Golden Circle Day Trip Itinerary: Self-Drive with Tomato Farm Lunch & Ice Cream at a Dairy Farm

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This route is one of the easiest day trips to do from Reykjavík, which makes it especially appealing to visitors who are on short trips to Iceland. For this reason, I think it is actually the busiest and most crowded route in Iceland.

Is it Worth Battling the Crowds?

After visiting Iceland, some travelers say they’d skip this area if they could do anything different – especially considering the crowds. I even questioned adding it to my own itinerary because of this. I’m glad I didn’t listen! I don’t think anywhere in Iceland should be skipped.

If I only had a few days to visit Iceland, sure – I’d lean towards the South Coast versus the Golden Circle. However, the Golden Circle does have its own unique landscape. There are many scenic points that I really think are not to be missed, especially if you’ll be traveling in Iceland for at least a week.

Overall, I didn’t find the crowds too overwhelming, even though it was the most crowded area of the places we visited. We did visit in “shoulder season” in October, so peak summer crowds may be different, but yes, I think it’s worth the visit.

Golden Circle Highlights Itinerary

This Golden Circle day trip itinerary lays out a self-drive road trip to see some of the major highlights of the area in one day. We actually did this day trip on our way back from exploring the South Coast, starting the morning off in Vík and ending in Reykjavík.

Even though we started in Vík, this itinerary can easily be modified for a day trip from Reykjavík. We also visited in autumn with more limited daylight, so I’ve included some suggestions on extra stops to make if you have the time in the summer.

And if you decide not to do a self-drive trip, there are numerous group tours departing from Reykjavík daily to explore many of the the highlights that we covered.

Itinerary Summary

Like most areas in Iceland, you could easily spend at least two days here to see everything, especially if you want to incorporate more time in Thingvellir. There was a lot more I really wanted to see! I’m already building up a wish list for my second trip here though, which I’ll share with you below.

Kerið Crater

Our first stop on the Golden Circle was Kerið Crater (pronounced Ker-ith). I wasn’t sure if it would be a big highlight but I actually really enjoyed seeing the striking blue color of the water in the crater against a mildly snowy landscape!

In the warmer months, the dirt around the crater has vivid green grass and moss streaking through its red dirt – a completely different color scheme to see depending on the season.

Parking here was the most tricky for us as it had snowed a little bit and the main lot was packed. We actually had to wait for a spot! Little did we know there’s actually an overflow lot now that you can head over to for a less stressful parking experience.

Parking at Kerið is free, but there is a per-person fee payable at manned ticketing booth before entering the property. Kerið Crater is on privately-owned land, hence the cost. When we visited it was 600 ISK but it has since risen to 700 ISK per person.

Bathrooms are available here as a standalone “water closet.” I didn’t use the facilities so I can’t attest to their quality, but it was nice to see that available.

In fact, everywhere we went on the Golden Circle, amenities were plentiful from bathrooms to larger parking lots. I’m sure this is to accommodate the high amount of visitors on this route!

We spent about 30 minutes here walking the entire rim of the crater. If you have more time, you can take the steps down to get closer to the water.

Lunch at Friðheimar

Having lunch at Friðheimar was always going to be on my Golden Circle bucket list as a foodie! I made sure to book a reservation for lunch at 11:30 a.m., right at opening time, a couple of months in advance to ensure I got the time slot I wanted.

If you want to play your arrival time by ear, you can head next door to their wine bar without a reservation (as long as you have a group under 5 persons). The wine bar menu is slightly different but they are open later for dinner, unlike the main farm which is only open until 4:00 p.m.

Friðheimar is a family-run sustainable tomato farm located in Reykholt where you can literally sit amongst tomato vines for lunch. Their technology and organic farming methods allow them to grow tomatoes year-round in Iceland despite the often harsh weather and lack of daylight throughout the winter. It’s fascinating!

As you can imagine, the menu here is tomato-focused offering options like unlimited tomato soup, pasta with fresh tomatoes, and baked tortillas (kind of like a pizza or flatbread). They also feature tomato beers, Bloody Marys, and even tomato ice cream and sorbet for dessert!

What We Ate at Friðheimar

Obviously, I had to try their signature tomato soup, which was hot, fresh, and tangy – exactly what I wanted to dig into on a cold day in Iceland. The tomato soup comes with unlimited refills and a side of cream and cucumbers if you want to jazz it up. Basil plants are also available at each table to pick off a few leaves to add to your meals.

My husband had the ravioli with a side of chicken, which was just okay in my opinion. I’d definitely go for the soup instead.

Bonus: everyone gets access to heaping piles of freshly-baked bread from their bread bar!

