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Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon Small-Group Tour from Reykjavik

Recommended by 96% of travelers
Reykjavik, Iceland
High interest
Booked 3 times today.
  • 8 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8
·
· Ian_E ·
Jun 2026
The drive itself is enjoyable, especially through Iceland's rift valley and national park. Then there's the historic parliament site, waterfalls, geysers, and hot springs - absolutely wonderful. And our guide was great: friendly, funny, knowledgeable, patient, and helpful.
· Amber_M ·
May 2026
Amazing tour, very knowledgeable guide who spent every moment educating us about the geography, history and culture of Iceland. The sights were phenomenal, and after a long day of travelling it was great to soak in the secret lagoon, Icelands oldest natural pool. I will never forget this trip, thank you so much to our guide!

Overview

Enhance your experience of Iceland’s extraordinary Golden Circle on a full-day tour from Reykjavik that includes one more stop than most tours. Admire spectacular sights lncluding Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and the Geysir hot spring. Gain fascinating insight into the geothermic nature of the area at Strokkur, an erupting geyser, and submerge yourself in the healing waters of the Secret Lagoon's natural bath.
  • Go beyond the Golden Circle highlights on a comprehensive tour
  • Enrich your knowledge of geothermic activity at the erupting Strokkur geyser
  • Hassle-free pickup from select Reykjavik hotels
  • Travel in a small group for a more intimate experience

What's Included

  • Professional and local driver/guide
  • Live commentary on board
  • Pickup and drop-off from designated bus stops, hotels & cruise port
  • Small-group tour (tour operated exclusively on minibuses)
  • Food and drinks (available for purchase during stops)
  • Swimsuits (possible to rent at an extra cost)
  • Towel (possible to rent at an extra cost)

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

*Please include the name of your ship if you are arriving at Skarfabakki Cruise Port* Some of the center hotels are located in the restricted area where we aren't allowed to drive. Please find your hotel below and meet us at it's designated bus stop. Thank you for understanding. PLEASE NOTE: These bus stops for tour buses are not the same as the bus stops for city buses. The tour bus stops have a blue pillar with pink bus sign at the top and the number and name of the bus stop. The city bus stops have a yellow "S" in a red circle (S as Strætó - city bus). Please do not wait at the city bus stops! Once you submit/confirm with us a specific bus stop, please meet us exactly at that bus stop and not any other. ___________________________ Bus stop 1 – Ráðhúsið – City Hall: Center Hotels Plaza Downtown Hostel Hotel Reykjavik Centrum Iceland Parliament Hotel Kvosin Downtown Hotel ___________________________ Bus stop 3 – Lækjargata (near the Hard Rock Café): Alva Apartments Apotek Hotel City Center hotel Hotel Borg Hotel Reykjavik Saga Radisson Blu 1919 Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel ___________________________ Bus Stop 4 - Miðbakki Black Pearl Apartment Hotel Exeter Hotel ___________________________ Bus stop 6 – Safnahúsið – The Culture House (corner of Ingolfsstraeti and Hverfisgata: 101 Hotel Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre Center Hotels Arnarhvoll Center Hotels Skjaldbreid Hotel Frón Loft Hostel Thingholt by Center Hotels Vintage Hotel Apartments ___________________________ Hallgrímskirkja (Bus Stop 8) B47 Hostel Baron's Hostel Hotel Holt Hotel Odinsve Leifur Eiriksson Reykjavik Downtown Hotel Sunna Guesthouse ___________________________ Bus stop 9 – Snorrabraut: 100 Iceland Hotel 4th Floor Hotel Alfred's Apartments Center Hotels Laugavegur Hotel Vera Hotel Von Laugavegur Apartments Skuggi Hotel ___________________________ Bus stop 12 – Höfðatorg (in front of Fosshotel Reyjavik): - Storm Hotel - Fosshótel Reykjavík - Tower Suites ___________________________ Bus stop 13 – Rauðarástígur (in front of Centerhotel Miðgarður): - Centerhotel Miðgarður ___________________________ Bus stop 14 - Skúlagata (corner of Skúlagata/Klappastígur) 41 - A Townhouse Hotel Alfred's Studios Ion City Hotel Reykjavik Residence Hotel Reykjavik Residence Suites Sandhotel The Swan House ___________________________ Bus Stop 15, Vesturbugt: - Reykjavík Marina - Berjaya Iceland Hotels - Grandi by Center Hotels ___________________________ BSÍ Bus Terminal: Travel Inn ___________________________ If your accomodation is located more than 10minutes walking from our pick up locations, you can contact us directly though Viator chat or send us an an email. We will try to arrange the best pick up location for you.

Operating hours
.10:00 am

Itinerary

Your day begins with pickup from your Reykjavik hotel. Meet your guide and fellow travelers and settle into the minibus for the drive south.

Your first stop is at the UNESCO-listed Thingvellir National Park where you will see the original site of the world’s oldest parliament, the Althing, which was established in the year 930.

Next stop is the majestic Gullfoss Waterfall where you can walk toward the edge of the falls, which plunge 105 feet (32 meters).

