Filming locations in South Iceland

South Iceland turns a set-jetting trip into one of the world's great self-drives, and its Game of Thrones credit sits at the very first stop. Þingvellir National Park, where the Almannagjá gorge splits the earth between towering walls of rock, played the road climbing toward the Eyrie and the wild mountain country of the Vale. The path is flat, well-marked and free to walk, even though the scenery feels like the edge of the known world.

What makes the place special is that it does double duty: Þingvellir is also the opening leg of the Golden Circle, the loop most visitors drive on their first day from Reykjavík. So the same morning that puts you on a Westeros road also sets you up for Iceland's headline natural sights, with no detour required. Parking is paid, but there is no entry fee for the park itself.

From the gorge, the rest of the circle rolls out in a single easy day. Continue to the erupting Geysir hot springs and the thundering two-tier Gullfoss waterfall, both within a short drive of the park. Certified divers can even snorkel the crystal Silfra fissure inside Þingvellir itself, gliding through the gap between two continental plates in water of unreal clarity.

Reykjavík makes the obvious base, since the whole loop is comfortably a day-trip and you are back in the city by evening. Drive it in summer for long, lingering light, or in winter for a shot at the aurora over the rift valley, just pack for fast-changing weather year-round. An early start beats the tour buses to the quietest, most cinematic version of the gorge.