Iceland’s Golden Circle – Geysers!

May 20, 2025

I took advantage of a rare 48 hour layover in Iceland to visit as many spots as possible. My husband and I started with the Golden Circle, and we were not disappointed. Click the links below to read my other top picks

The Golden Circle

The VisitIceland.com website has driving routes that take in absolutely spectacular scenery and areas of historical importance. The Golden Circle is a 250 km loop from Reykjavik and it is open year round. Most of it is paved, but there are some gravel roads.

The Golden Circle has several attractions. We also visited:

• Þingvellir National Park
• Bruarfoss Waterfall
• Geysir – active geothermal geyser fields
• Bruarhlod Canyon – giants anyone?

All the walking routes were short and sweet, so no packs, water or food required.

Geothermal Fields and Geysers

After visiting the Þingvellir National Park, and the Bruarfoss Waterfall, we were back on the road. Iceland is formed from volcanic eruptions and lava fields. This means an abundance of thermal pools and geysers. There are several geothermal fields in Iceland, but this one on the Golden Circle route is very accessible.

This is the most built up area on the Golden Circle. There is a paid parking lot, and expect to hunt for a spot. There are lots of tour busses, as is to be expected from such a popular destination. There are facilities here, like a hotel, a restaurant, and a coffee shop. It also houses a really good store with an extensive selection of Icelandic wool clothing, and other souvenirs. This is where I bought small gifts for my daughters. It’s worth a visit while you’re here.

We spent about one hour here, and walked three km. This included the short hike to the top of the hill. This provided amazing views in all directions, plus a bird’s eye view of the erupting geysers. Worth the effort, but very few people make the trek.

To begin, we crossed the road and entered the park. We were instantly impressed. There is a nice wide walking path that loops through the park. The pools start small – just a whiff of steam. They build in intensity and bubbling water as we walked along. In case you’re curious, the water is between 80 and 100 degrees Celsius, which is the boiling point of water.

This is actually the birthplace of geysers – the word, not the phenomenon. It’s from an Old Norse word “geysa” which means “to gush” or “to rush forth.” The first geyser known to Europeans is named Geysir or sometimes Great Geysir. All geysers around the world are now so-named after this original one. It rarely erupts now. Iceland geysers are generally short lived, and are at the mercy of volcanic and tectonic movements.

The main highlight is the Strokkur geyser, which erupts water anywhere from 15-40 meters high. It’s also very active, and fires off every 10 to 15 minutes. It’s also prolific. While generally only gushing once a cycle, we saw it shoot off two, and surprisingly, three times in one cycle. While it is always surrounded by people, just wait one cycle. The close crowd moves away, leaving a gap. We had front row seats for our viewing.

Duly impressed, we hiked up the short hill to see the view. Simply stunning in all directions. Ice caps and generally beautiful landscapes. The highlight of course, was seeing the geyser erupt from above.

Looking down on the geothermal field. The Geyser Centre and hotel are across the road. The erupting guyser is on the right, and old original Great Geysir is far left.

We hiked back down, and saw the granddaddy “Great Geysir”. It’s now dormant, but the general size of the area hints at how marvelous it once was. Quite the legacy to now name all hot pool eruptions in the world.

From here, we took a loop back to the Geyser Centre. We shopped, and enjoyed the cooler air in the complex. It was crazy hot for some reason, but we weren’t complaining. What a joy to see these amazing geysers with a clear blue sky.

The geysers are amazing to see. This is truly a highlight of the Golden Circle and one area to not miss.

Here’s all the places we’ve visited in our whirlwind 48 hours in Iceland.

• Reykjavik
• Golden Circle Route
  • Þingvellir National Park
  • Bruarfoss Waterfall
  • Geysir – active geothermal geyser fields
  • Bruarhlod Canyon – giants anyone?
• Víðgelmir Lava Cave – impressive lava tube
• Grábrók Crater – ancient craters and sheep corrals

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Alisen