Iceland 3-Day Golden Circle & South Coast

One of the biggest questions asked about traveling in Iceland is: is a tour worth it or should we just drive ourselves? Because we were traveling in December, we opted to go with a tour. We live in Florida, USA and neither of us felt comfortable driving in potential snow and ice conditions. After researching our options, we opted for a 3-day Golden Circle & South Coast tour with Nice Travels. One thing that sets this tour company apart from others is its small group size. We had a small van that held 18 people as opposed to some of the 40+ person tour buses we saw along our journey.

Day 1:

Our tour bus picked us up right around the corner from our hotel in Reykjavik City Center at around 8am. It was still pitch black at the time and felt like the middle of the night. As we left the city, our guide gave us some Icelandic history. One of my favorite tidbits is that Reykjavik translated to English means “Smokey Bay.” As the Vikings were approaching Iceland, they saw the steam rising up from the natural hot springs and dubbed the land based on that first impression.

After driving for about an hour, we arrived at Þingvellir National Park. Walking through this park meant walking through the gap in tectonic plates, with the Eurasian plate on one side and the North American plate on the other. This is called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where you can stand with one foot in America and one foot in Europe at the same time.

Þingvellir National Park

In addition to the unique topography, Þingvellir National Park holds great historical significance in Iceland. The National Parliament of Iceland was founded here in the year 930 and met at this location for nearly 1000 years! (Until 1798). It became the first National Park in Iceland in 1928.

After a short hike through the park, we boarded our small bus once again and headed to Geysir in the Haukadalur geothermal area. Interestingly, this area is where all geysers throughout the world earned their moniker.

Important Note: If you are visiting Geysir in winter conditions, make sure you have crampons! Crampons are spikes that attach to the bottom of your shoes and help with grip in icy conditions. The tour company we were with provided these for us, but not all did so. We saw two tourists have bad falls due to the slippery conditions without crampons.

The Strokkur geyser is the main attraction here as it is the largest in the area and erupts every few minutes. After seeing the geyser erupt, we had the option to hike up hill, see a few more thermal pools, and watch Strokkur erupt again from a higher vantage point. The hike was well worth the effort, but was slippery so we were glad to have the crampons on our shoes.

The next stop on our itinerary for the day was our first Icelandic Waterfall - Gollfoss. This two-level waterfall is a sight to behold on any day, but especially the day we were there due to the warming temperatures after a cold-spell. As we would see over the next few days of our trip, the warm air (about 45 degrees F/7 degrees C) was causing snow melt, making the falls more powerful than usual.

Our final stop to Kerið, a volcanic crater, was a personal favorite and often missed by tour groups. With only four and a half hours of sunlight, we were thin on time before it got dark, but we made it just in time. To our surprise and delight, we had the rare opportunity to see the crater lake frozen!

The turquoise color of the water was beautiful in and of itself, but the cracked layer of ice on top made the experience truly otherworldly.

As we made our way to our accommodations for the night, we had one final stop on the drive where we got to meet, pet, and feed some Icelandic Ponies. A perfect cherry on top of a wonderful day.

Our Golden Circle day ended in the town of Hveragerði, where we stayed in a wonderful hotel that offered geothermal hot tubs. It was raining that night, so we chose to skip the hot tubs and explore the town, where we enjoyed incredible food, beer, and were let in on a local secret.

After dropping off our luggage in our hotel room, we decided to stop by the hotel bar for a drink. Our bartender was extremely friendly and was eager to give us tips for how to spend our evening. The first thing he suggested was that we check out the local Food Hall. Food Halls are prevalent in Iceland and known for their delicious options and the one in Hveragerði was no exception. It was stylish and chic, with options for everyone. We enjoyed a shrimp salad, recommended by the hotel bartender, and a couple of cold beers.

We were also recommended to try Ölverk Pizza & Brewery, so that was our next stop after the Food Hall. Here we encountered another very friendly bartender who happily shared stories of living in Iceland along with some local traditions.

Since we were visiting in December, they had a special beverage option called Jólabjór, which in English translates to Christmas Beer. The flavors were malty and included hints of caramel and coffee - the perfect winter time flavors in my opinion. Being from the United States and loving to try a variety of beers, we asked the bartender if they sold “flights” (typically four to five small pours, perfect for tasting). It occurred to me that the word “flights” may translate differently in Icelandic, but the bartender knew what we were asking for an provided our picks accordingly. One of the funnier moments of our trip was when a man who seemed to have enjoyed several beers of his own stopped us in broken English trying to warn us that we had ordered too many beers. He gestured to his pint saying, “This is one! You ordered four, it’s too many!” I tried to explain that we were ordering four small beers, but the language barrier prevented clear understanding. Only when the bartender came back did the man’s eyes grow wide with understanding. I hope we introduced him to the concept of a flight and changed his life forever.

A moment for the cute Christmas TV bar decoration

Now onto the star of the show: Hangikjöt pizza. We learned from the bartender that Hangikjöt is cured and smoked ham - a traditional Icelandic Christmas meat. The restaurant served a pizza with Hangikjöt and a blueberry vinaigrette. I can be picky with what I like on my pizza, but this was so unique, we decided we had to try it. And wow, it was incredible. If I could recommend one food to try if you ever happen to be in Iceland in December, it is this!

Hangikjöt Pizza

A Local Secret

Earlier in the evening, when we had been sitting at our hotel bar, our bartender let us in on a local secret. There was a place in town we could go to see the gap in the tectonic plates. Where we could stand with one foot in Europe, and one in America.

To get there, we walked into a local supermarket called Bónus. Instead of turning left to shop the aisles, we turned right, past the shopping carts and through some sliding glass doors. Because it was late, there was no one else in this part of the building as we followed a long hallway. Eventually, we found the spot. There was a portion of the floor where glass had been installed so we could look directly into a crack in the Earth. One side was the Eurasion tectonic plate, the other was the North American tectonic plate. This was such a unique find that is probably missed or walked over as people do their grocery shopping every day!