Thingvellir

In the spring of 2010, we took a trip to Iceland from Stavanger for a long weekend. We rented a car and did quite a bit of sightseeing in this beautiful and interesting country. One of the trips was to this National Park which is a WHS. The reason for this site is that it is of historical importance. However, I did not really see much interesting in that regard.

However, what was interesting to us was that park is in the middle of the rift zone and apparently this is on top of the plate boundaries with the American plate to the West and the European plate to the right. As half European / half American it is quite interesting to see the two sides and to walk the bridge from America to Europe. There are also some cool rock formations, but other than that not too great of a sight or even much of a highlight in Iceland.

I visited this WHS in 2022 as a very early rise and shine visit (since I couldn't sleep much due to sun almost never going down in the summer months in Iceland). The WHS proper within the Thingvellir National Park is always open 24/7 and parking (any time) in most of the car parks comes with a fee payable by credit card in one of the machines. I parked just next to the visitor centre (still closed when I arrived and eventually left), and in front of it is a very nice viewing platform as well as the UNESCO WHS inscription plaque.

The only really OUV (arguably more of a national value really) lies in the "story" related to the Lögberg”, the rocky outcrop marked with a white flagpost (the Iceland flag is only flown during the visitor centre's opening hours) where the Speaker of Parliament had his seat and from where public speeches were held. If truth be told this current location might not even be the exact location after all due to changes in the surrounding landscape. In my opinion this should really be extended to a mixed site to cover the interesting natural features of the national park which are by far more tangible than the current WHS as it stands. 

From the visitor centre I followed two main signposted hikes, mainly on wooden boardwalks, which are worth doing, namely the hike to the Öxarárfoss waterfall and further beyond if you are not pressed for …

We first visited a quiet, sunny Thingvellir in the summer of 2013, as a standard one-hour stop off on the aforementioned Golden Circle tour from Reykjavik, which also took in Gullfoss, Strokkur Geyser and some snowmobiling. The previous reviews are correct, in that a tour stop off didn’t bring the depth that the site otherwise could being a visitor. Yes, we got the magnificent backdrop and the importance and age of the parliament and its link with the sagas - what UNESCO terms “a unique reflection of medieval Norse/Germanic culture”. We walked the boardwalks and took in the cliff-top view from the unvisited visitor centre. But we have no memory of agricultural or parliamentary remains (outside of the Logberg) and to be honest, I don’t remember even reading any information boards at all! Always open and free to enter (which is not always Iceland’s strong point), it is a unique site that warrants more time than a standard tour can give.

A subsequent Silfra snorkelling trip was made several years later, which is reviewed in the tentative listing for the extension of the WHS.

Thingvellir is probably Iceland’s most popular tourist attraction (well, the geysers may just beat it), but surely the core of the country’s national identity. Its meaning has already been well explained by previous reviewers: it comprises the remains of the place where the Althing, the Icelandic ‘parliament’, met yearly to make judicial and administrative decisions. I’ll focus a bit more on the practical details of visiting as I was surprised by some.

I arrived by car from the north (road 36) and was immediately confused about where to park. There are signs, and there are numbered parking lots, but the pros and cons of those were unclear. I ended up in parking lot P2 which is at the northern end of the park. It is paid parking, it costs 750 ISK per full day (4,60 EUR). You pay with a credit card at a machine after typing in your car registration plate number. P1 and P5 are also paid, but lot P3 is free however located a few hundred meters further away. P4 is for the handicapped only. 

