Top 10 Best Camping Spots in and Around the Golden Circle

Camping in the Golden Circle is one of the best ways to experience the route. You arrive at Geysir before 7 AM when the steam rises undisturbed and the car park is empty. You walk to Gullfoss at 9 PM in golden evening light with nobody else on the viewpoints. You wake up in Þingvellir National Park with the gorge a five-minute walk from your tent.

The campsite network along the Golden Circle is good. All sites have basic facilities at minimum. Some have hot tubs, restaurants, horse riding, and laundry. Prices run from ISK 1,500 to 2,500 per person per night, making camping one of the most affordable ways to stay on the route.

One rule applies everywhere: wild camping is illegal in Iceland. All overnight stays must be at registered campsites. Parking a campervan in an attraction car park overnight is not permitted. Fines are enforced.

1. Nyrðri Leirar Campsite, Þingvellir National Park

• Price: Approximately ISK 1,800 per adult per night
• Open: June 1 to September 15 (summer), September 16 to May 31 (winter, limited facilities)
• Facilities: Toilets, showers, running water

The most atmospherically positioned campsite on the entire Golden Circle. Leirar sits inside Þingvellir National Park on the rift valley floor, with Þingvallavatn lake visible across the open landscape and the gorge a short walk away.

Being inside the park means you get to Þingvellir before and after the day visitors. Early morning in the gorge before 8 AM, with frost on the walls and the lake still, is available to campers as a pre-breakfast walk. Evening in the park once the tour buses have gone, is a completely different experience from midday.

The site is basic but functional: toilets, showers, and a grassed camping area. Book in advance at thingvellir.is. Summer season fills quickly, particularly July and August.

Best for: Campervan travelers and tent campers who want the closest overnight base to Þingvellir and the most atmospheric Golden Circle camping experience.

2. Vatnskot Campsite, Þingvellir National Park

• Price: Approximately ISK 1,800 per adult per night
• Open: June to September
• Facilities: Toilets, showers

A second campsite within Þingvellir National Park, located on the southern shore of Þingvallavatn lake. The lake setting is the draw here: pitching a tent on the lakeshore with the rift valley walls visible across the water is one of Iceland's finest camping locations.

Vatnskot is quieter than Nyrðri Leirar and further from the main gorge walk, making it a better choice for campers who want the lake setting over proximity to the main park access point.

Best for: Tent campers who want a lake-view camping position inside the national park.

3. Skjól Camping, Between Geysir and Gullfoss

• Price: Approximately ISK 2,500 per adult per night
• Open: May 1 to September 10
• Facilities: Showers, kitchen area, WiFi, restaurant and bar, laundry, horse riding available

The best-equipped campsite directly on the Golden Circle route. Skjól sits centrally between Geysir (8 km) and Gullfoss (9 km) on Route 35, positioning campers within easy reach of both main stops on the eastern Golden Circle.

The facilities here are the most comprehensive of any campsite on the route: a proper shower block, a shared kitchen for self-catering, free WiFi, a restaurant and bar for meals or drinks, and laundry facilities. Horse riding tours depart from the campsite, which is a specific advantage for travelers who want to add an equestrian experience without a separate drive.

The campsite can get crowded in peak summer given its central location and strong facilities. Arrive before 5 PM on summer weekends to secure a good pitch.

Best for: Campervans and tent campers who want the best facilities in the most central Golden Circle location.

4. Geysir Camping Ground

• Price: Approximately ISK 2,500 per adult per night
• Open: May 15 to September 15
• Facilities: Showers, WiFi, electricity hookups, adjacent to Geysir Center facilities

The campsite is directly adjacent to the Geysir geothermal area. The proximity to Strokkur is the defining advantage: campers can walk to the geyser field at any hour. Evening at the geyser after day visitors have left, with the steam from the surrounding springs rising in the cooling air, is a specific experience that staying here enables.

The Geysir Center restaurant, supermarket, and toilets are all within a few minutes' walk, making this one of the most practically convenient campsites on the route. Electricity hookups are available for campervans, which is not universal across Golden Circle sites.

The campsite is small relative to the number of visitors it attracts given its location. Book ahead or arrive early in peak summer.

Best for: Campervans wanting electric hookups and proximity to Geysir, and anyone who wants early morning or late evening geyser access.

