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55 km
About 50 min
Car 1–4 · Van 5–7
Free cancellation 24 h
Capital area · from KEF
About Mosfellsbær and the drive
Mosfellsbær sits on the north-eastern edge of the capital area, where the suburbs give way to low mountains and valleys. It is a green, spread-out town with hiking hills on all sides, horse paddocks and the old Álafoss wool mill area by the river. For many visitors it is a practical base for the Golden Circle: Route 36 to Þingvellir starts here, so you are already on your way to the national park while others are still crossing Reykjavík.
From Keflavík the transfer follows Route 41 through the lava fields and southern suburbs, then around Reykjavík on the main roads and north along Route 1 into Mosfellsbær. It is one of the longer drives within the capital region, and a private car spares you changing buses with luggage on the way out of the city.
Up the valley of Mosfellsdalur, on the road towards Þingvellir, is Gljúfrasteinn, the former home of the Nobel Prize-winning writer Halldór Laxness, now a museum. In town, the shop at Álafosskvos sells Icelandic wool, and the short climb up Úlfarsfell or Helgafell gives you views back over Reykjavík and the bay.
Seasons and roads
Route 36 over Mosfellsheiði towards Þingvellir is exposed and can be slippery or close briefly in winter storms, even when Mosfellsbær itself is calm.
