Golden Circle tours with a German-speaking guide
The stop list, with the minutes
Forty minutes out of the terminal to Hveragirði, where you get 20 minutes and the earthquake fissure. Then Kerið for 25 minutes, its entry fee included. Gullfoss for 45 minutes, Haukadalur and Strokkur for an hour, then Efstidalur II for 25 minutes — a working dairy farm with ice cream and a cow shed you can look into. A ten-minute photo stop at Laugarvatn, five minutes at a viewpoint, then an hour at Þingvellir taking in Öxarárfoss, Almannagjá and the site of the Alþingi, which met there from 930 until 1798. Seventy minutes back to the ship, with an optional photo stop at Hallgrímskirkja if the sailing time allows.
That is more stops than any other tour on this site, which is the argument for it beyond the language. Compare it against the four-stop coach on the all tours page, or against the fuller list of what the loop can include on stops not to miss.
Usually included
- German-speaking guide throughout
- Mercedes Sprinter, maximum 19 guests
- Pickup and return at Skarfabakki cruise terminal
- Kerið crater entrance fee
- Free tour car park on Skarfagarðar if you drive to the pier
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Not included
- Lunch, ice cream at Efstidalur and any food
- Hotel pickup — the tour does not do it
- Departures on days with no ship call
- Step-free boarding without advance notice
Getting on the bus
Skarfabakki is the cruise pier in Reykjavík, a short ride from the old harbour, and the tour is built around the ship’s schedule rather than the other way round. Give your ship name at booking so the timings line up. There is a free tour car park on Skarfagarðar if you are being dropped off. You need to manage two or three bus steps; if you use a walker or a wheelchair, say so in advance rather than on the morning. Bring rain gear and closed shoes — Þingvellir is gravel and boardwalk, and Iceland does not care what the forecast said.
What German-speaking guests report
Klaus wrote that the guide was a native of Iceland who spoke fluent German. Marion had a guide who is German and has lived in Iceland a long time, and who put a lot of love and time into covering the full programme. Andreas said that despite the rain they made all the planned stops, and that Gunnar gave them plenty of information. Walter reported mixed weather and a good experience anyway, Anne called it a super nice small group tour, and Jacqueline noted that communication with support was always prompt. Rain features in a lot of these, and the itinerary holding up in it is the useful signal.
If you do not need German
The cheaper full-day coach lists Skarfabakki among its 23 pickup and drop-off points, and one reviewer noted being taken directly back to the MSC ship, so an English-speaking cruise passenger has a much cheaper option. It runs with a live English guide over 7 to 8.5 hours and stops at four places rather than eight. If it is the small bus you want rather than the language, the 19-seat minibus caps at the same number but collects from hotels, not the pier. Prices for every option sit on the tour prices page.
German-speakingCruise-terminal pickupReykjavik: German-Speaking Golden Circle Shore Excursion Small Group Tour
Most bookedKerið crater visitReykjavik: Golden Circle Full-Day Tour with Kerid Crater
Max 19 guestsHotel pickup includedGolden Circle and Kerið Crater Small Group Tour
Cruise timings are tighter than they look. This tour is 8 to 9 hours before the optional Hallgrímskirkja stop, so check it against your all-aboard time rather than your departure time, and tell the operator your ship at booking. In summer the loop can be busy enough that 20 minutes of traffic at Geysir is real.
Check dates on the German-language tour
4.8 from 445 reviews, and it only runs on days with a ship in port. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Golden Circle tour with a German-speaking guide?
Yes, one: an 8 to 9 hour shore excursion in a Mercedes Sprinter capped at 19 guests, with a German-speaking guide. It departs only from the Skarfabakki 312 cruise terminal and is timed around ship calls, so you give your ship name when booking. See it alongside the other seven on the all tours page.
Can I join the German tour if I am not on a cruise ship?
The tour picks up and returns at the cruise terminal only, and it runs on days with a ship in port, so it is built for passengers. There is a free tour car park on Skarfagarðar. Land-based visitors are better served by the small-group minibus, which collects at hotels.
What does the German tour stop at that others do not?
Hveragirði with its earthquake fissure for 20 minutes, the Efstidalur II dairy farm for 25 minutes with ice cream and a cow shed, and a 10-minute photo stop at Laugarvatn, on top of Kerið, Gullfoss, Haukadalur and an hour at Þingvellir. The stop-by-stop write-up is in the German tour review.
Is there an English cruise-terminal option?
Yes. The full-day coach lists Skarfabakki among its 23 pickup and drop-off points and runs with a live English guide for 7 to 8.5 hours. It makes four stops rather than eight and costs considerably less — my write-up is the full-day tour review.