Welcome, this is the Hot Springs Iceland Guide.

Hot Springs Iceland Guide
Hot Springs Iceland Guide

Iceland hot spring or bath is a must do during your trip in iceland.
Here you will find a list of iceland hot spring i personnaly test.

Table of contents

Seljavallalaug

On the flanks of the famous volcano Eyjafjallajökull, this source is located at the bottom of a nice valley. The landscape is stunning and worth the walk. The bath is a rectangular swimming pool. You can change your clothes in concrete cabin (little bit dirty however). Betwwen hella and vik , You can access the bath by the road 1 and the road 242, not far from the skogafoss waterfall.

Seljavallalaug hot spring - Iceland - bath - onsen
Seljavallalaug hot spring – Iceland – bath – onsen

Hrunalaug

Not far from the secret lagoon in the region of , the hrunalaug hot spring is a pure marvelous in a natural landscape of meadows. I particularly appreciate to stay in the hot water between wall of old lava stone cover by moss. A must and feel so quiet and relax !!. The next time , i dream to savour a cup of champaign here. A small hut allow you to change your clothes, despite i change myself outside by minus 2 degrees, grrrrr !!
From the road 30 , You can access this natural spring by a gravel road (344) which can be slippery when cover by snow or muddy, take care.
Please keep this place clean and take your trash , assurely one of my favorite in Iceland.

Hrunalaug hot spring – Iceland – onsen

Myvatn nature bath

Myvatn nature bath - Jardbodin - Iceland - onsen
Myvatn nature bath – Jardbodin – Iceland

One of my favorite hot bath in Iceland. From Reykjahlid , in direction to Egilstadir, you will turn on the left on the road 1. The first road on the right lead to the grjotagja cave, the second road on the right lead to the Myvatn nature hot bath . You have a modern complex on site and a parking. The entrance price is at .

It’s a pure pleasure to swim in this bath, especially when the outside temperature is minus 3 degrees °C. The bath are surrounded by a beautiful landscape of volcano and the myvatn lake valley. The water in the bath has a beautiful deep blue color due to the volcanic black sand and gravel at the bottom of the bath. The water come from depths as deep as 2500 meters.

.location coordinate GPS : 65.63097, -16.84767

65°37’51.1″N 16°50’50.7″W

Landbrotalaug

In the foothills of the peninsula of Snaefellnes , about 2 hours from Reykjavik, along the road 54.

A crazy place, the baths are natural hole in the floor, digged by the water, in the middle from nowhere .

The smaller can contain only one or two persons.  No changing facilities.

Landbrotalaug – hot spring – Iceland

Blue lagoon

Blue lagoon - Iceland - onsen - hot spring
Blue lagoon – Iceland – onsen – hot spring

No need to introduce you the famous blue lagoon. Despite the crowd, this lagoon worth the trip at least one time in your life. The water is of a beautiful turquoise color contrary to the myvatn nature bath more deep in blue.

Don’t forget to try the silica and the algua mask during your visit !

Due to the heavy influence , i can only advice you to booking your ticket long time before your trip. In time of writing this article, another pool is under construction for reduce the crowd bottleneck.

Secret lagoon

Well the secret lagoon is not so secret. Near the city of Fludir, Gamla laugin, his local name, is the oldest natural in Iceland. The site was created in 1891. You have a complex on site for buy tickets, change clothes, etc…

Ticket entrance as of May 2022 :

3900 ISK / 21,60 Euros / 23,18 US dollar

Djupivogur

A hot spring in the Eastfjord !!! the Djúpavogskörin Natural Geothermal Pool.

This one is relatively unknown. If you spend the night in Djupivogur, it’s worth to take a small swim. This hot bath is a few kilometer outside the city. From djupivogur, take the road 1 in direction of Hofn. The hot spring is not really visible from the road, hidden below a small hill but only 200-300 meter from the road 1.

No cabin, you need to change your clothes outside.

location coordinate GPS : 64.65376, -14.34137

64°39’13.8″N 14°20’28.7″W

Grettislaug

grettislaug hot spring - iceland - source chaude islande
grettislaug hot spring – iceland – source chaude islande

Another good spot for the Hot spring iceland Guide. Grettislaug is a charming hot pot in the north Iceland , with a nice view on the fjord Skagafjordur. You access to the site by the road 748 from the city of Saudarkrokur, in around 30 minutes. There is two ponds with different water temperature. Some cabins allow you to change clothes.

You need to pay a fee for the hot bath. A campsite is present on place for campers.

Just a small anecdot , there, along the sea, we saw a local fisherman angling and catching fish at a crazy speed !!! May I will come back fishing here one day !!

location coordinate GPS : 65.88238, -19.73696

65°52’56.1″N 19°44’11.5″W

Gvendarlaug – Laugarholl hot spring

Laugarholl hot spring - iceland - source chaude islande
Laugarholl hot spring – iceland – source chaude islande

Near the city of Holmavik, the hotel Laugarholl dispose a hot water swimming pool where competition have taken place in the past, a hot water stream and also hot ponds around . One of this pond is sacred , a monk coming take bath here around the year 1200-1300 if I not wrong (Gvendur the good).

On site you can see a old sorcerer cottage after the swimming pool.

During your stay at the hotel , we get access to the swimming pool but people from outside can come to swim by paying a fee at the hotel (
600 ISK).

Hellulaug

 A very nice bath with a peaceful view on the fjord Vatnsfjordur in the Westfjord. You access the hot spring by the road 62.

No cabin on site for change clothes. Do it near your car !!!!

 We not only take bath in the pond but we also try the sea where  the warm waters flow.

During we stay there , a wild goose and her chick stay on the beach very quiet, not frighten by humans. Maybe the presence of the hot spring create a microclimate helping her to raise her offspring.

 On the same road, many blueberries in summer, grab your bucket  !!

location coordinate GPS : 65.57263, -23.171535

65°34’21.2″N 23°10’18.2″W

FAQ Hot Springs Iceland Guide

Are there any hot springs in Iceland ?

Yes a lot. Iceland is a volcanic land and still geologically active . Water deep in the ground comes to contact with hot rocks. Some place the magma is not far aways from the surface like in Reykjanes (Blue Lagoon) or Myvatn Lake (Myvatn natural bath). Some bath are natural , others are created by humans.

Are Iceland hot springs safe ?

Hot springs are usuallly safe but the hot water are result of natural activities. So sometimes, water can become too hot for human. We know one example of a hot spring actually close in the Borganes region due to water becoming too hot.

If you have small children, don’t forget that almost natural baths are unattended and without protection preventing children from falling in water, so take care.

Some hot springs could have problem of bacteria.

Are hot spring free in Iceland ?

Somes are free like Seljavallalaug others not free like the Blue Lagoon. In the above Hot Springs Iceland Guide, we indicate if you need to pay something. Around Iceland, it’s possible to find free natural hot springs.

Why does Iceland have so many hot springs ?

Iceland is geologically active. The island lays on the rigde between the american plate and european plate. Many geological faults create volcanoes, rises of magma. So water comes to contact with hot rocks.

Is the blue lagoon worth it ?

Yes , it’s a really good experience, a part of the icelandic way of life, the turquoise color mix the silica white are stunning but this experience is a little bit expensive. Take it in account in your budget.

Complements to the Hot Springs Iceland Guide

 You might be interesting in :

 

The Iceland Waterfall Guide (2022)

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