Golden Circle Private Tour with Hvammsvik Hot Springs
by VAREN Iceland · Lagoons & spas · private · Golden Circle
Would this be cheaper direct? No — we sell at VAREN Iceland's own price and take our commission from them, not from you. What you get here is one checkout across operators, one confirmation, and one place to change or cancel it. If you ever find it cheaper on their own site, tell us and we will match it or explain why we cannot.
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Duration
11 hours
Difficulty
Easy
Season
All year
Starts in
Reykjavík
Meeting
Hotel pickup available
Languages
EN
Departs
08:00, 09:00
Minimum age
12
Cancellation
Free until 24h before
About this experience
Iceland's Golden Circle is one of the great road trips of the world: ancient history, erupting geysers, thundering waterfalls, and a landscape that genuinely does not look like anywhere else on Earth. This tour adds two stops most visitors miss - a quiet, crowd-free waterfall on the Tungufljót River, and eight natural hot springs on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in a remote Icelandic fjord.
This is a fully private tour. Your group - up to 3 people in a private sedan, or up to 8 in a private minivan - gets a dedicated guide and a vehicle that belongs entirely to you for the day. No fixed pace, no waiting for other passengers, no compromises. If you want to stay longer at Gullfoss because the light is perfect, you stay. If you want to watch Strokkur erupt one more time, you watch. The day is yours.
Your private guide brings deep knowledge of Iceland's history, culture, and landscape to every stop. They are there to answer questions, provide context, and make sure your group gets the most out of every moment on the route.
The route takes you across some of the most dramatic terrain in Europe before finishing at Hvammsvik Hot Springs - named the Best Thing to Do in the World by Time Out Magazine in 2023. Sitting in the heart of Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord), Hvammsvik offers eight pools of varying temperatures right on the ocean's edge, some of which ebb and flow with the Atlantic tide. It is a genuinely extraordinary way to close the day.
Full details of each stop are in the itinerary. Door-to-door pickup and drop-off from your Reykjavík accommodation is included. The itinerary order may be adjusted on the day due to weather or road conditions.
Please note: the entrance fee for Hvammsvik Hot Springs is not included in the initial price but can be added at the checkout page.
Description from the operator, VAREN Iceland. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.
Where you go
- Pickup from Reykjavik
- Kerid Crater
- Gullfoss Waterfall
- Geysir Geothermal Area
- Oxararfoss
- Thingvellir National Park
- Hvammsvik Hot Springs
- Drop-off in Reykjavik
Included
- Private transportation (sedan for 1-3 / minivan for 4-8, exclusively for your group)
- Dedicated, professional English-speaking guide for the full day
- Door-to-door hotel pickup and drop-off in central Reykjavík
- Flexible itinerary adapted to your group's pace and interests
- WiFi and USB charging ports available on board
- Bottled water provided on board on demand
- Parking fees and local taxes
- Kerid Crater entrance fee included
Not included
- Hvammsvik Hot Springs entry ticket (can be added at checkout / our team will assist upon confirmation)
- Food and drinks (bistro available at Hvammsvik, cafés at stops along the route)
- Personal travel insurance
- Gratuities for your guide (optional, appreciated)
Good to know
- Warm, waterproof, and windproof outer layer - Icelandic weather can change within minutes regardless of season.
- Thermal base layer and mid-layer fleece for colder months (October-April).
- Sturdy, waterproof hiking shoes or boots - paths at Þingvellir and Gullfoss can be wet, muddy, or icy.
- Warm hat, gloves, and a scarf - especially important outside summer months.
- Swimsuit or swimming trunks - mandatory for entry.
- Towel
- Flip flops or sandals for the changing area and pool surrounds.
- You will receive a booking confirmation immediately after purchase.
- Hotel pickup is included.
- Groups of 1-3 travel in a private sedan; groups of 4-8 travel in a private minivan.
- This tour involves easy walking on uneven natural terrain. It is not recommended for guests with serious mobility limitations.
- The tour is not wheelchair accessible.
- Please note: the minimum age for entry to Hvammsvik Hot Springs is 12 years old.
- Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult throughout the tour.
- Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of children throughout the tour.
- Food and drinks are not included. A bistro is available at Hvammsvik and cafés are available at stops along the route.
- Entry tickets to Hvammsvik Hot Springs are not included in the initial price and can be added at the checkout page.
- Advance booking of Hvammsvik tickets is strongly recommended, especially in peak season (please contact our team immediately).
Cancellation for this tour
Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.
If the weather cancels this tour
Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a forecast the operator judges unsafe. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.
- 1VAREN Iceland decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
- 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
- 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.
What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.
Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →
Sold out on your date?
Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.
Who this is not for
- Not for families with children under 12 — the operator will not take them, even with a parent.
- Not a good fit if you want a relaxed day: 11 hours is a long time on the road, most of it spent getting there and back.
Read off the operator's own conditions. If none of it applies to you, this is a good one.
Why we list it
VAREN Iceland is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →
Read before you book
- Blue Lagoon, Sky Lagoon or Secret Lagoon — pick by what your day looks likeThree hot lagoons near Reykjavík, three very different days. We say which one fits an airport day, a city evening and a Golden Circle loop.
- Bolt the Secret Lagoon onto the Golden Circle, not the Blue LagoonSecret Lagoon, Blue Lagoon or Fontana as the hot-water finish to a Golden Circle day. Which is on the route, which fits the budget, which to book separately.
- Hot springs beyond the Blue Lagoon — Secret Lagoon, Fontana, Mývatn and KraumaFour geothermal pools that aren't the Blue Lagoon, which tour gets you to each, and which one we'd actually pick for a Golden Circle or North Iceland day.
Reviews from our travellers
Only people who booked this tour through us can write here. We publish every review in full — good or bad.
No reviews yet from our travellers on this one. After your tour we send one email asking how it was, and what you write goes here, unedited.
Lagoons & spas — questions people ask
Is the Blue Lagoon worth it or is it too touristy?
It is busy and it is worth it, once. The water is milky blue from silica, the setting in the Reykjanes lava is unlike anywhere else, and it sits twenty minutes from Keflavík Airport, so it fits an arrival or departure day. Book a time slot in advance; it sells out. If crowds bother you, go early morning or after 20:00. The Secret Lagoon or Fontana on the Golden Circle are calmer and cheaper alternatives.
Can I do the Blue Lagoon on the way to or from the airport?
Yes, and it is the best way to use it. Transfers like IceTransfer's Keflavík to Blue Lagoon to Reykjavík (/experience/1036423/) or the reverse (/experience/1036419/) stop at the lagoon for a few hours with your luggage stored. Allow at least three hours at the lagoon and check that your slot lines up with your flight. Note that the Reykjanes eruptions have closed the lagoon at short notice; check its status before travelling.
What is the difference between the Secret Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon?
The Secret Lagoon at Flúðir is a simple, warm geothermal pool with a bubbling hot spring beside it and basic changing rooms. It is on the Golden Circle, so it slots into a sightseeing day (/experience/17050/, /experience/624446/). The Blue Lagoon is a spa: silica masks, swim-up bar, saunas and a price to match. If you want a soak after a day of waterfalls, Secret Lagoon. If you want the spa day, Blue Lagoon.
Do I have to shower naked before a pool in Iceland?
Yes, at every public pool and most lagoons. Swimwear off, wash thoroughly with soap, swimwear on, then into the water. It is a hygiene rule because Icelandic pools use very little chlorine, and it is taken seriously. Changing rooms are single-sex with open showers; some larger lagoons have a few private cubicles. Nobody looks. It feels odd for thirty seconds and then it does not.
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Pairs well with
Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.
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