The 15 Best Swimming Pools in Iceland Outside Reykjavik

Discover the best swimming pools in Iceland outside Reykjavik, from fjord-side lap pools to free seaside hot tubs. This guide covers 15 public pools by region, with prices, hours, water temperatures, and what each one does best.

Iceland heats its pools with the same geothermal energy that warms the Blue Lagoon and the other spas typically featured in hot spring tours. Almost every town has a pool, and locals use them the way other countries use cafes.

A heated outdoor pool, a row of hot tubs, and a cold tub are the standard set. The bigger pools add slides, saunas, and indoor lanes. Visiting families prefer these local pools to the lagoons for price, slides, and space, according to our study of how good Iceland is for kids.

Reykjavik has nine city pools of its own, which our guide to the best swimming pools in Reykjavik covers in full. The pools below sit along the Ring Road and the main detours from it, so you can plan a swim into almost any route. For natural bathing spots rather than built pools, see our list of the best hot springs in Iceland.

Iceland's Best Swimming Pools at a Glance

Each pool in this guide earns its place for a different reason. The list below is the short answer for travelers in a hurry.

• Price: Adult tickets run from 900 ISK to 1,900 ISK, a fraction of a lagoon ticket. Children often swim free.

• Best view: Hofsos Swimming Pool, built into a hillside above Skagafjordur Fjord.

• Best for families: Akureyri Swimming Pool, with three slides and water from 81°F to 108°F (27°C to 42°C).

• Best free soak: Drangsnes Hot Tubs, three tubs on the shoreline, open around the clock.

• Most remote: Krossneslaug, a 41-foot (12.5-meter) pool on a pebble beach at the end of the Strandir road.

• Largest: Laugaskard in Hveragerdi, a 164-foot (50-meter) pool heated by natural steam.

• Only wave pool in Iceland: Alftaneslaug, a short drive from Reykjavik.

West Iceland Swimming Pools

West Iceland's pools line the road from Reykjavik to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and up into Borgarfjordur. Three of the four sit in towns you'll pass anyway, and one rewards a detour into the valley at Husafell.

Borgarnes Swimming Pool

• Location: Thorsteinsgata 1, 310 Borgarnes, about an hour from Reykjavik

• Adult ticket: 1,600 ISK, children under 10 free

• Open: year-round, weekdays 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM, weekends 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

• Best for: a first stop on the way west, with a steam bath fed by a hot spring

Borgarnes is the first sizeable town on the road west, and its pool makes a good first stop. The outdoor pool measures 82 feet by 41 feet (25 meters by 12.5 meters), and a smaller indoor pool sits beside it for lane swimming in bad weather. Children get a wading pool and water slides, while adults get two hot tubs and a cold tub.

The steam bath here has an unusual source. Steam is piped in from Deildartunguhver, the powerful hot spring 22 miles (35 kilometers) up the valley. A sauna, a gym, and a sunbathing area complete the facility, and the town campsite lies next door.

Lindin at Husafell

• Location: Husafell, 320 Reykholt, in Borgarfjordur

• Adult ticket: 1,900 ISK, children 10 to 16 pay 750 ISK

• Open: daily, year-round, 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM

• Best for: a hillside soak with a valley view

Lindin is the geothermal bath at Husafell, and it is open to everyone, not only hotel guests. Two pools step down the hillside, with one cascading into the next, and two hot tubs sit beside them. A sauna looks out over the whole complex, and a cold bath waits outside its door for anyone brave enough.

The setting is the reason to come. Husafell sits between lava fields and the Langjokull Glacier, and the pools face the valley. If you stay at Hotel Husafell or in one of the summer cabins nearby, a swim here fits naturally into the evening.

Stykkisholmur Swimming Pool

• Location: Borgarbraut 4, 340 Stykkisholmur, Snaefellsnes

• Adult ticket: 1,750 ISK, children 550 ISK

• Open: year-round, weekdays from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, shorter hours at weekends

• Best for: mineral-rich hot tubs and the longest slide on the peninsula

Stykkisholmur's pool is the best-equipped stop on Snaefellsnes. The outdoor pool measures 82 feet by 39 feet (25 meters by 12 meters), and a 187-foot (57-meter) water slide twists down beside it. 

