TRAVEL GUIDE: ICELAND//GOLDEN CIRCLE TOUR

The Golden Circle Tour is one of the basic Iceland tours , that quickly gives you a glimpse into what Iceland is all about. We did this the same morning we arrived and we were working on only a few hours of sleep I'll be honest and tell you I took a few cat naps on the bus! This tour is about eight hours long (we did the 10:30 am start) and takes you to three stopping points. The scenery is beautiful along the way to each tour if you have good weather and visibility. At each stop we were given about 80 minutes to see or do whatever we wanted before having to head back on the bus. We did the tour with Gray Line tours, the good thing about this is they pick you up from your hotel if you're staying in Reykjavik and provide easy seamless transportation for the whole day

Itinerary:

The first stop is Þingvellir National Park , where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia split. I would have liked more time here to run over across the bridge to see the cute little churches and houses closer up. I did feel like more time was needed here.
 The one important tip that seemed to be left out is that many of these stops at tourist attractions and national parks require a fee to use the bathroom. Note to self, come prepared with Krona, the Icelandic currency if you plan on using the restrooms. 

Next stop is Gullfoss waterfall which is in fact beautiful. It was a freezing day when we went and the mist from the waterfall was freezing, so dress appropriately! Think waterproof jackets and warm layers for this tour. By the time we arrived here it was around noon and we were ready for lunch. At this stop there was a (free) restroom and a yummy little cafe with a great gift shop as well. Another fun fact that we really were not aware of was how expensive the food is in Iceland. We ended up paying about $25 for a sandwich and two water bottles.

Last on the agenda is the Geysir area which is a hot spring area. Only about a 20 minute drive from the Gulfoss waterfall, there are some hot springs  to see as well as a fountain geyser that irrupts every few minutes. This location has a larger gift shop than the Gullfoss waterfall stop so if it is a tad too chilly outside for you, there is plenty to look at inside.

Overall knowing what I know now about this tour I would have skipped it and done more of a southern coast tour where you see more of the black sand beaches and other waterfalls. After having personally been to Yellowstone, the geysers palled in comparison but it was a nice way to see a few hotspots quickly & reasonably!