Fludir: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Most people drive the Golden Circle from Reykjavík, in a loop that starts at Þingvellir and ends tired. From Flúðir you come at it from the east, twenty minutes from Geysir, and you can be at the hot springs before the first buses arrive. This route takes the two big sights early, then slows down at a church, a farm and a blue river. A half day by car on paved roads, with one longer walk at the end.
A short history of Fludir
Flúðir is a small village in southern Iceland, in the valley of the Hvítá River. The ground here is very warm thanks to geothermal springs, and the village grew up around greenhouses heated with hot water from the earth. Flúðir is known above all as the centre of Iceland's mushroom growing. In 1891 a natural pool was built here, fed by hot water flowing straight from the spring; it is the oldest swimming pool in Iceland and is now called the "Secret Lagoon".
The ten best sights in Fludir
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1Secret Lagoon (Gamla laugin)
Warm, natural and calmer than the big spas; bring your own towel to save the rental fee
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2Hrunalaug
A tiny old pool in a farmer's field; pay at the box and leave it as you found it
3Hruni churchA white wooden church on a knoll five minutes from the village; the view is the reason to stop
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4Farmers Bistro (Flúðasveppir)
Lunch in the mushroom farm; the soup buffet comes with bread baked on site
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5Friðheimar
Lunch among the tomato plants; book a table in summer, the tour buses fill it
6StrokkurIt erupts every few minutes; stand upwind or you get a hot shower
7GullfossTake the lower path for the spray and the upper one for the photo; the lower path closes in winter ice
8FaxiA wide, quiet waterfall on the way to Geysir; small parking fee
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9Brúarfoss
The bluest water in the region, but you reach it on foot: about an hour's walk each way from the parking
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10Efstidalur
A dairy farm with an ice-cream bar; the cows watch you through the window
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Fludir →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Fludir:
Free walking tours in Fludir
The Golden Circle by the back door
Most people drive the Golden Circle from Reykjavík, in a loop that starts at Þingvellir and ends tired. From Flúðir you come at it from the east, twenty minutes from Geysir, and you can be at the hot springs before the first buses arrive. This route takes the two big sights early, then slows down at a church, a farm and a blue river. A half day by car on paved roads, with one longer walk at the end.
- Faxi · The river Tungufljót drops over a wide ledge here, and a salmon ladder was built beside the fall so the fish can climb past it. It is the same river that runs past Geysir further up.
- Strokkur · Geysir, the great spring next to it, gave its name to every geyser in the world, but today it erupts only rarely. Strokkur is the one that performs, shooting water up roughly every five to ten minutes.
- Gullfoss · Early in the 20th century foreign investors wanted to dam the falls for power. Sigríður Tómasdóttir, daughter of the farmer who owned the land, fought the plan, and she is remembered as Iceland's first environmentalist; her memorial stands by the upper path.
- Haukadalur church · Haukadalur was a school farm in the Middle Ages, and Ari the Wise, who wrote the first history of Iceland, grew up here. The little church on the old farm site is a calm stop after the crowds at Geysir.
- Efstidalur · The family farms dairy cows and runs an ice-cream bar inside the barn, with a glass wall between the tables and the cowshed. The ice cream is made from the farm's own milk.
- Brúarfoss · The name means bridge falls: a natural stone arch once crossed the river here, and a wooden footbridge now stands in its place. The water is a bright blue because it comes from glacier-fed springs.
Hot water and greenhouses
Flúðir sits on hot ground. The same water that fills its pools heats the greenhouses where much of Iceland's salad, tomatoes and mushrooms grow, in a country where almost nothing ripens outdoors. This route is about that water: three baths of very different sizes, a church on a legend, and two lunches grown under glass. Mostly short drives; take a swimsuit and a towel for the whole day.
- Secret Lagoon (Gamla laugin) · The pool was made in 1891 and is often called the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. Local people learned to swim here, and a small geyser beside it, Litli Geysir, bubbles up every few minutes.
- Hruni church · An old tale says a priest of Hruni held a wild dance in the church on Christmas Eve instead of the mass. At midnight the church sank into the ground with him and all the dancers, and the story, the Dance of Hruni, is still told in Iceland.
- Hrunalaug · The pool lies on private farmland and is fed by a warm spring; it fits only a handful of people. The little stone-and-turf hut beside it, built in the old way, is the changing room.
- Farmers Bistro (Flúðasveppir) · Flúðasveppir is Iceland's mushroom farm, and it grows most of the mushrooms sold in the country, heated by the local hot water. The bistro was opened next to the growing rooms to serve them fresh.
- Friðheimar · The family grows tomatoes all year under electric lights, and bumblebees are let loose in the greenhouse to pollinate the flowers. Lunch is tomato soup served among the plants.
- Laugarvatn Fontana · Hot springs run under the beach at Laugarvatn, and locals have long buried pots of rye dough in the hot sand to bake overnight. The baths still dig one up for visitors and serve it with butter.
