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89 km
About 1 h 25 min
Car 1–4 · Van 5–7
Free cancellation 24 h
Golden Circle · from KEF
About Þingvellir and the drive
Þingvellir is where Iceland's parliament, the Alþingi, first met in the year 930, and where the North American and Eurasian plates are slowly pulling apart. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first stop of the Golden Circle, so many travellers either head here straight from the plane or base themselves in a cabin or country hotel nearby.
From Keflavík Airport your driver follows Reykjanesbraut towards Reykjavík, skirts the edge of the capital through Mosfellsbær and then climbs Route 36 over the moorland of Mosfellsheiði before the rift valley opens up below you. It is a calm, scenic drive with no mountain passes, and you arrive at whichever entrance or accommodation suits you, rather than at a bus stop.
Inside the park you can walk the Almannagjá gorge between the lava walls, see the Öxarárfoss waterfall and look over Þingvallavatn, Iceland's largest natural lake. Divers and snorkellers come for Silfra, a fissure filled with very clear glacial water; if you have a Silfra booking, tell us the meeting point and time and we will plan the pick-up so you get there with time to change.
Seasons and roads
Route 36 is open all year, but the moorland stretch can be icy and windy between November and March. Winter visits are short on daylight, so a morning landing gives you the most light in the park.
