Visit the Thingvellir National Park in Iceland from Reykjavik

Thingvellir National Park is one of the most important tourist destinations within the natural beauty that characterizes Iceland. It is located about 44 km from the capital and is therefore also one of the best things to see or do if you are traveling in Reykjavik.

It is an area that has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco both for its geological authenticity and its historical importance. I invite you to read all the information I have prepared for you, because thanks to this help you will be able to understand in more detail what you will find when you visit it.

The best way for you to visit Thingvellir National Park will always be a guided tour, especially since it is a trip to a natural area that is relatively inaccessible to a tourist without a car in Iceland.

Most of these guided tours usually last between about 7 to 11 hours, depending on the amount of activities included in the itinerary and the type of approach offered by the tour guide.

Most of these tours include several attractions in the area known as the Golden Circle, a tourist route in southern Iceland that showcases a good portion of the island's natural attractions.

Some tours will take you only to the vicinity of the national park and offer hiking tra ils to understand its geological and natural importance.

Others often take the experience to a new level and may include a visit to the hot spring, Gullfoss waterfall and Kerid Crater in the same trip. Visiting a geothermal power generation center is also a possibility in some of these tour packages.

The means of transportation is another aspect that is very different according to each excursion, since some are intended for groups that do not exceed 19 people and therefore travel in minibuses, while there are other tours that are designed for groups of 50 people who will travel in a large air-conditioned luxury bus.

There are private tours that can take you and two other people in a private car to all the interesting points of Thingvellir National Park and there is also one that offers a snowmobile tour within the same itinerary.

All alternatives are very interesting, whether you are planning to travel alone or travel to Iceland as a family, as they are plans focused on entertainment for all ages.

Details of interest

• Prices: all are adjusted to the conditions offered by the tour, but the most common is that they are between 50 and 80 euros per person tours for large groups. Those for a smaller group can go up to 130 euros per person and private tours in a private car can cost around 500 euros per passenger. Those that include an additional attraction such as snowmobiles usually have a rate of 280 euros per participant.
• Duration: almost all of them are organized to last 7, 8, 9 or 10 hours, depending on the number of stops. Keep in mind that some are planned for an early morning departure, while others are organized for after noon, thus including sunset as an event in the itinerary.
• Advantages: with a planned tour, regardless of whether it includes a guide, you do not run the risk of getting stranded at any of the stops along the way to Thingvellir National Park. You can't forget that this is an area that is relatively far from Reykjavik and really is a completely rural area where public transportation is not a real necessity.
• Conditions: some tours have age limitations for the simple fact that they are a risky activity for a child who is too young. For example, those that culminate the itinerary with a short snowmobile tour usually require that the crew members be at least 6 years old, at least if they intend to participate in the snowmobile tour.

As for the means of transportation that can take you on your own to Thingvellir National Park, you have to know that they are quite limited.

The first option after a shared or private excursion would be to rent a private car that would take you and your companions in a more private way to this natural conservation area.

The preferred route for this trip would be to take Route 1 heading north and, upon reaching the town of Mosfellsbaer, take a right turn off at a traffic circle onto Highway 36. If you continue driving for a couple more kilometers, you will reach the west entrance of the park and park your car there.

Either way, it is essential that you always check the weather conditions before setting out on a road trip in Iceland, as on a tour you are assured that the company is aware of the challenges, whereas on a private trip you are responsible for your own road safety.

At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that it is impossible to get from Reykjavik to Thingvellir National Park by public transport, or at least exclusively. Clearly, there are no trains connecting the two parts of the country and public buses do not go anywhere near the area.

Your alternative in that case would be to take a bus that costs about 5 euros and usually takes about half an hour to get you to Reykjavegur, a town that is a midpoint between the national park and Reykjavik.

There you would have to take a cab to take you for a journey of approximately 33 km to the park entrance and therefore the fare for the one-way trip could amount to approximately 100 euros. Coordinating the return trip with this driver would be your responsibility.

Places to visit on your own

Thingvellir National Park is a place full of natural beauty, but it also has a rather unique history. This was the place where the first democratic parliament in the history of the West was founded and for this simple fact is already a very important site for the history of mankind.

As this valley is located just above the area where the North American tectonic plate and the European plate collide, it is logical that it is full of small valleys formed by a geological fault of this magnitude.

Almannagjá is a quite particular canyon where it is possible to walk through its base and it is so conditioned for tourism that the trail is paved in some sections.

Öxaráfoss Waterfall is another point you should visit on the tour of this park, which is always part of the best tours in Reykjavik, or at least those that incorporate natural areas outside the city.

The Silfra Canyon with its cold waters and the Penny Valley, known locally as Flosagjá and Peningagj, complete the list of places you should not miss on a visit to this national park.

The latter is a place full of small fractures flooded in glacial waters that have been filled with thousands of coins thrown by irresponsible tourists who believe it has some influence on their fate. So we advise you not to do it if you visit on your own, as it is completely forbidden.

