The Golden Circle - Classic Tour

This popular excursion introduces you to some of the best known historical sites and natural phenomena in Iceland. The three primary stops on the route are Thingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss Waterfall (meaning "Golden Falls"), and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers of Geysir and Strokkur. Pick-up: 30 minutes prior to tour departure After hotel pick up, travelers are taken to the booking office at Laekjatorg Square (downtown Reykjavik). The tour departs from there. If you're staying close to that location it is best to simply walk to the booking office, and show up there 15 min before departure. If you want to do so, please select "Gray Line Iceland Sales Office" from the drop-down list. Description We start by visiting Nesjavellir, a high temperature geothermal area in the scenic landscape of Lake Thingvallavatn, and Nesjavallavirkjun, a geothermal power plant which began its operation in 1990. Next we visit Thingvellir National Park, where the Icelandic Parliament, known as the Althingi, was founded in the year 930 AD. Here we have time to enjoy a walk to appreciate the geologically remarkable area of Thingvellir, viewing the place where the tectonic plate boundaries form part of the breathtaking scenery. Thingvellir has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We continue our tour to see the beautiful waterfall of Gullfoss which is in the River Hvita (meaning "White River"). It is possible for us to walk so close to the edge that we will usually feel the mist of the glacial water on our faces. From Gullfoss we journey to the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur where we will see Geysir, the geyser which all other geysers in the world get their name, you will be able to take a walk around the other incredible spouting hot springs, like Strokkur which spouts every five minutes or so and projects steaming water to a height of about 60-100 feet. We then proceed to Skalholt Church, the ancient seat of the Icelandic Bishops. The original Skalholt Church was much bigger than the current church and was the largest church to have been built in Iceland, it was a lot larger than the current Skalholt Church. From there we travel towards Hveragerdi, a small and charming horticultural village. Note: Due to weather and road conditions we cannot guarantee visits to Nesjavellir in the winter season. If this happens we will visit Hellisheidi power plant instead.