One of the most popular attractions in Iceland, the Golden Circle is located just east of Reykjavik in South Iceland. This 190-mile loop has some of the most famous sights in all of Iceland that you could easily take a few days exploring, but with only a 3-day layover, we tackled it in just one day. And though you might not see everything the circle has to offer, it’s completely doable and we were able to take in some gorgeous sights on our abbreviated tour!
Our plan of attack was based on our early morning arrival at Keflavik Airport. Our visit was in late January and we quickly realized that in the winter it’s imperative to get started as soon as the sun rises because of the limited daytime hours (about six hours when we were there). Our route would’ve taken three hours just to drive straight through, but obviously we didn’t want to do that. As it was, the sun set before we arrived at our cabin for the night and we had a heck of a time trying to find it in the dark.
Because our flight got in at 7am and the sun wouldn’t rise for another 3 hours, we started the morning by killing some time at a cafe called Pallet just outside of Reykjavik. The cafe is right on the harbor and was super cozy with tons of books and board games. If we hadn’t been on such a strict schedule, we definitely could have stayed there and read for a while! The barista was very patient with us when we weren’t sure what to order and even offered suggestions. We ended up getting oat milk lattes and shared one of their English scones with homemade jam and clotted cream. I still think about how good that scone was, to be honest. While there, we bummed wifi to make some last-minute adjustments to our itinerary for the day.
It was a bit of a drive to our first stop of the day where we would be getting lunch, but the views were so spectacular that we didn't even notice. This is why we wanted to wait for daylight to get started because even the views outside of the typical sightseeing stops are gorgeous! Trust us, photos do not do the beauty of Iceland justice.
Kerið
On our way to lunch, we noticed a good amount of people walking up what seemed to be a large hill so we decided to pull over and check it out. What we happened upon was Kerið(d).
Kerid is a volcanic crater lake on private land so there is a small entrance fee of 400 ISK or about 3 USD. This crater is said to be approximately 3,000 years old and there is a pathway that you can take to walk the entire way around it for different vantage points. We were there during the winter, so the entire area was covered in snow but, from what I've found online, it's even more stunning in the summertime!
Friðheimar
Our next stop was at Friðheimar for lunch. We arrived just as they opened so we were able to get a table without a reservation but they are strongly recommended. The restaurant is embedded in a greenhouse where they grow all the tomatoes used in their menu items. Once seated, our server offered to give us a brief history of the Greenhouse and how they operate. We opted for their specialty, where they serve tomato soup on a buffet with fresh bread.
Their menu also had side items that you could add into your soup like meats and cheese but we opted not to as the buffet itself was about 20 USD/person. We did, however, get one of their tomato beers and a tomato latte just to be a little adventurous. Everything was delicious and they even had basil plants on each table so you could cut it fresh for your soup! After we finished eating, we explored the greenhouse a bit. If you're big on souvenirs, there's also a little gift shop before you exit where you can buy all sorts of tomato and tomato-themed products.
On our way out, we encountered some Icelandic horses that they keep on the property! These horses were brought over by the Vikings sometime in the 9th century and, due to the county's isolation, they've been able to keep the breed pure rather than seeing the cross-breeding that has occurred in other parts of the world. To keep it this way and to keep away diseases, importing horses and livestock is illegal and if an animal is exported, they can never return to Iceland. The history of these unique horses is magnificent!
Gullfoss
Gullfoss, or Golden Falls' name is directly tied to The Golden Circle. There are a few theories on how it received the name, one being that it is said the waters often give off a golden hue. There are two viewing areas for the falls and both have their own parking. The viewing areas, both situated above the falls, are connected by a staircase so you can travel back and forth for the best view. In the interest of time and losing daylight, we cut the nearby Geysir but if you have more time than we did, it looked cool from the car!
Þingvellir
After wrapping up at the falls, we set out to our last location of the day, Þingvellir (Thingvellir National Park). There are several areas to park and explore, keep in mind that some cost so it helps to do a little research on parking before you head that way. We chose the one that was the first we happened upon in the interest of time which was free.
This location is extremely rich in history for the country of Iceland. For Game of Thrones fans, this location is said to have been used to film several moments from the show such as the entrance to the Eyrie.
The park sits on a rift valley that's been created by the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. One of the fissures that have resulted from the drifting plates is called Silfra and is the only place in the world where you can swim between two tectonic plates. We're not nearly brave enough (or trained enough) to do that, so we opted for good old fashioned walking between them instead. Still, we're in a small minority of people that can claim they've stood between two continents!
Hvalfjörð
While not a part of the Golden Circle, we made one more unexpected stop (which usually turned out to be the best views throughout the trip) at a location called Hvalfjörð that's definitely worth noting and is only an hour northwest of Thingvellir National Park. This fjord was used as a naval base for British and American navies during WWII and today is home to the only remaining fin whaler in Iceland.
After about 24 hours without sleep, it was a nice place to relax and just enjoy the view before heading to our Airbnb for the night.
If you want even more beautiful scenery and fun moments, check out our YouTube video.
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