Anne-Charlotte PasseraWhen you have a short layover in Iceland, it’s possible to discover the area outside Reykjavik nicknamed the Golden Circle, even in winter.
You can visit the area through a guided tour or on your own. We were visiting Iceland for a week during the winter holidays, so we had rented a car through Guide to Iceland.
Self-driving the Golden Circle whether it is in during the Summer or Winter is always a popular day trip for tourists. The 300km loop covers various landmarks in a beautiful setting. Although it’s possible to drive the loop in about 3 hours, with all the stops, it will take you more than 6 hours.
The name Golden Circle is a marketing term for the route, derived from the name of Gullfoss, which means “golden waterfall” in Icelandic.
Wikipedia
Now, come Winter time, just keep in mind that you’ll only have about 5 hours of full daylight. To be able to see all the places of interests, you’ll need to set out early enough from Reykjavik to be able to be at the first stop on the Golden Circle for sunrise (around 9h45 am). Don’t worry, the first stop from Reykjavik is about 45 minutes away.
Our impressions of the Golden Circle
We were not impressed. I mean, don’t get me wrong it is pretty and all, but after seeing the South Coast this was a little disappointing. Also, it was way too touristy, I’m talking busloads. Yes, I am a tourist as well but I try to avoid traveling in packs.
However, being there at dawn during winter (10 am that is) had its own benefits. The different hues reflecting on the scarred landscape were of pure beauty. You should really try to get there for the sunrise to enjoy the morning glow (pink-apricot colour).
I guess I’m just a little blazé and more picky about what I like and dislike now. Maybe it’s due to some ‘over traveling’ or being past 40. However, I haven’t nearly as traveled as much as Zazou, or even Ioio, whom met up with us in Iceland.
Points of interest on the Golden Circle
Although you can make this drive in one day, because of the scarcity of daylight, you might want to consider spending a night on the loop. Winter time in Iceland is the best time to spot the Northern Lights. The best place to do so is away from the cities with less light pollution.
Why not try to spot some on the Golden Circle from the comfort of your own bed?
For about $200 CAD a night for 2 people, although a child under the age of 6 can share the bed with you, you can sleep in a bubble! Neat right?
The Buubble Hotel is conveniently located on the Golden Circle, close to a secret lagoon and a great place to eat near Fludir. More on those places below.
Although it’s only a 190-mile driving loop from Reykjavik through the southern uplands of Iceland and possible to do in one day, it’s a bit tricky when you do it during winter.
Always check the road conditions before heading out in Iceland, especially if you are driving. We didn’t and ended up driving through a blizzard with 130mph winds on the South Coast of Iceland. You can use this website as a reference.
Nonetheless, the top 3 sites to see on the Golden Circle are: Thingvellir National Park, the Geyser and Gullfoss.
Thingvellir National Park
According to Iceland Travel, it is the favourite stop among travellers along the Golden Circle route. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Reykjavik.
When Viking settlers arrived in the 10th century it was the site they chose as the meeting place of Althing, the world’s oldest parliament. It has been part of UNESCO’s world heritage site since 2004.
Also, it is the visible site of the mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. They are being pulled apart at a rate of 2 centimetres (nearly an inch) per year, creating the Thingvellir Rift Valley. In between the two plates lies 7km of nothing (my input).
You can also take a stroll next to the summer home of the Prime Minister. I’m not quite sure how that really works with the whole tourist invasion but I guess he has adapted.
Practical information
It is important to note that there are two areas to stop at: the Information centre and the Visitor centre. They are not the same thing, as we discovered, and lost 30 minutes of our day. Should you decide to use it as a meeting point, be specific.
At the Visitor centre, you have to pay for parking and toilets. You get however a great overview of the rift valley and can walk down to it. The Visitor centre sits at the top of it.
On the other hand, the Information centre is in the valley (at the bottom). Parking and toilets are free. However, it is a bit of a walk from it into the rift. If you can, carpool and split the cost of parking at the rift. You can pay for the parking at the Information centre. However, the parking fee is valid all day and at whichever parking lot you go to. There are 2 main parking lots in the valley.
You could also sell your ticket to another tourist when leaving….just saying…
Activities
Apparently, you can snorkel in the Silfra Gorge, even during winter.
It appeared after a major earthquake in 1789. The fissure is filled with meltwater from Langjökull, Iceland’s second largest glacier. Incredibly, the water takes up to 100 years to travel 50 kilometers (31 miles) through a lava field before flowing into the fissure. Extreme Iceland
According to Zazou, it is a tourist trap. I have to admit though, when I was doing my research, I had found the idea tempting. I decided against it for time and budget reasons. Also, I’m not a big fan on putting on a wet suit, especially in cold weather.
A Geysir named Strokkur
The second stop on the Golden Circle is to see a Geysir. Get ready, it is a very crowded place.
It is about a 30 minutes drive from Thingvellir depending if you stop to say hello to the Icelandic horses you’ll see on the way.
This was THE place Jacky wanted to see in Iceland, god knows why. It’s not like she had never seen one before! In Iceland, there are way cooler things to see other than water shooting upwards to the sky every 10 minutes or so.
However, this is THE birthplace of the term and place of Geyser. The one we get to see is not the original as it doesn’t ‘function’ anymore. It is named Stroker my bad Strokkur but I prefer to refer to it as Baba. It has a better ring to it and quite frankly it is kind of a baba cool.
The geyser shoots up whenever, roughly every 10 minutes and as high as it wants. Sometimes, it really isn’t impressive, it could do better. We didn’t stick around very long, but long enough to see it shoot up at least 3 times and loose all of our family members at the same time. Luckily, we had a lunch reservation, so we knew where to meet up if all else failed.