A 39-foot (12-meter) indoor pool is kept at about 91°F (33°C) for lessons and small children. The outdoor pool sits at about 84°F (29°C). Two hot tubs at 100°F to 108°F (38°C to 42°C), a cold tub at 39°F to 43°F (4°C to 6°C), and a paddling pool round off the outdoor area.

The hot tubs are filled with water piped straight from the Hofstadir borehole above the town. The water is alkaline and rich in sodium and calcium salts. Locals credit it with easing dry skin, and the town compares it to the spa waters of Baden-Baden.

The pool opened on August 13, 1999, and about 10,000 people visited in the first four weeks. For a town of a little over a thousand residents, that amounts to everyone swimming twice a week.

Olafsvik Swimming Pool

• Location: Ennisbraut 11, 355 Olafsvik, on the north coast of Snaefellsnes

• Adult ticket: 1,400 ISK, children under 10 free, ages 10 to 17 pay 500 ISK

• Open: year-round, weekdays 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM, weekends 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

• Best for: parents who want to watch small children from a hot tub

Olafsvik's pool is built for families with small children. The outdoor area has a paddling pool with its own little slide, and the hot tubs sit close enough to keep an eye on it. A larger water slide, a cold tub, a steam bath, and an infrared sauna complete the outdoor side.

The indoor pool serves anyone who comes to swim lengths. It closes to the public while lessons run during the school year, but the outdoor area stays open throughout. Multi-visit cards also work at Lysuholslaug, the mineral-water pool on the south side of the peninsula.

Westfjords Swimming Pools

The Westfjords reward the long drive with the two most memorable soaks in this guide. Both sit on the Strandir Coast, the wild eastern edge of the region, and both are right by the sea.

Drangsnes Hot Tubs

• Location: seafront of Drangsnes village, 520 Drangsnes, Steingrimsfjordur, Westfjords

• Adult ticket: free, donations welcome

• Open: around the clock, all year

• Best for: a free soak with the sea at your feet

The Drangsnes Hot Tubs have no swimming pool beside them, and they earn their place on this list anyway. For most Icelanders, the hot tub is the point of a pool visit, and the swim is optional.

Three concrete tubs are set into the shoreline below the village road, two of them hot and one cold. You can sit in the water and watch the fjord, with the island of Grimsey offshore.

Hot water was found at Drangsnes in 1997, and the village built the tubs soon after. Showers and changing cubicles stand across the road. There is no ticket desk, so leave a donation in the box and take your litter with you.

Drangsnes also has a proper pool a few streets up, with a 41-foot (12.5-meter) outdoor pool, a massage-jet hot tub, and a steam bath. Adults pay 900 ISK there, and children under 16 swim free.

Krossneslaug

• Location: Krossnes, 524 Nordurfjordur, at the end of the Strandir road

• Adult ticket: 1,000 ISK, children free

• Open: 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM when staffed, check Kronneslaug's Facebook page before setting out

• Best for: the most remote swim in Iceland, with whales passing offshore

Krossneslaug sits on a pebble beach at the far end of the Strandir Coast, more than 62 miles (100 kilometers) north of Drangsnes. The 41-foot (12.5-meter) pool is filled from a hot spring and looks straight out over the North Atlantic. A hot tub sits beside it, and seals, seabirds, and the occasional humpback whale pass by.

The pool was rebuilt from spring 2021 onwards. The changing rooms were raised almost from the ground up, and the pool itself was refurbished. 

The drive takes more than two hours from Holmavik on gravel roads, so plan it as a day trip and bring food.

North Iceland Swimming Pools

North Iceland has the country's most photographed pool and its best-loved family pool, an hour and a half apart. One is a quiet village pool with a view, and the other is a full water park.

