My daughter and I will be doing the Whole Ring Road in mid-to-late May 2025 and we will be going to a heck of a lot of places, including the Snafellsness Peninsula, Reykholt valley,Westman Islands,Siglofjordur, Husavik and more ( we love road trips!) .We have our 12th day at the end in Reykjavik and we have a choice to take it easy there ( we will have spent a day and a half there at the start of our trip) ...or go do the Golden Circle. I figured that we will have seen a lot already of what it can offer. Am I mistaking? If you had to pick only one or two most important things to see there, what would it be? Thanks.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8062 posts
Our trip was in early April, and lots of the things you’ll get to see weren’t particularly accessible at that time of year, but we did drive the Golden Circle. While it included several spectacular geologic sights (like the Gullfoss waterfalls), the two most important (and maybe more unique) things were having ice cream while seeing the cows who provided the milk through a window at Efstidalur ( https://efstidalur.is/ ), and soaking/sauna at Fontana (https://www.fontana.is/en?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAC0iDEO4O9D6OZ_yQMFJpf3UXIsoT ) .
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2867 posts
The GC does have a lot to offer, and you will have already had plenty of time in Reykjavik, so I would not skip this. We have been many times, and did the ring road once in 12 days and I will warn you that you will still be very rushed even with this amount of time. In the GC, there is Thingevellir and you can snorkel there if you want, and then Geyser and Gullfoss as well as Bruarfoss. Bruarfoss now has a parking lot right near the falls, but you can hike to the other falls along there and those are really nice too. IMO it is a shame to just see Bruarfoss and not the others. Fridheimar is the tomato growing operation and is a fun visit and perfect for lunch. There is also a newish mushroom growing operation with a restaurant, but we have not been there since we have a mushroom allergy;) I am not a fan of Efstidalur, and actually that is the only place in all of our trips that I will not go back to. Incredibly rude owners, so much so that quite a few guests walked out just like we did. There are a handful of hot springs in this area as well. The two usual ones are Secret Lagoon and Fontana. Both are nice, they are just different so you can't really compare. Then there are rustic hot springs such as Hrunalaug, which we loved. If you want to ride horses, just outside of Selfoss is Eldhestar Farm Hotel and they have many different rides. We had a great time there, FWIW.
Posted by
OP
Ottawa, Canada
62 posts
Thank you both. Very good info here...that I will consider seriously before deciding not to do the GC.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8062 posts
I’m surprised to read that there was rudeness at Efstidalur. When we were there, the people (and cows) couldn’t have been nicer. I wonder if there was a very unfortunate single situation one day that caused so many people to leave at the same time?
The ice cream was certainly good!
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2867 posts
Cyn—it was over two days as we were staying there. The way the owners talked to a few of the people made us get up and leave the breakfast table. It was a series of poor service during our stay that solidified our opinion.
Posted by
Amman, Jordan
187 posts
I enjoyed the Golden Circle but, like you, it was at the end of doing the ring road and fairly anticlimactic in comparison. I'd probably choose it over more time in Reykjavik, however. Highlights were the tomato farm restaurant for lunch (much more fun than I expected and great food) and the national park (Thingsviller? Sorry, can't remember the spelling now). In hindsight, I would have slowed down the trip and spent more time in other places along the road.