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hingvellir has been a national park since 1930. In 2004 it was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Thingvellir (Þingvellir) is the best place in Iceland (and possibly in the world) to see a so-called oceanic rift (or a continental rift).
Oceanic rift on Earth’s surface
Iceland was formed as a result of two continental plates – European and North American – separating. The phenomenon that pushes two continental plates apart also creates a characteristic mountain range on their border with a rift (kind of valley) on top. This mountain range is called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that crosses the Atlantic, as its name suggests, nearly from pole to pole. The ridge only peeks through ocean surface in a few places: in Iceland, the Azores and a few smaller islands. In Iceland the best place to see this rift valley above ocean level is the Thingvellir National Park.
Map of Thingvellir
Download the full file (jpg, 2 MB).
Download the guide to Thingvellir National Park (pdf, 5.1 MB).
Thingvellir National Park has a dedicated mobile app where you can find plenty of interesting facts. You can download it here Google Play Store oraz z Apple App Store.
You can read more about how Iceland was formed, what an oceanic rift is and what Iceland and the Bahamas have in common here How Iceland was formed – geology of the island in a nutshell.
What to see in Thingvellir
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hingvellir has been a national park since 1930. In 2004 it was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Thingvellir National Park is one of the major stops on the so-called Golden Circle – probably the most popular route in Iceland. It is no surprise, walking along the (geological) border between Europe and North America is not something we get to do often.
The park offers additional attractions linked to the rift itself, such as:
Almannagjá and Flosagja faults
Spectacular faults (-gja at the end of these words means fault) with crystalline water. In Almannagja the water comes from the river Oxara and comes into the fault via the Oxararfoss waterfall. One of the main walking trails goes through Almannagja – this is where you can walk between the vertical walls of the continental rift. Flosagja is fed by the Langjökull glacier about 50 km northeast. This fault can be observed from above.
Peningagjá (Coin Fissure)
It is the eastern section of Flosagjá, which opens up a bit and goes beneath a bridge. In the past this place was called Nikulásargjá, from Nikulás Magnússon, who drowned here in 1742. However, since 1907, when the bridge was built, it has been said that when you drop a coin here and watch it fall, you can get the answer to any question. If you see the coin all the way to the bottom, the answer is yes. If you lose sight of it, the answer is no. By the way, there are no such notions in Icelandic folklore and surely this belief was “imported.”
Öxarárfoss waterfall
Oxararfoss lies in the northern part of the Park, on the river Oxara that feeds into Almannagja. Although Oxararfoss is not large, its water flows beautifullyover the rocky wall of the rift. To read more about Oxararfoss, go here: Oxararfoss waterfall.
Silfra
When visiting the Park, you get a unique opportunity to dive between two largest tectonic plates in the world. For details, read this article: Silfra – underwater paradise or tourist trap?
Fauna and flora of Thingvellir
Thingvellir is also home to many wildlife species: unique mammals, birds and fish.
As many as 172 species of so-called “higher plants” (vascular plants) were found here, which constitutes approx. 40% of Icelandic flora. Among the most characteristic elements of the landscape here you can see dwarf birch, willows and heathers. Streams are full of trout, while birdwatchers can spend hours admiring ducks, golden plovers and snipes. The slopes of Dráttarhlíð are home to white-tailed eagle, while around the Thingvallavatn lake you can encounter arctic foxes and minks.
Naturally, most of these animals avoid humans and they are rather hard to spot, especially in the summer, in peak season.
Thingvellir historic sites
Thingvellir is not just an impressive natural monument but also a place of great historic and cultural value. Thingvellir was where the Althing – Icelandic parliament – first gathered. The right to vote was only reserved for clan chiefs but anyone could observe the meetings. It was here that laws were made and criminals were punished for their crimes. Althing is the oldest (still active) parliament in the world as its first meeting was called as early as in 930, while Thingvellir was the scene for Althing until 1799! Only then was it moved to Reykjavik.