Any place in Iceland is worth visiting for the fact that the natural attraction of this place is unique on earth and the landscapes you will find in its national parks belong to a geography that is just as iconic and special.

Remember that this is a territory of volcanoes in which the grasslands are completely free of trees by excessive deforestation that developed over centuries.

In the case of Thingvellir National Park you have to know that this site is even more particular for the following reasons that make it stand out as a favorite destination in the tourist itinerary of those who travel to Iceland in summer, winter or spring.

It is a place close to Reykjavík

If you are visiting Iceland it is very likely that your city of accommodation is Reykjavik, which is logical considering that more than 90% of the country's population lives in this metropolitan area.

From the capital it is quite easy to visit any of the island's must-see places without having to make an extremely long journey by road.

Thingvellir National Park is about 45 kilometers from the capital and that is about a third of the trip you will have to take if you want to venture to visit the best glaciers in Iceland. The glaciers are located at the other end of the island.

It represents very well the natural beauty of Iceland

Iceland is an island territory that due to uncontrolled deforestation was left without trees in most of its extension. This created a very special and recognizable scenery of gigantic meadows where you can see the entire horizon without any element that interrupts it.

Just in that description is included the kind of landscape that you would find in Thingvellir National Park and therefore the excursions that take you to this place really are an excellent opportunity to see in first person a natural space with these characteristics.

Includes many of the country's most iconic wonders

A good part of the natural wonders of the country are located around Thingvellir National Park and therefore it is logical that the excursions that take you to know it include one or another to form a more complete itinerary.

That means that with just one day you can get a good idea of what the southwestern tip of the island is like and the best thing about it is that it is a good tourist entertainment that is totally family friendly.

The whole island has gigantic tourist potential, but the more rural and remote locations may not fit very well into your planning if you are visiting Iceland for a very short time.

For example, Reykjavík horseback riding tours are another activity that can give you a good tour of the island's natural scenery without having to go too far from the built-up area of the island.

The first and most basic advice is to go for a guided tour in a paid excursion. The most important reasons are the ones I have already explained, such as the convenience of being able to do the activity without having to worry about anything to do with the means of transportation.

The next most logical and appropriate recommendation would be to dress comfortably and appropriately for the context of the place you are visiting. Keep in mind that this is a plan that involves hiking as an essential part of the activity and therefore you should choose footwear that is appropriate for traversing wet terrain.

Bring enough coats for the plan if you are on any time other than a summer day. When you are there you will realize that plans to do in Reykjavik in summer are distinguished by being too hot, but the other seasons of the year are much cooler than in other parts of the planet.

You can't forget the sunscreen, as the incidence of UV rays in a plan like this can be significant and you have to take care of your skin if you don't want a burning problem that will limit your enjoyment for the rest of the trip.

Food is the third factor that you have to prioritize in a visit to Thingvellir National Park, since you will not have the opportunity to buy food in any corner as it happens in any other urban tour. You can carry some snacks or simple meals in your backpacks and you also have the possibility to eat something at the gas stations along the road or at the cafeteria in the center where the cars are parked at the entrance of the park.

Something that can also be of great help is that you do not forget to bring some clothes to change your children if you are traveling as a family and you have little ones at home. It is an outdoor plan and it is quite likely that they will get dirty.

Remember that it is a terrible idea for them to come back unwrapped to continue the day with other things to do in Reykjavik in winter.

Iceland is a rather unique place in the world not only because of its geographical isolation, but also because of the composition of that same geography. It is therefore logical that there are hundreds of natural spaces without any human intervention that are worthy of being visited during a tourist trip to the country.

Vatnajokull National Park is one of these sites and offers you the opportunity to get up close and personal with a world that is dominated by glaciers, frozen caves, frozen lagoons and several snow-capped mountains.

The Svartifoss and Dettifoss waterfalls are two stops you cannot miss if you decide to visit this national park. They are, without a doubt, two of the best waterfalls you can visit in Iceland.

The highest peak in Iceland is also located in this area and contemplating it from a distance is a true winter spectacle.

Another attraction that is quite close to Reykjavik, just like Thingvellir National Park, is the Heidmork Nature Reserve.

It is distinguished by red rock formations that contrast sharply with the Icelandic landscape, which is usually characterized by green colors on a volcanic soil.

Visiting the black sand beach Reynisfjara is another stop that will probably be part of your tourist itinerary because it is among the 10 most important attractions in the whole country.

Going in winter is even more special due to the fact that the black shore is filled with ice that is constantly being removed by the sea waves.

On the border between the highlands and lowlands of the country is also another iconic site in Icelandic tourism: the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. It is very close to the sea and is a relatively accessible site from Reykjavík, although you will most likely know it if you plan a tourist tour along most of the south coast of the island.