Golden Circle Tour Reykjavik — Pick the Right Day Out of 60+ Tours
Most people take a full-day bus: 7–8.5 hours, from €78–83 per adult. A small group costs from €98, a day that ends in a lagoon from €121, and a private car from €700 per group.
The road is the same on every tour: Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, with Kerið on most. What changes is the day around it — a full-day bus from €78, a minibus for up to 19 from €98, a lagoon at the end from €121, a private car from €700 per group, an evening aurora hunt or a pickup at the cruise pier. Pick the day that sounds like yours.
If you don't want to compare, book the classic with Kerið above: ★4.8 from 27,970 reviews, from €83. The six below cover the other days people ask for — a lagoon at the end, a small group, a Brúarfoss detour, a private car — and each card says who it suits, how long the day is and which stops it makes.
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+ Secret Lagoon
Golden Circle, Kerid & Secret Lagoon
★ 4.86,584 reviews10 h
A soak at the end of the day, lagoon ticket included.
✓ Gullfoss visited— Kerið not on this tour✓ Kerið* skipped on the 12:00 departure+ Lagoon extra stop
Ratings, review counts and from-prices: GetYourGuide · checked Nov 2026.
Side by side
Compare Golden Circle Tours from Reykjavik
Eight tours with 30+ reviews and a rating of 4.0 or more, plus the self-drive day for scale. The cheapest seat is the bus at €78–83; a small group adds €15–25, a lagoon roughly doubles the price, and a hire car costs ≈€80–110 for the whole car. Sort by price or length, or filter for Kerið, a lagoon or a small group.
TourHoursStops on the dayGroupRatingFrom
The classic with KeriðOur pick7–8.5 hÞingvellirGeysirGullfossKerið*Bus★4.8 27,970€83Book
* The 12:00 departure skips Kerið. Tours: GetYourGuide · checked Nov 2026. Self-drive: small car €25–45, fuel ≈€36–43 for the loop, the 2026 kilometre fee, Þingvellir parking 1,000 ISK, Kerið 700 ISK per person.
GOLDEN
The road
The Route at a Glance
The Golden Circle is a loop of about 240 km east of Reykjavík: ≈50 km to Þingvellir, ≈55 km on to Geysir, 12 km to Gullfoss and back south past Kerið. Most tours drive it in that order; the classic bus runs it the other way round, starting at Hveragerði and Kerið and finishing at Þingvellir.
1
ÞingvellirThe rift between two plates · 45–60 min
48 km · ≈45 min
2
GeysirStrokkur every few minutes · lunch
≈55 km · 45–60 min
3
GullfossTwo-step waterfall · ≈45 min
≈12 km · 10–15 min
4
KeriðCrater lake · 700 ISK entry
most tours
The usual route, Þingvellir firstStop, in tour orderOther stopsStart
Whole loop 230–300 km by detours · icelandtours.is, reykjavikrentacar.is · Nov 2026.
The day
How a Golden Circle Day from Reykjavik Runs
A Golden Circle day from Reykjavík starts with pickup between 08:00 and 09:00, or at 12:00 for afternoon tours. The bus reaches Þingvellir in about 45 minutes, then drives to Geysir, where most tours stop for lunch, and on to Gullfoss ten minutes later. Most tours finish at Kerið and are back in the city between 16:00 and 19:00.
Lagoon tours add two to three hours in the water and get back later. At each stop you usually get 45–80 minutes; reviewers who wanted longer at Gullfoss or Þingvellir chose a small group, where the guide adapts the pace.
Tip from reviewersBring snacks: the lunch queue at Geysir eats into your time at the geyser.
Afternoon · 12:00Shorter; the classic skips Kerið, the small group keeps it. Afternoon tours →
Midnight sun · summerLate departures and quieter car parks. Evening tours →
Times are typical for the classic bus with a 08:30 start; each tour page lists its own.
What travellers say
Golden Circle Tour Reykjavik Reviews
Across the three most-booked tours, 40,735 reviews average ★4.8. Guests praise guides who know the history and folklore, pickups that run to plan and a lagoon to end the day; the complaints are short time at one or two stops, lunch queues at Geysir and the 12:00 classic skipping Kerið. Eight recent reviews follow.
GetYourGuide verified reviews, lightly shortened · checked Nov 2026.
Tour or car
Golden Circle Tour from Reykjavik or Self-Drive
Alone, a tour costs less than a hire car — €83 against ≈€85–115 — and takes the winter roads off your hands. For two, the car comes to ≈€45–60 each against €83 on the bus, and from three people up driving yourself is clearly cheaper, if you're happy on icy roads in short daylight.
Book a tour if you're one or two, it's winter, or you'd rather not drive. Drive if you're three or more, it's summer and you want to linger.
Self-drive: our estimate from car hire, fuel and fee prices, Oct–Nov 2026 (assumes 250–300 km and 7 L/100 km).
Season · month by month
When to Do the Golden Circle Tour from Reykjavik
Tours run every day of the year, but the light changes the day completely: about 4 hours of it in late December, about 21 in late June. Northern-lights combos run from late August to mid-April, and the bright nights of May–August suit evening departures. Pick your month to see the light, the weather and which tour suits it.
