The park can be done in an hour+ as everything is a stone step away from the parking lot. There is the viking made waterfall and you can do the Dead Men walking trek. Nice stuff to see but can get pretty touristical with all the people hanging around. It is the 1st stop when hitting east from the capital so will give you an idea of what is in store for rest of your trip cuz it gets better

This was a stop we had on a tour from our cruise ship. The area is very interesting. As you walk along the path you will not only see the valley that was caused by the separation of the 2 tectonic plates, but also the rocky cliffs and fissures. At the end of the path is a small but powerful looking waterfall jutting out from the rocks. In the distance you can see homes and a lake. Very nice visitor center here as well.

We visited this beautiful national park and UNESCO World Heritage Center as part of our Golden Circle tour. You literally walk between two continents, the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate. Pretty amazing! These two plates are pulling apart creating the rift valley path. The other place you can experience this is in the Reykjanes Peninsula at the Bridge Between Continents. But Thingvellir is much nicer being larger, diverse and more scenic. It is also a very popular tourist spot. We visited in September, and the crowds were very manageable. Sounds like it is much busier during the summer. Lots of hiking trails here, stunning scenery and historical markers along the way. There is a small serene looking waterfall near one end. We were surprised to see a sign explaining that public drownings and executions were held here! We started at the Visitors Center side where you can use the facilities and get coffee. It is also a downhill walk from this end. Since we were part of a tour, we walked through the rift valley once, and our tour guide was parked at the other end saving us the walk back. Our driver also drove us past Silfra where you can snorkel in the rift. This is such a unique place to visit in the world, don’t miss it on your Golden Circle journey.

Gorgeous national park with lava fields and historical sites such as the early parliament, the great geysir, Gullfoss waterfall, the Kerid volcano crater. You can visit easily on a day trip from Reykjavik but for the best experience and if you have time, hire your own car and book places to stay for one night or two along the way and carry on to the amazing moss covered lava fields, Skogafoss, Vik, the glacier, Dianond Beach, the glacier lagoon etc. Places can get very busy, lots of tour buses even in October. Much more fun to have the freedom of a hire car.

We didn't play this exactly correctly. We parked at the parking area that was not the gift shop area and then we walked the main path (Almannagja Trail) to the gift shop. This was a mistake. That trail is totally crowded and probably not worth our time. On the way back we stepped off the main trail and had some better views and a better hiking experience. Instead, hike (or walk really) the wider circle towards Flosagja. The only problem with this is you won't get as close to the Alpingi flag location. Still, staying off the main trail would have made for a much better experience.

This is important for the history of Iceland’s people because it was here that their first parliament met, from 930 onwards. Tribal chieftains from the whole island would trek here annually in June for the two-week session; sorting our rules and dealing with criminal offences. It was the Althing that decided Christianity should be the national religion in 1000. The assembly was presided over by the Lawspeaker, who had learned the entire law by heart. There were no documents at this point. The meetings took place at the floor of the rift valley, a spot marked today by the Icelandic flag. This is the point at which the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate meet, and are pulling apart. It has resulted in a rift about 4 km long and 40 m deep. You can wander around the site and visit several historical sites such as the church. The river Oxara winds its way through emptying into the deep Lake Thingvallavatn. The whole site is rightly a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s on the “North America” side, and it’s a few miles’ drive to cross “back into Europe” again.

This was one stop on the Golden Circle Route that I was surprised by; it's incredibly beautiful. There's a paved/wooden path that will bring you to some breathtaking waterfalls, which makes it highly accessible. That said, there are tons of hiking trails around here as well, so it's still a spot for those who really want to see Iceland. I highly recommend doing this; I want to come back one day and do more of these trails.

This park has a long historic location, as it hosted the parliament of the early Iceland settlers, and periodically the law was read and applied in this location, the most amazing geological feature is the fact that the park sits atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, so you walk between two continents. The tour drops you at the top where you have an excellent viewpoint of the landscape, you then can walk around following established routes towards the pickup location (30 mins. walk) the area is full of lava fields and a lake. It's a nice stroll with minimal effort.

I was lucky enough to get a free guided tour conducted by a local ranger. On the tour, I got to learn more about the historical significance of the park, as well as about the park itself. Breathtaking views are guaranteed. I would, however, suggest reserving at least 2 hours for the park to manage to go on a smaller hike, too.

An easy drive from Reykjavik, this is a good place to go to visit the Icelandic landscape that we all come to see. the Almannagja Rift is particularly interesting since it is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates come together. Technically, you can have one foot in Europe and the other in North America. Most of the trails and footpaths are pretty easy and would be accessible for most anyone. There are fantastic vistas, waterfalls and a lovely little visitors center. In spite of it's popularity and relative proximity to Reykjavik, it wasn't particularly crowded. The only minor hiccup we encountered was that signage in the park is rather poor, so it can be a little difficult to tell where you are in relation to where you want to be. Otherwise - while we did not have a long stay in Iceland, Þingvellir was definitely worth the effort.