Fludir in Iceland: The Small Town That Makes a Big Impression

tourist enjoying the geothermal springs near Fludir

blog author By Johanna Sigurðardóttir shield verificationVerified Expert

Some of the best things come in small packages, and Fludir in Iceland is definitely one of them. With just about 818 people, this little town is packing a punch that could topple the biggest Jötunn (giant).

Located along the most popular road trip route in the country, Fludir in Iceland is teeming with life and has more to offer than a maxi-bag of trail mix. This article will flood you with Fludir knowledge and convince you to put this town on your Iceland trip itinerary. Follow us as we dive into one of the best little towns here on the island!

The Name and Origin of Fludir in Iceland

If you’ve seen Fludir in Iceland on a map, you’ll notice that a river cuts right through it. Just like the rest of the world, Icelanders used to name towns and locations after nearby notable features. That’s why Reykjavik is “the smoky bay,” Isafjördur is “the fjord of ice,” and Fludir is “floods” (from old Norse"flúð" meaning low skerries or reefs flooded). It takes its name from the fact that the river runs through it.

Even though we spell the name with a standard “d,” Fludir is really spelled as “Flúðir” with the Icelandic “ð.” That strange d-like letter is pronounced like the “th” in “though,” which makes the pronunciation of Fludir more like “Fluthir.” This is good to know if you want some bonus points with the locals. It might even score you a free drink.

Green lands of Fludir

Where is Fludir in Iceland?

Fludir in Iceland is located on the eastern part of the Golden Circle along Road 30. This is in the southern part of the country and is a part of the innermost Lowlands, which border the Icelandic Highlands.

Due to the location of Fludir in Iceland, it has surprisingly mild weather all year round. The summers are often warm, and the town is protected from our legendary winds. And the winter in Iceland provides the area with a nice snowy blanket that doesn’t turn into a snowstorm. This quality makes it very attractive to Icelanders who want a mildly weathered holiday without leaving the country.

How to Get to Fludir in Iceland

You can get to Fludir in Iceland either by public transport, driving yourself, or being a part of a tour that drives through (and hopefully stops in) the town.

Join a Tour

Most tours that go through Fludir in Iceland will be Golden Circle Tours, which take 2 (sometimes 3) days. These tours will take you from the capital and through all the main attractions along the Golden Circle before making a stop at Fludir in Iceland. 

Here, you’ll likely make a short stop to get something to eat and/or have a swim in their popular open-air geothermal swimming pool. After that, the tour will take you back to Reykjavik via Selfoss and hopefully make a stop at the Kerid Crater along the way.

Car rental in Iceland

Drive Yourself

There is one route and two ways to get to Fludir in Iceland when you drive yourself: clockwise or counterclockwise along the Golden Circle. Below is a short description of how to drive clockwise around the Golden Circle. If you want to take the shortest route to Fludir, simply drive it backward.

  • From Reykjavik, take the Ring Road, heading north.
  • After Mosfellsbaer, take Road 36 towards Thingvellir National Park.
  • After about 45 kilometers, take a left to get on Road 365.
  • Take a left on Road 37 (heading north) towards Laugarvatn.
  • Take another left on Road 35 and head north until you reach Gullfoss.
  • After Gullfoss, you can turn back on Road 35 and take a left onto Road 30.
  • Follow Road 30 until you reach Fludir in Iceland.
  • To get back to Reykjavik, simply continue on Road 30, heading south, and go west on the Ring Road when you reach Selfoss.

This is essentially a longer version of the Golden Circle, and there will be a large number of attractions and activities to do before and after you reach Fludir in Iceland. More on this later in the article.

Road to Fludir and the Golden Circle in Iceland

Use the Icelandic Bus Network

Taking the bus to Fludir in Iceland will require you to get to the bus station Mjódd in the southeastern part of Reykjavik. From there, you can take a bus to Selfoss, which takes about 50 minutes, and then a bus from Selfoss to Fludir, which takes roughly 36 minutes.

This can easily be done using the national bus company Straeto, and it will cost roughly 4,800 ISK ($35/€32.15) one way for an adult. Including waiting times, this trip will take just under 2 hours if everything moves along as it should.

What to Do in Fludir in Iceland

Even though the geothermal springs are the main attractions for visitors to Fludir in Iceland, there are plenty of other things to do too. Below are a few of the attractions and activities available in the town:

The Secret Lagoon

The absolute star of Fludir in Iceland is the Secret Lagoon locally known as “Gamla Laugin”. This is a large semi-natural swimming pool on the eastern outskirts of town. It opened for the first time in the late 1800s, making it Iceland’s first (and now oldest) swimming pool. It is also where the first official swimming lessons were held, which continued until 1947.

