Discover some of the best sites in Iceland on this Golden Circle Tour!
Leave the city behind and get into the history of Iceland at Thingvellir National Park. Then witness the powerful beauty of a multi-tiered waterfall at Gullfoss and walk among bubbling geothermal pools at Geysir Geothermal Area.
Historic Thingvellir National Park
Learn about some of the thrilling and somewhat gruesome history of Iceland at Thingvellir National Park.
It’s significance is so great that it is a designated UNESCO world heritage site. You’ll walk the grounds where Icelandic democracy began more than 1,000 years ago on the fields of parliament (Thingvellir). Next, you will visit sites where Viking-era justice was carried out including the Drowning Pool and the Gallows Rock. Thingvellir is also the place where two tectonic plates are gradually separating, creating a gorgeous landscape of steep cliffs and broad fields.
Mighty Gullfoss Waterfall
After Thingvellir, we will visit the most popular waterfall in Iceland, Gullfoss (the golden fall). Hearing the roar of the Hvita River as it plunges 32 meters into the gorge below is exhilarating. On sunny days, rainbows are abundant in the mist rising from the fall.
Several paths are also available around the waterfall, including one leading down to its bottom. So come equipped with your raincoat and have your camera ready!
Eruptive Geysir Geothermal Area
Next, Geysir. The entire area is bubbling with geothermal activity. From steam vents to boiling mud pits, but the real stars of the geothermal show are the geysers. Here, the Great Geysir erupts only occasionally these days, the last time being in 2016. Instead, nearby geyser Strokkur erupts regularly, delighting onlookers by shooting hot water high into the air every few minutes.