A pole with signs in Icelandic awaited me at the start of the trail, signs to… yes to what actually? There were things on it like “Lögberg 350m” and “Hakid 300m”. I decided to just follow the main path along the ridge, where I encountered the following (fortunately with information panels in English too):

• The intriguing “Drekkingarhylur”, which turned out to be a place where women were drowned …

This could probably be said of all World Heritage Sites, but a little bit of research makes a huge difference for how you'll experience Thingvellir. If you do the standard stop-off along the Golden Circle, you'll see a very nice view across a scenic valley (assuming the weather is clear, which is a big gamble based on my admittedly limited experience in Iceland), a lovely waterfall, and, if you go to the gorgeous new visitor center, an excellent introduction of the geological, ecological, and cultural importance of the park. But Thingvellir (and, really, Iceland in general) is a place that deserves a deeper dive. Read up on the geology of Iceland before you go. Given that most of the world's plate boundaries are underwater, it's rare enough to be able to walk between continents (as you can do here), but to be able to stand atop the world's longest (and mostly submerged) mountain range, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, is an even rarer opportunity (your choices are basically Iceland and the Azores). As one of the only large islands in the North Atlantic, the flora and fauna of Iceland are isolated and unique, and Thingvellir is one of the best places to see both (especially the flora, though I understand that this is one of the few places near Reykjavik where you can see Arctic foxes, which I sadly did not). Above all, if you want to make sense of Iceland, read its literature to understand why Thingvellir is the beating heart …

Thingvellir National Park has to be one of the most geologically fascinating sites I have visited, sitting atop the rift between the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates. It isn't the geology on its own which got this park inscribed as a World Heritage Site, though it provides a stunning backdrop, particularly in winter as the black basalt cliffs stand in stark contrast to the snowy plains. But the geology is what made this an ideal site for the founding of the Althing, the oldest parliament in the world, which met at Thingvellir annually. At the base of the cliff formed by the edge of the North American plate is a rock outcropping the Icelandic people call the Lögberg, or Law Rock, which is now marked by an Icelandic flag. Here, the legislature would meet, and the law would be read to the people gathered on the plains below. The assembly was open to all free men, who would bring their families and camp on the fields of the rift valley in what must have been an incredible social gathering. The Althing no longer meets at Thingvellir, having moved to the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik almost 175 years ago. Still, Thingvellir National Park is a stunning site to see, and, after having visited the site this past January, I would love to return to see it in summer.

Logistics: Thingvellir National Park can be reached by numerous tours operating out of Reykjavik or by private transporation; there are …

A trip out to Thingvellir is an essential part of any trip to Icelend - as well as providing an opportunity to see some Icelandic scenery (albeit a long way from the wildest!) you will reach a place which interesting both for its

a. Geology – this split in the rocks in the photo is the Mid Atlantic Ridge which runs across Iceland as it spreads at around 2 metres per century (Near Myvatn in the north there is a rather nice piece of evidence of this as a water pipe has been parted as it crosses the gap!)"Interesting" as this scenery might be however it is worth noting that it is NOT relelvant to the inscripion of this site which is inscribed on PURELY cultural grounds as a "Cultural Landscape"!

b. History – the site of what claims to be the oldest parliament in the world (starting in 930). The Icelanders gathered here once a year and the Speaker of the Parliament would stand atop the Logberg, or Law Rock, to read the law to the members in the valley below to the left. These are the aspects which Iceland and UNESCO (via ICOMOS) consider make this location a place of universal value!

If you haven’t got your own transport there are daily trips taking in Geyser as well.

This was a really interesting and rewarding place to visit and as Paul Tanner states is an essential part of any trip to Iceland. We visited on a beautiful late September day when the bright autumnal colours were staring to show, and it made this a great experience.

Though somewhat intangible the relationship between the natural and cultural aspects of the site are very noticeable. The rift between the Eurasian and North American plates provide a large plain, ideal for the purpose of annual meetings whilst the banks of the plates themselves provide a great point from which to survey the whole area. The relationship between natural and cultural factors is something very noticeable in Icelandic history and culture, but this is one place where it is very evident.

The importance of the site historically is very important being the site of the world’s oldest Parliament, this being essentially the first political institution of the European ‘New World’. In terms of remains there is not much to see, just outlines from the walls of Buð small temporary booths used as houses when the Alþing was in session. There is a also a small church.

The drive out from Reykjavik is very nice, being well sign posted, and with some great scenery in the distance. The mountains and glaciers tantalise with glimpses of the more rugged natural delights that Iceland’s interior and North West Coast hold in store.

On the same day we also visited the spouting hot springs at Geyser, …