natural wonder
Kerið Crater
A vivid 3,000-year-old volcanic crater lake with striking red and black slopes surrounding an aquamarine pool on the Golden Circle route.
13 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeIcelandSouth
Selfoss
South, Iceland · Europe
About Selfoss
Selfoss is worth a stop: 20 minutes from Hveragerði, 13km from Kerið Crater.
Selfoss is in South, Iceland, with about 9,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Hveragerði, about 12 km away.
Where to Stay in Selfoss
Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.
Filter presets
Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.
Compare before you book!
Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Selfoss.
Explore the Area
Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Selfoss.
Loading map...
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Selfoss?
Within an hour or so of Selfoss: Kerið Crater (13 km), Golden Circle Route (34 km), Thingvellir National Park (36 km), Silfra Fissure (36 km).
Are there any good drives near Selfoss?
The nearest famous roads are Golden Circle Route, Ring Road Iceland and Golden Circle, Iceland.
Where is Selfoss?
Selfoss is in South, Iceland, about 12 km from Hveragerði.
Road trip
Drive to Selfoss
Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.
Start planningWhat's nearby?
Swipe through places to go
Places within a drive of Selfoss. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
Explore now
Quick Information
- Population
- 9,000
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Iceland
- Region
- South
- Timezone
- Atlantic/Reykjavik
- Coordinates
- 63.9331, -20.9971
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Iceland
F-roads (mountain roads) require 4x4 and are closed much of the year. Safetravel.is for conditions.
Full driving guide for IcelandTags
Worth the detour from Selfoss
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
famous road
Golden Circle Route
Iceland's most famous day-drive: a 300 km loop from Reykjavik linking Thingvellir's rift valley, the erupting Strokkur geyser and the double cascade of Gullfoss, with hot-spring bakeries and craters en route.
34 km · about 40 min drive
national park
Thingvellir National Park
A UNESCO site where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates visibly drift apart, and the site of Iceland's ancient parliament.
36 km · about 40 min drive
natural wonder
Silfra Fissure
A crystal-clear fissure in Þingvellir where snorkellers swim between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in 2°C water.
36 km · about 40 min drive
film location
Thingvellir National Park (Arryn and the Bloody Gate)
The rift valley of Almannagja was the pass to the Eyrie and appears in the Hound and Arya's journey through the Riverlands.
36 km · about 40 min drive
restaurant
Friðheimar
Geothermal greenhouse at Reykholt where you lunch on tomato soup and fresh bread at tables set among the growing vines, bees and all. A Golden Circle institution producing a ton of tomatoes a day; book ahead.
38 km · about 45 min drive
cathedral
Hallgrímskirkja
Reykjavik's towering expressionist church inspired by Iceland's basalt lava formations.
51 km · about 60 min drive
natural wonder
Northern Lights: Reykjavik
Iceland's capital offers accessible Northern Lights viewing from September to March, with tours departing nightly to dark-sky areas.
52 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Selfoss
- 34 kmGolden Circle RouteIceland's most famous day-drive: a 300 km loop from Reykjavik linking Thingvellir's rift valley, the erupting Strokkur geyser and the double cascade of Gullfoss, with hot-spring bakeries and craters en route.
- 52 kmRing Road IcelandIceland's Route 1 circles the entire island over 1,322 kilometers past volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, and black sand beaches.
- 60 kmHvalfjörður TunnelA 5.7 km road tunnel diving 165 m below sea level under Hvalfjörður on Iceland's Ring Road, saving an hour over the old fjord loop. The country's first subsea tunnel, opened in 1998 and now toll-free.
- 61 kmGolden Circle, IcelandThe 230km loop from Reykjavik taking in Thingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss on good sealed roads.
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
Nearby Destinations
Other places to explore near Selfoss.
Plan a trip around Selfoss
Your trip starts here
Plan a road trip from Selfoss.
Pick the days, drop in the stops, and share it with whoever's coming.