we got to pick out our own music and blast it! The day before we asked a shop owner for Icelandic music suggestions and walked away with three new albums: We Sink
The flexibility just made this trip for us. I had read that the Golden Circle sites can feel a little bit like an assembly line in the summertime as tour buses rotate round, but even in peak season we were often the only car in sight. The first leg of the trip was a forty-five minute drive Reykjavík to Þingvellir National Park, though it may have taken us an hour as we stopped often to marvel at rolling farms, friendly horses, and stark churches.
Stopping so that I could photograph horses and Olivia could shriek and touch them would become a theme for our days on the road.
Our arrival at Þingvellir National Park was marked by a field of stone piles, a phenomenon that apparently exists all across Iceland. Funny enough, this valley of rocks was the most tourist-mobbed place that we stopped all day.
Þingvellir is a Unesco World Heritage site, Iceland’s first national park, and the most important historical site in the country. In fact, this site has significant importance on a global scale as well — it was here that Vikings established the world’s first democratic parliament in AD 930.
This was the one sight in the Golden Circle where I think we may have benefited from a tour guide. The park is huge, and it’s kind of difficult to discern where exactly “IT” is, “it” being The Thing you are supposed to be sure to see. If that sentence made little sense to you, then congratulations — you can’t understand the ramblings of a crazy person obsessed with checking things off a list.
While obviously nothing remains of the world’s first parliament (it was conducted over one of the ridges rather than in a building), you can peek inside one of Iceland’s first churches. Beside it are a few teeny farmhouses, one of which is the prime minister’s summer home.
Þingvellir has immense geological clout as well as historic — it sits perched atop the tectonic boundary between American and European plates. Does that sound familiar? That’s because I went scuba diving between those plates earlier in the trip!
The ridges, like those seen in the photo below, are a result of the techtonic plates moving apart at a rate of 1-18mm per year.
I was really excited to show my mom and sister Þingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest lake and site of my diving adventures. I marveled once again at the unbelievable cold and clarity of the water, and even convinced my sister to take a sip. It’s pure glacial water, after all — people pay a lot to drink that stuff out of a bottle.
For those that want to explore Þingvellir further, trail maps are available for a small fee at the Park Service Center.
Eventually we were back in the car again, on our way to Geysir, another 40 minute drive. On the way we passed Laugarvatn, a town of just 200 people spread around a hot spring lake. From here you can rent kayaks and rowboats and paddle around the lake, or take tours of the nearby caves. I routed us through Laugarvatn in hopes of convincing my mom and sis to visit the modern thermal baths overlooking the lake, but a mosquito attack as we exited the car put them off the idea.
Arriving at Geysir, we headed straight to the on-site restaurant to eat lunch while gazing out the window at spouting hot springs.
This turned out to be my favorite stop by far of the Golden Circle. Geysir is the jet-like hot water eruption for which all other geysers on Earth are named. Isn’t that amazing? It’s like getting to visit the original Tree or the original Rock which all other trees and rocks are named after.
Geysir once shot 70-80m high — impressive when compared to Old Faithful in the USA, which shoots from 25-55m. However, in the 1950′s tourists inadvertently clogged Geysir by throwing rocks into it in an attempt to set it off, and it hasn’t erupted the same since.
Fortunately, there are still active spouts to keep geology-loving tourists happy. Strokkur, a nearby neighbor of Geysir, is the most reliable geyser in the world. Strokkur erupts every 7-10 minutes at a height of 15-30m. I stuck around for several eruptions in an attempt to capture the whole thing on film!
For those that want to explore the Geysir area further, an audiovisual exhibition is available in the Geysir Center, and horse treks are available from Hotel Geysir.
A mere ten minute drive further brought us straight to Gulfoss, Iceland’s most famous waterfall and the final destination on our Golden Circle tour.
Unfortunately the weather had begun to turn a little gloomy at this point, and so we didn’t see any of the rainbows this double water drop is known for.
