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The Golden Circle and the South Coast

Iceland · 23 stories · 1–2 days

From Reykjavík to the rift where Iceland's parliament met in 930, past Geysir and Gullfoss, then along the volcano-shadowed south coast to the waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss and the black beaches of Vík.

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Stories along the way

  1. 1. Hallgrímskirkja: Reykjavík's Basalt CathedralAs you travel into central Reykjavík, towering over the city from the Skólavörðuholt hilltop, you cannot miss Hallgrímskirkja. The name means simply the Church of Hallgrímur, but…
  2. 2. The Literary Giant of MosfellsbærYou are passing through the quiet valley of Mosfellsbær, just outside Reykjavík. It was here, at a homestead called Laxnes, that a young boy named Halldór Guðjónsson grew up…
  3. 3. The World's Oldest ParliamentImagine standing on a grassy plain in the year 930, surrounded by crowds of farmers, traders, and storytellers living in temporary camps. This was Þingvellir—literally the…
  4. 4. The Assembly Fields of ÞingvellirAs you travel near the northern shore of Lake Þingvallavatn, you are passing through a landscape literally tearing itself apart. This dramatic rift valley marks the boundary where…
  5. 5. Þingvallavatn and the RiftYou are coming into a landscape where the earth is quite literally tearing itself apart. Spread out around here is Þingvallavatn, a name that translates simply to Þingvellir Lake.…
  6. 6. The Warm Waters of LaugarvatnAs you travel through the south of Iceland along the Golden Circle route, you are coming towards Laugarvatn. At first glance, it looks like a quiet, modest settlement hugging the…
  7. 7. The Original Gushing GiantAs you drive into the steaming Haukadalur valley, you are entering the home of an original. Every time anyone anywhere in the world talks about a geyser, they are using a word…
  8. 8. The Defense of GullfossGullfoss translates to Golden Falls, but long before you see any glint of light, you feel the sheer power of the Hvítá river carving through the landscape. As the river flows…
  9. 9. The Ghost Metropolis of SkálholtAs you travel through the quiet southern plains near the river Hvítá, it might be hard to picture this peaceful landscape as a bustling metropolis. Yet around the year 1075, a…
  10. 10. The Aquamarine Eye of KeriðAs you travel through the Grímsnes region of southern Iceland, you are driving across a landscape forged by a deep, restless mantle hotspot. Over millennia, as the Earth moved…
  11. 11. Bobby Fischer's Brooklyn BeginningsAround these Brooklyn neighborhoods, in the spring of 1949, a six-year-old boy named Bobby Fischer opened a cheap chess set bought at a local candy store. When his older sister…
  12. 12. The Gateway to HellIf you look off across the southern landscape, you are coming into view of one of the most infamous mountains on Earth. It rises like a massive, overturned boat, its long keel…
  13. 13. The Traps of Ancient HonorImagine being killed over a beard—or rather, the lack of one. Out here across the wind-swept plains of medieval Iceland, during the era of the old Commonwealth between 960 and…
  14. 14. Fire Beneath the Ice CapIn April 2010, a tongue-twister of an Icelandic ice cap managed to ground ten million travelers and paralyze European airspace for six straight days. All because a mountain few…
  15. 15. Behind the Falls at SeljalandsfossIf you are traveling through the South Region of Iceland along Route 1, right near the turnoff for Road 249 toward Þórsmörk, you are passing one of the country's most famous…
  16. 16. The Volcano That Stopped EuropeAs you travel through this quiet region in southern Iceland, look up at the mountain ice cap towering above. It is hard to imagine that in April 2010, this peaceful stretch of ice…
  17. 17. The Secrets of SkógafossAs you travel through the lowlands of southern Iceland, look at the towering cliffs running parallel to the coast. Long ago, the ocean washed right against these rock walls. The…
  18. 18. The Glacier Between Two MonstersIf you catch a strange, sulfurous breeze around here, do not blame your companions. You are moving alongside a river nicknamed the foul-smelling river, and its stench is a direct…
  19. 19. The Miracle on SólheimasandurImagine flying through a blinding Icelandic freeze in November 1973, when both of your engines suddenly choke and quit. That was the immediate crisis facing Gregory Fletcher, a…
  20. 20. Katla: Iceland's Sleeping KettleAs you travel across the wide flood plains of southern Iceland, you are driving in the shadow of one of the world's most formidable active volcanoes: Katla. Its name derives from…
  21. 21. The Door Hill of IcelandLook out towards the ocean around here, and you will see where this place gets its name. Dyrhólaey translates from Icelandic as door hill island, and standing right out in the…
  22. 22. The Dark Sands of ReynisfjaraImagine a shore of pitch-black sand, framed by towering basalt columns, with jagged rock pillars rising straight out of the crashing Atlantic. In the distance, the…
  23. 23. Life Beneath Katla VolcanoYou are coming into Vík í Mýrdal—a name that translates to Vík in Mire Dale. It is the southernmost village in Iceland, a tiny settlement of seven hundred and fifty people tucked…