Iceland 3-Day Golden Circle & South Coast

One of the biggest questions asked about traveling in Iceland is: is a tour worth it or should we just drive ourselves? Because we were traveling in December, we opted to go with a tour. We live in Florida, USA and neither of us felt comfortable driving in potential snow and ice conditions. After researching our options, we opted for a 3-day Golden Circle & South Coast tour with Nice Travels. One thing that sets this tour company apart from others is its small group size. We had a small van that held 18 people as opposed to some of the 40+ person tour buses we saw along our journey.

Day 1:

Our tour bus picked us up right around the corner from our hotel in Reykjavik City Center at around 8am. It was still pitch black at the time and felt like the middle of the night. As we left the city, our guide gave us some Icelandic history. One of my favorite tidbits is that Reykjavik translated to English means “Smokey Bay.” As the Vikings were approaching Iceland, they saw the steam rising up from the natural hot springs and dubbed the land based on that first impression.

After driving for about an hour, we arrived at Þingvellir National Park. Walking through this park meant walking through the gap in tectonic plates, with the Eurasian plate on one side and the North American plate on the other. This is called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where you can stand with one foot in America and one foot in Europe at the same time.