5. Úthlíð Campsite, Near Geysir

• Price: Approximately ISK 2,000 to 2,500 per adult per night
• Open: May to September
• Facilities: Showers, hot tubs, restaurant, free WiFi

Approximately 10 km from Geysir, Úthlíð is a campsite with hot tubs, which makes it the most comfortable camping option in the Geysir area. The outdoor hot tubs in a rural setting with dark skies give it a Northern Lights advantage in autumn and early summer evenings when conditions allow.

The restaurant on site reduces the need to drive to the Geysir Center for meals, and the general facilities are a step above basic. It has more of a resort character than a wilderness camping feel, which suits travelers who want comfort with their outdoor experience.

Best for: Campers who want hot tub access near Geysir, and anyone who prioritizes comfort over raw wilderness atmosphere.

6. Faxi Waterfall Campsite

• Price: Approximately ISK 1,500 to 2,000 per adult per night
• Open: May to September
• Facilities: Toilets, showers, basic facilities

A small, quiet campsite adjacent to Faxi waterfall on Route 35 between Geysir and Gullfoss. Faxi is one of the most overlooked stops on the Golden Circle circuit: a wide, low 7-meter waterfall with a salmon ladder on the right side, almost always uncrowded.

Camping here gives you the waterfall to yourself in the evening and early morning. The site is basic and small, suited to tent campers and smaller campervans. The sense of quiet compared to the main attraction campsites is the primary draw.

Best for: Tent campers and small campervans who want a quiet, characterful site near the Golden Circle with immediate waterfall access.

7. Laugarvatn Camping

• Price: Approximately ISK 1,800 to 2,200 per adult per night
• Open: May to September
• Facilities: Toilets, showers, electricity hookups, close to village amenities

In the village of Laugarvatn on Route 365, the most centrally positioned campsite on the full Golden Circle circuit. Þingvellir is 15 km to the west, Geysir is 20 km to the east. The Fontana geothermal baths are a five-minute walk from the campsite.

The village has a supermarket and petrol station, which no other campsite location on the Golden Circle can offer. The lake views from the campsite across Laugarvatn are calm and photogenic.

Best for: Campers who want the most central base for the complete Golden Circle route, with resupply options walking distance away.

8. Flúðir Campsite, Near the Secret Lagoon

• Price: Approximately ISK 1,500 to 2,000 per adult per night
• Open: May to September
• Facilities: Toilets, showers, basic facilities

In Flúðir village on the return leg of the clockwise Golden Circle via Route 30. The Secret Lagoon is within walking distance of the campsite. Staying here gives you evening access to the Secret Lagoon once day visitors have gone, with a warm geothermal soak before bed.

The village is quiet and rural, with minimal light pollution. On clear autumn nights, Northern Lights are visible from the campsite with reasonable frequency. The combination of a geothermal pool within walking distance and dark skies for aurora viewing makes this one of the more specifically rewarding camping locations on the route.

Best for: Campers who want evening Secret Lagoon access and good Northern Lights conditions on the Golden Circle return leg.

9. Selfoss Camping

• Price: Approximately ISK 1,800 to 2,500 per adult per night
• Open: Year-round at some sites, check specific sites at tjalda.is
• Facilities: Toilets, showers, electricity hookups, close to town facilities

In Selfoss, the largest town in the Golden Circle area, approximately 60 km from Reykjavik on Route 1. The camping facilities here benefit from the town's infrastructure: supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, and petrol stations all within walking distance or a short drive.

Selfoss works best as a base for campers covering both the Golden Circle and the South Coast rather than as a dedicated Golden Circle-only stop. The town's facilities make resupply and logistics straightforward in a way that rural campsites cannot match.

Best for: Ring Road campers using Selfoss as a practical logistics base, and those combining the Golden Circle with South Coast driving.

10. Hvolsvöllur Campsite, South Coast Gateway

• Price: Approximately ISK 1,500 to 2,000 per adult per night
• Open: May to September
• Facilities: Toilets, showers, playground, within walking distance of village

Hvolsvöllur sits approximately 30 minutes east of Selfoss on Route 1, positioned between the Golden Circle and the main South Coast attractions. The campsite is within walking distance of the village centre, which has a grocery store, pharmacy, and swimming pool.

Camping here after completing the Golden Circle positions you perfectly for Seljalandsfoss the following morning: the waterfall is approximately 15 minutes by car from Hvolsvöllur, and arriving at dawn before the day-trippers from Reykjavik makes it one of Iceland's finest early morning experiences.

Best for: Campervans doing the Golden Circle followed by the South Coast, who want a well-serviced overnight stop between the two routes.