Iceland in October half term: self-drive or guided Golden Circle tour?

[SparklyDeer]

Me, DH and 2 teens are going to Iceland for 3 night in Oct half term. The cost of guided tours for all 4 of us is v expensive (Golden Circle). It is easy /recommended to self drive - it will be much cheaper but will we miss out by not doing a guided tour?

Also any top tips for what we should see/do/where to eat?
Thanks

Self drive is easy and gives you more flexibility to avoid crowds. Geyser is great and the town nearby is a good base to stay and see things.

We did the bus tour a few years ago and it felt a bit rushed to be honest. We wished we had a car and took our own time however, when we looked into it we saw blogs saying that it was dangerous to drive on icy roads. We went in Novemeber though. I guess it depends on the road conditions for when you go and how comfortable you are.

We went on the bus tour the first week of November 3 years ago. There was already snow and ice on the ground, and some of the roads were not very “main”. It was also dark when we left (8.30 am ish) and by the time we got back (about 4pm). Just some things to bear in mind when you consider your options.

Thanks - I think I am going to look at car hire but also stopping on route overnight somewhere. Useful to know about the snow and ice as I was hoping the roads would be kept clear...

I did the bus trip and I thought it was good, especially as I was only there for a few days. We had a decent guide who gave a good amount of information, and we were lucky to have a beautiful day.

We did a self drive in Feb half term a couple of years ago. We were worried about snow/ ice so based ourselves in Rekyavik but it was actually fine. Our plan was that worst case we’d
book trips when we were there if we couldn’t drive. It’s an amazing place, we all loved it and would def go back. Have a brilliant time!

We did self drive. Don’t think sitting on a coach all day with a bunch of strangers sounds much fun and I didn’t think I needed a guide to point out great big waterfalls. Do it on your own time, have a great time, it’s a lovely place x

Sorry should have said, we had 5 days, drove the golden circle, went to Hvammasvik hot springs ( amazing and the drive around the fjord was phenomenal!), we did the inside the glacier tour, the lava tube, drove to Vik and the waterfalls and glacier down there. Really loved it! Oh and also the bridge between continents and did a volcano walk. Eating out is expensive, we ended up taking a load of itsu noodles and flasks for most of our lunches and took snacks with us. We did go to the tomato farm(?) which was nice for lunch one day. We had great lobster soup one evening and went to the food hall near the harbour in Rek which was good, also had an amazing tasting menu somewhere near there one night as a birthday treat.