Visiting Thingvellir National Park

There is no gate at Thingvellir, no ticket office and no admission charge. You pay for three things, and only if you use them: parking, the exhibition and a permit. Here are those prices, the hours and the car parks, so you can weigh the Thingvellir day trips from Reykjavik against a day in your own car.

Is there a Thingvellir ticket?

No. Thingvellir National Park has no entrance and sells no admission ticket, so there is no Thingvellir entrance fee to buy before you go. The park charges for services instead. You pay to park if you arrive by car. You pay for the Heart of Iceland exhibition if you choose to see it. And you need a permit to snorkel, dive, camp or fish.

That changes what a tour fare buys. A Golden Circle fare pays for the road, a guide and the other stops on the loop. A Silfra snorkel fare pays for the guide, the kit and, on the fares that list it, the permit. Nothing in either is a ticket to the park, because there is no such ticket.

Thingvellir ticket prices in 2026: parking, exhibition and permits

These are the park’s own charges. Everything else at Thingvellir is free to walk into.

Your parking fee covers the whole day in all three paid car parks. A car carrying a disabled parking permit pays nothing, but you must unregister the plate at Hakið or by email.

Opening hours: the park, the visitor centre, Leirar and the church

With no gate, the park itself has no closing time. The buildings keep hours, and they change with the season.

In summer the church commonly opens 09:00 to 10:00 and 13:30 to 17:00. The Leirar desk is often open later from June to August, for campsite payments. Over Christmas the visitor centre opens 09:00 to 12:00 on 24 December, 10:00 to 15:00 on 25 December, 09:00 to 17:00 from 26 to 30 December, 09:00 to 15:00 on 31 December and 09:00 to 16:00 on 1 January.

Parking at P1, P2 and P5

You have three paid car parks, and one payment covers all three for the day. Cameras read your number plate as you drive in. Pay at the machines at the visitor centre, in the restroom building beside it, at P2 or at P5, or online at Checkit.is.

• P1 Hakið sits by the visitor centre at the top of Almannagjá, next to the viewing platform where you walk down into the gorge.
• P2 Efri-Vellir lies below Öxarárfoss.
• P5 Valhöll is the nearest to the church and to Silfra.

If you only have time for one, start at P1: the view and the walk begin there. The map of the park sets the three car parks against the sights.

Getting there from Reykjavík: about 40 km on Route 36

Thingvellir lies about 40 km north-east of Reykjavík. By car you take Route 36, Þingvallavegur, the main road from the city. Road 361 runs into the park towards the Silfra car park. Check the road before you set off, especially from autumn to spring; the road conditions guide gives you the numbers to call.

Without a car, a tour is the way in. The coaches leave from Bus Stop 12 at Höfðatorg or the BSÍ Bus Terminal, and most will collect you from your hotel. Two Silfra snorkel fares meet you at the fissure, so you drive yourself. Two others collect you in Reykjavík.

How long to spend at Thingvellir: 30 minutes to half a day

The time you get depends on how you come. Here is what each way gives you.

A Golden Circle coach stop

Gets you: the viewpoint at Hakið and the walk down Almannagjá. Time: 30 to 45 minutes on most coaches and minibuses. Cost: from $85 a seat, with Geysir and Gullfoss in the fare. Best for: a first visit, when you want the whole loop in a day.

A private half-day

Gets you: the gorge, the waterfall and the lake shore at your own pace. Time: two hours in the park on one private tour, four on another. Cost: $713 per group of up to three, or $477 per person. Best for: you, if Thingvellir is the reason for the day rather than one stop on it.

Your own car

Gets you: as long as you want, the exhibition and the trails beyond the assembly site. Time: allow about 40 minutes for the exhibition alone. Cost: 1,000 ISK to park, plus 1,200 ISK for the exhibition. Best for: hikers, and anyone who wants the park at an empty hour.

Silfra in the water

Gets you: a guided snorkel through the fissure in a drysuit or a thick wetsuit. Time: 2.5 to 5 hours door to door, with up to 40 minutes in the water. Cost: from $149 a person. Best for: confident swimmers aged 12 and over.

Visiting on a tour or on your own

A tour costs more than the parking fee because it replaces the car, the fuel and the driving. It also brings a guide who can tell you why a nation held its assembly in a crack in the earth. The planning guides set the two against each other in more detail.

Accessibility at Hakið and on the tours

The viewing platform at Hakið sits beside car park P1 and the visitor centre, so you can see into the rift without walking down. Disabled visitors see the exhibition free, and a car carrying a disabled parking permit parks free once the plate is unregistered.

These state on their own listings that they suit wheelchair users: Golden Circle Classic Day Tour from Reykjavik; Day Trip to the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon from Reykjavik; Exclusive Thingvellir National Park Private Day Tour; Thingvellir National Park Tour ( Þingvellir ); Private Golden Circle Tour by Luxury SUV from Reykjavik. No Silfra fare suits a wheelchair user.

What to bring for a day in the rift valley

Bring a warm layer and a waterproof in every season. At the park’s own weather station, July averaged a high of 14.5 °C, and October brought the most rain of the year. Wear shoes with grip: the path down Almannagjá runs between rock walls, and it can be icy in winter.

For Silfra the water is 2–4 °C all year. The drysuit fares supply the suit and the warm undersuit. On the wetsuit fare from Reykjavík, bring your own swimwear, a towel and clothes for the weather. The weather page goes through the year month by month.