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Golden Circle Tour: Midnight Sun Adventure
4.8
12 Ratings
Golden Circle Route
Explore Iceland’s Golden Circle under the midnight sun. Discover stunning landscapes with a small group on this exclusive 6.5-hour tour from Reykjavik.
Explore Iceland’s Golden Circle under the midnight sun. Discover stunning landscapes with a small group on this exclusive 6.5-hour tour from Reykjavik.
Duration:
6 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Golden Circle Route - The Golden Circle tour is a must-do if only one tour is taken in Iceland! The duration of the stops varies, but generally, each main sight is visited for at least 30 minutes.
- Thingvellir National Park - Enjoy a brief walk through Thingvellir, a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated right between the…
- Golden Circle Route - The Golden Circle tour is a must-do if only one tour is taken in Iceland! The duration of the stops varies, but generally, each main sight is visited for at least 30 minutes.
- Thingvellir National Park - Enjoy a brief walk through Thingvellir, a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated right between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The history is captivating; Thingvellir was the original location of the world’s longest-running parliament, established in 930 AD.
- Strokkur - Another stop is in the geothermal area near Haukadalur valley. This hilly region is abundant with hot springs, but it is most famous for its geysers. The largest, Geysir, gave the world the term geyser, while Strokkur is the most active, erupting water up to 30 meters high every five to ten minutes.
- Gullfoss Waterfall - Be captivated by the majestic Gullfoss waterfall. The immense power of the falls is awe-inspiring, and its history is equally remarkable.
- Kerid Crater - Explore the breathtaking Kerid Crater, a vibrant volcanic crater lake. The vivid colors of the lake and surrounding landscape provide an ideal photo opportunity and a unique insight into Iceland’s volcanic history.
What's Included
- Small-group tour (tour operated exclusively on minibuses with a maximum of 19 passengers)
- Professional and local guide/driver
- Pickup and drop-off from designated bus stops & hotels
- Live commentary on board
- Small-group tour (tour operated exclusively on minibuses with a maximum of 19 passengers)
- Professional and local guide/driver
- Pickup and drop-off from designated bus stops & hotels
- Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks (available for purchase during stops)
- Swimsuits (possible to rent at an extra cost)
- Towel (possible to rent at an extra cost)
- Food and drinks (available for purchase during stops)
- Swimsuits (possible to rent at an extra cost)
- Towel (possible to rent at an extra cost)
Additional Information
Embark on a 6.5-hour tour of Iceland’s Golden Circle under the enchanting midnight sun. Depart from Reykjavik for an evening exploration of Haukadalur Valley, Gullfoss Waterfall, Thingvellir National Park, and Kerid Crater. This tour is conducted on a minibus accommodating up to 17 guests, ensuring personalized service. Pickup and drop-off from…
Embark on a 6.5-hour tour of Iceland’s Golden Circle under the enchanting midnight sun. Depart from Reykjavik for an evening exploration of Haukadalur Valley, Gullfoss Waterfall, Thingvellir National Park, and Kerid Crater. This tour is conducted on a minibus accommodating up to 17 guests, ensuring personalized service. Pickup and drop-off from Reykjavik, along with entrance fees, are included.
- 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.
- Infant seats are available on request if advised at time of booking.
- Not wheelchair accessible.
- A small amount of walking is involved.
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Food and drinks are not included, but there are stops for refreshments along the way; You can bring your own food on the bus.
- It is recommended to bring: swimsuit, towel, waterproof shoes, and warm rain- and wind-proof outdoor clothing.
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time.
Location
Golden Circle Route
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(12 Ratings)
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Shanepicciotto
Mar 7, 2019
A lovely mix of seeing the countryside and visiting sites - We had a 4 month old, 2 year old, and 4 year old. They provided car seats for all of them, infant seat to car seat to booster seat.
In March everything was relatively quiet and we had the perfect amount of time to see the sites. Hilmar was our guide and he shared the perfect amount of Icelandic history and a bit of what he likes and appreciates about Iceland personally, including his three dogs.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Spencer
Feb 12, 2019
All amazing, just do it.... - Stefan the driver/tour lead was very knowledgeable and equally had a very funny dry sense of humour, worth going on this trip for sure...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderir
Aug 15, 2018
An Outstanding Tour Operation - I took the 4-day Best of Iceland tours in June, 2018 (which made booking my time in Iceland a breeze). The various tours were very enjoyable and extremely well organized. Every guide was first rate and entertainingly informative. I'm happy to recommend this company unreservedly! Icelandic Air did a good job too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mimihoudini
Jul 30, 2018
Unique experience & wonderful service - This tour was a wonderful experience for our whole family (kids aged 6, 13 & 15)! The small group & chance to see the Golden Circle in the evening made the whole trip very relaxing. Our guide Baldur was friendly & enthusiastic about Iceland. He had so much interesting history & lore to offer, it was a great tour! Gateway to Iceland was a great company as well, our hotel street was closed for construction & we were able to arrange a new pickup location really close by with no problem.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jenny_in_palo_alto
Jul 15, 2018
Great Sites: Tips on Timing and Clothes - Offered only in the summer, this evening tour was an efficient and unusual way to catch the Gold Circle highlights without large crowds.
Ths mini bus was quite comfortable and the stops were well-paced with the further locations earlier on and then picking up pace a bit more after midnight to keep us all from being too sleepy.