We also had to try the green tomato beer. I was expecting a more tomato-forward flavor than what it had, but I’m glad I tried it. Next time, I’m getting a Bloody Mary!

Since we planned on having ice cream later in the day, I finished with the sorbet trio, which definitely had more tomato-forward flavors.

Bumble Bees at the Farm

There’s Horses Here Too!

Either before or after your meal, be sure to stop by the stables and say hi to some of the farm’s Icelandic horses. There were two out while we were there getting rowdy with each other (like literally biting fur off each other). Although, there was a group of teenagers bothering them to try and get photos so I don’t blame them.

Please remember to be respectful of all animals when you travel, both wild and domesticated.

Strokkur Geyser

After lunch, it was time to head on to the Geysir area – specifically to see the Strokkur Geyser erupt. Strokkur Geyser is one of the main attractions on the Golden Circle route as nowhere else in Iceland can you see an active geyser erupt!

Strokkur erupts about every 6 to 10 minutes, so it’s easy to catch it in action a few times on your stop. We spent about 30 minutes here and caught the eruption twice (and had just missed another right as we walked up to it).

Also nearby is the Great Geysir, which is the inspiration for the English term “geyser.” However, it’s pretty much dormant at the moment and hasn’t erupted since 2016.

Along the walking path up to the geysers there are also a handful of geothermal pools and mini geysers that bubble and steam.

If you decide to skip lunch at the tomato farm, the Geysir Welcome Center has a small restaurant and coffeehouse with some hot foods. This is also a great spot to use the restroom before continuing on your Golden Circle journey.

Brú Horse Farm

After Geysir, we made a quick pit stop at Brú Horse Farm to feed and pet Icelandic horses. Even though we got to see some up close at Friðheimar, I wanted to stop at Brú Horse Farm specifically to feed them!

I’ve always been a little hesitant with horses (bad experience when I was a kid), but Icelandic horses are so freakin’ cute – fluffy and smaller than your average horse.

There’s a small shed where you can purchase little cups of pellets (aka horse candy) to feed the horses. Just scan a QR code and pick out your cups. Pricing is 300 ISK for one cup, 500 ISK for two cups, or 1,000 ISK for five cups.

The horses will come right up to you and you can hold out a few pellets in your palm held flat (be careful of those fingers or they might think they are snacks!). And always remember to never feed them anything other than their pellets.

There were a few people who stopped just to take pictures with the horses, but I’d recommend getting the pellets and donating your money to their continued care.

In terms of petting the horses, some may be more friendly than others. Some are just there for the snackies and will snub you if you try to pet them (speaking from experience, lol).

Regardless, Bru is the perfect photo op stop for Icelandic horses that are specifically there for visitors. This is a much more respectful way to visit with horses rather than approaching them somewhere on the side of the road. There are no wild horses in Iceland – they all belong to someone and you should never approach them without permission.

Want to Take a Riding Tour?

If riding Icelandic horses is on your Golden Circle bucket list, consider taking a tour with Thor Hestar located between Kerið Crater and Friðheimar run by a local Icelandic-American couple. Leave earlier in the day, stop at Kerið first, take a 10:00 a.m. horse riding tour, and then have lunch at Friðheimar.

Gullfoss

Gullfoss is one of the biggest highlights on the Golden Circle route and one of my personal favorite stops! While not the largest waterfall in Iceland, this massive two-tiered cascading waterfall is a beauty.

Gullfoss translates to “Golden Falls” as it can sometimes appear golden when sunlight hits it. It also generates a lot of mist and often has rainbows when the sun is shining! We were lucky enough to witness one while there.

The lower path was closed for the winter season, so we weren’t able to access the lower viewpoints. Because of this, we didn’t get too wet from the mist so I’d say head-to-toe waterproof gear isn’t 100% necessary if you aren’t getting to that lower level.

Crampon signs were out in October and while it was a little icy in some spots, I don’t think a full crampon was entirely necessary when we visited in autumn. Winter was on its way though, and that would definitely be the time to consider those.

We spent around 45 minutes at Gullfoss admiring the waterfall from different angles. If we would have been able to access the lower path, that probably would have added on another 30 minutes or so to our time here. This would definitely be something to consider if you’re modifying this Golden Circle day trip itinerary for summer hours.

Ice Cream at Efstidalur II

Ice cream in Iceland is a thing, and you should definitely add it to your foodie bucket list – especially from Efstifalur II! In fact, Iceland just has really good dairy all around, including their butter and cheese.

This was originally a flexible stop in case we were running short on time, but I made it a point to make sure we stopped here. I just couldn’t pass up having ice cream right on a working dairy farm!

The ice cream here is some of the best I’ve ever had – really creamy and just tasted damn good, even though it was cold outside.

