It is close to Reykjavik, easy to reach and there are many activities to see. Golden circle (golden circle, not very cool when translated into Turkish) sounds. There are many places to see in this circle, from geysers to waterfalls, from crater lakes to thermal facilities. Even those who come to Iceland for a short time make this route and return, so places to visit in Icelandn, they can be involved in many of the main activities. Golden Circle is a route that you can complete in one day if you do not participate in the extra activities.
Places to Visit on the Golden Circle Route
The Golden Circle usually starts from the capital, Reykjavik. There are many activities and places to see on the Golden Circle route, but the main stops are; It is possible to say Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss and Hot Spring Region.
We left Golden Circle at the end of our one-week Iceland trip. After traveling all over Iceland, I'm sure we weren't as impressed with what we saw here as those who saw it for the first time. But we had such an experience here that it was one of the most special experiences in our lives. I will also explain it.
Our Iceland experience in this link you can watch the video. If you liked the video Don't forget to subscribe to my channel!
Thingvellir National Park and Silfra
Thingvellir National Park is one of the main stops on the Golden Circle route. This is the place where the North American mainland and the European continental mainland are separated by breaking, this rift is called Silfra. The observation point where you can look at the crevice from above and the viewing point where you can take a closer look are located in the park. Another feature of this park is that the first parliament in the world was convened here by the Vikings in 930 AD. With these features, it is included in the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list.
The Silfra rift is one of the 10 most important diving spots in the world. That's why it's special to us. My wife has been diving for 10 years, she has dived in many places around the world. Diving here was one of his dreams. I was also very excited to dive in such a special spot, but you need to have a dry suit certificate for this dive. Since I don't have a certificate, my wife dived while I was snorkeling. details of this experience. Silfra Experience You can see it in my post.
- National Park admission is free.
- It was said that the parking lot is paid, but no one asked us for money.
- Toilets in the national park are paid, most of the toilets in Iceland are paid, 200 ISK.
- There is a visitor center at the entrance of the park, you can get information about the activities to be done there.
- The park is about 1 hour drive from Rejkjavik.
Since we went in the autumn, the colors started to turn from green to orange, it was a wonderful riot of colors. You can see different states depending on the season you are going to.
Geyser – Geysir
The word geyser is named after the geyser located on the Golden Circle. This geyser, which has become one of the symbols of Iceland, is one of the important stops of the Golden Circle. This is an area on the Haukadalur valley where there are geysers, one big and many large and small. There are many places in Iceland that feel out of this world. This is one of those places.
The location of the geyser is about 35km from Silfra. You can reach here by following the signs and tour buses on the road. This may be the most crowded place I've seen in my entire Iceland trip. Besides the big geyser, there is a long hiking trail in the valley. Since we came here after diving, we didn't want to walk long, we just saw the hot water sources and the geyser and continued on our way.
The name of the geyser that sprays water to the highest and the highest is Strokkur. This geyser cannot withstand the pressure below and sprays water up every 5-10 minutes. Sometimes high, sometimes low it's all your luck. We caught several small and large eruptions. Strokkur's surroundings get very crowded because of this show. If you really want to shoot secluded places that we are used to seeing without people in photos, I suggest you come early in the morning.
In addition to the largest geyser in the country, the smallest geyser, the little geysir, is located in this valley. There are a lot of boiling pools besides geysers. However, do not forget to enter the water here, the water temperature varies between 80 and 200 degrees 🙂
- Entry to the geyser area is free.
- There is a visitor center at the entrance, the parking lot and toilets are also free.
GullfossGullfossGullfoss
Our next stop after the geyser was Gullfoss, 10 km away. Gullfoss is one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland. Due to its location in the Golden Circle, it attracts a lot of visitors and really deserves this attention.
Gullfoss, a layered waterfall with breaking in different layers. Foss means waterfall in Icelandic, so all waterfalls end with foss. There are many observation decks around Gullfoss. While the terraces closer to the waterfall get you soaking wet, the terraces that see the waterfall from above allow you to see the big picture. Although we were very tired, we visited all the viewing points one by one, we recommend it.
Gullfoss has a special story, and I want to tell you a little bit about it. There are detailed explanations for all touristic spots in Iceland. Not only the information about the region, but if there are legends in that region, they also included them, which I liked very much. We learned the story of Gullfoss from these information boards.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a hydroelectric power plant is planned to be built on the site of Gulfoss. A woman named Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who lives with her family in that area and works on her father's farm, first tries to prevent the construction of the power plant through official means, but when the lawyers fail, she threatens to kill herself and prevents the construction of the power plant. She is considered one of the first nature activists in Iceland. Afterwards, she contributes to the recognition of the region by guiding the foreigners who come to this region. You can see his story with his photograph at the lower entrance of the waterfall.
- Entry to the waterfall is also free.
- There are two car parks close to the waterfall, at the entrance of the lower car park, it points upwards as Gullfoss Car Park, but don't be fooled. The entrance at the top is where the shops and restaurants are, they tried to direct the visitors there. At the lower entrance, the car park is both more secluded and closer to the waterfall.
Other Places to See on the Golden Circle Route
Places that are on our route but we couldn't stop because we didn't have time:
Faxafos: You can stop by Faxafoss on the way back to Gulfoss, but it probably won't be interesting after Gullfoss'ran.
Secret Lagoon: It is the most famous hot spring after the Blue Lagoon. This place is paid like the Blue Lagoon. The price for adults is 2800 ISK around 22euro.
Þjóðveldisbærinn: This is a farm, I found it on the internet and we said we would go if we had time, but there was no time left 🙂 A journey through history with grass-roofed farmhouses, one of Iceland's hidden paradises. If you want to extend your route here, it may be considered.
Kerid Crater: This is a crater whose crater mouth has turned into a lake. But if you are only going to do the Golden Circle route, it would be nice to see it.
reykjadalur: This is one of the places that will really interest you. You don't need to pay for neither Blue Lagoon nor Secreet Lagoon. This river spa is free. However, you have to take a steep exit from the place where you park the vehicle for 3 km. We wanted so much, but it would be too ambitious for the last activity left on the last day, so we reluctantly canceled it. If you go, send us a card 🙂
The route ends with the return to Reykjavik. So you complete the circle. I did not include the Blue Lagoon in this route, I will understand it within the Ring Road route, keep following 🙂
My Iceland Travel Articles
You can find my travel tips about Iceland such as transportation in Iceland, accommodation in Iceland, car rental in Iceland from the links below:
- Car rental in Iceland
- Iceland trip cost
- accommodation in Iceland
- Iceland Keflavik Airport
- Silfra rift diving and snorkeling experience
- Iceland Golden Circle Route places to visit
- Iceland Ring Road Route places to visit
- Iceland travel guide
Stay on track.