Geysir

Geysir is the shortest of the three Golden Circle stops in time and the easiest in logistics: the hot-spring field is beside route 35, the car park and the services are across the road, and Strokkur, the geyser that actually performs, goes off every five to ten minutes, so there is no waiting game. Half an hour sees three eruptions; an hour adds the walk up the hill behind for the view over the field.

On the loop it is about an hour from Þingvellir and ten minutes from Gullfoss, which is why most plans pair the two and lunch at one of them. Quietest before 10:00 and after 17:00; in summer the field is busy from late morning. In winter the steam, the ice on the paths and the short day change the feel entirely, and a 15:00 arrival in December is in the dark.

The practical line, from parka.is today: the car park is charged by Parka, 1,080 ISK for a car of one to seven seats, 400 ISK for a motorcycle, covering up to eight hours, with the toilets included. Pay in the app or online within 24 hours. The services across the road include a fuel station, shop, café and hotel; the fuel operator was not confirmed on a station map today. Phone signal is good.

Safety is the water: the pools are at boiling point and the ropes mark the limit. The Environment Agency, which supervises the area, asks visitors to stay on the paths and behind the ropes; the wind carries Strokkur's plume, so stand upwind of the geyser, which the crowd will show you.