Golden Circle tour is the tour to take if you only take one tour in Iceland! The duration of the stops vary, but it is (very roughly) at least 30 min at each of the main sights.
You will take a short walk through Thingvellir, a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, located directly between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The history here is also fascinating; Thingvellir was the original site of what is now the longest-running parliament in the world, formed in 930 AD.
Another stop will be in the geothermal are near Haukadalur valley. This hilly area has a lot of hot springs, but what it is most renowned for is its geysers. The largest, Geysir gave the world the word geyser, while Strokkur is the most active in the area, shooting water up to 30 meters high every five to ten minutes.
Admire the majestic waterfall Gullfoss. The sheer power of the falls is mesmerizing, and its history is inspiring.
On this tour, you will also get the time to slow down and relax like a local. Secret lagoon is Iceland’s oldest swimming pool, filled with water trickling in from an adjacent geothermal area, which, as an added bonus, has another little geyser. Its location could not be more serene, and you will no doubt ease away any tension built up over your holiday in its healing waters.
Absolutely fantastic. The tour nearly got cancelled due to low numbers but in the end they still ran it with me and the wife and one other, so nearly a private tour. Gummi was super knowledgeable, very friendly and welcoming had such an amazing trip. Bit more expensive than the big coach style trips but well worth it.
A fantastic journey, with some of the most amazing surroundings in the world. The guide was also the bus driver, and he was very knowledgeable and passionate about his country. The Secret Lagoon was so awesome. Clean, organized, and not crowded in the least. The cold polunge followed by a hot plunge definitely is something to try - a local suggested just "breath into it" as you go in the cold...and it worked for me! 5 minutes, and then into the hot spring. It was an absolutely incredible feeling. Bring a pack filled with food and drink, its a long day.
I enjoyed my day tour of the Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon. Our guide, Trond, was great. He was knowledgeable, informative, knew the roads and short cuts, friendly, easy going, and very helpful with tips and answering questions. I highly recommend him. The group was great, just six of us. It was a wonderful day. Very satisfied customer, Mei Mei
Amazing experience. We saw truly fantastic sights and the secret lagoon was so relaxing. Thank you to Rakel for a great day and some excellent stories.
Our guide was knowledgeable, considerate, and funny.
My first Golden Circle tour on my first trip to Iceland started with a warm and friendly welcome from our wonderful guide, Rakel. She kept the whole group engaged, took great care of everyone, and guided us with so much experience and knowledge that I felt completely safe and comfortable while experiencing Iceland’s incredible nature. What made the tour even more special was that she shared not only the sights, but also Icelandic mythology, culture, and real insights into gender equality in Iceland. It felt like both a sightseeing tour and a fascinating study tour! It was truly a valuable and fulfilling day, and I think being part of a small group made the experience even more personal and enjoyable. Thank you, Rakel, for making my first Icelandic tour so memorable! 🇮🇸❤️
A great taste of significant aspects of the country. Lots of history, amazing technology based on the geology, and gorgeous countryside. But Rakel made it amazing by filling in so many details and anecdotes about life as an Icelander.
Ian was our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable on many fronts We booked a small group tour but it was going to be cancelled due to lack of interest. In the end we paid more and had it as a private tour which in comparison was then good value!
We actually spent 8 days in Iceland, doing various tours from this operator (Gateway to Iceland) each day. Every day was incredible. Gummi was so knowledgeable, flexible, helpful, and kind. He took us to amazing places that weren't even on our radars. He adapted to our preferences and spent long days with us, culminating with the unforgettable experience of viewing the Northern Lights! He is so much more than a tour guide - his love of Iceland and servant's heart will make him a dear friend by the end of your tour. And you won't want to ever visit Iceland without him by your side.
I have no words for the amazing tour we just experienced! We actually did several tours all together in one week. It was amazing!! Traveling all over Iceland, Gummi was the perfect guide for our tour. He is a wealth of knowledge, knowing Icelandic information and history off the top of his head, which he would share with us along the way. He was so patient with us when we changed our agenda and made his life a little harder. He even arranged a fishing trip for my brothers, completely ad-lib! While we were here, he pointed out the Northern Lights to us and allowed us to pull over and take pictures. (This was outside of the typical Northern Lights season, so we were incredibly grateful that he mentioned it.) Then, the next night, he came to pick us up at 10:00 p.m. and took us to a dark area so we could see them even better. This company provided a customized week long tour, taking us to all the places my dad wanted us to see, plus more. Our tour included transportation, lunch, entrance tickets, information, hotel reservations and whatever else was needed. Iceland is a beautiful, amazing country, and this tour did a fantastic job of covering it all! We really enjoyed our week here! 10/10!! Thank you for making it so special.
