Golden Circle: Small Group Shore Excursion

Discover Iceland’s Golden Circle with a local guide. Visit Gullfoss, Strokkur geyser, and more. Perfect for cruise passengers. Book your adventure now!

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Hveragerdi - After driving across the Hellisheiðir plateau, we reach the small town of Hveragerði, where there are numerous geothermally heated greenhouses. There we make a short stop at a shopping center where we visit an earthquake fissure.

  • Kerid Crater - The next stop on the tour is at the 6,500 year old Kerið crater, the northernmost of the Tjarnarhólar crater series. The crater has a depth of 55 meters and a diameter of 270x170 meters. The water depth varies between 7-14 meters.

  • Gullfoss Waterfall - Next stop is at the impressive Gullfoss waterfall. The Hvitá River falls here in two stages into a narrow gorge. Gullfoss is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country, if not the most beautiful.

  • Geysir - The next stop is at the Haukadalur geothermal area, where the famous geyser is located. The namesake of the springs is rarely active anymore, but you can experience the up to 25 m high eruptions of the Strokkur geyser about every 5 to 10 minutes. The stay is long enough so that you can check out the numerous hot springs and several eruptions of the Strokkurs.

  • Efstidalur II - Short stop at the Efsti-Dalur farm, where there is an ice cream factory where ice cream is made from the milk of the farm’s own cows.
    Icelanders love ice cream at any time of the day and you have the opportunity to find out why Icelandic ice cream is so popular. (Ice cream is not included in the fare)

  • Laugarvatn - Laugarvatn is a lake in and on whose shores there are numerous hot springs. The hot springs on the shore are used to bake bread using geothermal energy.
    From Laugarvatn we head west across the Lyngdalsheiði plateau to Þingvellir. On the way you have a beautiful view of Lake Þingvallavatn and pass numerous tectonic fissures.

  • Thingvellir National Park - The last stop is Þingvellir National Park, where the Icelandic parliament Alþing was founded in 930. The Öxarárfoss waterfall is visited on foot and the Almannagjá gorge is explored, which was created by continental drift and where the Icelandic parliament Alþing was founded in 930.

  • Reykjavik - Short city tour of Reykjavík and return to the port.

What's Included
  • English speaking local tour guide
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

This day tour with an English-speaking local tour guide in a small group with a maximum of 19 participants is the ideal shore excursion for cruise ship passengers and takes you from Reykjavík along the so-called Golden Circle to well-known sights. You will experience the earthquake fissure in a shopping center in Hveragerði, the volcanic crater Kerið, the impressive Gullfoss waterfall. Hot springs and the Strokkur geyser await you in Haukadalur. You can experience delicious Icelandic ice cream at the Efsti Salur farm On the shores of the warm Lake Laugarvatn there are hot springs that the locals use to bake bread. In Þingvellir National Park you can experience plate tectonics. On the way back we will take a short detour through downtown Reykjavík. The departure time and tour duration is suitable for the cruise ships in the port of Reykjavík. For example, if the ship arrives an hour late, the bus will wait.

  • If you need a wheelchair but can walk a few meters and get on the bus, please let us know in advance. If you would like to take a trolley with you for a child, please inform us in advance.
  • Please note that a large portion of the time on the bus will be spent traveling time.
Location
Skarfabakki 312 Cruise Terminal
Skarfagarðar
The bus is in the parking lot in front of the cruise terminal in line with the smaller buses.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(5 Ratings)
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1 star
Amy_h
Aug 14, 2024
Amazing, small group experience , provides something for everyone - Absolutely amazing excursion! Small group size added a special personalized touch. Our guide Sven was outstanding. He is very knowledgeable, put safety first and provided an excellent tour. I appreciate the kind service and alternative options he provided for my mother with mobility limitations to feel fully involved in the tour. Highly recommend this tour, Sven, and this tour provider!
Review provided by Viator
Deanna_r
Aug 6, 2024
Good Tour In Spite of Miserable Weather - We were in a van with only eight of us. Our driver was also the guide and took us to the usual places of interest along the Golden Circle. It was a long tour, actually even longer than the eight hours listed in the online description. The weather was not very cooperative as it was very windy with clouds and even some rain at various times during the day. That was the only downside to the tour. No doubt it would have been much more enjoyable under better weather conditions.
Review provided by Viator
Janet_g
Jul 6, 2024
A great day touring the Golden Circle - Representatives from the tour company were waiting with signs as we exited the cruise terminal at 8:00 am. (I would suggest they add ‘Viator’ to their signs. We almost didn’t stop!) We were in a minivan that could seat 8, but only had 5, so lots of room. Our driver, Jo, was friendly and knowledgeable. And being in a small group, we were able to stop at one or two off the beaten path places the big buses missed. A great overview of the amazing landscape that is Iceland. Jo dropped us back at the cruise terminal at about 5 pm. A full day, but we would definitely recommend it!
Review provided by Viator
Julievickerman
Feb 8, 2024
Guide and driver great in difficult circumstances - Golden circle tour was great because it was fab to see some main sights and get a feeling of Iceland … especially in the snow … but we encountered drifting snow and our guide Leifur went above and beyond getting out of the coach and walking in the wind and the drifts to sort out the issue .., the driver Pawel did an amazing job too keeping the coach on the road.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stacey_b
Jul 10, 2024
Golden Circle - One thing I have learned in Iceland--if you schedule a small group you will be in a minivan. As I have stated in previous reviews this has never been the case in other countries we have travelled (usually had a Sprinter-type vehicle). It is a trek from the ship to the tours depending on which slip you are docked. Our guide, Yolina, was very personable and seemed to throughly enjoy showing us the Golden Circle. We made multiple stops throughout the day with the highlights being Gulfoss Waterfall, Crater, Geysir and Thingvellir. Yolina made several small stops (ice cream, small crack, Icelandic horses, bread baking) which added to the Icelandic experience. We were even able to do a short drive through of Reykjavik. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this tour and our guide.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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