However, before lunch, we had one more stop. A huge Floss, which is the Icelandic word for waterfall.
Gullfoss
Another 20 minutes or so of driving from Geyser and you’ll arrive at Gullfoss. The name translates to Golden Falls and its one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland.
Gullfoss cascades majestically down two huge steps that are 22 and 36 meters high that descend into a deep gorge.
Even though in wintertime it is frozen, you can still get a sense of the immense power it possesses as you are walking towards it.
The average volume of water running over this waterfall is 80 m³/s in wintertime.
The area around Gullfoss gets pretty windy, so a warm jacket and a hat might be necessary if you go there during wintertime. Also, it gets really slippery, so make sure to wear appropriate footwear.
As you approach the waterfall, the crevice is obscured from view. It looks like it’s a river that just vanishes.
When we were there, we were a bit behind on schedule and it was extremely windy, ouch!
So we went down, quickly took a picture and left before flying off the railing.
This is as much as I will say about it since it is pretty much equal to the time spent there unfortunately.
Where to eat on the Golden Circle
After a long morning of driving around, sight seeing and looking for lost family members, you’ll most likely need to eat. If you can, during a winter visit of the Golden Circle, try to stop to eat as late as possible or make your lunch as short as possible if you want to make the most of the daylight.
In front of the Geyser, there is a hotel with a huge cafeteria. It’s a good place to grab a quick lunch, go to the bathroom and rest. However, it gets very crowded. Another option is to go where we went.
Fridheimar
Originally, we were supposed to visit the Golden Circle on New Year’s Day. However, since the place we wanted to have lunch at was closed that day, we had to switch things around a bit.
I’m glad that I did, because Fridheimar didn’t disappoint.
One could find it odd I did such a thing, but that’s me. I’m a sucker for uniqueness. I first stumbled onto this place while reading a blog about Iceland and I apologize for not giving credit where it is due, but I don’t remember which one.
What convinced me about this place was its originality. Although we are not foodies, especially Big Boss, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try. Besides, a quiet place to eat versus an overcrowded hotel cafeteria….hmmm tough choice, not!
Fridheimar is a restaurant in a greenhouse that grows tomatoes. It is so HOT in there and the lights are very bright, so all of our pictures turned yellow. That being said, the food was delicious.
It is a vegetarian meal and everything is about the tomatoes. You can even drink bloody marys and virgin ones as well.
Their specialty is the tomato soup with free refills and home baked bread, served with cucumbers and sour cream, OMG so good!! There is also fresh basil on the table that you can cut yourself to add to your soup.
Other activity
They also have stables with horses. Horse shows are held during the summer. However, if you are really really nice and go on your own to check on the horses, they might give you a glimpse of what to expect. For real, the horses put on a show for us all on their own. That was great, accept I (once again) filmed the scene sideways…darn it.
So if you ever want to go, make sure to book ahead, especially during the Summer because it gets booked quickly.
This restaurant is located close to Fludir where you can swim in a not so secret lagoon.
Spas to check out on the Golden Circle in Winter
Aside from ice caving on the South Coast of Iceland, spotting Northern Lights, another activity that can be better enjoyed during the winter than summertime is soaking in a hot steamed pool.
Iceland is home to a variety of hot springs, from hot pools found on the side of the road to famous spas built around stunningly blue hot water.
It’s hard to tell how many can be found around Iceland as some of them are too hot for us humans to handle such as the one in Geysir.
The Secret Lagoon
Near the town of Fludir you can relax in the waters of the Secret Lagoon.
This is a unique natural hot spring and also the oldest swimming pool in Iceland which was built in 1891. The water stays warm at 38-40 Celsius all year long.
You can swim and float around it. It’s a lot smaller than the Blue Lagoon, and a lot less expensive. The entry fee cost about $30 CAD.
It’s also possible to walk around it to admire the landscape and some miniature geysers.
Although Big Boss and I did not go to the Secret Lagoon, the rest of my family did and absolutely loved it. They went there around noon (while we were on the South Coast), and there weren’t too many people there.
A lot of tours offer this as their final stop, therefore it can get overcrowded at some point. I’m guessing during winter it must be around 3ish…So, it’s a good spot to go to either in the middle of the day or after the tour leaves around 5ish. Of course, that only applies to winter. The rest of the year, your guess is as good as mine.
Instead of going to the Secret Lagoon, we went to a spa instead on the Golden Circle. Since we were planning on going to the Blue Lagoon at the end of our trip, we decided to check out a spa instead of another lagoon.
Fontana Spa
Going to a spa at the end of a day of sightseeing and driving around is a great way to finish it off.
Big Boss, Ioio and I went to the Fontana Spa, located on the golden circle about 1hour away from Reykjavik.
I picked this spa at its located on the shores of a lake. You can also have a meal there as it is open late. We didn’t stay to eat but it has a very nice spread for a buffet. Also, they make their own bread, baked with geothermal thingy. I tasted it, it is brown. It made me think of ginger bread. I have to admit that I’m not a real fan of their bread, as it was sort of a downer for me.
By going to the Fontana Spa, I was also hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern lights (nope, nada, nothing, zilch..rien)
We arrived at the Fontana Spa around 5pm just as a tour bus was pulling away, thank goodness. This was perfect timing as we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The entrance fee cost around $25CAD, half the cost of going to the Blue Lagoon. The facilities are also very nice and clean.
Ioio and I, but mostly Ioio, were brave enough to attempt a dip in the lake. The stairs were icy and slippery. Ioio slipped his way into the lake…poor kid.
There are also saunas there. Try to pick the one with the lake view. It’s the nicest one, and smells better as the sulphur smell can get intense at the Fontana Spa.
This was the perfect way to finish our day of visiting the Golden Circle in Winter.
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