Geysir Travel Guide

  Strokkur Erupting
by jmpncsu
  • Strokkur Erupting
      Strokkur Erupting
    by jmpncsu
  • Geysir
      Geysir
    by jmpncsu
  • Geysir Area from Laugafell
      Geysir Area from Laugafell
    by jmpncsu
  • Konungshver Hot Spring
      Konungshver Hot Spring
    by jmpncsu
  • Geysir
      Geysir
    by jmpncsu

Pro

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 Interesting 


Con

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 Sulphur scent 


In a nutshell

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 A must see to any visitor to Iceland 

 

Explore Geysir

Things to Do  

The Great Geysir

The Great Geysir, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  The marquis draw is, of course, the Great Geysir. Unfortunately, Geysir stopped erupting regularly quite a few years ago. In the past couple of years, it has started erupting again, roughly once or twice a day, but the eruptions are nowhere near as impressive as in the past.... 

Litli Geysir

Litli Geysir, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  Next along the path is the "Little Geysir." While nowhere near as impressive as its "big brother," the little guy will simmer and sputter, and occasionally spurt out a fountain a few feet in the air. A worthwhile diversion while waiting for one of the bigger guys to erupt. 

Strokkur Ace

Strokkur Ace, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  Nowadays, the big draw is the Strokkur (or the Churn). It erupts quite regularly -- once every few minutes. The streams of water have been known to go as high as 30 meters (100 feet) in the air, but they don't always. Keep an eye on the pool: you will see it "breathe" right... 

Konungshver

Konungshver, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  Konungshver, or the king's hot spring, normally is just that -- a hot spring. It releases steam from time to time, and occasionally erupts, but it is normally known for its blue hue. Again, inviting as it may appear, don't even think about touching the water, unless you... 

Visit Gullfoss

Visit Gullfoss, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  If you're in a mood for a fairly long walk, you can make your way by foot from Geysir to the spectacular waterfall Gullfoss. Walk on Route 35 northward towards Kjölur for about 10 km (6 miles), and you will come upon the site, just as route 35 becomes Route F35 ("F" denotes... 

Look at the "Little Guys"

Look at the "Little Guys", Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  The first things you'll see when you cross the road from the hotel or parking lot is a series of smaller, steaming pots. This area is known as Þykkuhverir, or "viscous hot springs." Some of these are artificially capped, presumably to provide steam to the complex. You'll... 

Geysir

Geysir, Geysir

 jmpncsu Says:  Geysir is one of the main attractions on the popular Golden Circle route. We visited Geysir on our Golden Circle tour with Iceland Guided Tours. Geysir, from which the word geyser is derived, can be considered the "original" geyser. It used to erupt quite powerfully, but is... 

Gentle beasts

Gentle beasts, Geysir

 Assenczo Says:  Icelandic horses are all over the place but the most of them must be in Southern Iceland where the best grazing is. These beautiful creatures can be seen on your Golden (Moss) Triangle Tour with great ease. In case of personal control of the vehicle one can stop, admire and... 

Geysir - the original one.

Geysir  - the original one., Geysir

 Regina1965 Says:  Geysir itself, which is the best known geysir in the world and gives its name to all the other geysirs, started spouting after a big eartquake, Suðurlandsskjálftinn, in the 13th century. Geysir stopped erupting in 1915, but it must have been a sight to see as it went about... 

Restaurants  

Restaurant Geysir: Dinner With a View

Restaurant Geysir: Dinner With a View, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  The restaurant at Geysir is of excellent quality but quite expensive. The advantage: a tremendous view of the thermal field. Enjoy your romantic dinner and watch Strokkur erupt every few minutes through the restaurant's picture window. Main courses are quite pricey -- from... 

Geysir shop.: The national meat-broth and fast food.

Geysir shop.: The national meat-broth and fast food., Geysir

 Regina1965 Says:  There is a souvenir-shop next to the Geysir hotel. In this shop there is also the Geysir geocentre and a restaurant. There you can get hamburgers and the normal fast-food, but also the national Icelandic meat-broth, which is very popular here.The Geysir hotel is next to the... 

Transportation  

Bus From Reykjavík

Bus From Reykjavík, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  Bílar og fólk Bus Line 2 runs twice daily June 1 - August 31 from Reykjavík bus station via Selfoss. Reykjavik Excursions also runs seasonal (June 15 - August 31) passenger (i.e., non-"Golden Circle" tour) service from Reykjavík via Þingvellir. Finally, roughly from June to... 

Bus

Bus, Geysir

 acemj Says:  Most visitors who come here arrive via tour buses like this one. I wanted to try to see the sights of the Golden Circle Tour without actually joining a tour group, but when I calculated the costs of renting a car and doing it on my own, it really wasn't worth it. Unless... 

Shopping  

Geysisstofa: Gift Shop
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3.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

acemj 4857 reviews

Across the street from the geyser field, you'll find a hotel with a gift shop as well as the Geysisstofa (geysircenter.com), which has an earthquake simulator and an audio-video show that explains the geological wonders of Iceland.

I grabbed a snack at the cafeteria, browsed through the expensive items at the gift shop and escaped the cold rain that picked up as we were observing the geyser eruptions.

Updated Jun 3, 2007

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Warnings and Dangers  

Stay on the paths!

Stay on the paths!, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  A very important thing to do in this area is to stay on the paths. I was told a dozen tourists or so every year get severely injured by straying from the paths and/or doing something stupid such as putting their hands in the water. Be aware the water in these vents is... 

Look, don't touch

Look, don't touch, Geysir

 acemj Says:  The geyser fields here are strewn with steaming earth, streams, trickles and pools of water. Some of the water is hot. Some is not, but you really never know what you're going to encounter, so try to resist the temptation to test the water with your finger. Water that is... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Walk to Haukadalur

Walk to Haukadalur, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  A nice diversion is to walk down the gravel path to Haukadalur. While this entire area is technically the "Hawk Valley," the specific area I'm talking about is a nature preserve about a 2 km (1.5 mile) walk down a gravel path. In this area, you'll find a bird sanctuary, a... 

Hike to Bjarnarfell

Hike to Bjarnarfell, Geysir

 travelfrosch Says:  Just off from the hot spring complex is a hill known as Bjarnarfell. If you follow the path up the hill, you can get to the top in about 30 minutes. From there, you can get excellent views of the Geysir area, as well as surrounding valleys. If you have time (which you won't... 

Favorites  

Why does water fly toward the sky?

Why does water fly toward the sky?, Geysir

 acemj Says:  Geysers are caused by surface water seeping down through the ground until it meets rock that is heated by magma beneath the surface. There is a reservoir of water toward the bottom of the geyser column. After this water is heated beneath the ground, it rises back toward the... 

Geysers in action!

Geysers in action!, Geysir

 Gentenaar Says:  Geysir national park is a lovely location in the inland of Iceland, there is a shop / restaurant, the beautifull nature and offcourse the hot water springs and geysers. It's a very touristic place. The most active geyser the "Strokkur" pumps up water every 4 to 8 minutes and... 

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Map of Geysir