DecemberNorthern-lights season
4 h 15of daylight · sunrise 11:15, sunset 15:30
1° / -4°average high / low
19days with some rain or snow
Yesnorthern-lights tours
The darkest month
About 4 hours of light: sunrise after 11:00, sunset ≈15:30.
Icy paths, snow on Kerið, frozen falls.
Northern lights on evening tours when the sky is clear.
Best for DecemberGolden Circle and Northern LightsDay loop + evening hunt · ★4.1 · from €145
✦ northern-lights season☀ bright nights❄ ice and snow likely
Daylight on the 15th of each month: gocarrental.is (University of Iceland almanac). Temperatures and wet days: weather2travel.com. Checked Nov 2026.
Your language
Golden Circle Tours from Reykjavik in German, Spanish and Chinese
Most tours are in English. Five group tours run with a guide in German, Spanish or Chinese — the best reviewed are the German small group from the cruise terminal (★4.8, 518 reviews) and the Chinese Brúarfoss tour (★4.8, 221) — and private tours can be booked with guides who speak Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Arabic, Persian or Icelandic.
German speaking Golden Circle tour Reykjavik
Golden Circle & Kerið with a German guideBus · 8 h · ★4.8 · 136 reviews · stops: Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, Kerið
Guide languages as listed by each tour on GetYourGuide · checked Nov 2026.
Booking
How to Book a Golden Circle Tour Reykjavik
Booking takes two minutes on GetYourGuide, and the tours here are free to cancel up to 24 hours before. On the classic the option changes the price by up to €20 — morning or 12:00, Bus Stop 12 or hotel pickup — so choose it first, then the date: the calendar below shows live seats and the final price.
Step 1 · Pick the optionThe classic with Kerið, per adult
Morning08:00 · 09:00 · 10:30
Afternoon12:00 · skips Kerið
Bus Stop 12walk to Höfðatorg
€91
€83cheapest
Hotel pickup22 pickup points
€103
€95
2 · Choose a dateThe calendar shows the exact price for your day
3 · Reserve, pay laterYour seat is held; you pay closer to the day
4 · Cancel freeUp to 24 hours before the start
Live dates, options and the final price for the classic with Kerið — pick a day below.
Before you go
What reviewers wish they had packed
Waterproof layersGullfoss spray and wind soak you fast
Shoes with gripPaths at Gullfoss and Kerið ice over in winter
Swimwear & towelOn lagoon tours — check if a towel is included
A cardFor lunch at Geysir and the gift shops
SnacksSkip the lunch queue, keep the time for Strokkur
Make a bigger day
Golden Circle Tour from Reykjavik Plus an Activity
If a day of looking isn't enough, a few combos add something to do on the way: a snowmobile ride on a glacier, or snorkelling in Silfra, the clear-water rift at Þingvellir. These are the combos people book most; each costs €176–212 more than the classic.
Golden Circle combos with an activity · from GetYourGuide
FAQ
Questions About the Golden Circle Tour from Reykjavik
For most people the full-day bus with Kerið: all four big stops, ★4.8 from 27,970 reviews, from €83 per adult. For fewer people, the Kerið small group from €109; for a soak at the end, the Secret Lagoon day from €121.
Is the Golden Circle tour from Reykjavik worth it?–
Yes, if you have one free day and don't want to drive: you see Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and usually Kerið in 7–8.5 hours. With three or more people and a summer car, driving yourself is cheaper.
How long is a Golden Circle tour from Reykjavik?–
6 to 8.5 hours for the sights; 10 to 11 hours if a lagoon is added. About 3.5–4 hours of that is driving.
Do Golden Circle tours pick you up from your hotel?–
Most do, from 20+ pickup points, and many from the cruise terminal. The cheapest options start at Bus Stop 12 (Höfðatorg).
Can I do the Golden Circle in half a day?–
The shortest tours take about 6 hours, such as the 12:00 small group. A true half day isn't enough for the whole loop.
Which tours include Kerið crater?–
Most of them, including the classic, both lagoon days and both small groups. The 12:00 departure of the classic skips it.
Is there a German-speaking Golden Circle tour in Reykjavik?–
Yes: an 8-hour tour with Kerið and a German guide (★4.8, from €98), and a small-group shore excursion for cruise passengers (★4.8, from €165).
Is there a Golden Circle tour in Spanish?–
Yes, a 9-hour small-group tour in Spanish, ★4.5 from 61 reviews, from €120.
Can you see the northern lights on a Golden Circle tour?–
Only on combined day-and-evening tours, late August to mid-April, from €145. Sightings depend on clouds and solar activity; no listing promises one.
Do Golden Circle tours run in winter?–
Yes, all year. In late December there are about 4 hours of daylight, so you see the stops in twilight and paths can be icy.
Is lunch included?–
Tours stop for lunch at Geysir, which has a restaurant and café. What's included differs by tour — check the tour page before you book.
Can I cancel a Golden Circle tour?–
The tours on this page allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
How far is the Golden Circle from Reykjavik?–
Þingvellir is 48 km away (≈45 min), Geysir 106 km and Gullfoss 125 km. The whole loop is 230–300 km depending on detours.
What if the weather is bad?–
Tours run in most weather. If the operator cancels for a storm, you're offered another date or a full refund.
Ready for the Loop?
The classic with Kerið, from €83 per adult — or choose another way in.
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