Its time again for another Travel Wednesday and were going back in time to my first visit in Iceland three years ago. In case you have missed my previous Travel Wednesday posts you can get caught up here.
One of the most popular tourist attractions here in Iceland is the Golden Circle which is a 300 km loop from Reykjavik out to central Iceland and back. Þingvellir, Geysir park, and Gullfoss are the three attractions that make up the popular Golden Circle. While the Golden Circle draws big crowds during the tourism season don’t let that discourage you from checking it out, there is a reason it is one of the most visited attractions here in Iceland!
H and I visited the Golden Circle in July along with every other tourist in the country. Since you are out in large open areas though the large crowds don’t cause to much of a problem. Bonus, nature doesn’t make you wait in lines to see its beauty! On our trip we got really lucky with our weather and enjoyed a action packed day exploring all the stops.
Þingvellir
The first stop along the Golden Circle is Þingvellir, the location of the first National Parliament as well the site of a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. Þingvellir was the site of parliament from 930-1798 and is now the first national park in Iceland protected as a national shrine.
While in Þingvellir you can walk down into the valley between the crest and stand where it is said past parliament meetings were held. While here you can learn some fun facts about the Icelandic governments history and how civilized (or not) the Vikings were when it came to politics back in the day. Once you have gotten your history lesson in you can find plenty of hiking trails to explore and take in all the vibrant colors of the countryside.
Along the way to Þingvellir you drive past the largest lake in Iceland called Þingvallavation. Here you can find hundreds of rock piles all over the place.
Þingvallavation
I am not kidding about the hundreds of rock piles around Þingvallavation! While I have no idea what the meaning behind the all the rocks is I highly recommend stopping here and taking some time to walk around, the rock piles are a sight to see.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss translates to “Golden Falls” and is one of Iceland’s most popular waterfalls and is by far one of the largest waterfalls I have ever seen.
Water seriously just seems to be coming from everywhere, you can feel the mist in the air as soon as you get out of the car! While Gullfoss is beautiful from above my favorite part of this stop was hiking down to the top of the waterfall. Don’t worry there is a very safe and easy pathway to get down, so no excuses everyone that visits Gullfoss must go down there and get a closer look!
Okay I will admit those ropes around the edge are quite pathetic and made me a bit uneasy when we were down there. The pictures you will take though are so worth it, Gullfoss is called the “Golden Falls” for good reason.
Geysir
Sometimes known as The Great Geysir it is the first one described in print as well and was the first one known to modern Europeans, pretty cool right! The Geysir eruptions can shoot burning hot water as high as 70 meters in the air. While the eruptions can be infrequent I was lucky to catch several of them during my time there.
This hole in the ground amazes me with what it is about to do!
And just like that its gone like nothing happened. As someone who has never seen a geyser I was more than fascinated by The Great Geysir. Lucky for me H captured the above photos so I can relive my first geyser eruption forever.
If you ever find yourself in Iceland take my advice and spend a day exploring the Golden Circle! We have some friends coming this weekend and I can’t wait to I can’t wait to revisit these stops and see them in their winter beauty.
The Blue Lagoon is the next stop on Travel Wednesday so be sure to check back next week to see many more pictures of this gorgeous blue water.
Question of the Day?
Has anyone else visited the Golden Circle? What did you think?
Linking up with Nicole!
Pingback: 25 Destinations To Visit in Your Lifetime - The Blonde Abroad()
Pingback: Chasing Waterfalls in Iceland | Unlocking Kiki()
Pingback: Reykjavik: The Perfect 3 Day Itinerary & A Quick City Guide - The Overseas EscapeThe Overseas Escape()
Pingback: Three Day Itinerary For Reykjavik // Plus A City Guide! | Unlocking Kiki()