If you visit Iceland, you will inevitably hear as one of the must do activities to spend half a day or a day driving or being driven on a tour to the Golden Circle. Besides the famous Blue Lagoon and the rainbow Skólavörðustígur road leading to Hallgrímskirkja, photos from the Golden Circle are among the most iconic and frequently seen of Iceland. This is my version of Golden Circle highlights in terms of photos and what info about the site was interesting to me. 
The Golden Circle is a route to the three most popular natural attractions in Iceland: Þingvellir /Thingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss Waterfall. Strictly defined really that’s not a circle yet, but looping around instead of going back on the same road, you can see other sights ranging from Icelandic horses and geothermal greenhouse to Secret Lagoon hot springs to colorful Kerid Crater, as well as just other photogenic scenes that may lure you to stop and take in the view, all along the way.
Some have called it an introductory day trip sampler of what you could see along the larger Ring Road that goes all around Iceland taking multiple days or even trips to traverse. Some people even recommend you do the Golden Circle first because once you see the larger Ring Road the Golden Circle may not seem as grand anymore. I interpret this less as a statement about the Golden Circle, but just how breathtaking Iceland is, especially as you branch out farther from Reykjavik,that raises the bar even higher.
The Golden Circle sights are all within a 1-2 hour or so drive from Reykjavik. Taking a tour allows you to take in the landscapes without having to worry about driving in 40mph or stronger winds or ice if you come during colder months. Guides also provide you information about what you are seeing and sometimes tips of where to go for a good view, and you can sit back without driving or navigating. Fellow tour participants may help take photos for you.
On the other hand you are then limited time-wise to what the tour offers at each stop on their schedule, and you can’t stop at any interesting points along the way. You will always be in a group – not only with your other tour participants, but many tour buses take similar routes at similar times. There are many Golden Circle tours ranging from big tour bus to smaller tour vans. The tour itinerary may offer different stops beyond the big three, or different order of stops, so you will need to pick what interests you the most and what stops you are willing to skip.
A car is freedom, but also more work and responsibility to research. That said you can find self-drive travel guides to help with that. Also consider that you may find that you want to stay overnight around this area rather then return to Reykjavik, and if so you will want a car. For instance here’s my list of Golden Circle highlights that starts with the main three and then other stops you might want to consider on the Golden Circle route.
