Skip to main content

Golden Circle Small-Group Afternoon Tour from Reykjavik

Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Reykjavik, Iceland
High interest
Booked 5+ times today.
  • 6 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.6
·
· JaswinderSingh_P ·
Jun 2026
Amazing, this Golden Circle adventure was an absolute dream! Walking directly between the tectonic plates at Thingvellir was surreal. Watching the Strokkur geyser erupt into the sky and feeling the raw, thundering power of Gullfoss waterfall was breathtaking. The landscapes felt otherworldly.
· Anne_P ·
Jun 2026
Very professional attitude. Very friendly. Very interesting présentation. So beautiful country. Many thanks.

Overview

Leave the crowded tour busses behind, and discover Iceland’s most iconic natural attractions on a small group tour of the famous Golden Circle. Visit Thingvellir National Park, the golden Gullfoss waterfall; and the stunning geothermal activity at Geysir. This afternoon excursion leaves you free to relax in the morning and take in Reykjavik’s nightlife in the evening.
  • Explore Iceland’s popular natural landmarks on a Golden Circle tour
  • Get great photo opportunities of unique natural phenomena
  • Enjoy the personalized experience of a small-group tour
  • Round trip transportation in a minibus from central Reykjavik

What's Included

  • Reykjavik pick-up & drop-off
  • Small Group Guarantee
  • Stops at Thingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss & Kerid
  • Minibus Transport with free Wi-Fi on board
  • Guided Golden Circle Tour
  • Kerid Crater Entrance Fee
  • Food & drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Please note that we only serve the pick-up locations specified in our pick-up list below. Due to traffic restrictions, we are not allowed to pick up from hotels in the city center nor from private Air BnBs. IMPORTANT: Pick up begins at 12:00pm sharp. Please be ready at your pick up location at this time. Please note, it may take up to 30 minutes for your guide to reach you depending on your location and traffic conditions. DROP-OFF: You will be dropped of at your original pick-up point at approximately 18:00 (6:00pm). Times may vary depending on traffic and weather conditions.

Start time
.12:00 pm

Itinerary

Arctic Adventures (Pass By)

1

Thingvellir National Park

40 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

2

Site de Geysir

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

3

Gullfoss Falls

40 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

4

Kerid Crater

20 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • What to bring: Warm layers, weatherproof top layer, headwear, gloves, scarves and hiking or sturdy shoes.
  • Small group experience tour limited to 19 participants per guide
  • Minimum age: 6 years old
  • Pick up is offered from selected Reykjavik pick up points. Your confirmation will include information on available pick up points.
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 19 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.6
based on 659 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Sort by: Most insightful

The entire experience was...

Matt_A, Aug 2026
The entire experience was convenient and informative. I would recommend this trip to anyone who is in Iceland for a short amount of time and wants to see as much as possible.

Golden triangle

Bill_K, Aug 2026
Fun and interesting experience. Small groups in small van are best. Get to see lots of Iceland countryside.

Excellent trip

Carl_M, Aug 2026
Excellent tour with Monica who was very informative and helpful, as well as being an excellent driver

Great tour. Good to use upon arriving early in morning and hotel room not ready.

barbara_k, Aug 2026
The bus mini-bus was at the Hotel at the appointed time to pick us up. The driver spoke very good English and was very good at describing buildings, the area and historical facts. We saw what we wanted to see. The weather was on the damp (sometimes heavy rain)side, but everyone was dressed properly for the weather. It was a very nice tour.

My family and I loved...

Amarinda_R, Aug 2026
My family and I loved this tour! We got to see everything and didn’t care about the rainy weather. Each destination was breathtaking. We also absolutely loved Magnus as our tour guide. He was insightful, engaging and humorous.

Great Golden Circle sights, horrible driver/guide

Julie_K, Aug 2026
I did the half day Golden Circle tour on Friday 7/31. We were given instructions to wait at the church, which we did. We arrived early. We inquired with other tour buses to see if any of them were our tour. Our driver eventually parked behind other buses and yelled out our group name. As we approached, her first comment/introduction to us was “you should be at the bus stop area.” Driver Wendy was rude, drove like a bat out of h*ll, and was a negative Nancy throughout the afternoon. I would never recommend Wendy as a tour guide, she is poorly suited for the role.

