Þingvellir National Park
Þingvellir National Park features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Reykjavík. Give it roughly ~120 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~120 min
- Reykjavík Reykjavík guide
About Þingvellir National Park
A cracked-open rift valley where two tectonic plates pull apart, and where Icelanders founded their assembly, the Alþingi, in 930, one of the world's oldest surviving parliaments.
Þingvellir National Park lies in a rift valley on the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, about 45 kilometres east of Reykjavík, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates pull apart. It is the traditional first stop on the Golden Circle route. The landscape includes the Almannagjá gorge, the waterfall Öxarárfoss where the river Öxará drops over the cliff, and Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. The Silfra fissure, a water-filled rift on the lake's northern shore, is a well-known diving and snorkelling site.
From the year 930, the site hosted the Alþingi, Iceland's general assembly, described as one of the world's oldest surviving parliamentary institutions, which met here until its last session at Þingvellir in 1798. The Lögberg, or Law Rock, served as the assembly's focal point. Þingvellir was declared a national park in 1930, the modern republic was proclaimed here in 1944, and the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
Did you know? The Alþingi first met here in 930 and is counted among the world's oldest surviving parliaments, though its powers faded for centuries under Danish rule before the last Þingvellir session in 1798.
How long is a visit to Þingvellir National Park?
Set aside roughly ~120 min for Þingvellir National Park. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Þingvellir National Park worth your time?
Þingvellir National Park is among the 18 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Reykjavík, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Reykjavík
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Þingvellir National Park and read more:
Day 2 of the Reykjavík in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Þingvellir National Park
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