24 HOURS IN ICELAND
What can you do on a shorter trip? A lot! We had a 24 hour layover and we explored what is called the golden circle. Check out our road trip below, where we went and what we saw.
1. THE BLUE LAGOON
Despite having only 24 hours you can still fit in a trip to the Blue Lagoon. Prices vary and pre-booking is now required. We suggest spending 2 hours enjoying the warm water before heading back out onto the road. The Blue Lagoon is a detour from the traditional Golden Circle route but it is certainly worth it as part of your trip.
2. GULFOSS
One of the main places to visit on the Golden Circle. Gulfoss is Europes most powerful waterfall and a magnificent sight. No trip to Iceland would be complete without a stop off at the viewing locations to see this waterfalls raw power.
3. LITTLE GEYSIR & STROKKUR
Next on the list is Geysir and Strokkur. Get ready for some fireworks as these hot springs erupt from the earth. The typically go off every few minutes and it is fun to stop here and enjoy volcanic heated water erupt 30 feet into the air. The Great Geysir no longer erupts.
4. THINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK
The only place in the world where you can dive between two tectonic plates. The plates drift apart by about 2 cm each year and is an exciting opportunity as part of this trip. There are also other options such as Icelandic ruins and hikes to experience in the National Park.
5. REYKJAVÍK
After exploring the Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle we headed back towards Reykjavík as we had been on the go for more than 15 hours. We were in Iceland in June for this particular trip and this meant that we had a beautiful midnight sun and were able to explore the country long past normal daylight hours. We decided to drive through the empty streets of the capital past midnight on the way to our hotel before our flight the next morning.
