Selfoss is the town every south coast traveler passes and increasingly the one they stop in. The south’s commercial capital (population around 9,000) reinvented its center in 2021 by rebuilding a “new old town”: dozens of historic Icelandic buildings, lost over the decades to fire and demolition, reconstructed from photographs around a food hall that instantly became the region’s living room. Add a position at the junction of the Golden Circle and the south coast, and Selfoss has quietly become the smartest overnight in the southwest.

In Town

The New Old Town and Skyr Land. The reconstructed quarter centers on the old creamery, now a food hall of a dozen vendors (the queue forms at the fish and the ice cream), surrounded by resurrected buildings housing bakeries, brewpubs, and design shops. Skyrland, the surprisingly engaging museum of Iceland’s thousand year old dairy obsession, explains the national protein religion with tastings included.

Bobby Fischer’s Grave. The chess world champion, granted Icelandic citizenship after his 1972 match in Reykjavík defined the Cold War’s strangest front, lies in the small churchyard at Laugardælir just outside town. The modest stone draws chess pilgrims from everywhere; the Bobby Fischer Center in town keeps the story.

The Ölfusá River. Iceland’s most voluminous river thunders under the town bridge: riverside walks run both banks, and the salmon fishing here is the serious, permit and waiting list variety.

Swimming Culture. Sundhöll Selfoss carries the local end of the national pool religion: slides for the children, hot pots for the news cycle.

The Doorstep

Selfoss’s radius is the southwest’s greatest hits list. Kerið crater (15 minutes): the red walled crater lake at the Golden Circle’s foot. The Secret Lagoon at Flúðir and Friðheimar’s tomato greenhouse (30 minutes): the route’s beloved soak and lunch pairing. The Reykjadalur hot river (20 minutes to Hveragerði, then the hour’s hike): bathe in a warm river in a steaming valley, free. Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri (15 minutes): the historic shore villages, with the famous langoustine soup at Fjöruborðið and the old merchant houses that once ran Iceland’s south. Urriðafoss (15 minutes): the country’s most voluminous waterfall by flow, conveniently beside Route 1 and routinely ignored. And the entire Golden Circle loops from here more naturally than from Reykjavík: Selfoss to Gullfoss runs about an hour.

The Practical Town

Selfoss earns its overnight on logistics: the south coast’s biggest supermarkets and services, the last proper town before Vík, and a position that turns Day 2 and Day 3 of any southern itinerary into shorter, better mornings. Restaurants worth planning around: the food hall for variety, Tryggvaskáli (the town’s 1890 original building) for the occasion dinner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Selfoss worth stopping in?

Since the new old town opened, yes: the food hall alone justifies an hour, and the logistics justify a night.

How far is Selfoss from Reykjavik?

About 45 minutes via the Hellisheiði pass, making it the natural first night of a southern road trip.

What is Selfoss famous for?

The Ölfusá river, the rebuilt historic center and food hall, and Bobby Fischer’s improbable final chapter.