“Iceland's parliament, one of the oldest in the world, met in this rift valley from 930 AD, in the open air, on the very seam where two continents are pulling apart.”
About Þingvellir National Park
The Althing assembled at Thingvellir from 930 AD, drawing chieftains from across the island to a natural amphitheatre formed by the tectonic rift. It was here that Iceland adopted Christianity by consensus around 1000 AD, and here, much later in 1944, that the modern republic was proclaimed. The assembly site moved to Reykjavik only in the late 18th century.
About Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir is the most historically charged place in Iceland and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a broad rift valley where the country's parliament was founded in 930 AD and where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates visibly pull apart. It is the first stop on the Golden Circle and arguably the single most important site in the nation.
It is the first stop on the Golden Circle and arguably the single most important site in the nation.
Where Iceland Was Born
For nearly 900 years, from 930 until 1798, the Althing, a general assembly of the country's chieftains, met here each summer in the open air to make laws and settle disputes. It is considered one of the oldest parliaments in the world. The dramatic setting, in a rift where the earth is splitting open, gave the gatherings a natural amphitheatre and made this thin valley the symbolic heart of Iceland.
The Experience
You walk through the Almannagja gorge, a literal canyon between the continental plates, with rock walls rising on either side and the law rock somewhere underfoot. The Silfra fissure nearby is flooded with glacial meltwater so clear that divers and snorkellers drift between the two continents in near-perfect visibility. The whole valley feels weighted with history and geology at once.
Why It Matters
Thingvellir is the cradle of Icelandic nationhood and a place of pilgrimage for the country's sense of itself, the spot where its laws, its conversion and its republic were all proclaimed. That this happened in a rift where the planet is tearing apart gives it a symbolic power matched by few sites anywhere.
Thingvellir is the cradle of Icelandic nationhood and a place of pilgrimage for the country's sense of itself, the spot where its laws, its conversion and its republic were all proclaimed.
Why Visit
No site explains Iceland better, which is why it opens the Golden Circle. Walk the canyon between the continents for the history and the geology at once, and add a Silfra snorkel if you want to drift between the plates underwater.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Walk the Almannagja gorge between the tectonic plates, the park's signature path.
- 2
Snorkel or dive the Silfra fissure for astonishing underwater clarity between continents (book a guide).
- 3
Parking is paid even though entry is free, so have a card ready at the machines.
- 4
Go early to beat the Golden Circle tour buses that arrive mid-morning.