Not as expected

ed_v, Aug 2026
Guide was not very informative and lacked personality. Timing on sites was odd and no water or small snacks as Viator seems to be known for

It was nice to be in a...

David_N, Jul 2026
It was nice to be in a smaller bus. I just would have preferred to get more time at each stop. It was very rushed to see each stop. I would have preferred that tour to be longer so that we could get a pit an hour at each stop. Our tour guide was very nice but wish they gave us more history and information about Iceland.

van was not in poor shape...

polichebertaolcom, Jul 2026
van was not in poor shape and dirty. Driver shared information about iceland but did not tell about things we were passing by. The rainy day did not help our activities but she did not turn the ventilation on high therefore the windows were fogged up the whole time. My daughter reminded her to put the fan on high at the beginning which she did but did not use it other times. I should have paid more money and had a bus that I would see out of.

Five stars!

Nancy_M, Jul 2026
Great way to see parts of Iceland away from the big city. Guna was an excellent tour guide and taught us alot about Iceland!

Golden circle tour

Iryna_K, Jul 2026
Tour was poorly organized, our guide Peter was more of a driver than a guide, barely interacted with us, was not sure of the facts of places we were visiting. Our tour was scheduled to start at noon, we were driving around picking people until 1:13pm, driver did not explain what was happening, had to ask. The stops were supposed to last 30-40 min, each stop was 20 min at a site, not enough time to see and walk around the sites. Addressed this with driver and showed the itinerary of the tour from their website, he said he was following his instructions and those 40 min stops were for full day tours, the itinerary was a screen shot for the half day tour, or its a mis-advertisement. It was such a bad experience, i asked for 50% refund, viator responded that operator denied it, they did not deliver what was promised, i thought it was fair to compensate us.

Good driver but risky vehicle to drive in the rain

Luis_B, Jul 2026
The vehicle was very concerning. It was pouring rain and the air conditioner was not working in the windows were completely fogged up making it hard for the driver to see. The driver did a great job of managing the situation having to wipe the windshield constantly with a cloth so he could see. However, this led several of the passengers to feel very concerned during travel.

Golden Circle Tour is Phenomenal!

Carla_I, Jul 2026
This tour covers so many beautiful geological features of Iceland. It is a must see. It is accessible for all age groups with visibility of features without too much walking and stairs or getting up close and personal (and wet) with more rigorous paths.

Guide nice but tour was not

Renee_G, Jul 2026
Unless you have good weather don't bother with this tour. Although the guide was nice, the weather was very poor. Should have been canceled and money refunded. Also small bus seats were way too tight and not nrarly enough legroom for normal sized person...especially with a bag or camera. Recommend renting a car and doing it yourself.

Experience could've been much better

RenelynM_C, Jul 2026
Whirlwind tour of the Golden Circle could have been much better. Guide was kind and friendly but we didn't learn much as there was minimal narration. Guide was also a little difficult to understand. Bus was tooo small and seats were uncomfortable. Our tour was estimated to finish by 5:30-6:00pm but we didn't get dropped off until 7:30pm. It would also have been a better experience if the guide at least played music during the long drive, especially since she hardly narrated.

Viator was a excellent tour guide

mary_h, Jul 2026
He was very knowledgeable about the golden circle. My friend had a walker he helped taking out and putting wallet in the ban

Not worth the money. Take the ships for even if it costs twice as much.

MARYJO_F, Jul 2026
Your crammed into a 19 person van. With 19 people. If you are unlucky enough to sit in the back row hope you are small people and don't want to see the sights because there are only 2 small, small window with curtains on them. Also don't expect any narration of what your seeing.

I would love to take this tour again—led by our expert guide

Heather_E, Jul 2026
I would definitely take this tour again, and though a half day was wonderful, a full day would allow more time at each incredible stop. Our tour guide, Paul, gave a lot of background and interesting stories about the dramatic natural features and also about life in this region. The heights of Thingvellir National Park overlook a pretty town of significant importance in Icelandic government and education. Gullfoss waterfall is stupendous, comparable to Niagara Falls but more wild and woolly. The Geysir geothermal area is fun, watching bubbling hot water emitting clouds of steam, and waiting, hoping to get a photo of the moment the big geyser roars to life. I spent a day on the South Peninsula tour, which was very nice, but I definitely enjoyed the Golden Circle tour more.