I liked the strawberry best but we also got Oreo which was really good too (and our friends really liked the berry skyr!).

If you’re sitting inside, you can enjoy the cow viewing window while you’re eating your scoops of ice cream (thanks for your hard work, cows!) and they also have a spot to see the baby cows snuggled up and sleeping.

I will absolutely be making a day trip out to the Golden Circle just so I can stop here and get more ice cream on every future trip to Iceland!

Öxarárfoss in Þingvellir (Thingvellir)

Our final Golden Circle day trip stop was Öxarárfoss in Thingvellir National Park. I was actually undecided between two stops to round out our Golden Circle itinerary – Öxarárfoss or Bruarfoss (which is close to the Efstidalur dairy).

Since I was feeling ambitious, I was hoping to fit in a couple more stops at Thingvellir, which swayed me towards Öxarárfoss. However, in the end, once we were done at the waterfall, we really needed to get back to Reykjavík to check into our hotel for our last night (and make it to our dinner reservation at Forréttabarinn).

To get to Öxarárfoss from the parking lot, there is a path and boardwalk. It was pretty frozen when we went and my boots failed me! In warmer weather, the walk here should be a piece of cake, but make sure you wear the right shoes if visiting in late fall or winter.

I will say, falling on my ass aside, the waterfall looked very cool partially frozen. It was definitely a signal that winter had arrived in Iceland! In fact, the very next day they declared it the first official day of winter.

Saving More Thingvellir For Next Time

Exploring more of Thingvellir will definitely be on a return-trip itinerary to Iceland. I really want to walk through the rift that is Almannagjá Gorge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are visibly pulling apart. We were so close! I did get a shot looking towards the rift from the waterfall at least.

I also wanted to get some shots of Þingvellir Church, and while I don’t think I could bring myself to snorkel or dive between the tectonic plates at Silfra, I’d still like to sneak a peek!

Bathrooms are nearby the parking lot for Öxarárfoss marked as “ParkingP2 WC” on Google Maps. These were well-maintained and I do recommend taking advantage of the restroom here before heading back into Reykjavík.

There are also other bathrooms further down the road at the dedicated Thingvellir Visitor Center.

Summer Day Trip Modifications

Seeing the major highlights of the Golden Circle in one day was the perfect day trip, but there is a lot more ground to cover here than you could possibly do in one day. Like I mentioned above, the Golden Circle really is deserving of at least two days to experience it all.

Here’s my wish list of stops that you could potentially add on to your Golden Circle day trip itinerary if you have more time in the summer:

Golden Circle FAQs

Still have questions about traveling the Golden Circle? Here are a few I researched prior to heading out onto this route.

Are there gas stations on the Golden Circle?

There are a handful of N1 gas stations on the Golden Circle route. If you want to stick with the pink Orkan stations, you can fill up in Reykjavík before you start your day or stop in Hveragerði on the way to Kerið Crater (if you’re following this specific itinerary and going counter clockwise).

If you’re coming from Vík, depending on your tank level, you can stop in Selfoss before continuing on the route (this is what we did). This is also a great time to pick up some snacks to hold you over for the day in between meals.

Are there bathrooms on the Golden Circle?

All of the main stops on the Golden Circle route have bathrooms including Gullfoss, Geysir, Kerið Crater, and a handful in Thingvellir National Park. Stops at farms and restaurants also offer you an extra opportunity to use the restroom.

What is Parking Like on the Golden Circle?

The Golden Circle is a heavily-touristed destination in Iceland. Because of this, main sites have ample parking – mostly paved with some gravel lots.

Multiple locations do charge for parking (or an entry fee as in the case of Kerið Crater). Gullfoss parking is free, however, as are a few of the smaller stops where the tour buses don’t frequent.

Parking is easily payable via the Parka app at Geysir, with Thingvellir opting in for Checkit.is either via QR code or payable directly at a physical kiosk.

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Will you be adding a Golden Circle day trip to your Iceland itinerary? I enjoyed it, even with the increased crowds.

People say this route offers you a good “taste of Iceland” and I’d have to agree! While some of the sites aren’t as jaw-dropping as my favorites along the South Coast, it does offer really unique sightseeing opportunities. Heck, I’d even do this route just go to the tomato farm for lunch and get my dairy farm ice cream 😉

Want More Iceland Inspo? Check These Out:

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• Where to Eat in Iceland: A Guide to My Favorite Restaurants
• What to Eat in Iceland: The Ultimate Foodie Bucket List
• Reykjavík Food Tour Review: The Best Thing to do In Reykjavík
• Snæfellsnes Peninsula Day Trip Itinerary from Reykjavík