Trond was an excellent guide. He was very funny and told some great stories.
We had 16 people in our group, which wasn’t too bad for gathering everyone together at each stop.
Approximate length of time at each location: Stops were 1 hour at Secret Lagoon, 45 minutes at Gulfoss, then about an hour at Skojl pizza (which was sit-down and felt like it dragged on for me, but others seemed to enjoy chatting with each other--I just got sleepy), 40 minutes at the Geiser site, about 5 minutes at the Geothermal location (it was getting rainy then, and quite dark) and about 15 minutes at Thinglyer (again, dark and rainy). The only stop that felt like it deserved more time was the last one, which I think was cut short due to the rainy weather and the general feeling of most of the group.
Also, since I felt the description of what to wear wasn’t great: Dress for the weather and for walking on pavement or gravel, plus pack a bathing suit for the Secret Lagoon. None of the stops include precarious surfaces or enough time to go hiking, so sneakers were fine. Also, dress in layers so you can be comfortable on the bus and at stops.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eszter
Jun 30, 2018
Amazing tour with a fantastic guide - The golden circle itself is a must, if you are in Iceland, but usually is really crowded. With this tour you can experience the beauty and uniqueness of this country, and the magic of midnight sun by avoiding the crowed. The guide, Trond, was really knowledgeable about the country and about the Icelandic culture, he even told us some sagas and sang two old icelandic songs for us. I´m not a big fan of bus tours, but this one worth it for sure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tricia032017
Jun 22, 2018
Great service on a great tour to see the sights and avoid the crowds! - As this tour was in the evening hours, we got to visit all the popular sights minus the usual crowds of people. It was just our tour group (about 12 of us) and maybe a handful of other tourists who were there on their own at most of the stops.
We had Stefan as our guide; he was terrific! Very knowledgeable, informative and accommodating. He even supplied extra towels for us for the Secret Lagoon portion so we did not have to pay to rent one if we didn't bring our own.
I would also like to acknowledge their booking team. The original date I chose and booked this tour for, was unfortunately cancelled due to minimum # of participants not being reached. Their team was very thorough in their efforts in trying to contact me directly to make sure I was notified not to show up for the cancelled tour and to try to re-book me for another date/or similar tour. Much appreciated.
Thank you Gateway to Iceland for a wonderful time and providing such excellent service!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen
Jun 17, 2018
Midnight sun - Beautiful scenery. Our tour guide was a terrific storyteller and very informative. . I would list his name but not sure if I am supposed to here. Bus very comfortable.
Secret lagoon was different experience for
us and one we were not sure about but turned out to be quite pleasant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ric0traveller
Mar 10, 2018
Fascinating Tour of a Fascinating Landscape - Travelling as a small private party, we booked two tours with Gateway to Iceland. An evening trip into the dark countryside to view the Northern Lights and a longer day trip for the Hot Golden Circle tour that included spectacular views of glaciers, volcanoes, geysers, waterfalls and a relaxing couple of hours at the Secret Lagoon.
Our guides and drivers, Gummi and Andy, were both thoroughly knowledgeable about their country and it's history, and shared their enthusiasm with stories and anecdotes of the region and contemporary challenges facing modern Iceland.
For someone living in an urban environment, these tours provided an experience that is impossible to imagine and to see such an extraordinary landscape is overwhelming.
I thoroughly recommend both of these tours and you won't be disappointed with the friendly, humorous guides and, maybe, you my even have a hot chocolate treat and fabulous doughnuts!
Thank you to both Andy and Gummi and all the team at GtoI for making our trip so enjoyable and memorable; I'm sure we will be back soon!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Swigle
Jul 3, 2019
The stops on this tour were far too short to appreciate the stunning scenery. - I had done the Golden Circle tour before (during the winter months) but was attracted to repeat the experience during the summer months with the "midnightsun" on the Gateway to Iceland tour.
What also caught my attention was the stopover at the Secret Lagoon.
So, before you book this tour here is some useful info I wish I had known before I did the trip.
Pickup is between 17:30 & 18:00.
The Secret Lagoon is the first stop because the owners are apparently reluctant to let the tours arrive late at night.
The thermal pool is really relaxing and you get 60 minutes in the water.
This was the best part of the tour and I will probably return here one day in the future.
Second stop is for food - on my trip it was a bar that served pizzas and burgers.
Now although the Gateway to Iceland itinerary does mention a food stop please be aware that it may take a big chunk of time out of the tour.
As a result the remaining parts of the tour were very rushed.
Gullfoss is incredibly beautiful, there were very few people there but the driver (Stefan) only gave us 20 minutes to walk to just one of the viewing points at the falls, take some photos, and get back to the bus.
Having been to Gullfoss before (with another tour operator) you really ought to see the water from more than one viewing point.
Next stop was Geyser.
The driver only gave us between 10 and 15 minutes.
The place was almost deserted but we only got to see Stroker erupt 3 times.
No time to explore the area.
I would have liked to have spent more time here.
Last stop is Thingvellir national park - a very short stop, probably less than 10 minutes.
We only got as far as the viewing platform in the car park - we did not get to walk down to the flag that marks the spot of the first parliament.
Was back at my hotel well before 01:00.
Overall I am glad to have done this trip a second time and in a different season but the stops in the second half of the trip were too short to truly appreciate the stunning Icelandic landscapes.
I would have given this a 5 star review but instead it gets 3 stars for the reasons above.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