Hofsos Swimming Pool

• Location: Sudurbraut, 565 Hofsos, on the east shore of Skagafjordur

• Adult ticket: 1,400 ISK, children under 7 free, ages 7 to 18 pay 425 ISK

• Open: year-round, 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on summer weekdays, split hours in winter

• Best for: swimming lengths with a fjord and two islands in view

The Hofsos Swimming Pool is built into the hillside above the sea, and the water seems to run straight into the fjord. From the pool, you look across Skagafjordur to the islands of Drangey and Malmey and the mountains beyond. The basalt columns of Stadarbjargavik lie on the shore just below.

The pool measures 82 feet by 34 feet (25 meters by 10.5 meters), with a depth from 2.6 feet to 5.9 feet (0.8 meters to 1.8 meters), and one hot tub sits beside it. The pool is kept at 86°F to 88°F (30°C to 31°C), and the tub runs at 100°F to 102°F (38°C to 39°C).

There is no slide, sauna, or steam bath, and that simplicity is part of the appeal. Come at the end of the day, when the low sun lights the fjord.

The pool opened on March 27, 2010 as a gift to the municipality from Lilja Pálmadóttir and Steinunn Jónsdóttir, two women from the district. Basalt Architects designed it, and the building has drawn architecture fans from abroad ever since.

Akureyri Swimming Pool

Photo from Wikimedia, Creative Commons, by Palinadagny. No edits made. 

• Location: Skolastigur 4, 600 Akureyri, the capital of the North

• Adult ticket: 1,400 ISK, children under 6 free, ages 6 to 17 pay 310 ISK

• Open: year-round, weekdays 6:45 AM to 9:00 PM, longer weekend hours in summer

• Best for: a full day with children

Akureyri's pool is the one families talk about after an Iceland trip. Three big water slides drop into the outdoor area. Two 82-foot (25-meter) outdoor pools, two wading pools, and a splash pool sit around them.

Four outdoor hot tubs, a warm indoor tub, a cold tub, and a steam bath keep the adults busy. Water temperatures run from 81°F to 91°F (27°C to 33°C) in the pools and 99°F to 108°F (37°C to 42°C) in the tubs.

A 41-foot (12.5-meter) indoor pool opens the place up in winter, and a sunbathing lawn with an artificial-turf play area opens in summer. The big slides carry an age limit of eight, so younger children stick to the wading pools and the small slide. Towel and swimsuit rental costs 1,040 ISK each, so pack your own.

Visit Akureyri reports that Icelanders voted it the country's favorite pool in 2022. Parents who have taken their children to Iceland prefer pools like this one to the lagoons, according to our Iceland-for-kids study.

East Iceland Swimming Pools

East Iceland's two entries are the oldest pools in this guide, both built in the late 1940s. One is a 1948 indoor hall by Guðjón Samúelsson, the State Architect behind Hallgrimskirkja Church, and the other is a valley pool built by volunteers.

Sundholl Seydisfjardar

Photo from Sundhöll Seyðisfjarðar (Facebook). 

• Location: Sudurgata 5, 710 Seydisfjordur, East Iceland

• Adult ticket: 1,220 ISK, visiting children 420 ISK

• Open: year-round, mornings and late afternoons on weekdays, Saturday late morning, closed Sundays

• Best for: a sheltered swim on a wet day, in a 1948 building

Seydisfjordur's pool hall is small, indoor, and friendly. The pool measures 41 feet by 23 feet (12.5 meters by 7 meters), and large windows frame the mountains around the fjord.

The water is kept warm enough for infant swimming. An outdoor hot tub was added in 2022, and a cold tub sits beside it. A sauna waits indoors beside the pool.

The hall sits a short walk from the harbor, so it works as a first stop off the ferry. Towel and swimsuit rental costs 670 ISK each, and seniors pay half price. Opening hours are short, with a break in the middle of the day, so check them before you plan a swim around the ferry.

Selardalslaug Swimming Pool

• Location: Selardalur valley, 690 Vopnafjordur, 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) from Vopnafjordur village, 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) off Route 85

• Adult ticket: 1,100 ISK, children 400 ISK

• Open: year-round, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on summer weekdays, afternoons only in winter

• Best for: a riverside swim far from any town

Selardalslaug, also known locally as Selarlaug, stands on the bank of the Sela, a salmon river that runs through a shallow gorge in the valley. The pool sits in a sheltered spot, with a large sun deck, a spacious hot tub, a cold tub, and a children's pool. A picnic area makes it an easy afternoon stop.

