Thingvellir National Park

Thingvellir National Park

Most Golden Circle tours drop you off at Thingvellir National Park, with less than an hour to wander. With this private tour, explore the UNESCO-listed sight with more time to explore its highlights and history. You can discover where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are splitting apart, admire dramatic lava fields, and explore the park's past as the site of the world's first parliament.

• Travel in the comfort of a private vehicle for easy transport
• Get up close and personal with a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• This tour is a great option for time-pressed Iceland travelers
• Hassle-free pickup from your Reykjavik hotel

Itinerary

At Thingvellir National Park, Iceland gave birth to its first parliament and was the first democratic national parliament in the world. It’s called Althing (Alþing). Therefore it’s Iceland’s most significant and historical and geological places. The parliament was founded in the year 930 AD and is the oldest parliament in the world that’s still fully operating. Althing was held outdoors at Thingvellir until the year 1844 when the Icelandic Parliament was moved to Iceland’s capital Reykjavik and has been operated there ever since.

At Thingvellir, you can clearly see where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet and also how spectacularly these plates have been drifting apart. At the slow and non-violent speed the plates drift apart at the rate of 2 cm (0.79 in) per year. This process is steadily forming the island’s markable landscape over millions of years. After your visit to this markable place, you’ll leave with a sense of history as you explore more of the Icelandic nature since the area is a high concentration of volcanic activity and many newly lava fields can be found in many places as well as several lava tubes.