Laugardalslaug

What to expect

Laugardalslaug is the largest public pool in Reykjavík. It sits in Laugardalur, a broad green valley of sports grounds and parkland whose name means “valley of the warm springs”. People have swum in the warm water here for hundreds of years, and a stone pool was commissioned in 1907 and 1908. Work on the present complex began in 1958, and it opened on 1 June 1968.

This is a working city pool, not a spa. You will share it with lap swimmers before work, school groups and swim clubs during the day, families after school and older regulars who come for the hot tubs and the conversation. There are no robes or mask bars. What you get is a lot of hot water for very little money.

The pools

The city publishes detailed figures for every pool and tub:

• Outdoor competition pool: 50 by 22 m, eight lanes, 0.8 to 1.76 m deep, 82°F28°C.
• Indoor pool: 50 by 25 m, ten lanes, 2 m deep throughout, 82°F28°C. It opened in 2005.
• Children’s pool: a kidney-shaped pool 0.8 m deep at 84°F29°C, with a 2 m slide, a small “snake” slide for children under 120 cm and a “wipeout” obstacle course in one corner.
• Wading pool: a round splash pool up to 0.4 m deep at 90°F32°C.
• Four outdoor hot tubs: 100°F38°C, 104°F40°C, 108°F42°C and 111°F44°C. Start in the cooler ones and work up. The 111°F44°C tub is very hot.
• Seawater tub: a 20 square metre tub at about 102°F39°C, added in 2007 at the east end. The seawater comes from a Reykjavík Energy well at Laugarnes and is heated before it flows in.
• Aerated stone pool at 102°F39°C and a small indoor hot tub at 102°F39°C.
• Cold tub: 43 to 46°F6 to 8°C, for short plunges between hot soaks.
• Steam room: a shared outdoor steam bath.
• Large water slide: 8 m high and 84 m long.

The pool water is disinfected with chlorine made on site from salt, which the city says is easier on skin and eyes. Outside the fence there are two beach volleyball courts, mini golf, outdoor fitness equipment and marked running loops of 3 km and 5 km.

Getting there

The pool is at Sundlaugavegur 30, 105 Reykjavík, about 3 km (2 miles) east of the old centre by road.

• By car: From the centre, head east on Laugavegur or Borgartún and turn north onto Reykjavegur or Sundlaugavegur. There is a large free car park beside the building.
• By bus: Strætó stops named Laugardalslaug sit right outside on Sundlaugavegur. Check the Strætó trip planner for current routes.
• On foot or by bike: It is a pleasant 35 to 45 minute walk from Hallgrímskirkja, and the city’s cycle paths run through Laugardalur.

Everything is at ground level, and the walk from the car park to the front desk is a minute or two.

When to go

The pool is open all year. A hot tub with snow falling around it on a dark January afternoon is one of the better things to do in Reykjavík in winter, and the pool stays busy in every season.

Quietest times: late mornings and early afternoons on weekdays. Between late August and June, parts of the pool can be reserved for school swimming and club training, so ask at the desk if you want lanes for laps.

Busiest times: early mornings (lap swimmers), after school and weekend afternoons (families and the slide).

Holidays: In 2026 the pool kept regular hours of 06:30 to 22:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 22:00 at weekends, with 11:00 to 17:00 on most public holidays (13:00 to 17:00 on Good Friday and Easter Sunday). The Christmas schedule for 2026 is 06:30 to 18:00 on 23 December, 08:00 to 13:00 on Christmas Eve, closed on Christmas Day, 11:00 to 17:00 on Boxing Day, 08:00 to 13:00 on New Year’s Eve and 13:00 to 17:00 on 1 January 2027.

Prices and booking

There is nothing to book. You pay at the front desk on arrival. Reykjavík’s council approved a new price list in April 2026, in force from 5 May 2026:

• Adult single entry: ISK 1,500
• Children aged 10 to 17: ISK 400
• Children under 10 with an adult: free
• 10-visit adult card: ISK 7,000 (valid four years, not for groups)
• Adult annual card: ISK 34,000, or ISK 2,833 a month on a 12-month commitment
• Annual card for ages 67 and over: ISK 4,000
• Towel rental ISK 860, swimsuit rental ISK 1,270, or ISK 2,770 for a swim, towel and swimsuit together

The Reykjavík pool card. Multi-visit cards, subscriptions and annual cards are loaded onto Reykjavíkurkortið, the city’s access card. It costs ISK 1,000 to issue, as a plastic card or a phone card, and you get it at the service desk of any city pool. It only makes sense if you are staying a while or swimming often.

The Reykjavík City Card. This is a different product, sold by Visit Reykjavík for 24, 48 or 72 hours (ISK 6,100, 8,500 and 10,500 as listed in October 2026). It includes entry to the city’s geothermal pools, Laugardalslaug among them, plus Strætó buses and many museums. If you plan two pool visits and a museum or two in a day, it can pay for itself.

Pool etiquette

Icelandic pools have firm rules, and staff enforce them.

• Shower without your swimsuit before you get in. Take your shoes off before the changing room, undress fully, wash with soap, then put your swimsuit on. Attendants will send you back if you skip it.
• No phones or cameras in the changing rooms or around the pools. Reykjavík’s rules ban them in both.
• No alcohol, tobacco, vapes or nicotine pouches anywhere in the facility, and no glass.
• Children under 10 need a swimmer aged 15 or older with them. Children under 16 need an adult in the sauna or steam room.
• Dry off before you go back into the changing room.

Accessibility

The city lists accessible facilities at Laugardalslaug, along with private changing rooms and baby-changing areas. Reykjavík publishes an accessibility overview for all its pools at reykjavik.is/en/accessibility-in-swimming-pools; check it for lifts and changing-room details before you go.

Where to stay nearby

The Reykjavík Campsite (Tjaldsvæði í Laugardal) is on Sundlaugavegur, a few minutes’ walk east of the pool, and is the city’s main campground. Otherwise, central Reykjavík, about 3 km away, has the full spread of hotels and guesthouses. Laugardalur itself also holds the Family and Farm Park, which is covered by the same city access card system.

Safety notes

• Hot tub heat: The 108°F and 111°F42°C and 44°C tubs are hot. Keep soaks short, drink water and get out if you feel dizzy.
• Cold tub: At 43 to 46°F6 to 8°C, use it for brief dips only. People with heart conditions should skip it.
• Slippery decks: Wet tiles can ice at the edges in winter. Walk between tubs.
• Deep water: The indoor pool is 2 m deep throughout, and the outdoor pool reaches 1.76 m. Keep weak swimmers and children in the children’s pool.