Iceland’s Golden Circle – Þingvellir National Park

May 20, 2025

In my previous post, I talked about the insanity of only spending two days in Iceland. With so little time, we needed to maximize our day. We asked for advice and everyone said – go see Iceland’s Golden Circle.

The Golden Circle

The VisitIceland.com website has created a series of driving routes that take in absolutely spectacular scenery and areas of historical importance. The Golden Circle is a 250 km loop from Reykjavik and it is open year round. Most of it is paved, but there are some gravel roads. The website says a 4×4 is not required, and our micro-car had no problem. This is a popular tourist route, so there are tour vans and busses, but mostly we saw private vehicles. The cruise ships do come to port, so his route can be busy. We also saw several rental campervans and RVs.

We chose to drive the loop clock-wise, but either direction is fine. With our late start, we were in the thick of the tourist crowds. Despite being an extreme extrovert, Mike is strangely allergic to crowds. It was easy to avoid the majority of people simply by walking just a little bit further. I am not going to complain about tourists, as I am one of them.

The Golden Circle has several attractions, and each one has its own pay parking lot. There are cameras to capture your license plate when you drive in. You can pay by app, or at the machine by credit card. The lots were all under $10 Canadian. If payment helps with maintenance, then I’m all for it. It would be easier to pay for one Park Pass at the start, but this allows you to vote with your dollars. Only visit the spots that interest you.

All the walking routes were short and sweet, so no packs, water or food required.

Þingvellir National Park

The name Þingvellir means Assembly Plains. The Icelandic parliament gathered here from 930 until 1798, making it the oldest operating parliament globally. There are several gravel paths and wooden boardwalks, and informational sign boards. We saw ancient guard houses, which are now mounds of stone covered with grass and moss. Criminals were tried during Parliament. The sign boards kindly pointed out the various locations where executions and witch drownings were held. There is also an old church, and the summer residence of the Iceland Prime Minister.

Geologically, this area was created by a rift between the North American and Eurasian continental plates. The lava fields were torn apart by these tectonic forces, leaving gorges and fissures. We walked through the most impressive one called Almannagjá, which is a stunning wall of basalt.

Iceland’s largest lake is called Þingvallavatn, and it’s fed by underground springs – no river runs into it.

We parked at the main Visitor’s Centre, but there are a few other entrances. We walked 2.5 km over 35 minutes, starting from the visitors centre, down past the church, and looping to the bridge across the river.

Downloadable Tracks on Strava

Þingvellir National Park is a true treasure, and I highly recommend it. Next, we visit the ice blue waters of the Bruarfoss waterfall.

Here’s all the places we’ve visited in our whirlwind 48 hours in Iceland.

• Reykjavik
• Golden Circle Route
  • Þingvellir National Park
  • Bruarfoss Waterfall
  • Geysir – active geothermal geyser fields
  • Bruarhlod Canyon – giants anyone?
• Víðgelmir Lava Cave – impressive lava tube
• Grábrók Crater – ancient craters and sheep corrals

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Alisen