Golden Circle Classic Day Trip from Reykjavik

Reykjavik, Iceland

Want to see some of the best-known natural phenomena in Iceland on a day trip from Reykjavik? From spouting geysers, tumbling waterfalls and ancient volcanoes, the popular Golden Circle Classic full-day excursion by coach will introduce you to Iceland's world-renowned pristine natural beauty surrounding the capital.

The tour begins with a visit to the Nesjavellir power plant, a geothermal area in the picturesque landscape of Lake Thingvallavatn (this part of the tour may not be included in winter). This really is "green" renewable energy, as more than half of Reykjavik's population gets its energy from the Nesjavellir geothermal plant.

Your tour also includes a visit to Thingvellir, where the Icelandic parliament Althingi was founded in 930, making it the oldest functioning parliament in the world. It is here that the slowly diverging tectonic plates of America and Europe meet.

Your tour continues to the beautiful waterfall of Gullfoss, a highlight of any visit to Iceland, along with the incredible spouting hot springs of Geysir and Strokkur. You will also visit Skalholt church, the ancient seat of the Icelandic bishops.

On your way back to Reykjavik you'll travel through fertile agricultural areas to the charming village of Hveragerdi.

USD $80.44

Review by: Mark L	March 2012
Took us to a number of breathtaking spots.

Review by: Nadine C	March 2012
Absolutely awesome! The tour guide was phenomenal. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Iceland

Review by: Anonymous	March 2012
Enjoyed the trip would recommend would be nice to include lunch in the price!

Review by: Søren H	March 2012
Value for the money, super guide and perfect if You don not have much time._br/_ Helle, Denmark

Review by: Zuzana B	February 2012
We love the tour guide, we did many extra stops and she explained a lot about the culture and history etc... amazing trip, money worth trip!

Review by: John S	November 2011
A very enjoyable and informative tour. We really like the combination of 'with the group time' and 'on our own time'.

Review by: Julie H	November 2011
Interesting tour and knowledgeable guide.Saw all the main sights. Very beautiful scenery. Great value for money and great day out. got lots of amazing photos especially of Gulfoss waterfall. Plenty of food and souvenir shop stops.

Review by: Meet I	November 2011
Had a good day. Showed all the places listed and gave enough time at each spot. Guide was also very nice and sweet.

Review by: harrylcf	November 2011
Pretty good deal and nice day trip out of Reykjavik.

Review by: Mary G	October 2011
Great overview. Gilbert was a fantastic tour guide - even adding on a stop at a cool crater on our way back to the city. We didn't stop at the geothermal plant though, which was disappointing.

Review by: FULEA S	October 2011
It is declared the most spectacular thing in Iceland, but I'm a little disappointed. It rained a lot, so we managed to see less in that day. Managed to walk a little in the tectonic rift valley, then to see Gullfoss - the waterfall, and then the inactive Gyser. As for the money paid, it's OK. It wasn't much for a disappointment.

Review by: broadwayeyes	September 2011
A must do for anybody going to Iceland!

Review by: Alastair	September 2011
This tour was excellent. Very interesting seeing where the oldest parliment was founded. Although it was a shame nothing remains to comemorate this. Disappointed we didnt see the power plant all we saw was some steam. The Geysir was incredible and could easily have spent all day there. Was enjoyable being soaked by hot water!!! The Gullfoss waterfall is a sight to behold and truly incredible. The Lamb soup was out of this world and worth another trip to Iceland just for this.

Review by: Leo W	September 2011
It was very good. Our guide was informative and intertaining . He even sang to us in the church and had a beautiful voice.

Review by: Peter H	September 2011
Great - very informative and a good all round day.

Review by: JODI T	September 2011
LONG TRIP BUT COVERED EVERYTHING

Review by: Samantha S	September 2011
The tour was fantastic! The guide was terrific and really knew his stuff. He had a great sense of humor and made special stops for us. I would highly recommend this tour.

Review by: Jennifer V	August 2011
Great excusion, highly recommend.