Bishops, farms and Hekla
South of Flúðir the land tells two stories. To the west is Skálholt, where Iceland's church was ruled for seven centuries; to the east is the valley of Þjórsárdalur, where the volcano Hekla buried whole farms under ash in 1104. This route starts with a crater, crosses to the bishops, then follows the river up into that valley of ruins and waterfalls. A full day by car; the last roads to Stöng and Háifoss are gravel, so check conditions and go slowly.
- Kerið · The crater's walls are red because of iron in the volcanic rock, which rusts as it weathers. The lake at the bottom is groundwater, and its level rises and falls with the water table around it.
- Skálholt · Skálholt was a bishop's seat from 1056 until the 18th century. In 1550 Jón Arason, the last Catholic bishop of Iceland, was beheaded here with two of his sons for resisting the Reformation.
- Commonwealth Farm (Þjóðveldisbærinn) · The house is a reconstruction of the farm at Stöng, built in the 1970s for the 1,100th anniversary of the settlement of Iceland. Builders used the excavated ruin as the plan, so the rooms are where the Viking-age family had them.
- Hjálparfoss · The name means waterfall of help. Travellers crossing the barren highland to the north reached grass here for their horses, and the place was a relief after the journey.
- Stöng · Stöng was one of the farms buried when Hekla erupted in 1104, and the ash kept its walls standing. Archaeologists dug it out in 1939, and a roof now protects the ruin.
- Háifoss · The river Fossá drops about 120 metres here, which makes Háifoss one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland. Its neighbour Granni, the neighbour, falls into the same canyon a little to the side.
Getting to Fludir and getting around
- Flúðir bus stop · The village stop; rural buses are few and seasonal, so Flúðir is really a car place
- Selfoss N1 bus station · The nearest real bus hub, about 40 minutes away; south-coast and Reykjavík buses stop here
Cheap eats in Fludir
Around Flúðir lunch grows under glass. Geothermal greenhouses supply much of Iceland's tomatoes, cucumbers and mushrooms, and two of them serve soup among the plants. Eating out in Iceland is expensive, so a soup buffet with free refills is one of the better deals in the country. Dairy farms nearby add ice cream and skyr; the village shop covers the rest.
- Farmers Bistro · Mushroom soup buffet with fresh bread, about 3,000-4,000 ISK
- Friðheimar · Tomato soup buffet in the greenhouse, about 4,000-5,000 ISK; book ahead
- Efstidalur · Farm ice cream by the cowshed window, about 900-1,500 ISK
- Kaffi Grund · Simple café meals in the village centre, about 2,500-4,500 ISK
- Geysir Center · Cafeteria, soup and hot dogs opposite the geysers, about 1,000-3,500 ISK
- Krambúðin Flúðir · Picnic from the village shop, about 1,500-3,000 ISK
Museums in Fludir
- Skálholt · Bishops' seat, church and the medieval passage beneath it
- Laugarvatnshellar · Cave homes in the sandstone, lived in until the early 20th century
- Commonwealth Farm (Þjóðveldisbærinn) · A Viking-age turf longhouse, rebuilt full size
- Stöng · The real ruin under a protective roof, buried by Hekla in 1104
- Haukadalur church · Small church on a medieval school farm, past Geysir
Nature and day trips near Fludir
- Stóri Geysir and Strokkur · The spring that named all geysers; Strokkur erupts every few minutes
- Gullfoss · The golden falls in two steps into a canyon
- Kerið · Red volcanic crater with a lake; small entry fee
- Háifoss · A 120-metre fall into a canyon; rough road
- Brúarfoss · Electric-blue river under a footbridge; an hour's walk in
- Hjálparfoss · Twin falls over basalt columns, next to the parking
- Gjáin · A small green gorge full of little waterfalls
Things to do in Fludir with kids
- Secret Lagoon (Gamla laugin) · Warm and shallow in parts, with a tiny geyser beside it
- Laugarvatn Fontana · Pools, steam rooms and bread dug from the hot sand
- Efstidalur · Ice cream while the cows look in through the glass
- Strokkur · A geyser that never makes you wait long
- Friðheimar · Tomatoes, bumblebees and, in summer, horse shows
- Kerið · A walk round a red crater, short enough for small legs
Where to eat in Fludir
- Minilik · Ethiopian dinner in the middle of a greenhouse village; a surprise
- The Hill Hotel Flúðir · Hotel dinner in the village, with local vegetables
- Lindin · Dinner by the lake at Laugarvatn, 25 minutes away
- Hótel Geysir · Dinner opposite the geysers, after the day-trippers leave
- Kaffi Grund · Easy evening meal without leaving Flúðir
Frequently asked questions about Fludir
What is there to see in Fludir?
The top sights in Fludir are Secret Lagoon (Gamla laugin), Hrunalaug and Hruni church. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Fludir?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Fludir without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Fludir?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Fludir, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Golden Circle by the back door.
How do you get to Fludir and get around?
The main ways are Flúðir bus stop and Selfoss N1 bus station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Fludir, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Fludir that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Fludir for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.