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The Golden Circle from Reykjavík

Source updated September 2026 · Checked by Sóley on 12 October 2026

A loop of about 250 to 270 km from Reykjavík, with four to four and a half hours of driving. Its three main sights cost nothing to see: Þingvellir National Park, where the parliament first met in 930 on the rift between two tectonic plates; the hot spring field at Geysir, where Strokkur erupts every few minutes; and Gullfoss, where the Hvítá drops in two steps into a canyon. Most visitors do it in one day and come back by way of Kerið crater and Hveragerði; with a meal and a soak, plan eight to nine hours. A slower version takes two days, reaching Geysir and Gullfoss late in the afternoon after the coaches have gone, sleeping in Flúðir or Laugarvatn, then the Faxi waterfall, Skálholt and the warm river above Hveragerði. Parking at Þingvellir and entry to Kerið are paid. It is open all year; in winter daylight is short, the heaths near Reykjavík can close in storms, and the paths by Gullfoss and Geysir get icy.

Days
1 day
Distance
270 km
Season
all year
Getting around
self-drive

Stops on this route

  1. 1.Reykjavík64.1466, -21.9426
  2. 2.Þingvellir64.2559, -21.1295
  3. 3.Laugarvatn64.2148, -20.7311
  4. 4.Geysir64.3104, -20.3024
  5. 5.Gullfoss64.3271, -20.1199
  6. 6.Faxi64.2265, -20.3377
  7. 7.Flúðir64.1340, -20.3100
  8. 8.Skálholt64.1258, -20.5258
  9. 9.Kerið64.0413, -20.8851
  10. 10.Hveragerði64.0003, -21.1866

Live conditions at each stop

Weather and road conditions from the national services.

  • Reykjavík

    Weather

    Station: Reykjavík Hljómskálagarður

    • 2026-10-13 00:008°C5 m/s SSECloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:008°C4 m/s SEShowers
    • 2026-10-13 02:008°C4 m/s SEShowers

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    • Flugvallarvegur, Flugvallarvegur Reykjavík: Easily passable
    • Reykjavíkurhöfn, Reykjavíkurhöfn: Easily passable

  • Þingvellir

    Weather

    Station: Þingvellir

    • 2026-10-13 00:006°C5 m/s SELight rain
    • 2026-10-13 01:006°C5 m/s ESEShowers
    • 2026-10-13 02:005°C4 m/s ESEPartly cloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    • Þingvellir-Uxahryggir, Kaldadalsvegur: Þingvallavegur - Uxahryggjavegur: Not known
    • Lyngdalsheiði-Þingvellir, Þingvallavegur: Lyngdalsheiðarvegur - Þingvellir: Easily passable
    • Þingvellir, Þingvallavegur: Grafningsvegur efri - Þingvellir: Easily passable

  • Laugarvatn

    Weather

    Station: Lyngdalsheiði

    • 2026-10-13 00:005°C4 m/s ERain
    • 2026-10-13 01:005°C4 m/s ENERain
    • 2026-10-13 02:004°C4 m/s ENECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    • Svínavatn-Laugarvatn, Laugarvatnsvegur: Svínavatn - Laugarvatn: Easily passable
    • Laugarvatn-Múli, Laugarvatnsvegur: Laugarvatn - Múli: Easily passable
    • Hringvegur-Laugarvatnsvegur, Biskupstungnabraut: Hringvegur - Laugarvatnsvegur: Easily passable

  • Geysir

    Weather

    Station: Gullfoss

    • 2026-10-13 00:004°C3 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:003°C3 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:004°C2 m/s ECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Gullfoss

    Weather

    Station: Gullfoss

    • 2026-10-13 00:004°C3 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:003°C3 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:004°C2 m/s ECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:20 UTC

    Roads

    • Múli-Gullfoss, Biskupstungnabraut: Múli - Gullfoss: Easily passable
    • Gullfoss-Hagavatnsvegur, Kjalvegur: Gullfoss - Hagavatnsvegur: Easily passable
    • Gullfossvegur, Gullfossvegur: Easily passable

  • Faxi

    Weather

    Station: Hjarðarland

    • 2026-10-13 00:003°C3 m/s NNEClear sky
    • 2026-10-13 01:003°C3 m/s NNEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:004°C2 m/s NNECloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Flúðir

    Weather

    Station: Bræðratunguvegur

    • 2026-10-13 00:004°C2 m/s EPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:003°C3 m/s ESECloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:004°C3 m/s EPartly cloudy

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    • Þjórsárdalsvegur-Flúðir, Skeiðavegur: Þjórsárdalsvegur - Flúðir: Easily passable
    • Flúðir-Biskupstungnabraut, Skeiðavegur: Flúðir - Biskupstungnabraut: Easily passable

  • Skálholt

    Weather

    Station: Skálholt

    • 2026-10-13 00:003°C2 m/s ENECloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:004°C2 m/s NEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:004°C3 m/s EClear sky

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    • Skálholtsvegur, Skálholtsvegur: Easily passable

  • Kerið

    Weather

    Station: Selfoss

    • 2026-10-13 00:006°C4 m/s ESECloudy
    • 2026-10-13 01:005°C4 m/s SEPartly cloudy
    • 2026-10-13 02:004°C3 m/s ESEClear sky

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    The road service has no road section named for this stop. See the live data page

  • Hveragerði

    Weather

    Station: Ölkelduháls

    • 2026-10-13 00:005°C8 m/s SEOvercast
    • 2026-10-13 01:005°C8 m/s SEOvercast
    • 2026-10-13 02:005°C8 m/s SEOvercast

    Fetched 2026-10-12 22:22 UTC

    Roads

    • Selfoss-Hveragerði, Hringvegur: Selfoss - Hveragerði: Easily passable

Northern lights outlook

Kp index 4 · moderate

Live data for all of Iceland

Licensed companies near each stop

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Using Sóley, plan The Golden Circle from Reykjavík from [your start date]: check roads and weather each day and find licensed companies near Reykjavík and Þingvellir.

Source

Based on the original article by Stuck in Iceland.

Stuck in Iceland is an online travel magazine. Its editor works at Lava Show, and the magazine has commercial partners. It did not choose or rank the companies on this page.