But perhaps more beautiful than the falls themselves is the story of the woman who saved them. In the 1920′s a group of foreign investors made plans to dam the Hvita River for hydroelectric power. The landowner refused to sell but the government gave special permission to the investors, inspiring the landowners daughter to walk all the way to Reykjavík (70 miles!) to protest. Her threats to jump into the waterfall were heeded and thanks to the investors allowing the lease to lapse, the falls were saved. Today, Gulfoss is part of a nature reserve and protected from development.
For those that want to explore the Gulfoss area further, snowmobile rides to Langjökull Glacier leave from the visitor center and cafe.
For those that are on a self-drive tour like we were, there are alternative routes back to Reykjavík so that the same route doesn’t have to be driven twice. In our case we were heading straight into a road trip up the Snæfellsnes Penninsula, so we had to double back most of the way before heading north up the coast.
Along the way we passed dramatic waterfalls, happy livestock and interesting architecture.
Once again, I have to emphasize that the self-drive option was worth it for the photography opportunities alone! If you’re visiting Iceland, chances are you’re circling round this golden route. I encourage you to gather a group of three or more and make the DIY option into a bargain!
Do you prefer to DIY your trips or meet new friends through joining a group tour?
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I'm a New York native who left my home to explore the world slowly and thoroughly. I love photography, scuba diving, and reading guidebooks to countries I have no immediate plans to visit. Read more on my 
Every time you write a post about Iceland, I become more determined to go there ASAP!
It definitely seems like the self-drive option is better, for the photography alone. I absolutely LOVE the photos of the horses running – they’re absolutely stunning!
Sky recently posted..The Wisdom of 18 Years
We were so lucky to catch that moment! Each of my upcoming roadtrip posts HEAVILY features Icelandic horses — hope no one gets sick of them
Do it Yourself is ALWAYS better if you have somebody to do it with!! What a great adventure! And well, blasting your own music is ALWAYS a plus
Chrystal McKay recently posted..A Place to Shut Off Your Brain
Especially when its amazing Icelandic tunes like these were! Seriously, it was as if those songs were written as soundtracks to the landscapes all around Iceland…
amaaazing photos! my parents are leaving for Iceland on Tuesday (they couldn’t be more excited) and they wanted to know if you rented a car from the airport or from Reykavik, and what rental company did you use? They have read online that its dangerous to drive in Iceland and that if you do any damage to the car you might as well drive it off a cliff because they will charge you such a ridiculous amount! Iceland is HIGH on my list and your beautiful posts have only fuel the fire! when I move to Ireland next year I will most definitely be visiting!
Shannon recently posted..The Fabulous “LA Life”
We had the car rental arranged through our hotel, and it was dropped off there! I’m sure your parents hotel would do the same. We drove our car on some pretty crazy roads and it did just fine, though I did have a few moments of panic. I would recommend telling the rental car company your intended route and just asking if there’s anything they should be concerned about!
Wow, sounds like a great roadtrip. And the imagery is stunning.
Annie recently posted..End of Summer, Beginning of Fall Travel
Thanks Annie! Now if only I was old enough to rent cars on my own. Darn rental car rules…
Definitely prefer the roadtrip! The freedom to go at your own pace, spend time at the interesting places and skip the boring ones! Though your photos make the whole place look just magical!
Sarah Somewhere recently posted..The Launch of The Rickshaw Run Diaries!
Well I wish I could take all the credit for that but seriously… it’s hard to take a bad photo in Iceland!
Hey, this is fantastic. We are going to Iceland in October and are doing a self drive trip and we have been looking for some useful information (Especially times between places). We can’t wait to go there and now having read this post I know it is going to be FAB!
I’m so glad I could be of help! It’s a great little trip to DIY, enjoy!
amazing pictures! The roadtrip is so much better idea there! I was there on the tour and it was nice and all but I really wished to stop in so many places along the way to take pictures
kami recently posted..Wanderlust Wednesday: Canadian Rockies
Well maybe someday you can go back and do it by roadtrip
Am I the only one that always fantasizes about returning to every place I’ve already been?!
no, you’re definitely not the only one. what’s more I am returning to already visited places and then I’m annoyed I’m kind of wasting my holidays as I could have seen a new place instead
kami recently posted..#FriFotos: Windows
Fantastic photos! Really gives us a sense of being there, thanks Alex!!!!!!