This was the perfect way to spend the day. Our guide was so much fun and we learned so much about Iceland and it's history. Highly recommend this tour!
This was a good tour to see the highlights. It was a great tour because our driver/guide, Gummi, was engaging, knowledgeable, and kind. A must see, especially with Gummi.
Excellent day out with our informative guide Gummi. He was a wealth of knowledge and great storyteller. We saw so many sights yet it never felt rushed. Would highly recommend.
This was a great tour! Our group was 7 women with a lot of energy and chatter. :) Our guide, Ian, was informative, friendly and flexible. He was a great person to spend the day with. The tour itself hit major attractions, and our guide provided tips to make things go smoothly while we were eating or on-foot visiting the attractions. It was a long day that was very enjoyable. I also felt the price of this tour was reasonable and worth the investment.
Our tour guide Gummi was excellent. He knew so much history and I learnt so much. Highly recommend. Everyone got to experience what they wanted.
Rakel is the most amazing guide we've had on this trip so far! She is funny and engaging and great with children and tweens. She knew so much about Iceland and had stories to share about just about everything we passed or saw on the route. And not just facts and geology but folklore and history. She gave us tips at each location and allowed us space to explore on our own, at our own pace. I learned so many interesting things, not just about the Golden Circle but all of Iceland. I'm really glad we selected this tour! Highly recommend!
Absolutely superb!! Rakel was the perfect guide. She gave us lots of personal insights to Icelandic culture and showed us places no other tour groups had found. She was funny and friendly and it’s clear that she truly loves her job. We got lucky and only had five people on the tour. For so many reasons, this was one of the best days we had in Iceland and I will remember it the rest of my life!
Rakel was a fantastic guide on an incredible tour. We learned so much. The highlight for me was the tectonic rift followed by the secret lagoon. Great day!
Ian knows the area well and enthusiastically shares his knowledge. His explanations are clear and easily understood. The whole day was enjoyable despite the constant rain.
The driver and guide was extremely authentic, knowledgeable, compassionate, and entertaining. Rakel was one of the best guides we’ve had. The day was very rainy, so it did put a little bit of a cloud over our experience.
Trond was a great guide. He was entertaining, informative, relaxed and organized. Without feeling rushed, we had a very full and interesting day. We visited the national park and stood on the teutonic rift, saw the gorgeous waterfalls and geysers and had a soak in the secret lagoon. He even made time for us to stop at a favorite ice cream shop and dairy farm. It was some of the freshest and best ice cream we have had. We definitely recommend this excursion.
Trond our guide was fantastic at explaining the sights and life in Iceland. The bus was very comfortable and the sights were worth the visit. Trond tried to get us to the sights when the crowds were a little less. The stop at the Secret Lagoon was so relaxing!! Would love to have him guide me again in the future. Small groups are the way to go!!
The Golden Circle was a great tour. What made it absolutely magical was our guide Rakel! She was funny, knowledgeable and the love of her country shone through with every question she answered.
Our Golden Circle Tour was amazing! Our guide, Rakel was a fount of knowledge and very engaging and fun! It was a day filled with exploration and learning, which we appreciated. Thanks!
Great tour. BUT ALMOST MISSED IT. when we got off the ship if our son and daughter-in-law had not been there to help locate the van we would not be found it. It was almost 3 blocks away from the port in a parking lot. It was not with the rest of the vans and tour buses. They need to do a better job have guests know how to get to where the transportation is at. The tour guide was excellent as was the tour. The reason I gave a three stars instead of five is because of the lack of communication on where the van was located.
Rakel our tour guide was amazing. She is very knowledgeable and was able to share a lot of very interesting information. She is amazing
Great details about Iceland along the way. Got some great photos at bonus stops at waterfall and with horses. Plenty of time to check everything out and bathroom opportunities. Highly recommend
No complaint bout the route and stops. However the guide/driver is a different story. First safety, he was really a reckless driver breaking all rules of allowed speed and passing other cars. Second, he explain a lot during driving but didn't bother to guide us on location.
