The Golden Circle ( ) is a tourist route in southern

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, covering about looping from

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. It is the area that contains most tours and travel-related activities in Iceland. The term for the "Golden Circle" was a marketing tactic developed by the Icelandic Tourism board to improve travel. The three primary stops on the route are the

Þingvellir National Park Þingvellir (, anglicised as ThingvellirThe spelling ''Pingvellir'' is sometimes seen, although the letter "p" is unrelated to the letter "þ" (thorn), which is pronounced as "th".) was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland f ...

, the

Gullfoss Gullfoss ("Golden Falls"; ) is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, and is included in "Golden Circle (Iceland), Gol ...

waterfall, and the geothermal area in Haukadalur, which contains the geysers

Geysir Geysir (), sometimes known as The Great Geysir, is a geyser in south-western Iceland, that geological studies suggest started forming about 1150 CE. The English word ''geyser'' (a periodically spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir. The name ' ...

and Strokkur, which erupts every 10-15 minutes. Though Geysir has been mostly dormant for many years, Strokkur continues to erupt every 5–10 minutes. Other stops include the

Kerið Kerið (; also Kerith or Kerid) is a volcanic Volcanic crater lake, crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland, along the Golden Circle (Iceland), Golden Circle. It is one of several crater lakes in the area, known as Iceland's W ...

volcanic crater, the town of

Hveragerði Hveragerði (, "hot-spring yard") is a town and municipality in the south of Iceland, 45 km east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1. The river Varmá runs through the town. With an area of 9 square kilometers, Hveragerði ...

Skálholt Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá, Árnessýsla, Hvítá. History Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established ...

cathedral, and the

Nesjavellir The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station (, ) is the second-largest geothermal power station in Iceland. The facility is located above sea level in the southwestern part of the country, near Þingvellir National Park and the Hengill mountain r ...

and Hellisheiðarvirkjun geothermal power plants.

References

* {{cite web , title=Comprehensive guide on Golden Circle , url=https://www.buubble.com/your-comprehensive-guide-to-unveiling-icelands-golden-circle/ , date=2023-11-26 , access-date=2023-11-30 Tourism in Iceland

See also

References