Review by: Patrick S	August 2011
Had a great visit to the Blue Lagoon. My wife and I really enjoyed it, although next time we need to plan better and make the trip the morning our flight from the states arrives. You can get picked up at the airport, spend time at the blue lagoon, then get dropped in Reykjavik at your hotel for little more than the cost of a taxi ride alone.

Review by: Thomas N	August 2011
ONE WORD FOR THE TOUR EXCELLENT AND GOOD PRICE FOR THE MONEY SPENT

Review by: RABIH A	August 2011
so worth it !

Review by: Kathryn S	July 2011
Very interesting. I was not familiar with Iceland before the tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.

Review by: John S	July 2011
Iceland is a beautiful country and a the tour was a comfortable no worry way to see it.

Review by: Angela B	July 2011
It would be difficult to get this one wrong. So many wonderful sights in one day. We had a great guide, he wasn't Icelandic but had good geological knowledge and a clear love for the country. He talked just enough to give us the information we needed, without bombarding or boring us. _br/_ The only complaint I have relates to the hotel pickup. My hotel was literally a 2-minute walk from the Iceland Excursions office, so I assumed that we would be picked up en route to the Golden Circle, and I was told to expect my pickup at 8. I waited outside the hotel until 8:15 only to be dropped off at IE's offices, and then to have a 10-minute wait for the excursion bus. What a waste of time - had I known I would have just walked there in my own time, and had an extra half-hour in bed.

Review by: Jennifer M	July 2011
Whether you have a lot of time in Iceland or just a little, this is a tour definitely worth doing, if you don't plan to rent a car. The downside is that it is a very popular tour so a lot of people go. That is the only downside. The scenery was spectacular and the tour gave plenty of time at each major site, so much that one could see the geysir erupt at least 8 times (it erupts about every 5 minutes). There was also plenty of time at the spectacular waterfall to enable one (if one decided to forgo lunch) to take the path right down to the waterfall. The guide was very informative. I would probably recommend the Day trip, the one I took, because it allows more time at each site.

Review by: Maureen A Q	July 2011
Loved this trip and all the different stops. Would and have recommended this trip to many friends and family members.

Review by: Randye F	July 2011
I was very impressed by the trip. WE were picked up on time from our hotel and the trip departed on time. It was very interesting and our guide was quite knowledgeable and informative. I never felt rushed and we saw a lot. Since I reserved this on line I was quite happy that this worked so well.

Review by: Bruce F	June 2011
This was a good way to see some key sights near Reykjavik without renting a car (and trying to navigate the small roads). Our guide was excellent. As a photographer, the amount of time spent at each site was perhaps less than I'd prefer, but not terribly so.

Review by: Lee S	May 2011
For the most part The Golden Circle Classic Day Trip was worth the money and time well spent, but they stopped at a power plant, where you had to pay another $10 per couple for a 20 minute tour, but not really seeing anything, waste of time/money.

Review by: Sareeta R	April 2011
Great hosts, weather was not so great so visibility low but the hosts tried to make up for this which was nice. Geothermal plant was interesting but not sure if I would go by choice.

Review by: Joanne K	March 2011
If you want to see a little of everything in a day this a good trip. As a photographer the time on site was not as advertised at each location which was unfortunate but individual. The overly chatty tour guide was very friendly and helpful but the incescant chat was annoying. I would recommend the trip though - the geysir is definitely worth seeing.

Review by: Dawn R	March 2011
Bus was very punctual and driver and guide very professional.Guide was very informative and very amusing.A great trip with fantastic scenery and professional staff.

Review by: HAYLEY I	March 2011
This is a definite regardless of how much time you have in Iceland. I was here with my partner and 2 children and they loved it as well. Would do this again. Everything about it was great.

Review by: john j	March 2011
Very organized and spectacular tour

Review by: Edward D	March 2011
Balanced full day trip with opportunity to look at the countryside, walk in national park, visit gullfoss waterfall and view geysers - not too much time sitting on coach. Stopped at geothermal power station - but disappointed not to be able to look around.