Thank you Chris! I wish I could take everyone with me, so this is second best
I love love love your photos! Random question- is it a lot of work to put so many images into WordPress? Do you have a shortcut?
Ashley recently posted..The ABCs of Travel
Ha…. YES it is a lot of work! Unfortunately I have not found any shortcuts other than don’t be a crazy person who insists on putting so many photos in their posts. If only that could be me
Totally worth it, looks great!
Ashley recently posted..The ABCs of Travel
As usual, I found it fascinating. Wish I could go there. Love, Gram E
Thanks Gram! Love knowing you’re reading
Good article and lovely photos. I know Iceland well and you have described some of the best bits! Everybody should visit at least once, it is a marvellous place.
Thanks John! That’s a great compliment coming from someone familiar with the country.
Found your post via Lonely Planet’s tweet yesterday – great read! And perfect timing as well since I’ll be traveling to Iceland next summer and plan on doing a self-drive tour. It was nice to hearing about your experiences – I’m looking forward to it even more now!
Question – how did you handle all the insurance options for your rental car? I’ve found on some sites that there’s collision coverage, gravel protection, and ash protection, among others. Did you own car insurance cover anything?
Thanks Jamie, glad you found me! As for insurance we were careful to call both our car insurance in the states (well, my mom’s since she was driving) as well as our credit card (which often provides insurance for rental cars) and ended up purchasing it through my mom’s American Express card. Definitely investigate those options!
Hi,
You bring my home country on higher level with quality photo. I hope the stay here in Iceland has been good so far.
At least the weather last days has not been good.
Reg, Thor
Thor recently posted..Iceland Hot Springs
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[...] setting. We first considered taking the popular one-hour snowmobiling trip from Gulfoss, along the Golden Circle route. However, at 25,000 kroner ($138US) per person, it was a pricey endeavor. When we managed to find a [...]
Very good efforts to create lovely post on Golden circle tour, Iceland is the best place in the world to see the beauty of the glaciers surrounded by huge mottled fields with cracks.
Holidays in Iceland with amazing Iceland Glaciers will be the unbelievable trip for the any travellers.
Great Blog, Loved it!
Going to Iceland in October and considering the self drive option. This this has made my mind up for me.
THANKS
Thanks Chris! Enjoy Iceland, it’s fantastic!
Hey Alex, love the read and photos! My wife and 2 kids and I are going to be in Iceland next month! We were planning to rent a car and do the golden circle self drive too. Just wondering if a 4×4 is necessary for the trip? Prices seem to double for SUVs. I keep reading about these F-roads
Do you encounter them on this tour? Thanks!
We just rented the cheapest car they had, a little sedan. It was small but perfectly safe for the Golden Circle. No F roads to be seen! Good luck!
I got such a kick out of the blog. It was just beautifully done. Would you recommend staying overnight in one of the areas of the Golden circle. You mentioned that you took a road trip up to the Snæfellsnes peninsula. Did you first return to f Reykjavík and then head out the next day?
Great job.
Susan
Thanks Susan! We kept going north and started the road trip straight away, which I really recommend. You can find details in this post and this post about the roadtrip and where we stayed!
[...] The classic Reykjavik day trip is the ‘Golden Circle tour’, visiting the Thingvellir National Park, Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall in one round trip. Most people hop on a tour bus for a whistlestop tour of the major sites. But if you’re happy to drive then a self-drive trip for 2+ people works out cheaper and allows you to customise the trip as you want. Just make sure to pack an Icelandic playlist! The route is mostly well signposted, but a decent road map of Reykjavik (ask the car rental company for one) is useful for getting out of the city, and pre-printed Google Map routes are useful for those ‘oh crap is this the right way?!’ moments. The scenery was beautiful, absolutely stunning, but the day we chose was -7C with gale force winds so I don’t have as many pictures as I would have liked. For some balmier-weather pictures check out Alex in Wanderland. [...]