Rakal was a phenomenal guide. She kept things relaxed and informative. She also added touches to the tour. Especially appreciated the small group tour. It would have been nice to have had a bit more time at the lunch/ geyser stop. The Secret Lagoon was heavenly!
The tour is very scenic and the stops were excellent. Our tour guide Ian, was okay. He talked endlessly. He didnt accompany us on any of the stops, just sat in the bus.
Clear communication. Excellent views. Laidback atmosphere. It was a wonderful experience. Would do again.
Rakel was amazing, having lived here for her whole life, you can see how passionate she is for Iceland. Our first time in Iceland and she made it the best!
Rakel was our tour guide. She was so very nice, she gave us so much information about the Icelandic culture and about the island itself. They communicated well when it came to finding them at the port. So it worked so very well with being an excursion I booked on a limited time frame. But again, 10/10 would recommend. Rakel was amazing!!
The host was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and genuinely invested in making sure everyone had the best possible experience. The group was respectful, welcoming, and well-paced throughout the day. At every stop, our guide took the time to thoughtfully explain the history, geology, and significance of each site while still keeping us on schedule. What really stood out was the attention to detail—he even showed me the best way to film the geysers in slow motion and shared photography tips that made a huge difference. It was those small, thoughtful moments that made the tour feel personal rather than rushed. You could tell he truly cared about making sure everyone had a memorable experience, whether that meant answering questions, helping with photos, or making sure we had enough time to take everything in. I absolutely recommend this tour. It was informative, well-organized, and one of the highlights of my trip.
I had an AMAZING experience!! So many beautiful sites!! Each spot I was more and more amazed by what my eyes were seeing. Thank you to Rebeka! 110% recommend this tour!!
Best way to get out of the city for a day. Ian was a great guide we enjoyed all his stories and history. Since we were a small group he was able to show us a bit more and travel different roads highly recommend small group minivan! Hot Golden Circle thanks Ian.
Raqel our guide was brilliant, so knowledgable Small group tour. Lots to see. National park including Iceland’s first parliament site, tectonic plates, steamy geysers, stunning protected waterfall, horses, relaxing steamy secret lagoon A full day, Highly recommended Secret lagoon at the end was a perfect finish to the day
Great experience, Rakel was a fabulous tour guide, immensely knowledgeable and passionate about her homeland Iceland. The secret lagoon was a perfect way to end the tour.
The drive itself is enjoyable, especially through Iceland's rift valley and national park. Then there's the historic parliament site, waterfalls, geysers, and hot springs - absolutely wonderful. And our guide was great: friendly, funny, knowledgeable, patient, and helpful.
Rekal was our lovely guide and driver on our tour. She is very friendly, knowledgeable and an excellent communicator. We loved all the sites we visited and the Secret Lagoon was a lovely relaxing way to end our day. The pre tour communication was excellent too.
Strongly recommend this tour! The guide, Trond, was funny and had lots of interesting storys besides the tour. We were only 4 people so there were lots of time to both explore the beautiful nature and have very interesting political discussions.
We had a great time and our driver.... yikes, I forget his name... tromb? was fantastic. He was very informational and very friendly. He made two extra stops for us since we had time.. we had ice cream and we got to visit some horses!
Ian was a wonderful tour guide. From the minute we arrived he was friendly and informative. Information was given throughout the whole journey on the places we were visiting, places we passed and also about Icelandic ways of life. We had a couple of additional stops too. Would definitely recommend this tour.
We had a fantastic experience. Our guide, Trond, was excellent and well informed about all the regions we toured. He added side stops for extra adventure. We loved this day!
Excellent excellent. Trond was a wonderful guide all day! A great experience! Highly recommend
Amazing tour, very knowledgeable guide who spent every moment educating us about the geography, history and culture of Iceland. The sights were phenomenal, and after a long day of travelling it was great to soak in the secret lagoon, Icelands oldest natural pool. I will never forget this trip, thank you so much to our guide!
Our tour guide was super informative and I really enjoyed all of the stops. Our lunch was excellent.
Wonderful day. Ian was very pleasant and knowledgeable! Learned so much about Iceland's past and present. And the waterfall was breathtaking!
Amazing we enjoyed it it was fantastic
We had a great day with our tour group led by Ian. He was a wonderful and friendly driver and very knowledgable. We had a great time at each stop and had an awesome day.
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