Volunteers from the local youth association Einherji built the pool in the summer of 1949, and it opened the following summer. The hot spring beside it was used for bathing long before the pool existed, and it still heats the water today. Until 1975, schoolchildren boarded in houses at the pool for two-week swimming courses.

South and Southeast Iceland Swimming Pools

The south has the most pools on any route, so these four stand out for different reasons. One is the country's biggest, one is among its busiest, one is on an island, and one sits at the foot of a glacier.

Sundholl Selfoss

Photo from Sundhöll Selfoss (Facebook). 

• Location: Tryggvagata 15, 800 Selfoss

• Adult ticket: 1,900 ISK, children under 10 free, ages 10 to 17 pay 360 ISK

• Open: year-round, Monday to Thursday 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM, shorter on Fridays and weekends

• Best for: the biggest range of facilities on the south coast

Selfoss has one of the busiest pools in South Iceland, with more than 320,000 visitors a year. An 82-foot (25-meter) outdoor pool and a 59-foot (18-meter) indoor pool handle the swimmers, and the outdoor children's pool has three water slides of its own. Hot tubs, a cold tub, a steam bath, and a sauna sit around the edge.

A 2015 extension added an indoor children's pool, so toddlers can swim in any weather. The building shares its reception with a gym, and four changing rooms keep queues short even on busy days. Selfoss is the last big town before the South Coast, which makes this a good place to break the drive.

Westman Islands Swimming Pool

• Location: Brimholabraut, 900 Vestmannaeyjar, on Heimaey

• Adult ticket: 1,200 ISK, children under 10 free, ages 10 to 17 pay 300 ISK

• Open: year-round, weekdays 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM, weekends 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

• Best for: slides named after the island's landmarks

The Westman Islands pool is the best reason to pack swimwear for the ferry. Three water slides are named after island landmarks: Eldfell is the children's slide, Storhofdi drops three open tubes straight into the pool, and Dufthekja is a steep tube that ends on a trampoline. The children's pool has waterfalls, basketball hoops, and a climbing wall shaped like the outline of Heimaklettur.

Three hot tubs line the outdoor area, with massage jets, nozzles for calves and backs, and a waterfall to stand under, at 99°F to 108°F (37°C to 42°C). The indoor pool measures 82 feet by 36 feet (25 meters by 11 meters) and has a 3.3-foot (1-meter) springboard. Its water is slightly saline at 0.09% salt and about 85°F (29.5°C). A sauna, an outdoor shower, and a sunbathing area complete the set.

The indoor pool opened in 1976, and the outdoor area opened in 2010. The town calls it one of the most impressive outdoor pool areas in the country, and after a morning on the slides, most visitors agree. If you plan to stay in the Westman Islands, the pool fills a rainy afternoon.

Hofn Swimming Pool

Photo from Sveitarfélagið Hornafjörður (Facebook). 

• Location: Vikurbraut 9, 780 Hofn, Southeast Iceland

• Adult ticket: 1,450 ISK, children under 18 free

• Open: year-round, weekdays 6:45 am to 9 pm, weekends 10 am to 7 pm

• Best for: a warm-up after a day on the glacier

Hofn's pool opened in 2009 and is the natural end to a day at Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon or on Vatnajokull National Park. The outdoor pool measures 82 feet by 26 feet (25 meters by 8 meters) and is kept at 84°F (29°C).

A jacuzzi at 102°F (39°C) and a hot tub at 106°F (41°C) sit beside it, with a children's pool at 97°F (36°C) and an ice bath. A steam bath and a sheltered sunbathing area complete the outdoor side.

The whole facility has good access for wheelchair users. Children under 18 swim free, which makes it the cheapest family stop on the South Coast. Three water slides, named Luran, Kudungurinn, and Humarinn after a dab, a whelk, and a lobster, keep children busy while you soak.

