Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun

by VAREN Iceland · private · Golden Circle

Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun — VAREN Iceland

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.

More photos of Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun

Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun, photo 6Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun, photo 7Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun, photo 8Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun, photo 9Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun, photo 10Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun, photo 11Golden Circle Private Evening Tour: Chasing the Midnight Sun, photo 12

12 photos from VAREN Iceland. Tap any one for the full-size original.

  • Duration

    6 hours and 30 minutes

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Season

    May – Sep

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Hotel pickup available

  • Languages

    EN

  • Departs

    16:00, 17:00

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

Iceland's most famous sightseeing route, in the quietest hours of the day. This private evening tour departs in the late afternoon, once the coaches have turned back toward Reykjavík, and takes you around the Golden Circle at a pace set by you rather than by a timetable.

Your journey begins at Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates drift apart. This is the birthplace of Iceland's parliament, founded in 930 AD, set among rift valleys, clear water and dramatic geological formations.

You continue to the Geysir Geothermal Area, home to Strokkur, which erupts every few minutes and sends boiling water high into the air, surrounded by steaming vents and mineral-stained ground. 

Next, visit the magnificent Gullfoss Waterfall, one of Iceland’s most celebrated natural wonders. Feel the power of the glacial river as it plunges into a rugged canyon, creating spectacular views and unforgettable photo opportunities.

The tour also includes a stop at the charming Faxafoss Waterfall, a hidden gem often missed by larger tour groups. Its peaceful setting offers a chance to experience a quieter side of Iceland’s countryside.

The day closes at Kerið, a volcanic crater with steep red slopes falling to a still blue lake. A path circles the rim and a staircase leads down to the water. Your admission ticket is included in the tour price.

Evening is the point of this tour. With most visitors already back in the city, you have space to walk, photograph and simply look. From mid-May to early August, the Midnight Sun keeps the landscape lit in low golden light for hours, and waterfalls, mountains and volcanic slopes take on colours you will not see at midday. Outside that window the evening still means calm, empty sites and a long, soft dusk.

As this is a private tour, the vehicle and guide belong to your group alone. A sedan is provided for groups of one to three; a minivan for four to eight. Pickup and drop-off are door to door from your accommodation in Reykjavík.

Description from the operator, VAREN Iceland. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Where you go

  1. Pickup from Reykjavik
  2. Thingvellir National Park
  3. Faxi Waterfall
  4. Geysir Geothermal Area
  5. Gullfoss Waterfall
  6. Kerid Volcanic Crater
  7. 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 evening
Door-to-door hotel pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík
Kerið crater admission fee
Flexible itinerary adapted to your group's pace and interests
WiFi and USB charging ports on board
Bottled water on board on request
Parking fees and local taxes

Not included

Food and drinks
Gratuities for your guide (optional, appreciated)
Personal travel insurance

Good to know

Warm, waterproof and windproof outer layer - Icelandic weather changes within minutes, and evenings are colder than the middle of the day.
A fleece or mid-layer, even in summer.
Sturdy, waterproof walking shoes - paths at Kerið, Gullfoss and Þingvellir can be wet, loose or muddy.
Sunglasses.
Camera. 

Confirmation and pickup
You will receive a booking confirmation immediately after purchase.
Departure is in the late afternoon. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík is included.
Groups of 1-3 travel in a private sedan; groups of 4-8 travel in a private minivan.

Midnight Sun
The Midnight Sun is visible in Iceland from roughly mid-May to early August. 

Health and accessibility
This tour involves easy walking on uneven natural terrain, including gravel paths and steps at Kerið and Gullfoss.
Not wheelchair accessible. Not stroller accessible.
Not recommended for guests with serious mobility limitations.

Children
Children of all ages are welcome. Parents or guardians are responsible for the safety of children throughout the tour, particularly near the crater rim and waterfall edges.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  • Priced per vehicle, so it is poor value for one or two people and good value for four or more sharing.
  • Not available in winter; the operator runs it roughly May to September.

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

Reviews from our travellers

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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.

  • One checkout, any number of operators

  • Rankings are not for sale

  • 153 operators vetted, and not all of them accepted

  • If it falls short, we fix it

Pairs well with

Everything here goes into the same basket and the same single payment, however many operators it comes from.

from

€1,182 per vehicle

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