Do you want to drive the Golden Circle in Iceland on your own? Here is a map and a guide so you can do it! It’s so easy to drive the Golden Circle on your own -it’s a perfect day trip from Reykjavik. We did it with a toddler and a newborn! When we tried to do this on our own, I was surprised at the lack of resources available that gave me all the information in one place. I hope this map and guide helps you achieve your own trip! Self-driving with a map of the Golden Circle is the way to go if you want to go self-paced and not on a schedule, which never happens with kids.

Driving the Golden Circle with this map is a perfect day trip from Reykjavik. Check out this map and guide so you know what to expect!

Are you interested in traveling to Iceland and want to know more? Read more here:

• Essential Tips to Know While You are in Iceland with Kids
• Essential Top 5 Tips for GOing to the Blue Lagoon with Kids

Map of the Golden Circle Iceland for Self Driving Tour

In this map of the Golden Circle Self Driving Tour, I included an extra stop, the Crater Kerid because this will complete the loop and you won’t be driving the same way you came. It adds a nice variety to your self-guided drive in Iceland’s Golden Circle.

Why Self-Drive the Golden Circle in Iceland

There are many reasons to do this yourself, without a tour, especially if you have kids. Kids can’t be on a schedule. Kids meltdown. Kids need naps. If you go on a tour, the meltdowns will happen all around others who are on the tour. That’s uncomfortable for everyone involved. Kids nap – our kids nap well in the car, with just us. When it’s somewhere else, around other people, they get way too excited to sleep. It’s just an easier way to see everything the Golden Circle has to offer.

Even if you don’t have kids, doing this super easy drive on your own means freedom. You get to stay in one place for as long as you want – even stay overnight if that’s what you decide.

Points of Interest on the Self-Driving Tour of the Golden Circle in Iceland

You can drive to all of these 4 locations after breakfast in Reykjavik and come back by dinner! The total driving time to all of these locations are about 3 hours. 

Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park

Driving Distance from Last Stop: 35 minutes

Driving Distance from Reykjavik: 35 minutes

Total Time Spent: 20 minutes

Total Time Recommended: 1 hour +

This park is about a 35-minute drive from Reykjavik, and our recommended first stop. Here, you will see the amazing landscape that Iceland has to offer – including ancient assembly sites, abandoned farms, a waterfall, and many viewpoints. There are miles of hiking available here to check this all out. For us, we were able to get out from the parking lot and walk a little to get the feel of this amazing park. Total time we spent at the Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park was about 20 minutes. We could have easily stayed here longer since we had time to spare on our self-driving tour of the Golden Circle.

You can also go diving or horseback riding here as well. We didn’t get to do this because our kids were too young, but definitely would want to come back for this! (Want more tips on traveling to Iceland with kids? Check out this post here.)

Geysir Geothermal Area

Driving Distance from Last Stop: 1 hour

Driving Distance from Reykjavik: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Total Time Spent: 10 minutes

Total Time Recommended: 20-30 minutes

Geysir is about an hour drive from Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park and about an hour and a half drive from Reykjavik. This place will scare the bejeezus out of your kids and yourself if you aren’t paying attention. Or even if you are! You can stand there to see the water boil up, and erupt all of a sudden! It’s like natures whack-a-mole. We actually only got to drive by to see them erupt because we didn’t want our sleeping kids to erupt on us. We only spent about 10-15 minutes driving by here, and we could still see multiple Geysers erupt!

Gullfoss Waterfall

Driving Distance from Last Stop: 10 minutes

Driving Distance from Reykjavik: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Total Time Spent: 15-20 minutes

Total Time Recommended: 15-20 minutes unless eating at the restaurant

This waterfall is about a 10-minute drive past the Geysir, so still about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Reykjavik. It is hands down one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen! It took my breath away. It’s easily accessible from the parking lot, and you don’t have to walk much to get here. There is also a restaurant and cafe here. We spent about 20 minutes here, where Tony and I took turns getting out of the car because Andrew was sleeping (he was 10 weeks old at the time). Henry got out with me, but he was not in the mood (just woke up), so he was only out for maybe 2 minutes. Someday he will regret this. 🙂 It was a short amount of time we were there, but it was enough to take in the powerful feeling of standing in front of this incredible waterfall.

Crater Kerid

Driving Distance from Last Stop: 45 minutes

Driving Distance from Reykjavik: 45 minutes

Total Time Spent: 10 minutes

Total Time Recommended: 30 minutes

This volcanic crater lake will make you feel like you went back in time. This spot is officially not on the Golden Circle as people know it, but it’s a cool stop and gives you a new way to drive back to Reykjavik. You could pay and walk around, but you could also park and look at the lake from above. We spent maybe 10 minutes here because of meltdown central by Henry, but you could spend a lot more time walking around. The drive from Gullfoss to Kerid is also where we saw a gas station. Just in case you need gas or food!

What to Bring on Your Self-Driving Tour of the Golden Circle in Iceland

Waterproof clothing

Especially if you plan to stop at the Geysir, don’t forget to wear raincoats/jackets and have backup outfits just in case! Grab these rain poncho family packs before you go – these will come in handy in so many places in Iceland!

Snacks and Food

There is a restaurant at the Gullfoss Waterfall, but as you probably know by now, Iceland is known for the super expensive food. The best is for you to pack a lunch! We were able to stop by a gas station between Gullfoss and Crater Kerid and grab some sandwiches. We recommend grabbing food at Bonus or Kronan. Check out more about getting food and wine in Iceland here. We bought a bunch of applesauce pouches from home, and these were great in a pinch!

Entertainment for the Ride

Although the total driving distance with all 4 of these stops is about 3 hours, and that may not be long for adults, it is for kids! We got by with wifi in the car (great to have regardless for driving directions), audiobooks for kids (YouTube videos on audio works too!), and fun toys for the car.

Camera

Duh. But including it here just in case. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to take pictures of these amazing places!

There you have it – our guide and map to self-driving the Golden Circle in Iceland! Have you been? What do you think?

Do you want more crucial tips on going to Iceland? Check out this post here for things like where to buy alcohol (it’s not the grocery store!), emergency lines, and road conditions!

Are you interested in traveling to Iceland and want to know more? Read more here:

• Essential Tips to Know While You are in Iceland with Kids
• Essential Top 5 Tips for GOing to the Blue Lagoon with Kids

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