Flúðir

Flúðir is a geothermal farming village in Hrunamannahreppur, South Iceland, sitting about 25 km south of Geysir and just off the main Golden Circle loop. It is the village behind the Secret Lagoon, and most people who pass through come for a soak, a bowl of mushroom soup or both. Stay a little longer and the place makes more sense: hot water bubbles out of the ground here in such quantities that it heats homes, pools and acres of glass.

On 1 January 2026, Statistics Iceland counted 539 people living in Flúðir. That makes it one of the larger settlements in the Uppsveitir (the upcountry farming districts of Árnessýsla). The Litla-Laxá river runs through the village, and the small mountain Miðfell rises just to the south.

Where is Flúðir and how to get there

Flúðir lies on Route 30, which branches north off the Ring Road east of Selfoss and runs up through the farmland to join Route 35 near Gullfoss. From Reykjavík the drive is about 105 km and takes around an hour and 40 minutes in good conditions, going over Hellisheiði on Route 1, then north on Route 30. In winter, check road.is before you set off, because the Hellisheiði pass is the stretch most often hit by winter weather.

Inside the loop, distances are short. Geysir is about 25 km north and Gullfoss about 32 km, so Flúðir slots in neatly before or after the waterfall. Reykholt and Friðheimar are about 11 km to the west across the Hvítá, and Skálholt is roughly 21 km away by road.

There is no direct public bus that makes a day trip practical, so you either drive or join a tour. Our small-group Secret Lagoon day tour covers Geysir, Gullfoss and Þingvellir before finishing with a soak in Flúðir. It is the easiest way to see the village without a car.

Things to do in Flúðir

The village is small enough to cover on foot, but its sights are spread around the edges. Most visitors pick two or three of the options below rather than trying to do everything in one afternoon.

Soak in the Secret Lagoon

The Secret Lagoon, known locally as Gamla Laugin ("the old pool"), was built in 1891 at Hverahólmi on the edge of the village and is the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. Hot springs feed it directly and keep the water at 38–40°C all year, while a walkway around the pool lets you look into the boiling vents and watch the little geyser Litli Geysir spout every few minutes. Read our full guide to Gamla Laugin at Hverahólmi for prices, hours and how it compares with Iceland's newer spas.

Eat at Iceland's only mushroom farm

On Garðastígur at the northern end of the village, Flúðasveppir grows white, chestnut and portobello mushrooms and harvests about 11 tonnes a week. Its restaurant, Farmers Bistro, serves a mushroom soup buffet with homemade breads and flavoured butters every day from 12:00 to 17:00. The bistro sits only about 2 km from the Secret Lagoon, so lunch and a soak pair easily.

The same business runs Flúða-Jörfi, whose 5,000 m² of lit greenhouses run on geothermal heat and produce around 100 tonnes of bell peppers and another 100 tonnes of tomatoes a year. Our page on Flúðasveppir and Farmers Bistro covers the menu and how group farm visits work.

Walk up Miðfell

Miðfell is the low mountain directly south of the village, and marked trails lead to the top, where there is a small lake. From the summit you look north over the Litla-Laxá valley and the greenhouses, with the glaciers of the interior on the horizon on a clear day. It is a walk for dry weather and decent boots; the slopes are grassy and slippery after rain.

Golf, swimming and horses

Selsvöllur is the 18-hole golf course just outside the village and opens from early May to October, and there is a football-golf course for families who want something less formal. Flúðir also has a public swimming pool, a campsite and horse rental. These are the facilities that make it a practical base for two or three nights if you want to explore the Golden Circle without driving back to Reykjavík every evening.

Greenhouses and geothermal farming in Flúðir

Flúðir is one of the centres of Icelandic horticulture because it sits on abundant low-temperature geothermal water. That hot water heats the greenhouses directly and supplementary lighting carries the plants through the dark months. This is why Icelandic supermarkets stock local peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms in January. Driving into the village you will see the long glass roofs on both sides of the road, many of them lit up through winter afternoons.

Mushroom farming here is a closed loop of local materials. Flúðasveppir makes its own growing substrate from straw grown on its fields at Hvítárholt and chicken manure from nearby farms, then turns the spent compost (about 60 tonnes a week) into potting soil. It is a good example of how the whole district runs on what comes out of the ground and off its own fields.

Things to see near Flúðir

A few short detours turn a soak into a fuller afternoon. Brúarhlöð, where the Hvítá squeezes through a narrow rock gorge, sits on Route 30 north of the village on the way to Gullfoss. About 5 km east, Hruni has a white timber church from 1865 on a hill above the farmland. A short walk beyond it is Hrunalaug, a tiny natural hot spring on private land.

You can read more about the church at Hruni and its legend of the Christmas Eve dance. Heading the other way, Reykholt and Friðheimar's tomato greenhouses are a 12-minute drive west, and Skálholt's cathedral is about 20 minutes away.

Best time to visit Flúðir

Flúðir works in any season because almost everything here is warm water or indoors. In summer the Secret Lagoon stays open until 20:00 and the long evenings suit a walk on Miðfell or a round of golf. From October to March the pool closes at 19:00 and the steam is thicker. On a clear night the drive back west can also give you a chance of the northern lights away from city glare.

How long to spend in Flúðir

Allow two to three hours for the core of a visit: about an hour and a half to two hours in the Secret Lagoon, which is the official average stay, plus lunch at Farmers Bistro. Add an hour if you want to climb Miðfell or detour to Hruni. If you are building your own itinerary, our article with more ideas around Flúðir suggests ways to fill a longer stay.