Review by: Christopher B	March 2011
Can't fault this trip really, especially for the price. This is an all day excursion, and you see plenty in that time. Gulfoss, Geysir and Thingvellir are all must-sees in Iceland. The driver and guide were both good. What more do you want?

Review by: Brooke M	March 2011
The tour itself was fabulous, however, my experience with Viator--not so much. Their customer service is terrible,. I called regarding a question about my tour and both women thatI spoke to were not only unhelpful, but they were very rude and abrupt. I wish I would have waited until I got to Iceland to book directly with Icelandic Excursions. I will never use Viator again. I advise you to either book through another third party vendor or try to book directly with Icelandic Excursions.

Review by: Ken S	March 2011
Excellent tour guide, recommended.

Review by: Paul R	February 2011
A very well organised tour which concentrated on the major sights and allowed plenty of time to experience the destination. The guide was excellent; very knowledgeable, good humoured and flexible enough to allow for additional photo-stops along the route, to maximise on the spectacular scenery. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for an overview of Iceland.

Review by: Hayley A	January 2011
This is the second time I've been on this trip and it certainly is a must for anyone visiting Iceland. However, how much you are going to appreciate it depends on the time of year you go, unfortunately this time, it was cold, raining and misty, which spoilt the day!

Review by: Louise G	January 2011
Very knowledgeable guide.

Review by: Michael R	January 2011
Wonderful trip with again a very amusing, interesting guide. Punctual pick up from the hotel and the sites we visited were fabulous and well-planned considering it was a six hour tour and Iceland in January has very little daylight. Excellent!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
This is a good tour to take if you want a quick overview of the history, geology and economy of Iceland. Based on what I saw on this tour I would definitely visit Iceland again if the opportunity ever arises.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	April 2010
Gives you plenty of time to walk around on your own. Cover a lot of area. Tour guide was friendly and a good value for the price you pay. The hotel pick up is very convenient as well.

Review by: Brian H, United Kingdom	March 2010
This was a very well organised trip, took us to all the main must see sights near reykjavik and to a good eating establishment, the soup was recommended and certainly enjoyed. You cant go on a short break and not do this trip.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	March 2010
It's great if you're there for a short amount of time and want to see a lot. Knowledgeable tour guide. Very easy - shuttle picks you up from your hotel to the bus. Had enough time at each stop to see what you want to.

Review by: Robert S, United States of America	February 2010
We had a great time on the tour! It was a rainy and cold day in February but the guide was great and we had a wonderful time. They even had an outlet with Icelandic wool clothing open for us early since the group was so large. It was a fun day and I really felt that this trip gave us a great overview of Icleand's natural beauty.

Review by: Anastasia K, United Kingdom	February 2010
A thoroughly enjoyable trip taking in brethtaking scenery and points of interest with a hugely likeable and knowledgeable guide. Plenty of time for photo opportunities too. Hotel pick-up and drop-off was an added bonus. Highly recommended.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	February 2010
This is a brilliant trip, every stop en route worth seeing, scenery stunning. Can't praise the guide enough, he was very professional, well informed and delivered the facts in a light hearted, funny manner which made the trip even more enjoyable. The only slight niggle was that as the coach was full, people who arrived late were split from their friend / partner initially then at the first stop they took others seats. This was pretty stressful, I saw many people upset that they had lost their seat next to their partner. Perhaps seats could be allocated to avoid this

Review by: Sarah C, United Kingdom	February 2010
This trip absolutely made my visit to Iceland especially as the weather meant that any chance of Northern Lights hunting was cancelled. The guide was very knowledgeable, and ran the commentary for the excursion in both English and German. We were left to explore for just the right amount of time in each place - and not generally being used to organised coach tours, was expecting to feel like I was being herded about - this was not the case at all. I would recommend this tour to anyone who's interested in seeing a bit further than Reykjavik when they come to Iceland, and for me as a lone traveller, this was perfect.