Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon Tour review
Who it’s for
Short trips. If you have three days in Iceland and both the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon are on the list, this collapses two days into one and removes the transfer problem entirely. It also suits people who do not want to drive to Grindavík and back after a day on the road, and people who like the idea of a minibus rather than a coach — this is a small-group vehicle with hotel door pickup and drop-off.
It is not for under-5s. Children aged 2 to 11 share a locker with an adult at the lagoon. And it is not for anyone who finds eleven hours a lot, which is a reasonable thing to find. Caroline from Canada was straight about it: “It is a very busy day, however, at a good pace.”
The day in order
This one runs clockwise, Þingvellir first, which is the opposite of the full-day coach. The lagoon sits at the end, where it belongs.
- Þingvellir — the rift valley on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a national park since 1930 and UNESCO-listed since 2004.
- Geysir, where Strokkur goes every 6 to 10 minutes, usually 15 to 20 metres.
- Lunch, at your own cost.
- Gullfoss, two drops of 11 m and 21 m into a 32 m crevice.
- Kerið crater, entrance fee included.
- Blue Lagoon, about 2 hours in water held at 37 to 42°C, out in the lava fields between Reykjavík and Keflavík.
- Back to your Reykjavík hotel.
You choose your Blue Lagoon ticket type when you book the tour. The included package covers admission, a towel, the silica mud mask, and conditioner and shower gel. Swimsuit rental is not included.
What works
- The lagoon comes last, so you finish the day in hot water rather than getting back on a bus wet
- Admission, towel, silica mask, conditioner and shower gel are all in the price — Comfort admission alone is a substantial ticket
- A minibus, not a coach, with hotel door pickup and drop-off in Reykjavík
- Guides that reviewers name individually: Louise from the UK said Walter’s “passion for his country poured out of him”, Cindy from the US wrote “Monica made the trip”, and Tracey credited KiKi’s personal anecdotes
- Kinder to limited mobility than its length suggests — Micole from the US wrote “Even with my limited mobility, I enjoyed every stop, and the surprise stop to feed horses was delightful”
- Bettina from Denmark rated the driver’s knowledge of the route, which on an eleven-hour day is not a small thing
Worth knowing
- Eleven hours, and the Blue Lagoon is not on the Golden Circle — the extra driving is the price of doing both
- The most expensive per-person day on this site
- Food is not included and Emma from Sweden thought “a coffee break in the afternoon would have been nice, in addition to lunch”
- Swimsuit rental is extra; pack your own
- No under-5s, and 2 to 11s must share an adult’s locker
- Pickup is Reykjavík hotels only — there is no Keflavík airport option on this one
Do not book this for your last day and assume you can go straight to the airport afterwards. The tour drops you back in Reykjavík, not at Keflavík, even though it drives past the turn-off. If you want a lagoon stop on an airport day you need a different plan, and the private jeep is the only tour here that will collect you at the airport.
Why the rating is the highest of the eight
Four point nine from nearly six thousand ratings is a strong number for a day this long, and I think there are two reasons. First, the vehicle: nineteen-ish people in a minibus arrive and leave at every stop faster than sixty on a coach, and the difference compounds across seven stops. Second, expectation. Everyone books this knowing it is eleven hours, so nobody is ambushed by the length, and the finish is a hot lagoon rather than a bus station.
The complaints in the reviews are small and mostly about food and the afternoon gap, which is a good sign. A day with real structural problems does not produce reviews asking for a coffee break.
Is it worth the money?
Work backwards from the ticket. Blue Lagoon Comfort admission is a substantial ticket and Premium more again, and that is before you have solved the transport out to Grindavík and back. Once the admission, the towel and the mask are stripped out, the guided loop itself is not costing you dramatically more than the standard coach. That is the honest arithmetic, and it is why this tour rates well despite being the priciest per head. If the lagoon was never a firm plan, though, you are paying a lot for a maybe — take the Secret Lagoon combo or the plain coach and put the difference somewhere else. Full context on the Blue Lagoon combo page.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you get at the Blue Lagoon on this tour?
About two hours in the water, at the end of the day, with admission and a towel included and the ticket type chosen when you book. The lagoon runs 37 to 42°C and sits in the lava fields between Reykjavík and Keflavík, well off the loop, which is why the day runs to eleven hours. See the Blue Lagoon combo page for the alternative of booking the two separately.
Can children do this tour?
Not under 5. Children aged 2 to 11 share a locker with an adult at the lagoon, which is the operator’s rule rather than a suggestion. For a family day out the small-group loop or the Golden Circle with kids page will serve you better.
Is eleven hours too long for one day?
It is long, and reviewers say so, but it is well paced and finishes in hot water rather than on a motorway. If you would rather not spend a whole day on it, the six-hour afternoon tour covers the same three headline sights with shorter stops, and you can do the lagoon on a different day.