Could have been five stars

Bruce_S, Jul 2026
This could be a five star tour with a better driver/tour guide. He rarely spoke and when he did it was very difficult to understand through the sound system on the bus. At each stop we had to speak to him to find out where we were and what he said. He provided no information about the areas he was driving.

Great tour with a superb guide

Martin_W, Jul 2026
This was a great tour covering the Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir and Kelid crater lake. All were spectacular and showed the stunning beauty of Iceland. Really glad we chose the small group tour as the minibus was new and very comfortable. However what made the experience was Iva the guide. Her knowledge was great and her love of her adoptive country shone through. If you are with her you will not be disappointed.

All the right stops but...

Andrew_G, Jul 2026
All the right stops but viewing time was too short. Trouble with the vehicle delayed us an hour. Guide was good

Amazing tour!

Cheryl_C, Jun 2026
The stops were fabulous with great photo opportunities. Almost every stop had restrooms. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

Booked a Tour We Never Got to Go On

Delaney_A, Jun 2026
I’m extremely disappointed and frustrated with this experience. We booked the Golden Circle tour weeks in advance and were genuinely excited to see Þingvellir, Geysir, and Gullfoss. Unfortunately, our connecting flight was delayed due to circumstances entirely outside our control, and we landed too late to make the tour’s departure time. We contacted the tour guide as soon as we knew about the delay, but received no flexibility on rescheduling or a partial refund. We paid full price for a tour we never set foot on. I understand operators have cancellation policies, but a blanket ‘no refund, no exceptions’ stance for a documented flight delay feels punitive rather than reasonable. I would not book through this company again.

Small group 6 hour ring tour

Erin_M, Jun 2026
Over the course of six hours, we visited four major natural landmarks. To some the amount of time available to explore each of the locations was insufficient. In each location, you were only off the bus for 20 to 30 minutes. For us this was perfect… For the amount of time we had available this worked out well, so we could see a lot of the main ring attractions. Our guide Paul was great. While we were driving, he was also telling us some of Iceland’s history which made the trip more enjoyable. I will note that for those who may be walk a little slower it was tough to get as much out of the experience.

Minibus was uncomfortable, waterfall and geyser are the highlights

Marc_E, Jun 2026
The driver showed up right on time meeting us at the cruise terminal as agreed. Although the minibus was a Mercedes, there was virtually no leg room between seats and the a/c and heat did not work, which made it very uncomfortable. The driver really tried to help with the temperature control but she got no support from the front office. She was knowledgeable and her accented English was understandable. The waterfall is can't miss, the geyser takes time to spout but is nice, the crater is nice to look at for 5-10 minutes and there is a dangerous walk down it. The national park with the tectonic plates was underwhelming. It's a very long day in cramped quarters.

Iceland golden Circle

Terrie_Q, Jun 2026
Very good trip hitting all the highlights and our driver/guide Elaina was great. Pickup and drop off at cruise ship very convenient and on time

Ok experience

Gazala_K, Jun 2026
First the guide was from Italy and he was not as passionate about Iceland like a native Icelander. Second the mike was glitching and we sitting in the back missed out on what the guide was saying on top of it he was not that knowledgeable I figured out stuff googling as we we were driving. So it felt more like a taxi driver driving us from one point to another the rest we had to figure out ourselves

Paul did not disappoint!! Great day all around!

Richard_E, Jun 2026
Paul was a top notch driver and guide!! So much great information and history for each stop we made! He even added a few unique inplanned stops. Always pleasant and you knew he enjoyed his job!!

Amazing, this Golden...

JaswinderSingh_P, Jun 2026
Amazing, this Golden Circle adventure was an absolute dream! Walking directly between the tectonic plates at Thingvellir was surreal. Watching the Strokkur geyser erupt into the sky and feeling the raw, thundering power of Gullfoss waterfall was breathtaking. The landscapes felt otherworldly.

Great tour. Excellent...

spaeth71, Jun 2026
Great tour. Excellent guide. Well trained would definitely book this tour again. Small group was fantastic.

From $115.46

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 62 days in advance.

Compare Similar Experiences

1 / 3
Current
Golden Circle Small-Group Afternoon Tour from Reykjavik


6 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$115.46
Small-Group Golden Circle Full-Day Tour from Reykjavik


8 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$120.65