Selfoss

South Coast

The largest town in South Iceland, Selfoss sits on the Ölfusá — Iceland's most voluminous river — about 50 kilometers southeast of Reykjavík. A working town first and a tourist stop second: full supermarkets (Krónan, Bónus), fuel stations, a hospital, a swimming pool with hot tubs and water slides, restaurants, and accommodation at prices lower than the capital. The town is at the junction of Route 1 and Route 35, the road north to the Golden Circle. The Bobby Fischer Center at Austurvegur 21 is a small museum dedicated to the chess champion who spent his final years in Iceland. Fischer died here in 2008 and is buried at the Laugardælir church just outside town. The center holds original scoresheets from the 1972 Fischer–Spassky match and opens daily May through October. Day trips from Selfoss reach Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss, and the South Coast waterfalls within an hour. The Westman Islands ferry at Landeyjahöfn is about 45 minutes away. Everything is paved and accessible year-round, and the town is open every day of the year.

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