The Golden Circle
Of all the exciting things to see and do in Iceland, the Golden Circle may be the most popular (aside from that whole Blue Lagoon experience). While the Ring Road would take about a week to see (which runs around the entire country), the Golden Circle is an easy day trip from Reykjavík. You can see the popular spots over the course of a few hours, but there’s enough to fill an entire day (or more).
There’s several companies that offer tours of the Golden Circle, but unless your averse to driving (in the winter, there could be snowy roads) we highly recommend renting a car and driving yourself. You’ll get a chance to beat the tour bus crowds (either arriving before, or sticking around until they clear out and you have a site relatively to yourself) and get to spend as much time as you like at each stop. Plus, you get a chance to tune your radio to an Icelandic radio station where you won’t understand what the on-air personalities are saying, but then will hear English language pop songs play.
We were pressed for time on our visit, so we didn’t get to see every stop – time to hit the big ones and plan for our return trip!
Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir)
Like the thought of seeing Europe, but feel like you’ll miss being in North America? This is the spot for you! (If you’re from Europe, just reverse this thought). This national park lies in a rift valley as part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. At this site (and other areas of Iceland), the land is slowly pulling itself apart at around 1 inch (2.5cm) per year.
If you head out on the typical clockwise route from Reykjavík, this will be the first stop you hit. Here, you can walk the space within the fault line, admire the open scenery to the south (including Þingvallavatn, the large lake to the south), and even scuba or snorkel in the waters of the Silfra canyon (again, being March and lacking the time, we didn’t get to do this last activity, but have it on our list for the future!)
One of the great things about visiting in March is, of course, the lack of other tourists. Many times, we found ourselves alone while walking through the park.
Strokkur
Our next stop of the big three on the Golden Circle, Strokkur, is one of Iceland’s most famous and reliable geysers. It erupts every 6 – 10 minutes, though when we were there we got two eruptions within 20 seconds!
Aside from the Strokkur Geyser, this stop is an active geothermal area, with scalding hot pools of mineral colored waters with nothing more than a small safety rope between you and a hot tub you definitely don’t want to take a dip in.
And, of course, one of my (Paul) favorite things to find when traveling: the source of a word. In this case, geyser, which originates with this no longer erupting “Geysir” (which itself got its name from the Icelandic word “geysa” meaning “to gush”). It’s not everyday you get to connect a common word with the single point in the universe where it came from. Pretty cool (or hot?)
Strokkur is adjacent to a the Geysir Center, with a gift shop, restaurant, gas station, and nearby accommodations if you chose to stay in the area. As for us – moving on to Gullfoss!
Gullfoss
Of the three main stops that we experienced on the Golden Circle, Gullfoss was the best in terms of “something special” in the month of March. While the other sites were merely white with snow cover hiding the detailed terrain beneath, Gullfoss was highlighted by ice and snow.
Quite an impressive waterfall, it’s name translates to “Golden Falls”, but while we were there “Frosty Falls” would seem more appropriate.
One of the downsides to visiting in March is that the downhill walkway to get closer to the falls had a chain across the path, indicating it was unsafe to continue. However…each and every visitor proceeded to take fate into their own hands and took the slippery journey down to the waters edge. Doing so gave the reward of more spectacular views, including a look down the small canyon formed by the flowing waters.
Once again, visiting at this time of year afforded nearly empty viewing areas, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the scenery without elbow-to-elbow crowds. Hooray, off season!
Downtown Reykjavík
Another easy place to spend time on your winter stopover in Iceland is the downtown Reykjavík area. There’s plenty of small shops and good restaurants and cafés, any of which may turn into a nightclub after hours.
Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran church in Reykjavík, with beautiful architecture designed to resemble the Icelandic landscape.
The interior design is simple but huge, and really cool to see. But, that’s not the real reason we came here. For us, as in every location we visit, the goal is to find the highest areas, buildings, towers or other structures to find that “view from the top”. In the winter, you can visit from 9am to 5pm (the tower closes 30 minutes prior to the church closing). Also, the tower is closed between 10:30am and 12:15pm for the 11am mass. The price to access the tower is not too bad at 900 ISK for adults (100 ISK for kids), and gets you an elevator ride to the top followed by few steps up to the observation area.
From above the city, you could see the collection of brightly colored buildings and roofs, which were a welcome site on a gray winter day.
Sólfar (Sun Voyager)
Right along the waterfront off of Sæbraut road is Sólfar, or Sun Voyager, a large stainless steel sculpture. If you like seeing and taking pictures with large outdoor artwork as much as we do, it’s definitely worth a stop. There’s a small amount of free parking spaces curbside in front of the sculpture, or you can stroll the Sculpture & Shore Walk along the shore. The latter option passes several other smaller pieces of outdoor artwork.
Harpa
Opened in 2011, Harpa is Reykjavíks concert hall and conference center. Located on the waterfront near the harbor, it’s hard to miss with its colorful glass exterior. They offer guided tours in the winter at 3:30pm every day, with additional 11am tours Saturday and Sunday. Tours are given in English and run 2,200 ISK per person.
If you’re pressed for time, can’t make a tour time, or just don’t want to spend the money, you can still freely access the interior of the building during open hours to take pictures of the glass and check out the gift shop and café.
