How to Drive the Golden Circle in Iceland on Your Own

the golden circle

During my three day trip to Iceland, I wanted to spend time in Reykjavik, time doing some guided tours, and also some time renting a car with B and traveling alone.  One of the top things to see in Iceland is The Golden Circle.  This is essentially the route you take that leads from Thingvellir National Park, to the Geysers, to Gullfoss Waterfall with various other stops you can make on the way.

This route is around 300 km and can be done in half a day, but you'll want to take the whole day if you want to stop off and take pictures of wildlife like the sheep and Icelandic horses.  That's really what this route is all about, taking in the scenery and exploring Iceland on your own. We rented Europcar for only a day because we were going to stop off at The Blue Lagoon and then drop off our car at the Keflavik Airport, but you can really use any rental agency and they are pretty much the same price.  They did charge us extra money to turn the car into the airport instead of where we originally got it from.  They also charged for the gas we used.

We began our trip at around 10 am and finished around 7 pm.  We did not go back to the beginning, but finished off our trip at The Blue Lagoon and then headed on a flight at midnight back home.  When I was doing research for how to do The Golden Circle, I saw a lot of great blog posts, but I really wanted to break it down and make it easier to understand.  Again, our route was Thingvellir National Park, Geyser, and Gullfoss.  Along the way, we made stops to capture the beautiful wildlife.

The easiest way to find your destinations are by using a car gps.  There are also plenty of signs everywhere guiding you in the right direction.  Iceland has had a boom of tourism in the past few years so don't be surprised to find loads of tourist either on buses or rentals stopping along on the same stops as you are.  I didn't realize how touristy The Golden Circle was until I noticed gift stores and cafes at nearly every major sight.  But even with how touristy it seemed, it still didn't deter from the amazing sights and moments we had cruising along the Icelandic countryside.  

The Sheep

There are many Icelandic Sheep on the The Golden Circle route as well as everywhere else.  Like the Icelandic horses, this domestic breed was brought over from the Vikings.  Their fur comes in multiple colors that create the beautiful Icelandic wool sweaters.

icelandic sheep
icelandic sheep
icelandic sheep
icelandic sheep
icelandic sheep

The Horses

I got to see and talk about these beautiful Icelandic Horses my first day in Iceland in my post A Scenic Morning in Gardur, Iceland, but I thought these horses were so lovely that I wanted to see more.  It's not hard to find these horses, they are everywhere.  They are also super friendly.  The last horse image is a picture I took as we were walking back to the car.  They were looking at us as if to say, "don't leave!"  or that was my perception anyway.

icelandic horses
icelandic horses
icelandic horses
icelandic horses
icelandic horses
icelandic horses
icelandic horses

Stacking Rocks

All over Iceland and big tourist sites around the world I've noticed these stacked rocks.  Many of the stacked rocks in Iceland are not to be messed with as they are land markers or apparently honoring Icelandic sagas.  These rocks below were allowed to be stacked by tourists passing by.  I'm still not exactly sure of the significance of this but people were all about it.  In the background you can see the large Thingvallavatn Lake.  

stacking rocks
stacking rocks
stacking rocks








Thingvellir National Park and Tectonic Plates

Thingvellir National Park (spelled with what looks like a P), is pretty broad and there isn't just one thing to see here.  This area is known for it's tectonic plate rifts and volcanic environment.  You can see many large cracks in the ground marking the North American and Eurasian Tectonic Plates.  During our trip to Iceland we also went on a snorkeling tour between the tectonic plates in Silfra, but I'll talk more about that in my next post.  This is a great area to roam off the beaten path and explore some of the odd terrain.  The park itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

tectonic plates
tectonic plates
tectonic plates
tectonic plates
tectonic plates in iceland

The National Parliament of Iceland

The National Parliament of Iceland or Althing in English is also located in the Thingvellir National Park.  It was founded in 930 making it the oldest parliament area in the world.  Here you can find some paths to walk and you can go up to the top of the cliff seen below and surprise, at the top is a gift shop.  

At the top of the cliff you can also see the Thingvellir Church.  We walked down towards it and took a look around the premises.  The church dates back to the 11th century (it has obviously had some work done) and is said to be built shortly after the acceptance of Christianity in Iceland.  The church also has a cemetery.

icelandic parliament
thingvellir church
thingvellir church
thingvellir church
thingvellir church
thingvellir church and cemetery



The Geysers

You will know you are here because of yet another gift shop and cafe.  There are several active geyers in this area, the biggest being Geysir.  But Geysir is not currently active and luckily enought a smaller geyser in the same area called Strokkur erupts every 4-8 minutes.  

