Iceland Golden Circle Road Trip
Iceland Travel Itinerary & Guide
Guest Post From:
5 Days in Iceland
The Golden Circle is a tourist circuit in southwest Iceland with three main attractions: Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss. In this itinerary, we use our cabin at Thingvellir as a base and visit sites in the Golden Circle and south Iceland.
Day 1:
Eat lunch and stock up on necessities in Reykjavik; head towards adorable cabin situated on Iceland’s largest lake – Thingvallavatn.
Fish Company
Before hitting the road we treated ourselves to a meal at Fish Company in Reykjavik.
Knowing that we will be cooking at the cabin on our road trip we splurged on the Fish Festival three-course lunch prix fixe for 4900 ISK. The meal came with fish soup, salted cod, and raspberry cake. All three dishes were beautifully crafted, but my personal favorite was the Fish Soup. The Fish Company took this common Icelandic dish to the next level by adding, langoustine, scallops, coconut jelly, and roasted coconut. The flavors were amazing!
Drive from Reykjavik to cabin next to Thingvallavatn
We found our lovely cabin on airbnb. It is situated in Thingvellir National Park, next to Iceland’s largest lake, Thingvallavatn. The location is quiet and remote, but also close to many site around the Golden Circle area. We loved our lake view, and on a lucky night we even caught site of the northern lights!
Tip: Stock up on groceries in Reykjavik before hitting the road. Groceries stores can be few and far apart outside the city, and restaurants are harder to come across, especially in the winter. Plus, we found cooking and eating around the fire place in our cabin very enjoyable!
Tip: The winter weather can be intense in Iceland, and outlets off the highway are sometimes hard to navigate. Tag the roads off the main highway with stars on Google maps, it can come in handy in thick snow and low visibility.
Day 2:
Head to Geysir, the oldest sprouting hot spring on record; then enjoy a soak in the Secret Lagoon.
Visit Geysir
We woke up early to visit Geysir, which is the oldest sprouting hot spring on record. While the Great Geysir is less active than it once was, the geothermal field has many other active hot springs. The most reliable is Strokkur, which erupts around every 5 to 10 minutes, shooting water about 15 to 20 meters high in to the air. If you have time, also try the hot spring bread that is baked underground by geothermal heat.
The Geysir visitor center has a pretty nice food court, so we had some classic Icelandic Lamb soup and hung out a little before we head to our next location.
Tip: Days are short in December, so make sure you leave early enough each day to catch the daylight. Sunrises around 10am and is usually dark by 4pm.
Soak in the Secret Lagoon
Later that day we soaked in the Secret Lagoon (Gamla Laugin) in Flúðir situated near an active Geysir. It offers a cheaper and more down to earth alternative to the famous Blue Lagoon. Surrounded by natural rock and gravel, the ruggedness made this one of my favorite hot springs in Iceland. Nothing like enjoying a cold beer while soaking in a hot geothermal bath!
Info:
Price: Adults/2800 ISK, seniors / 1400, children under 14 / free
Opening Hours: Winter/ 11:00-20:00, Summer/ 10:00-22:00
Towels available for rent, and drinks are sold at the desk
Lagoon etiquette:
Showers are in an open area in the locker room, and it is customary to shower NAKED before you put on your bathing suit on and hop into the lagoon. So leave your modesty behind and don’t be rude!
Day 3:
Visit the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall, and enjoy a more modern take on the hot spring baths at Fontana.
Visit Gullfoss Waterfalls
Spend the day at Gullfoss, a spectacular double cascade waterfall. The winds were really bad and the cold was hard to bear, but the waterfall glistering against the ice made it well worth it. Maybe the harsh Iceland winter makes the experience just a little more exciting and challenging. We warmed up at the shop and café above Gullfoss, and enjoyed some lamb soup for lunch. Totally obsessed with the lamb in Iceland!
Hot Spring Fontana
We head to Fontana in the early evening to for another soak in the hot springs. Fontana is a modernized hot spring bath situated by a lake; it is nice if you like the more modern vibe, and it is very reasonably priced. There are 3 different pools, as well as a kid’s pool, and a cedar lined steam room. Personally, I missed the natural surroundings that some other hot springs offered. After our hot spring bath we had a lovely dinner at Lindin.
Day 4:
Detour to Reynisfjara- Iceland’s black sand beach
Black Sand Beach in South Iceland - Reynisfjara
Reynisfjara is a bit far from our cabin in Thingvellir, but I wanted to make sure I got to see the famous black sand beach on this trip to Iceland. The drive is pretty straight forward, but visibility was low on the day we went, so it took us much longer than expected. Google maps had quoted us about 2 hrs from Thingvellir, but it took us a little more than 3 hrs. That being said, when we did have sunlight the view was absolutely spectacular. The short winter days prolonged the periods of sunrise and sunset; it feels like you are just forever in the magic hour. Plus, you can see adorable Icelandic horses all along the drive.
The long drive felt worth it as soon as we stepped foot on Reynisfjara. The jet black sand against the white snow was so stunning. The black sand at Reynisfjara is basalt lave, you can see cliffs and caves with geometrical basalt columns that look out of this world. Off shore are the Reynisdrangar sea stacks. Fierce waves were constantly crashing into the oddly shaped sea stacks, creating an eerie atmosphere. In fact, those waves have proven themselves to be deadly, as you can see many news clips at the entrance of Reynisfjara, showing the many lives that were taken away at this beach. Be careful if you are standing close to the shoreline. This dangerous coast is one of the most unique beaches I’ve seen. I would love to come back again in the summer time during puffin season to see these adorable birds change the landscape.
Day 4:
Visit Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park
Being totally spoiled by the awesome location of our cabin, we didn’t spend time in Thingvellir National Park until our last day. Thingvellir is an important historical and geological site. This is where the Vikings had established the world’s first democratic parliament; you will see ruins and historical buildings left by the settlers. It is also where the North American plate and the European plate are moving away from each other; the dramatic boundary of the two plates creates many beautiful ponds and waterfalls. You can see all the sites in Thingvellir if you follow route 361 from the Park Service Center.
Tips and Tricks:
1. This itinerary requires you to rent a car.
2. Outside the city groceries stores can be few and far apart, and restaurants are harder to come across. Stock up on groceries in Reykjavik before hitting the road.
3. In case of low visibility and thick snow, tag the roads off the main highway with stars on your Google maps.
4. Days are short in December, so make sure you leave early enough each day to catch the daylight. Sunrises around 10am and is usually dark by 4pm.
5. Buy alcohol at the airport. Alcohol in Iceland is very expensive; small can of beer at a bar is around $10 USD, a glass of wine at dinner is easily $20 USD. Take advantage of the tax-free prices at the Keflavík Airport when you arrive.
6. Before you soak in a lagoon it is customary to shower NAKED before you put on your bathing suit.
7. There is no need to tip in Iceland.