Flúðir

About Flúðir

Flúðir is a geothermal village in the Hrunamannahreppur district of South Iceland, on hot ground beside the spring-fed Litla-Laxá river, about an hour and a half by car from Reykjavík. Steam rising from the fields and the glow of greenhouses are the first signs you have arrived, and the Secret Lagoon on the edge of the village is the main reason most visitors turn off the main road.

The heat runs the local economy. Greenhouses warmed by geothermal water grow tomatoes, salad greens and mushrooms all year, and Flúðasveppir here is the country's largest mushroom grower. Around 500 people live in the village itself, which still has a grocery store, restaurants, guesthouses and a hotel.

For the Flúðir hot springs, head to the Hverahólmi geothermal area just outside the center. Gamla laugin (the Secret Lagoon) was built there in 1891 and is kept at 38–40 °C by springs that include Litli Geysir, a small geyser that spouts every few minutes. If you just want a cheap swim, the village pool is a short walk away.

Flúðir sits just east of the classic Golden Circle loop, with Gullfoss and Geysir both roughly 30 minutes north. That makes it a good overnight base for reaching them early or late, outside the tour-bus hours.

In winter the hot pools are the main draw. Summer adds camping, the 18-hole Selsvöllur golf course and the walk up Miðfell, the low mountain above the village, for a view across the farmland.