Between 1947 and 2005, the natural swimming pool was more or less forgotten. In 2005, a restoration project was undertaken, and in 2014, the new Secret Lagoon was completed. Since then, people from all over the world have been enjoying the warm water and the surrounding geothermal activity. Believe it or not, there is a real (small) geyser in Fludir in Iceland. You can see it erupting when you walk along the path around the swimming pool.

The water in the Secret Lagoon keeps a toasty 38-40 degrees Celsius and flows naturally from the nearby hot springs. It might smell a little off, but that’s just because of the sulfur content, which is believed to be good for the skin. The pool area also has changing rooms and a shop for drinks and light snacks if you get hungry while swimming.

Iceland Secret Lagoon

Hrunalaug Hot Spring

Right east of Fludir in Iceland, there is a hot spring much smaller than the Secret Lagoon - Hrunalaug. This one has also been enhanced and built out to accommodate more people but has been overused to the point where the surrounding environment has taken a serious punch.

Just like the Secret Lagoon, Hrunalaug was first “built” and used in the late 1800s. Later on, a sheep bath (yes, those existed) was built in 1935 to keep sheep clean and prevent skin diseases. The third and largest pool, “Tourists,” was built in 2017 to accommodate more people without compromising the experience.

If you want to be respectful during your visit, walk on the pathways, don’t step on the moss, and be patient if the bath is full (they’ll tell you at the parking area). That’s all it takes.

Flúdasveppir Mushroom Farm

This might not sound like the most exciting visit, but this is the only mushroom farm in the country, and it offers a unique insight into an intricate farm-to-table concept. In Fludir in Iceland, you can see the ingredients for your next meal grow, get harvested, and cooked when you visit Flúdasveppir.

In their greenhouse, they grow different kinds of mushrooms and many other vegetables. And in the restaurant, they turn the produce into mouthwatering dishes. The restaurant is open between 12 and 7 in the afternoons and will cost roughly 4,500 ISK ($33/€30.15) per person for a meal and a drink.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Frank Wells (@imfmw3)

The Museum of Relics

In the northern part of Fludir in Iceland, you’ll find the Museum of Relics. Jón Valgeirsson started collecting machines and tools he came across in his life. After a while, he realized that the collection of things slowly turned into a collection of obsolete equipment and machinery. He then turned it into the Museum of Relics to ensure that these things are remembered, even if they no longer fulfill their original purpose.

This is a popular place to go with kids since they are allowed to touch and feel the different tools. Even though they are not playthings, seeing an old tractor and sitting on it will help them understand what it is and what it does. It’s really great as a family outing.

Golfing

Amongst rugged Vikings and violent volcanic eruptions, golf might seem like the odd one out, but nothing could be further from the truth. In recent years, golf has spread like wildfire over the island, and most areas with enough inhabitants or frequent visitors will have a golf course. It turns out that Vikings just enjoy swinging clubs.

The golf club at Fludir in Iceland has an 18-hole course (par 70), a driving range, and a putting green. It’s the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon if you’re not in the mood for anything overly exciting. You don’t have to bother with taking your own golf clubs either since both carts and clubs are available for rent.

Golf court in Fludir, Iceland

Staying in Fludir in Iceland

It’s impossible to have time for all this fun in just one day, so staying a night or two might be a good idea. Below are some examples of accommodation:

Campsite Fludir

Fludir in Iceland is roughly 100 kilometers from Reykjavik and checks many boxes as a great camping spot: the weather is nice, there are plenty of activities nearby, and you can swim in the Secret Lagoon and river not far from the campgrounds.

Regardless of whether you want to explore Fludir in Iceland and sleep in a tent, caravan, or motorhome, this campsite has you covered. Here, you have access to both warm and cold water, WiFi, showers, running toilets, a caravan waste disposal, washer and dryer, and electricity.  

The Fludir Campsite is open every day of the week from May to September, with limited opening hours in April and October. This means that you can enjoy the Icelandic Summer as well as portions of the spring and fall in Fludir. The prices for the campgrounds are as follows:

  • Adults: 2,200 ISK ($16/€14.75) per single night and 1,800 ISK ($13/€12.10) if you stay for more than two nights.
  • Children between 10 and 16 years stay for 1,500 ISK ($11/€10.05) per single night and 1,200 ISK ($9/€8.05) if they stay for more than two nights.
  • Children under 10 years old stay for free (as long as they are with adults).
  • Retirees and disabled will stay for 1,750 ISK ($13/€11.75) per single night and 1,500 ISK ($11/€10.05) if they stay for more than two nights.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shelley Mott (@smott1)

Fludir Hotels

If camping is not your cup of tea, then maybe a stay at the in-town Hill Hotel will be a better fit for you. Here, you can enjoy many luxury amenities, including hot tubs, an excellent restaurant, free (and fast) WiFi, and first-class rooms.

