The Ultimate Guide to Driving Iceland’s Golden Circle

Iceland is an increasingly popular tourist destination, and whether you are spending a weekend in Iceland or are taking a longer trip to drive the Ring Road I would highly recommend driving the Golden Circle route out of Reykjavik. Even though the route can be done in a few hours I would highly recommend taking a long time to truly take in the amazing experiences Iceland has to offer!

Here is my guide to Driving the Golden Circle in a day!

Read more: How to Spend a Weekend in Iceland and The Ultimate Guide to Driving Snæfellsnes Peninsula in a day

The Golden Circle is a route looping from Reykjavik into central Iceland and back on a day trip. The route will take you through some of the most amazing sights in central Iceland and you will experience a lot of Iceland’s diversity on a relatively short trip.

Even though the main sights along the road are natural points you may also want to make other stops along the way and take in some of the other breathtaking sights Iceland has to offer, such as Icelandic horses!

There are two ways of exploring the Golden Circle, you can join an organized tour that will take you through the main sights or drive it yourself which will allow you to make more stops or even take some detours along the way.

A lot of the tourists arriving in Iceland will explore the country in a rental car. Even though such an experience might seem a bit pricey we found that the difference in price between renting a car and joining an organized tour was small. Renting a car would, in addition, give us the opportunity to stop anywhere we wanted and beat the crowds by leaving earlier in the morning.

If you want to save some money you can pre-book your rental car online or go in the low season between September and May.

Navigating the Golden Circle route is pretty straightforward, the most difficult part is navigating your way out of Reykjavik! Once outside the city, you can lean back, relax and enjoy the breathtaking views that Iceland has to offer

Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park is located on the crack between the North American and Eurasian continental plates and has played a major part in Iceland’s history. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the only place in the world where you can dive between two continental plates.

Stokkur Geyser
Stokkur is one of two large geysers located in Haukadalur Valley and is the only one that is currently active, erupting every 8-10 minutes. This rates Stokkur as the most reliable geyser in the world.

Gullfoss Waterfall
One of the most popular spots along the Golden Circle is Gullfoss. A dramatic waterfall plunging water through a relatively narrow crevice.

Kerid Crater Lake
The Kerid Crater Lake is a stunning volcanic crater made up of red rocks only broken by streaks of green moss and grass surrounding a deep blue lake. The crater makes for an interesting stop with its mysterious history.