Reykjavik Sightseeing by Minibus and Golden Circle Express Tour

You will be picked up by bus from your Reykjavik hotel for this City Sightseeing and Golden Circle Tour. You will be accompanied by an English-speaking guide that knows the area well. Drive just a few kilometers outside the capital to the Presidential Residence at Bessatoir. The main building dates from the 18th century and was built on the site of a former farmhouse used as a political headquarters by Icelandic kings and foreign rulers down through the centuries. The series of buildings are reflected in a placid lake and their striking red roofs stand in sharp relief against undulating brown mountains. Continue onward to Hafnarfjörður, a charming port town that is home to an annual Viking festival and is arguably the rock and roll capital of Iceland. Hafnarfjörður is steeped in Elvin lore, and it is believed these “hidden people” live in and around the large boulders on the town’s outskirts. Drive back into Reykjavik to check out the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the Perlan building, an architectural masterwork crowned by a glass dome that holds the city’s hot water supply—as well as the attention of all who gaze on it. Surrounded by windows, you’ll be able to enjoy incredible panoramas of Reykjavik and the surrounding area. View the Hallgrímskirkja Church, a looming white structure with a 73-meter steeple that is guarded by a lone statue of Icelandic explorer Leifur Eriksson. Visit the University area and the old town centre, where the Icelandic Parliament and town hall are situated along a still pond. Set off by bus for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Þingvellir National Park. It was here that the country’s first parliament was founded in 930 AD, making it the oldest known Parliament in the world. It is also a remarkable tectonic and volcanic environment where continental drift has engraved the landscape with cracks, faults, and fissures. Drive to the world-renowned geothermal area around Geysir hot spring, where a column of water thrusts upward to a height of 180 feet. Only a few feet away is the Stokkur Geyser, which hurls boiling water toward the sky every 5-10 minutes. Continue to Gullfoss waterfall, where the wide Hvita River plunges furiously over a natural staircase of stones. When one first approaches the falls, the crevice is obscured from view, giving the appearance of a raging river that simply vanishes into the earth. On your way back to Reykjavik, make drive and pass by the village of Hveragerði, where geothermal energy has been harnessed to create unique greenhouse cultivation. Travel back over a mountain heath to the Icelandic capital, where you will be returned to your hotel.