Geysir is a location where you’ll find many geysers and is part of the Golden Circle of Iceland. Whilst visiting Geysir Iceland you’ll discover why it’s also known as the Great Geysir. Things to see in Geysir include;
- Strokkur Geyser
- Konungshver Geyser
- Blesi Geyser
- Geysir visitor center and cafe
- Gullfoss Falls
Geysir is just over an hours drive from Reykjavik, so you’ll probably stay in the capital and visit Geysir on a day trip. One very good reason to stay at Geysir would be to photograph the geysers at night with the northern lights in the sky. As a matter of fact, this photograph would take an incredible amount of luck and skill. Furthermore, there are camping options at Geysir too.
Strokkur Geyser
The word geyser means ‘a periodically spouting hot spring’ which is exactly what Strokkur geyser does. The english word came from Geysir which came from the Icelandic verb, geysa. Geysa in Icelandic means ‘to flow’. As a result, every geyser in the world which got its name from Geysir, Iceland.
How often does Strokkur Geyser Erupt?
The main attraction at Geysir is the Strokkur geyser which doesn’t disappoint. Strokkur geyser erupts every 5 minutes so you are guaranteed to see it erupt several times as you explore the area. There will be lots of tourists waiting around Strokkur to take selfies and pose during its eruptions. For this reason, Strokkur is a top Iceland Instagram spot. Lastyly, the other geysers are not so crowded neither do not they erupt regularly.
Blesi Geyser
Blesi geyser does not erupt often or to a regular schedule but it’s a better looking geyser than Strokkur. It consists of 2 colored pools of boiling, bubbling, steaming hot water. The shot I took (above) was taken as Strokkur was erupting in the distance. If the wind is blowing towards you when you’re passing Blesi, you won’t be able to see a thing for the steam. The steam doesn’t have such a pleasant smell either!
Konungshver Geyser
Konungshver is another significant geyser, you’ll also find a geyser named Geysir nearby which is very similar looking. There are many bubbling mud pits in the geothermal area too. In total you can see the whole Geysir geothermal area in less than an hour.
Geysir Visitor Center
At Geysir you’ll find free parking and can make use of the visitor center which has free and very clean bathrooms. In the visitor center I recommend you try the chocolate cake, having said that, there’s a whole bakery in there in case you fancy something more substantial.
Gullfoss Falls
A 10 minute drive east of Geysir are the beautiful Gullfoss Falls. You cannot visit Geysir without visiting one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. Read about Gullfoss Falls on my travel blog.
How to get from Geysir to Thingvellir
The drive to Thingvellir National Park should take less than an hour and you’ll pass fields full of the famous Icelandic horses on this route. When you see an Icelandic horse remember that you’re driving on a public road therefore don’t suddenly stop or worse still, park in the middle of the road. Enjoy the picturesque ride to Thingvellir.
Again I love your posts, especially on Iceland. Whenever I’ll visit Iceland. major credit will go to you 🙂 I loved the idea of staying at Geysir to photograph the geysers at night with the northern lights in the sky. That would be a photographer’s dream come true.
Iceland has been on my bucket list for so long and those geysir’s look amazing! Would love to visit and photograph these! You have got some great shots!!
I’ve enjoyed your Iceland series, this one’s no different. I’ll be sure to get some chocolate cake if we ever visit Geysir. Good to know there’s free parking with clean bathrooms- that’s not always easy to come by!
Geysers and chocolate cake, good recommendations! I’d visited geysers in New Zealand before and they’re beautiful to watch, but wow, in Iceland it takes on a whole other level of cool! Very interesting and I’d definitely file this in my to do for Iceland when I visit, good to know there’s a ton of these things to do and not just visit for the Northern Lights.
I’m planning a roadtrip to Ireland at the moment so this is timely 🙂 the colours are unbelievable! I last say geysers in New Zealand years ago, I can’t wait to see some more! Such cool natural sights.
Geysir looks remarkable. I would like to visit this someday maybe at night. I am sure that there will be so many tourists during the day. I am quite interested to try the chocolate cake too.
Ahhh Iceland has the most amazing sights! This area looks like something out of a sci fi movie, so cool! My boyfriend went to some geysers in the north of Iceland and he also said it smelled so bad hahaha
Ha! I’ve seen some hot water springs in India and been to some thermal baths in England, but never seen a geyser in an ice cold climate! Too bad that it smells bad!!! I just googled for northern lights in geysir and the images are just surreal!!!
I didn’t even know some of these smaller geysers existed. Can’t wait to check out Blesi in particular on my next visit to Iceland. I love the blue color, and the smaller the crowd, the better for me.
Wow the Geysir to Þingvellir looks like out of a fairytale. I see so many pictures from Iceland recently and I really want to go. But I guess rather when it s hot. I am not a friend of cold temperatures 🙂
I love how the geysers become blue before they shoot! I went to Iceland 3 years ago and your post has reminded of how awesome the place was. I love the pic of the geyser that you have taken from a distance…I could never get it as it was so foggy and windy that day!
Iceland is such a wonderful country and I always come back. I have so many great memories from this country, especially from a decade or so ago, before it was invaded by tourists. Back then we were alnost the only ones visiting Geysir, and were not bothered by posing tourists. Great post
The first thing I was going to ask if Geysir was named after geysers or geysers were named after Geysir, but then I read your second paragraph ;D That little tidbit of info definitely pleased the translator side of me! I find geysers kind of fascinating but cannot deal with the smell for longer than a few minutes at a time, although I’d probably make an exception for a geyser called Geysir.
I went to Iceland around 10 years ago and loved it. I have always wanted to go back and spend more time and you post has now made me want to do that even more. Great to know that it will only take you around an hour to see because it allows you to explore other amazing areas on the island 🙂
Geysers in Iceland? That sounds like a fun sight and like you said, a noteworthy subject for a photo. I failed to see this while in Iceland. It looks like I’ve got another valid reason to go back!
This looks amazing! Traveling Iceland’s Ring Road has always been on my bucket list, but I hadn’t heard of the Þingvellir National Park. Definitely going to have to check this out when I visit Iceland!