Thingvellir National Park: The Rift, the Sights and the Rules

A national park since 1930, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, and the place where Iceland’s general assembly met for more than eight centuries. Here is what you will see, where the plates really are, what the park charges for, and how long the guided tours of Thingvellir give you there.

A national park since 1930

Þingvellir means “Assembly Plains”, and in English it is usually written Thingvellir. It lies about 40 km north-east of Reykjavík, in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð. The Alþing general assembly was established here around 930 and met here until 1798.

A law of 1928 made the site “the property of the Icelandic nation, under the preservation of the Alþing”. The national park followed in 1930. In 2004 UNESCO listed Thingvellir as a World Heritage Site for its cultural value. There is no gate, so you can walk in at any hour and you pay nothing to enter.

Walking between the plates: the rift valley

Thingvellir lies in a rift valley on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The park sits in a graben seven kilometres wide, between the Almannagjá fault on the west and the Heiðargjá fault on the east. Its floor is lava about 10,000 years old, from a crater south of Mount Hrafnabjörg.

Away from the plate boundaries the ground moves about two centimetres a year. Inside the rift the stress builds, then releases in bursts. The most recent one swept over Þingvellir in the spring of 1789. In summer 2000 two earthquakes, centred 40–50 km to the south-east, dropped stones from the ravine walls.

Three plates meet in Iceland: the North American, the Eurasian and the small Hreppar microplate. You walk inside the rift, between its walls. The plates are about five kilometres apart, so it is not possible to touch both continents at once, here or in Silfra.

Almannagjá, the gorge on the western wall

Almannagjá is the fault that forms the western wall of the rift, and the gorge that runs along it. Most visits start at its top, at the Visitor Centre at Hakið beside car park P1. A viewing platform there looks out over the valley, and from it you walk down into the gorge.

The rock rises on both sides of the path. The Sturlunga saga says the Öxará river was diverted into Almannagjá to give the assembly fresh water. One of the two places proposed for the Law Rock lies inside the gorge, against its higher wall.

A coach stop gives you 30 to 45 minutes, which is enough for the platform and the walk down. Give yourself longer if you want the waterfall as well.

Öxarárfoss, the waterfall of the Öxará

Öxarárfoss is the waterfall of the Öxará, the river the saga says was turned into the gorge. If you drive, the nearest car park is P2 Efri-Vellir, which lies below the falls. One parking payment covers P1, P2 and P5 for the whole day, so you can move the car between them.

The river runs on through the assembly site. The Law Council sat east of it until the river shifted its course, and in 1594 the council moved to the west bank. In the 10th century duels were fought on Öxarárhólmi, an islet in the river, until duelling was banned after the conversion.

Peningagjá, Flosagjá and Silfra: the clear-water fissures

East of the assembly site, Flosagjá holds clear water up to 25 m deep. Its eastern branch, Nikulásargjá, was bridged in 1907. Visitors began throwing coins from the bridge, and the branch became Peningagjá, the “Money Fault”. The lava spit between the two branches, Spöngin, was taken for the Law Rock in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Silfra lies in the northern part of the lake. It is one of about 100 fissures in the zone between the North American plate and the Hreppar microplate. It is at most 10 m wide and reaches 60 m deep. Its water left the Langjökull glacier about 30 years before, and it stays at 2–4 °C all year. The name means “silver”, for its clarity. Silfra was not formed in 1789: it has existed for more than a thousand years.

The assembly site and the church

The Lögberg, the Law Rock, was the heart of the assembly. Anyone attending could speak there, and the assembly opened and closed there. Its exact site is debated. Today a flagpole stands on the ledge at the top of the slope Hallurinn, one of the two places proposed.

Around it the chieftains’ booths once stood, built of turf and stone for two weeks each summer. The Búðaslóð, the Booth Trail, passes several of their ruins. Two lava hills, Kastalar, marked the northern boundary.

A church has stood at Thingvellir since about 1017. The present one, Þingvallakirkja, was built in 1859, and its bell tower was added in 1907. You can go in from 1 June to 31 August when a ranger is present, commonly 09:00 to 10:00 and 13:30 to 17:00. The history of Thingvellir tells the rest of the story.

Park rules and fees for visitors

Walking in is free. These are the charges and rules you meet once you are inside.

Diving is also allowed in Davíðsgjá, a rift in the north-eastern part of the lake. If you snorkel on a tour, the operator will ask you for the medical form before the day, so read it when you book.

Seeing the park on a tour: time at Thingvellir by product

The biggest difference between the tours is not the price. It is how long you actually spend in the park.

Most Golden Circle days give you 30 to 45 minutes, and one lists the park as a photo stop. The private Thingvellir-only tours give you two or four hours. The Silfra fares spend their time in the water rather than on the paths, so pair one with a walk if you drive.

Tours that give you the longest in the park

Exclusive Thingvellir National Park Private Day Tour

Four hours inside the park in a private vehicle, with hotel pickup in Reykjavík. You set the pace from the viewpoint to the lake shore.

From $477 per person

Check Availability

Thingvellir National Park Tour ( Þingvellir )

Two hours in the park with your own driver, from Harpa and back in four hours. One price covers a group of up to three.

From $713 per group, up to 3

Check Availability

Day Trip to the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon from Reykjavik

A private day with an hour at Thingvellir, then the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon. Priced per person with a minimum of two; lagoon entry is extra.

From $470 per person (min. 2)

Check Availability

Where to check these figures

Fees, hours and rules change, so check them on the park’s own pages before you travel.

• Visitor centre and exhibition
• Parking service
• Diving and snorkeling in Silfra
• Þingvallakirkja
• Rules and regulations
• Riding routes
• Licensing