Geysir

The first time you see Strokkur go, you'll probably miss it. Everyone does. You're fiddling with your phone, the crowd gasps, and by the time you look up there's only a cloud of steam drifting off towards the car park. Don't worry. It'll go again in a few minutes.

That's the magic of Geysir in Iceland: it's one of the few places on Earth where a geyser erupts on something close to a schedule. Strokkur fires every 5 to 10 minutes, usually 15–20 metres high, and every so often it throws a big one that reaches 40. You don't need luck here. You need patience and your phone on burst mode.

Tours that visit Geysir

Glacier Snowmobiling from Geysir Area

4 hours · From Iceland

4.9(262)

From 33.990 ISK

Glacier Snowmobiling & Ice Cave from Geysir Area

5 hours · From Iceland

4.9(262)

From 38.990 ISK

Glacier Snowmobiling from Geysir Area

4 hours · From Iceland

From 33.990 ISK

top pick

Golden Circle & Blue Lagoon Small Group Tour with Admission Ticket

11 hours · From Reykjavík

4.9(2,869)

From 31.900 ISK

top pick

Grand Golden Circle Tour

8 hours and 30 minutes · From Reykjavík

4.8(3,764)

From 11.990 ISK

popular

Golden Circle Afternoon Small Group Tour

6 hours · From Reykjavík

4.6(13,888)

From 13.990 ISK

What to see at Geysir

The Great Geysir, the one that gave every geyser on the planet its name, is mostly asleep. Earthquakes woke it briefly in 2000 and it has been quiet since. Today's show is Strokkur, its smaller neighbour a short walk up the path. The whole Haukadalur valley around them steams and bubbles: clay-coloured mud pots, hissing vents, and Blesi, a hot pool so clear and blue it looks edited.

The water is close to 100°C. The rope barriers are there for a reason, and every year somebody decides they're meant for other people. Stay behind them, and check the wind before you pick your spot. If it's blowing towards you, you'll get a warm, sulphur-scented shower when Strokkur goes.

Pro tip: watch the water, not the crowd. A second or two before an eruption the pool sucks down and swells into a big turquoise dome. That's your cue. Start filming then and you'll catch the whole thing.

Best time to visit Geysir

Geysir is the middle stop on the Golden Circle, so the tour buses roll in from late morning to mid-afternoon. Come before 10 or after 5 and you can have a front-row spot almost to yourself. There are no gates, and on summer evenings the low light on the steam is beautiful. In winter the sun barely clears the hills, and watching Strokkur erupt into a pink sunrise at 11 in the morning is its own kind of special.

Winter visitors: the paths ice over. Bring microspikes, or at least boots with real grip. We've watched plenty of people do a very careful shuffle back down the hill.

How to get to Geysir from Reykjavík

Geysir is about two hours' drive from Reykjavík via Þingvellir, and 10 minutes before Gullfoss, so almost everyone sees all three in one day. Entry is free. Across the road there's a visitor centre with cafés, a restaurant and toilets. Plan on 45 minutes to an hour: long enough for several eruptions and a slow loop past the hot pools.

Geysir tours

Rather not drive? Nearly every Golden Circle tour stops here, from small-group and big-bus tours to super jeeps and trips combined with the Secret Lagoon or a snowmobile ride on Langjökull. All the tours on this page include Geysir.