Hvammsvík Hot Springs, about an hour outside Reykjavik, offers thermal pools with outstanding sea and landscape views.
Hvammsvík Hot Springs is a fairly new lagoon about an hour drive from Reykjavik. You can book admission online, including a bus transfer from the city if you need it.
Compared to nearby Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon, this one is quite different! Instead of a large single lagoon, this one uses multiple smaller pools with varying temperatures.
You also get access to the ocean for a cold plunge and to a steam room. (But there's no sauna.)
Some paddle boards on the beach seemed to belong to the lagoon, but at the time I was unclear if these were available for us to use. (Turns out, their website says that yes, paddle boarding is included in admission.)
What We Enjoyed at Hvammsvík
I liked the natural look of the hot spring pools. In some ways, it reminded me of the small pools we soaked in when visiting Pagosa Springs in Colorado.
The setting was absolutely stunning. This lagoon definitely had the best surroundings of any we’ve tried so far. The mountain and fjord views were fantastic.
The natural setting also reminded me a bit of the hot springs I used at Landmannalauger before hiking the Laugavegur Trail (without the benefit of being free, of course).
As with other lagoons in Iceland, there's a bar serving beer, wine, and nonalcoholic drinks right alongside one of the pools.
One other little detail? Their shampoo in the shower area was amazing!
Stormur Bistro at Hvammsvík Hot Springs
The bistro has limited space, but there was one table available when we visited.
We both had open-faced sandwiches, one with shrimp and one with roast beef and egg. Both were really delicious and arrived quicker than I expected, which was nice.
Things We Didn't Love
The road to Hvammsvík Hot Springs
The road down into the lagoon (as of August 2024) is gravel with potholes.
I didn’t think the road was too awful, but the car in front of us seemed pretty nervous on it and was driving really slowly. (We’d already experienced much rougher roads in the Westfjords on our drive to Látrabjarg.)
The rough pathways
At other lagoons it was common to see people barefoot, like in a swimming pool. But at Hvammsvík, there isn’t a path that’s easy on the feet in between most of the pools, or on the way to the ocean. It’s mostly small gravel rocks.
I should’ve brought water shoes (the fact that rentals were available should have been my clue).
The congestion
Hvammsvík sometimes felt overcrowded, in a different way than Blue Lagoon (which had amusement park vibes but was clearly designed to handle crowds and still flowed well). It didn’t actually seem like there were a ton of people here, but it often felt congested.
Because the pools were small, there were multiple times when I wanted to change pools, but couldn't really see an open spot.
The lagoon bar was also for shoe rentals, and the line got pretty long and moved slowly.
The locker room was tiny with only one hairdryer. A woman was waiting on the hair dryer the whole time I used it, which was a little stressful because I didn’t want to make her wait, but also it was too cold to leave with wet hair.
I had to wait to get in my locker at the end of the day because a group that just came in was blocking it to change clothes, but there was nowhere else for them to stand.
We visited in late morning of a weekday in early August. If I came again I’d try to get there first thing in the morning, or maybe later in the day, to hopefully have a less crowded experience.
Overall this is a nice stop with great views! If you're looking for a spa experience that feels a little more remote and natural, this one might be a good choice for you.
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