Hveragerði
Hveragerði is a town of 3,000 people (2020) in South Iceland. Hveragerði is uniquely located in a geothermally active area. Its name is derived from an Icelandic word for hot spring - hver. The hot springs in the middle of town are the main tourist attraction and they also provide heat for local famous greenhouses which are used mainly for flower production. If you look towards the hills bordering the northern part of the town, you will also see steam plumes drifting from various active areas.
Understand
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The tourist information office is placed in the shopping center Breiðamörk 21, Hveragerði [dead link] with business hours Jun-Aug: M-F 08:30-17:00, Sa 09:00-14:00, and Su 09:00-13:00. In low season it is open M-F 08:30-16:00, Sa 09:00-13:00, and closed on Sundays.
Get in
[edit]Hveragerðiis 45 km from Reykjavik and can be easily reached by car along the Route 1.
Bus number 51 from Reykjavik is an alternative. It leaves from Mjodd bus station and the line schedule can be found here: [dead link].
Get around
[edit]In Hveragerði, everything can be reached on foot.
See
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- 1 Geothermal park. In summer: M-Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 09:00-16:00; winter: M-F 10:00-14:00. In Geothermal park visitors can explore hot springs, bathe their feet in the warm pond, boil an egg in the geothermally heated water, watch the geyser that erupts every 20 minutes, and take a look through the greenhouse. As a bonus, geothermal bread (kr 350) is baked using the Earth's heat. Entrance kr 300.
- 2 Exhibition The Quake 2008, Breiðamörk 21, Hveragerði. A powerful quake hit south Iceland on May 29, 2008. The exhibition is devoted to this event in Hveragerði. For a closer experience, visitors can try an earthquake simulator. Free.
- 3 Hveragerði Public Park (Centre of town). Park in the middle of town with the Varmá River running through. See the small waterfall, Reykjafoss along the river with the ruins of an old wool mill. There are picnic tables and benches around to sit and enjoy. Also appears to be hiking trails radiating out from the park to around the greater Hveragerði region. Free.
Do
[edit]- 1 Laugaskarð swimming pool, Laugaskarð, Hveragerði, ☏ +354 483 4113. Take a bath or swim in a geothermally heated outdoor swimming pool. It is open all year round. 620 kr.
- 2 Hike & soak, Reykjadalur. For a pleasant outdoor experience take a hike to nearby Reykjadalur area located north uphill from Hveragerði. Get informed in the tourist office where maps with marked trails and distances are available. The trail leads towards a highly thermal area with plenty of steam and hot water coming up through the ground. Beware, some springs and pools are really hot. After about an hour hike a bathable warm stream can be reached and you can enjoy a dip where hot springs join the stream. , , . A map of trails can be downloaded from .
Buy
[edit]There are various garden stores in Hveragerði for the plants grown in the greenhouses in town.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Olverk Pizza and Brewery, Breiðamörk 2 810 Hveragerði, ☏ +354 483-3030. 10:30-22:00. Wood fire pizza and craft beer restaurant on the main road into town. Pizzas kr 3,000.
- 2 Hver Restaurant, Breiðamörk 1c 810 Hveragerði (Within Hotel Ork), ☏ +354 483 4700. Su-Th 16:00-21:00; F Sa 12:00-22:00. Icelandic bistro restaurant within Hotel Ork. Subdued decor with a surprisingly eerie wall-length painting by the entry wall. Mains kr 3,100-5,900.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Rósakaffi, 3 Breiðamörk 810 Hveragerði, ☏ +354 483-3301. 11:30-20:00. Cafe within a greenhouse with coffee, cake, and burgers. What more can you ask for. Coffee kr 490, burgers kr 890-2,090.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hotel Ork, Breiðamörk 1c 810 Hveragerði (Immediately to the left off the road into Hveragerði), ☏ +354 483 4700, [email protected]. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. Modern business hotel right off the Ring Road. Standard comfortable rooms. Various amenities available in the hotel including a pool area and a games room. Hver Restaurant is a decent mid-range bistro joint inside the hotel. Standard Room kr 15,000-20,000.
- 2 Frost and Fire Hotel, Hverhamar, 810 Hveragerdi, ☏ +354 483 4959, [email protected]. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. Boutique hotel overlooking the Varma River and the geothermal area outside town. Certain rooms have outdoor hot tubs warmed from the hot springs that the town is known for. kr 30,000-40,000.
Connect
[edit]Internet access is available in the tourist information office.
Go next
[edit]Hveragerði is usually a pit stop on the route through the Golden Circle, which you can continue to loop around. Alternatively, continue on with the visit along the southern Icelandic coast to Vík and see the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss.
| Routes through Hveragerði |
| Reykjavík ← | W  E |
→ Selfoss → Egilsstaðir |