Swimming Pools Near Reykjavik

One pool on the edge of the capital region earns a place on this list for a feature no other pool in Iceland has. It sits a short drive from downtown Reykjavik, so it works as an afternoon outing from the city.

Alftaneslaug

Photo from Garðabær (Facebook). 

• Location: Breidamyri, 225 Gardabaer, on Alftanes, a peninsula district of Gardabaer

• Adult ticket: 1,350 ISK, children under 18 free

• Open: year-round, weekdays 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM, weekends 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

• Best for: Iceland's only wave pool

Alftaneslaug is the only pool in Iceland with a wave pool, and that alone puts it on the list. An 82-foot (25-meter) outdoor pool and a 262-foot (80-meter) water slide sit beside it.

A 39-foot (12-meter) indoor pool overlooks the outdoor area and is meant for families with toddlers. Two hot tubs at 102°F (39°C) and 108°F (42°C), a cold tub at 39°F to 41°F (4°C to 5°C), a splash pool, and a sauna complete the facility.

The peninsula is also home to Bessastadir, the official residence of the President of Iceland. A swim here pairs well with a walk past the presidential grounds. Children under 18 swim free in Gardabaer, and the pool has a lift, bathing wheelchairs, and accessible changing rooms.

Laugaskard in Hveragerdi

Photo from Sundlaugin Laugaskarði-Hveragerði (Facebook).

• Location: Reykjamork, 810 Hveragerdi, a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik

• Adult ticket: 1,500 ISK, children 440 ISK

• Open: year-round, weekdays from 6:30 AM, until 9:30 PM in summer

• Best for: swimming lengths in the biggest pool outside the capital

Laugaskard is the 164-foot (50-meter) pool that put Hveragerdi on the map. It measures 164 feet by 39 feet (50 meters by 12 meters), and the water flows through it constantly, heated by steam from the ground.

For decades, it was by far the largest pool in Iceland. The national team trained here until 1966.

The first 82-foot (25-meter) section opened in 1938, built by volunteers at the urging of the swimmer Lárus Rist. It was extended to 164 feet (50 meters) in 1945.

The stone building that stands today was designed by the architect Gísli Halldórsson in 1963. Beside the main pool you'll find a warm children's pool, a cold pool, a hot tub with massage jets, and a natural steam bath.

Two beach volleyball courts sit east of the pool, and a gym run by a sports club occupies the building. The pool is a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik on the way to the South Coast, so it works as the first or last swim of a South Coast road trip.

Swimming Pool Etiquette in Iceland

Pool etiquette in Iceland follows one rule above all others. Every guest washes thoroughly without a swimsuit before entering the water, because the pools use very little chlorine. Signs in the changing rooms show which parts of the body need soap. Attendants will send anyone who skips the shower back to it. 

Shoes come off at the changing-room door, and towels stay on the hooks by the showers. Phones stay in the locker, since photography is banned in the changing rooms. Rinse off in the showers again before you dress, and dry yourself inside the wet area so the lockers stay dry.

The hot tubs are where conversations happen. Locals talk about the weather, the news, and the fishing, and a polite question from a visitor is welcome. Keep your voice down, since the tubs are small, and move along if a queue forms.

Choosing Swimming Pools for Your Iceland Route

Your route decides which of these pools you'll reach, so pick by itinerary rather than by ranking. On a weekend in Reykjavik, Alftaneslaug and Laugaskard both sit under an hour from the city. A 3-day South Coast self-drive reaches Hofn on its second day and passes Selfoss on the way home. The Westman Islands ferry makes a separate side trip.

A 9-day Ring Road self-drive can include a swim every day. It passes Hofn, Seydisfjordur, Akureyri, and Hofsos in turn, then rounds Snaefellsnes past Stykkisholmur and Olafsvik. Borgarnes closes the loop on the last driving day, and Selardalslaug adds a detour from Egilsstadir.

Westfjords tours take planning. Drangsnes and Krossnes sit on the Strandir Coast, so give them a summer day of their own. Opening hours shrink in winter at the smaller pools, so check the hours of the pool you’re heading for before any long detour.