little geyser in iceland
little geyser in iceland
strokkur
strokkur

Gullfoss Waterfall

Moving on to the last main stop on The Golden Circle will take you to Gullfoss, or Golden Falls.  This waterfall is huge and beautiful.  I couldn't quite get a good picture of the falls or even stand near it long enough because on this particular day it was very windy and rainy.  The wind and drizzle were almost too much to bear so I snapped a few pictures and left the site.  As you can see from the image below, you can actually walk up the path to get a closer look.

gullfoss
For lunch you can either stop off at a village or at one of the cafes near each site.  B and I just went to the grocery store to buy lunch and snacks to bring along for the trip.  The Golden Circle is easy to do by car and it was one of the my favorite things that I did in Iceland. There are so many great photo opportunities and the scenery is really breathtaking.  I encourage that you drive it on your own unless you absolutely love crowded bus tours.
Have you toured The
 Golden Circle either by yourself or on a tour?  Tell me all about it in the comments.

Stay tuned for my next post about Iceland where I show you The Blue Lagoon

Also, take a look at my previous posts about Iceland:
A Scenic Morning in Gardur, Iceland | How Cute are Puffins? | Reykjavik, Iceland
Linking up at:

From My Front Porch To Yours
Ivy and Elephants
Rooted in Thyme
Budget Traveler's Sandbox
Nancherrow
Treat Yo' Self Thursday
The Brambleberry Cottage
Serenity Now
Travel Photo Discovery
Plucky's Second Thought
Kathe With An E
A Stroll Thru Life
The Dedicated House (Make it Pretty Monday)
Coastal Charm
We Call it Junkin'
Savvy Southern Style
Lavender Garden Cottage
Tuesdays with a Twist
http://bonnieroseblog.co.uk/2014/09/travel-tuesday-themed-prompts.html
 

21 comments :

  1. My advice is that you defo drive this on your own. You can decided what to see yourself and it is so worth spending time on it. We got lost and had a great time finding our way back and laughing about it. So many beautiful places to see and Iceland has a very special scenery. Great post with great picture you have here:)

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    1. Thanks I agree too, driving it on your own is the way to go!

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  2. I have only toured the Golden Circle on my own, I love being able to stop when I want along the way!

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  3. Beautiful pictures! I have friends who spent two weeks road tripping through Iceland and loved it -- I can't wait to go too!

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    1. Wow, to have two weeks in Iceland would have been amazing.

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  4. Beautiful pictures! This is something on my bucket list.

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  5. Wow - I am loving your Iceland posts. So amazing. Those stacked rocks are really bizarre!

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  6. Brittany Ruth, We were in Iceland over the summer and loved every minute of it. I stopped and "chatted" with quite a few horses and sheep. It was a blast. Loved your photos!

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  7. I really want to do this drive some day, so the way you broke it down is very helpful. I've always wanted to see where 2 tectonic plates meet and didn't know that Iceland was a place to see that. How exciting! I look forward to reading about your snorkeling trip in those cold waters.

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  8. Wow. This is such a neat post! The animals! My goodness!! :)

    Thanks for joining the Link Up this week!

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  9. I honestly can't decide what part of this trip looks more exciting - even the sheep look worth the drive! Everything is so beautiful. I think Thingvellir National Park is my favorite - but I'd also really like to see that field of cairns.

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  10. I'm doing this as a tour but I'm really looking forward to it :) especially the plates

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    1. Sammi, I will say that after it was all said and done even though I enjoyed driving The Golden Circle on my own immensly, doing a tour seemed to be the cheaper option overall.

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  11. Hi it's Christa, host of the Sunday Traveler, I just wanted to pop in and say thanks for joining in on the fun! I'm loving all these posts about Iceland!! I think its a sign that I have to go, booking my ticket now, lol.

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  12. Wow this is my nocion of paradise!!^^ I love the landscape, the animals, just everything. Your pictures are beautiful!! Gonna save the post to remember it as one of my next destinations ;) Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Wow, what stunning photographs! Iceland has the most beautiful natural scenery. Just stopping by from the Travel Tuesday link-up - thanks for sharing! :)

    http://ablogbyrobert.com

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  14. This seems like a great way to explore the Icelandic scenery. You guys got to see a lot...so cool.

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  15. I didn't get a chance to do the Golden Circle while in Iceland - maybe next time! We did see waterfalls during our guided excursion though, and many other things! I will say, the ponies we saw were much shorter and furrier. Maybe it was a winter coat?

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  16. Good call on exploring on your own. It's nice to set your own pace and spend more time with the things you're interested in. Lovely photos by the way.

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  17. Oh Iceland. I didn't get to go, and I wish I had the time--someday! I LOVE the Icelandic horses! And the sheep--although I didn't realize they also came over with the Vikings. So cool! Thanks for sharing :)

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  18. Great post - it's good to know it's easy to do yourself. I really want to make it to Iceland soon!

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I love to hear from readers! Questions and comments welcome. I try to respond to everyone (I respond back to your comments on the comments page so check back for a response). Thanks for reading!

-Brittany Ruth