A
lthough these days Icelandic parliament meets and works in Reykjavik, in the building called Alþingishúsið (literally the Althing House), Thingvellir remains its official seat.
Also here in the year 1000 the Icelandic nation abandoned Asatru, the Old Norse pagan belief system, and embraced Christianity. Nearly one millennium later, in 1944, it was that Icelanders declared their independence from Denmark and confirmed the election of their first president.
There are a few sites closely linked to the history of Iceland and its parliamentarism in Thingvellir that are worth stopping by as you walk in the park:
Lögberg (the Rock of Law)
Logberg is a place from where Althing meetings were initiated, where speakers addressed the public and verdicts were pronounced. A meeting was usually called in the second half of June and lasted about two weeks. Everyone who participated had the right to stand on Logberg and present their case.
Drekkingarhylur (literally the Drowning Pool)
A pool that was used for executions of women..
Until the 16th century Iceland practically did not have capital punishment. Only in 1564 the so-called Great Verdict law was passed, according to which women found guilty of witchcraft, adultery, incest and infanticide were punished by drowning. The verdicts were executed here in Drekkingarhylu: a tied-up and covered woman was pushed into the pool and held down underwater with wooden poles. The first execution took place in 1590 and the last one in 1749. Altogether 18 women were drowned here.
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he first woman drowned in Drekkingarhylur (in 1590) was the 18-year-old Þórdís Halldórsdóttir. She was pregnant outside of her marriage, by her cousin. However, she was not convicted for adultery or incest but for perjury because she swore she was still a virgin…
Men were executed in a number of other places in Thingvellir. According to historical data throughout the 16th and 17th centuries 30 men were decapitated, 15 hanged (mostly thieves, whose deeds were considered most shameful), and 9 burned at the stake. Minor crimes were mostly punished by fines, flogging or banishment.
Thingvellir Church
According to the traditional Christianity Saga it was the king of Norway (ruling over Iceland, too), Saint Olaf ordered the construction of the first church in Thingvellir in early 11th century. It is not known where exactly the first building was located, but the current church was built in 1859 on the site of the early 16th-century church. The tower with 3 bells was added in 1907.
In the summer Sunday mass is held here and the church is open for visitors every day between 9 am and 17 pm.
Thingvellir – practical tips
There is a visitor center, parking lots, campsites and toilets.
Parking costs 500 ISK for passenger vehicles. The parking ticket is valid for all parking areas at the Park, but it is best to leave your car in one place and walk in a circle. This loop is no more than 4 km long.
Toilets are in P1 parking areas, in the southern part of the Park, near the Visitor Center. They are available from 09:00 till 18:00 and cost 200 ISK.
There are two campsites near the Park: Leirar and Vatnskot:
- Vatnskot is about 2 km west from the southern border of the Park, on an abandoned farm on lake Thingvallavatn. It is open from June 1 till September 1.
- Leirar is much bigger – two campsites, really (northern and southern). It is open all year round and situated on the northern border of the Park, alongside road 36, approx. 3,5 km north from the Visitor Center.
If you are visiting Thingvellir in the summer, decent sneakers are enough (you walk on asphalt paths). In winter, naturally, it is good to wear shoes that will prevent slipping (for example on the Park’s biggest attraction – the sloping path through Almannagjá).
How to get to Thingvellir
The Thingvellir National Park is near road 36, some 50 km east from Reykjavik, right on the Golden Circle.
Map: Directions to Thingvellir.
It can be accessed both from the north and the south. Travelling from the north, you stop at the P2 parking lot, near the Öxarárfoss waterfall. If you arrive from the south you can choose between the most crowded parking area near the Visitor Center (P1) on the western side, and only a bit less crowder one – P5 – on the eastern side.
You can walk easily between these parking lots, however, you can’t drive (you would have to leave the Park and go around). Anyway, as I said, it is best to leave you car in one place and take a nice walk through the Park. The route is no more than 4 km long, so even walking slowly and resting on the way, you will complete it in 2 hours tops.
