Iceland [1 of 5]: Thingvellir National Park

The fifth and last destination of our Europe + Iceland trip was the legendary Iceland! This post is the first of five, because there are so many geographically and visually distinct landmarks within Iceland that we visited. We stayed in Reykjavik, rented a car, and drove as far as we could to see as much as we could. Our first stop: Thingvellir National Park.

The drive from Reykjavik to Thingvellir National Park, or anywhere in Iceland, is otherworldly beautiful. We pulled over all the time just to take in the views! The land is so uninhabited, lush, and fascinating.

Driving suggestion: vehicles in Iceland are pricey to rent, and SUVs are double the price. If you go in the summer and just plan to stay on the Ring Road (rather than off-roading), then the roads are paved and pretty easy to drive. Save some money and go for a sedan. (We rented our car online from Enterprise and picked it up at the Reykjavik airport - super easy.)

Thingvellir National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, most notable for the tectonic activity in the rift valley. You can see what I'm wearing, and that was totally fine for the amount of hiking we did. We spent a few hours at Thingvellir, but I want to spend a serious day or two hiking next time we visit!

The continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates can be seen in the cracks throughout Thingvellir, which is mind-blowing to witness! Next time, we want to hike to canyons and rifts that are full of sparkling, clear water.

(Husband is usually risk-adverse, but when in Iceland, he threw caution to the wind and hopped on out on that rock -- haha don't try this at home, kids.)

(If you watch Game of Thrones, we joked that we had come across the Wall! You know nothing...) Iceland, I already cannot wait to return.

Check back next week for more Europe + Iceland posts! Also, I redesigned my Travel page so that it's easier to navigate -- hope that helps!