Þingvellir National Park (Þingvellir þjóðgarður)

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Þingvellir National Park (Þingvellir þjóðgarður) is a National Park at Þingvallavegur, 806 Selfoss, Iceland

Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwest Iceland, about 45 minutes’ drive from Reykjavík. It holds a unique dual significance: geologically, it sits on the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart, creating dramatic fissures, cliffs and lava fields that grow a few centimetres wider each year. Historically, it is the site of the Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament founded in 930 AD, one of the oldest in the world. For over 800 years, chieftains gathered here at the Lögberg (Law Rock) to settle disputes, make laws and announce judgements. The park’s landscape is striking: the Almannagjá gorge forms a natural corridor between towering basalt walls, the crystal-clear Silfra fissure (fed by glacial meltwater filtered through lava for decades) offers world-class snorkelling and diving between the continental plates, and the Öxarárfoss waterfall drops into the rift canyon. A network of well-maintained paths connects the main sites, and a visitor centre provides historical context. Þingvellir is one of the three stops on Iceland’s Golden Circle route alongside Geysir and Gullfoss. The park’s inland location, away from Reykjavík’s light pollution and shielded from coastal cloud by surrounding mountains, makes it one of the better spots in the Golden Circle area for aurora viewing on clear winter nights.

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Where to find Þingvellir National Park (Þingvellir þjóðgarður)?

64°15'20"N, 21°7'48"W

Aurora hunting in Reykjavík?

The aurora season here runs from September to April, with the best chances of seeing the Northern Lights in October and March. The open spaces around Þingvellir National Park (Þingvellir þjóðgarður) can provide unobstructed views of the Northern Lights.

What do people think of Þingvellir National Park (Þingvellir þjóðgarður)?

  • 5.0

  • Þingvellir is the place where I am drifting apart. One part of me goes west, and other goes east. (But don't worry, it happens very, very slowly. Much to slowly for humans to notice.)

    Iceland13 January 2011

  • Magical place to visit. Check out the water with all the coins from the ages between the continents. Also the main path along the "wall" leads to a waterfall to the right if you're facing it.

    Sami S6 April 2013

  • Really a lovely place ... Nice to see the effects on the nature that causes the drift of the tectonic plates!!

    Kathryn L16 April 2013

  • Watch Iceland split into two! Pack a lunch, though, it's projected to take another thousand years or so.

    Sarah R18 November 2012

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