We will be in Iceland in mid April. We will have one full day to do a day trip (we will have already done the Blue Lagoon and Reykjavik). Debating Golden Circle or South Coast. We’d ideally like to do some hiking on the day trip, and have a smaller tour rather than the large Grey Line or the like. We will be staying in Reykjavik so just looking for single day trips. Open to any suggestions!
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9295 posts
I did both back in Aug. and picked companies that used small buses (only 19 px). It kind of depends on what you want to see. The South coast tour, you see a lot more waterfalls, the Black Beach, the Glacier, and you end up walking a lot. The Golden Circle tour I did, went to the Tomato Farm, where we got to see some horses up close, the Geysers, the Tectonic plates, and a huge waterfall and ended at the Sky Lagoon. Of the 2, I would say the South Coast was my favorite, though it lasted all day and I certainly walked a lot.
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2798 posts
April is still winter in Iceland so hiking will be limited. I would do the south coast. over the Golden Circle any day. The south coast will be a veery long day, but it is worth it! We almost always self drive in Iceland, but have used Troll for a few things. They are very good, and do have small groups. That is the only company I have any personal experience with.
Posted by
Ohio
1621 posts
A third vote for the South Coast
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2820 posts
I have done both tours and if you must only pick one, I'd give the South Coast the edge. I used GeoIceland for the trip, small van, but there are several companies that offer similar things. It didn't have "hiking" in the traditional sense (for me, a hike is more than a stroll to see a waterfall) but they do offer a different South Coast tour that includes a glacier walk (but it doesn't go to the black beach, which IMHO made the whole trip). April is going to be cold and probably windy, so make sure to wear layers and have waterproof pants and coat.
Posted by
Amman, Jordan
183 posts
I can't speak to weather in April but South Coast, hands down, in terms of sights. The golden circle is a nice add-on, if you have time, but the South Coast is spectacular.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2632 posts
A vote for Golden Circle.
Posted by
31 posts
We are traveling there in May and had the same question, so thank you. To add on though did you all do tours or rent a car and do it on your own? Also, did you do it all in one day?
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2798 posts
smithonline--We almost always self drive on our Iceland trips. The only time we didn't was a February trip, but we did rent a car for the one nice day we had. We used Troll for excursions on that trip. You will be there in May, so I would self drive.
Posted by
Big Island of Hawaii
764 posts
smithonline, not sure what you mean by "do it all in one day". There's soooo much to see on the south coast that you could do a three-day trip. Just driving Reykjavik to Diamond Beach is five hours. It all depends on what you want to see or how long you want to make that one day.
Posted by
294 posts
I visited both in September 2018. On the Golden Circle I loved Thingvellir National Park and Gulfoss Waterfall. The Geysir geothermal area was just okay as we had already been to Yellowstone which is much more spectacular. We spent two days on the South Coast, going beyond Vik through impressive lava fields, Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and Diamond Beech (and did a glacier hike).
If you are planning a day trip and only going as far as Vik I would probably pick the Golden Circle over the South Coast. But If you can add a glacier hike or find a day tour that goes beyond Vik (it would be a long but outstanding day) I would do the South Coast.