Overview
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
The tourist information office is placed in the shopping center Breiðamörk 21, Hveragerði 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
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: .
Get around
In Hveragerði, everything can be reached on foot.
See
Geothermal park. 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.
Exhibition The Quake 2008. A powerful quake hit south Iceland on May 29, 2008. The exhibition is devoted to this event in Hveragerði. You can find the mid-Atlantic ridge running along the ground of this mall that divides between Europe and North America. It's covered by glass and a unique photo opportunity to show your friends that you're standing on both Europe and North America. For a closer experience, visitors can try an earthquake simulator.
Hveragerði Public Park. 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.
Do
Laugaskarð swimming pool. Take a bath or swim in a geothermally heated outdoor swimming pool. It is open all year round.
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
There are various garden stores in Hveragerði for the plants grown in the greenhouses in town.
Eat
Olverk Pizza and Brewery. Wood fire pizza and craft beer restaurant on the main road into town.
Hver Restaurant. Icelandic bistro restaurant within Hotel Ork. Subdued decor with a surprisingly eerie wall-length painting by the entry wall.
Drink
Rósakaffi. Cafe within a greenhouse with coffee, cake, and burgers. What more can you ask for.
Sleep
Hotel Ork. 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.
Frost and Fire Hotel. 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.
Make Hveragerði your own.
Before committing, pick one main reason for this visit and two nearby experiences that support it. Check the guide’s transport sections against current operator information. A convenient base can save more time than adding another attraction.
- Choose your arrival point and one base. Write down the real transfer time, not just the map distance.
- Build a first-day plan with room to settle in. Cluster the places you want to see rather than crossing the city repeatedly.
- Use actual accommodation and transport quotes in your budget. Add fees to the quote before comparing it.
- Keep one uncommitted block. Weather, energy and a good local recommendation can all change your plan.
Source transparency
This guide adapts licensed text by Wikivoyage contributors. It is not a claim that Lakhou has visited or independently verified every listing. We converted the source to plain text, selected practical sections and removed price sentences and private contact information. The planning framework and any related-business booking recommendations above are Lakhou editorial additions.
Original revision 5351891 · Contributor history · CC BY-SA 4.0. Reused text and adaptations on this page are available under that license. Source revision date: 2026-09-12. This is not a date of field verification.
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