It’s a small and modest hotel in the sense that it only has 32 rooms that are all on ground level. During peak season, a night in a room at the Hill Hotel will put you back between 51,000 and 66,000 ISK ($370 - $480/€341.60 - €442.10). In the off-season, the price goes down to somewhere between 23,000 and 29,000 ISK ($167 - $210/€154.05 - €194.25).

Guesthouse Flúðir

A budget-friendly alternative to the hotel is Guesthouse Flúðir, and it’s right across the road from the Hill Hotel, so you know the location is great. There is a restaurant on-site that provides healthy and hearty dishes that will get you ready for the day’s shenanigans or fill you up after a full day of activities.

All rooms come with a private bathroom and shower, free WiFi, and either a mountain or river view. The price is between 45,000 ISK ($327/€301.45) and 70,245 ISK ($511/€470.50) per night during peak season, and 33,610 ISK ($244/€225.15) and 56,000 ISK ($407/€375.10) in the off-season.

What to Do Close to Fludir in Iceland

As we said earlier, Fludir in Iceland is a small town, so it can only contain so much. If you want to explore what is happening around Fludir, the collection of activities and attractions below can work as a good guideline:

Horseback Riding

Have you ever wanted to explore nature like the Vikings did a thousand years ago? There are plenty of places around Fludir in Iceland where you can rent horses and a guide for a breathtaking tour. These tours will either be nice and cozy day tours with some mild exploration, or they can be multi-day tours in the Icelandic Highlands that will test your skill as a horseback rider and adventurer.

Riding a horse in Iceland is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that everyone should try. Below are some of the nearby horseback riding tours close to Fludir in Iceland:

Horseback riding your in Iceland

The Golden Circle

Since Fludir in Iceland is right on the Golden Circle, it’s natural to address the other amazing stops along the route. Below are some of the main attractions, excluding the star of today’s article:

  • Thingvellir National Park – the most culturally significant place in Iceland, with more history than you can fit in a library.
  • Geysir Geothermal Area – where massive columns of boiling water shoot tens of meters up in the air and smell like eggs.
  • Gullfoss Waterfall – a waterfall with a legend of gold and a view to match.
  • Kerid Crater – a massive volcanic crater with a stunning deep-blue lake in its center.
  • Silfra Fissure – where you can dive in ice-cold glacier water and snorkel between continents.

Panoramic views of kerid crater

River Fishing

If you would rather want to do something outdoorsy, fishing in Iceland is always a good option. It will allow you to get into contact with one of the most Icelandic activities possible and hopefully take some fat and tasty fish back to camp. Fishing used to be the main industry in Iceland, and even though it’s nothing they rely on nowadays, you’ll find all sorts of fishing opportunities all over the country.

The rivers in southern Iceland, like the Litla-Laxá River and Hvitá River, are famous for having some of the best salmon and trout waters in the country. The largest salmon to be pulled up from the Hvita River was a whopping 38.5 pounds (roughly 17.3 kilograms).

Visit a historical site - Skálholt

Skálholt holds significant historical importance as one of Iceland's two episcopal sees from the 11th to the 18th centuries. Visitors can explore the cathedral and learn about Iceland's ecclesiastical history.

In this town, you can find the renowned Friðheimar greenhouse, which uses geothermal energy for their greenhouse cultivation. Friðheimar grows tomatoes year-round and offers visitors a unique dining experience amidst the tomato plants! 

Lutheran church at Skalholt

When to Visit Fludir in Iceland

You can visit Fludir in Iceland at any point during the year, but different seasons are better for different reasons. The peak season between June and August will generally have the mildest and most comfortable weather. But it will also be the most crowded and expensive.

If you visit Fludir in Iceland during the winter, prices will be slightly lower than in the peak season, and you get the chance to see the Northern Lights in Iceland as well as experience a winter wonderland. This is the best time of year to experience the hot springs’ contrast to the ice-cold winter air, but it is not great if you want to spend long periods outdoors.

The shoulder seasons of fall and spring are best suited if you’re traveling on a budget and want to avoid any crowds at the attractions. This is the time of year when rooms are cheaper, roads are emptier, and the weather is generally poorer (more wind and rain).

Complement Your Adventure with a Visit to Fludir

When all is said and done, it’s clear that Fludir in Iceland is far from just a stop along the Golden Circle. This little giant has a lot to offer, and it would be a shame to let that go to waste.

To make the most of your experience, rent a car in Reykjavik and take charge of your holiday. This way, you can take all the detours you want and not have to adhere to anyone else’s timetable. When exploring Fludir in Iceland, one should not be rushed.

Ready to Rent a Car in Iceland?

Book Now