Hvolsvöllur
Þéttbýlisstaðir

Discover Iceland

Hvolsvöllur

Wish list
I've seen it
Population · 20261,181 residents
Settlement typeVillage
Postal code860
Elevation30 m above sea level
Recommended stay2 hours

Hvolsvöllur is a small town in the south of Iceland about 106 km to the east of Reykjavík.

It is situated in the inland swamps of Landeyjar, in the municipality of Rangárþing eystra and has, as of January 2015, 934 inhabitants.

The name of the town literally translates to "Hillfield". "Hvoll" (hvols in genitive case) is an archaic form of the modern Icelandic word "hóll", meaning "hill", and "völlur" means "field". The name is derived from the name of the historic farm Stórólfshvoll (Stórólfur's hill).

The hringvegur (road no.1) traverses the town which has 900 inhabitants. In the surrounding areas there is an additional population of about 800 people, who are also part of the municipality.

Not far from Hvolsvöllur is an airfield which offers flights to Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands).

Þórsmörk, a beautiful valley below the glacier Mýrdalsjökull, is also not too far away.

The area is the scene of one of the most famous sagas of Iceland, Njál's saga. The town of Hvolsvöllur has a Saga Centre dedicated to this and other Icelandic sagas.

In 2010, the volcanic eruptions at Eyjafjallajökull caused evacuations in the surrounding area, with people being relocated to Hvolsvöllur, where Red Cross mass care centres had been set up.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hvolsv%C3%B6llur

Known for

Njala saga country, Lava Centre, Thorsmork and access to Iceland's South Coast

Local services

Grocery store
Fuel station
Restaurants
Café
Accommodation
Camping
Swimming pool
EV charging
Public transport
Source Last verified: 9. September 2026

Ratings and reviews

Hvolsvöllur

Þorpið er þekkt fyrir nálægð við Eyjafjallajökul.

Frequently asked questions