Golden Circle Afternoon Tour review
Who it’s for
Three sorts of people book this and all three are right to. First, anyone on their first day in Iceland: the red-eye from North America lands early, your room is not ready, and an 08:00 departure is a bad idea when you have not slept. A tour that starts after lunch is the one that survives contact with jet lag — I make that case in full on the Golden Circle on your first day.
Second, people who do not want to give the loop a whole day. Anna from Sweden: “a half-day tour was just right.” Third, cruise passengers and anyone comparing prices with a ship excursion — Mark from the US noted it was “so much cheaper than cruise tour. Bus with wifi a real plus.” Under-5s are not accepted.
The day in order
Pickup covers 21 points around the city, including Hótel Ísland, Natura, City Hall stop number 1, BSÍ and Hilton Nordica. The route runs clockwise, and the published timings are unusually specific, which I like.
- 45 minutes out of Reykjavík on Route 36.
- Þingvellir, 25 minutes — the viewpoint and the top of Almannagjá, realistically.
- 75 minutes of driving across to the Gullfoss road.
- Gullfoss, 20 minutes. Enough for the upper viewing platform; not enough for the lower path.
- 10 minutes down the road.
- Geysir, 45 minutes — four to seven Strokkur eruptions at its usual 6 to 10 minute rhythm.
- 35 minutes south on Route 35.
- Kerið, 20 minutes, entrance fee included — that is the rim walk.
- An hour back to Reykjavík.
Add it up and you get about two hours and ten minutes on the ground out of six. The rest is the road, which is the same road every tour drives. Nobody is short-changing you; six hours is simply six hours.
What works
- The late start is the product, and it works — you reach Þingvellir after the morning coaches have moved on
- Kerið’s entrance fee is included, unlike the full-day coach on any departure at 12:00 or later
- Published minutes for every leg and every stop, which almost no operator bothers with
- Wi-Fi on board and a small group — Barbara from Austria: “Saw a lot for a half-day tour; good group size”
- Guides who read the room: Barb from the US said hers was “interesting without constant chatter”, and Frédérique named Loki as attentive and patient
- Amber from Canada rated the “plenty of amenities and opportunities to use restrooms”, and Didier from France the “break times that respect everyone”
Worth knowing
- Twenty-five minutes at Þingvellir is the shortest stop at the loop’s best site
- Twenty minutes at Gullfoss rules out the lower path to the water
- Food is not included and there is no meal stop built in — eat before you leave
- In midwinter a late departure means you finish the last stop or two in the dark
- No under-5s
- Maximum group size is not stated, so “small group” is the operator’s word rather than a number
Eat lunch before pickup. There is no meal stop on this itinerary, the 45 minutes at Geysir is the only window with a café attached, and spending it in the queue costs you the eruptions you came for. A sandwich in your bag solves the whole problem.
The case for a short day on a long loop
I spent years watching people finish a nine-hour Golden Circle day glassy-eyed, and I have come round to the view that most first-timers over-buy. The loop’s three headline sights reward about half an hour each. Beyond that you are looking at the same water from a slightly different angle. What the long tours add is not more sight, it is more add-on — a lagoon, a glacier, a crater — and if you do not want those, six hours is a rational amount of your holiday to spend.
The one thing I would push back on: if Þingvellir is the reason you are going, this is the wrong tour. Twenty-five minutes gets you the view from Hakið and a short way into the fissure. The full-day coach gives it 45 minutes and the German-language tour gives it a full hour. Decide which sight you actually care about before you sort by price, and read what not to miss if you are not sure yet.
Check dates
Six hours puts it a little above the full-day coach, which surprises people until they notice the group size and the included crater fee. The comparison across all eight is on the all tours page.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the afternoon Golden Circle tour leave?
In the afternoon, after the morning coach departures have cleared — the exact pickup time depends on which of the 21 pickup points you choose, so check it on the booking page. The reason to care is crowding: the quiet windows on this loop are before about 09:00 and after the coaches turn for home. More on that on what time to leave.
Is six hours enough for the Golden Circle?
For the three headline sights, yes — you get 25 minutes at Þingvellir, 20 at Gullfoss, 45 at Geysir and 20 at Kerið, about two hours and ten minutes on the ground. It is not enough if you want the lower path at Gullfoss or a proper walk down Almannagjá. The longer options are compared on how long the Golden Circle takes.
Is it a good first-day tour?
It is the best of the eight for a first day. You land, you drop your bags, you eat, and you are collected in the afternoon rather than at 08:00 on no sleep. The alternative for a family or anyone landing at an awkward hour is the private jeep, which will collect you at Keflavík airport itself.