The geothermal area near Haukadalur valley is your next stop where you can watch the regularly erupting geysir, Strokker shoot water up to to 100 feet (30.5 meters) in the air.

Slow down and unwind at your final destination. The Secret Lagoon is filled with water from an adjacent geothermal area, which helps soothe the body.

After the return drive to Reykjavik, your tour ends with a drop-off at your hotel.
1

Golden Circle Route

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

2

Thingvellir National Park

45 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

3

Strokkur

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

4

Gullfoss Falls

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

5

Secret Lagoon - Gamla Laugin

1 hour Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Bathing suit required for Secret Lagoon visit
  • Please note: due to the driving restrictions in Reykjavík, we cannot guarantee a hotel pickup from all hotels. In case your hotel is located in the restricted area, we will ask you to meet us at a designated bus stop, which is never more than few minutes walking distance.
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Please notify us in case you need us to provide you a child seat or when you travel with a service animal.
  • The tour operates with minimum 4 adult participants.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 17 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)

Featured review

Kelli_C
Rakel was a great tour guide! She was very sweet and knowledgeable. She also took us to two spots that weren’t listed on the tour, which made the tour extra enjoyable. She also set a good pace. I’d recommend her and Gateway to Iceland!

Reviews

4.8
based on 1,938 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Sort by: Most insightful

Great tour but lousy communication on directions to Van.

James_L, Jul 2026
Great tour. BUT ALMOST MISSED IT. when we got off the ship if our son and daughter-in-law had not been there to help locate the van we would not be found it. It was almost 3 blocks away from the port in a parking lot. It was not with the rest of the vans and tour buses. They need to do a better job have guests know how to get to where the transportation is at. The tour guide was excellent as was the tour. The reason I gave a three stars instead of five is because of the lack of communication on where the van was located.

Rakel our tour guide was...

Martine_F, Jul 2026
Rakel our tour guide was amazing. She is very knowledgeable and was able to share a lot of very interesting information. She is amazing

Perfect golden circle tour

Jana_P, Jul 2026
Great details about Iceland along the way. Got some great photos at bonus stops at waterfall and with horses. Plenty of time to check everything out and bathroom opportunities. Highly recommend

Nice stops reckless driver/guide

David_S, Jul 2026
No complaint bout the route and stops. However the guide/driver is a different story. First safety, he was really a reckless driver breaking all rules of allowed speed and passing other cars. Second, he explain a lot during driving but didn't bother to guide us on location.

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Dear David, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about the route and stops. We take safety very seriously, so we appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention. To reassure our future guests, all of our fleet vehicles are equipped with strict speed limiters that make it physically impossible to exceed Iceland’s maximum speed limit of 90 km/h. Our drivers always prioritize passenger safety and strictly adhere to local traffic laws. Regarding the guiding, we want to clarify that our experiences are designed as driving-guided tours. As noted in the tour description at the time of booking, our guides share extensive history, stories, and information during the drive, but do not accompany guests on foot at the physical sights. This is intended to give travelers maximum freedom to explore each location at their own pace. We hope you enjoyed the beautiful Icelandic scenery, and we wish you safe future travels.

The tour is very scenic...

John_K, Jul 2026
The tour is very scenic and the stops were excellent. Our tour guide Ian, was okay. He talked endlessly. He didnt accompany us on any of the stops, just sat in the bus.

Rakel was amazing, ...

Melissa_D, Jul 2026
Rakel was amazing, having lived here for her whole life, you can see how passionate she is for Iceland. Our first time in Iceland and she made it the best!

Rakel is amazing!!

Chandel_R, Jul 2026
Rakel was our tour guide. She was so very nice, she gave us so much information about the Icelandic culture and about the island itself. They communicated well when it came to finding them at the port. So it worked so very well with being an excursion I booked on a limited time frame. But again, 10/10 would recommend. Rakel was amazing!!

A True Highlight of My Trip

Morgan_F, Jun 2026
The host was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and genuinely invested in making sure everyone had the best possible experience. The group was respectful, welcoming, and well-paced throughout the day. At every stop, our guide took the time to thoughtfully explain the history, geology, and significance of each site while still keeping us on schedule. What really stood out was the attention to detail—he even showed me the best way to film the geysers in slow motion and shared photography tips that made a huge difference. It was those small, thoughtful moments that made the tour feel personal rather than rushed. You could tell he truly cared about making sure everyone had a memorable experience, whether that meant answering questions, helping with photos, or making sure we had enough time to take everything in. I absolutely recommend this tour. It was informative, well-organized, and one of the highlights of my trip.

Amazed and Speechless

Jasmine_S, Jun 2026
I had an AMAZING experience!! So many beautiful sites!! Each spot I was more and more amazed by what my eyes were seeing. Thank you to Rebeka! 110% recommend this tour!!

Hot Golden Circle with Ian

Cyndi_K, Jun 2026
Best way to get out of the city for a day. Ian was a great guide we enjoyed all his stories and history. Since we were a small group he was able to show us a bit more and travel different roads highly recommend small group minivan! Hot Golden Circle thanks Ian.

Brilliant day

MicknLou, Jun 2026
Raqel our guide was brilliant, so knowledgable Small group tour. Lots to see. National park including Iceland’s first parliament site, tectonic plates, steamy geysers, stunning protected waterfall, horses, relaxing steamy secret lagoon A full day, Highly recommended Secret lagoon at the end was a perfect finish to the day

Highlight of our trip to Iceland, would thoroughly recommend.

Tracey_B, Jun 2026
Great experience, Rakel was a fabulous tour guide, immensely knowledgeable and passionate about her homeland Iceland. The secret lagoon was a perfect way to end the tour.

What a delight!

Ian_E, Jun 2026
The drive itself is enjoyable, especially through Iceland's rift valley and national park. Then there's the historic parliament site, waterfalls, geysers, and hot springs - absolutely wonderful. And our guide was great: friendly, funny, knowledgeable, patient, and helpful.

Very nice

Mayna_B, May 2026
We had a great time and our driver.... yikes, I forget his name... tromb? was fantastic. He was very informational and very friendly. He made two extra stops for us since we had time.. we had ice cream and we got to visit some horses!

Interesting and wonderfully informative tour

Kirsten_B, May 2026
Ian was a wonderful tour guide. From the minute we arrived he was friendly and informative. Information was given throughout the whole journey on the places we were visiting, places we passed and also about Icelandic ways of life. We had a couple of additional stops too. Would definitely recommend this tour.

We had a fantastic...

Lynne_L, May 2026
We had a fantastic experience. Our guide, Trond, was excellent and well informed about all the regions we toured. He added side stops for extra adventure. We loved this day!

Don't miss this one!

Amber_M, May 2026
Amazing tour, very knowledgeable guide who spent every moment educating us about the geography, history and culture of Iceland. The sights were phenomenal, and after a long day of travelling it was great to soak in the secret lagoon, Icelands oldest natural pool. I will never forget this trip, thank you so much to our guide!

Great Tour

Ashley_C, May 2026
Our tour guide was super informative and I really enjoyed all of the stops. Our lunch was excellent.

Wonderful day. Ian was...

Julie_B, Apr 2026
Wonderful day. Ian was very pleasant and knowledgeable! Learned so much about Iceland's past and present. And the waterfall was breathtaking!

What a great day!

Gabrielle_S, Apr 2026
We had a great day with our tour group led by Ian. He was a wonderful and friendly driver and very knowledgable. We had a great time at each stop and had an awesome day.

We had such a great time...

Andrew_S, Mar 2026
We had such a great time despite the weather. Rakel was an amazing guide, kept us engaged and entertained throughout the day with local history and folklore as we went to see some beautiful sites around the golden circle. Included some special things not mentioned in the tour.

Knowledgeable and fun!

Sarah_S, Mar 2026
This experience was absolutely amazing. I traveled in a group of six including myself, and everyone was so warm and friendly. Our guide was one of a kind. His lived experiences and intense knowledge of the history made experiencing the golden circle much more immersive than if I did the drive myself (he was also able to accurately predict when the geyser would go off and the best way to film!) . The secret lagoon of course makes this tour special compared to others. I am so happy I ended up doing a tour. I would recommend any first-time visitors (especially during winter months) to do the circle guided and maybe self-drive next time during better weather.

Absolutely first class

Colin_S, Jan 2026
Absolutely first class. A superb day with a very knowledgeable guide, Gummi. A lovely small group, and plenty of time to enjoy and absorb the various locations we visited. The culmination of a dip in the secret lagoon was just about the perfect way to finish. Would recommend.

Great Day! Extremely nice...

joshzmom, Jan 2026
Great Day! Extremely nice being a small group. You got to enjoy each stop longer because you didn’t have to wait on a lot of people. We were able to really get to know our guide Rakel

Great tour guide and tour

Sarah_A, Nov 2025
Highly recommend Ian as a tour guide. He was knowledgeable about the history, geography, and the sites and worked to personalize the tour for the two families on the trip. We saw the geyser, the amazing Gullfoss falls, Ringvillr, and enjoyed relaxing in the secret lagoon. We even stopped to see bread baking buried in sand heated by geothermal steam.

A must do trip

Emma_G, Nov 2025
Rakal the tour guide is amazingly knowledgeable, makes you feel so welcomed and like you've known her for years. The secret lagoon is the perfect way to end such a fabulous day seeing all of the beauties the Golden Circle tour offers. The small group makes the trip feel personal and intimate rather than being on a full bus load of tourists. Would highly recommend.

Rakel was our guide and...

Sandy_m, Oct 2025
Rakel was our guide and she was amazing Very knowledgeable and helpful I loved the waterfall and geyser

Our guide Rekel made our...

Renee_R, Oct 2025
Our guide Rekel made our day! She was very knowledgable about her country , history and topology and had wonderful magical stories of Iceland elves !

Super tour with Rakel

Joan_S, Oct 2025
Rakel was amazing. So knowledgeable and generous with sharing her insights. We had a perfect day. Especially the waterfalls. And the rift valley.

A must do

Lesley_D, Oct 2025
Seeing all the history was amazing. We had beautiful weather and got to enjoy the sites even more. The waterfalls were breathtaking.

From $168.00

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

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On average, this is booked 73 days in advance.

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