Reykjavík: Hotels, Baths, Culture and Views

Reykjavík offers a range of options for your trip: year-round bathing, city history, views and outdoor activities. The city baths, Nauthólsvík, museums and Hallgrímskirkja offer different experiences to choose from.

Swimming Pools, Beach and Outdoor Activities

Reykjavík’s swimming pools are spread across eight locations in the city and offer year-round opportunities to stay active, relax and spend time with others. Facilities include swimming lanes, hot tubs, steam baths and family-friendly activities. Water aerobics is also open to everyone. Scheduled sessions may change, so check the current times before your visit.

Geothermal beach Nauthólsvík offers a different bathing environment. Warm geothermal water mixes with cold seawater in a lagoon, alongside a beach with golden sand. Swimming is possible there year-round. Hot tubs, a steam bath and changing rooms add to the facilities. This gives you a choice between swimming pools spread across the city and a beach with geothermal water in the lagoon.

At Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo, visitors can get to know Icelandic farm animals and native wild mammals. The grounds include various playgrounds, exciting play equipment and sheltered areas for year-round outdoor recreation. The venue brings wildlife and play opportunities together in one place.

There are also ski lifts within the city limits: three facilities for children and beginners are located in Ártúnsbrekka, Breiðholt and Grafarvogur. Their operation depends on conditions. If you plan to include this activity, take this caveat into account.

City History, Church and Views

The Settlement Exhibition is located on Aðalstræti in central Reykjavík. Through an open archaeological excavation, it presents the city’s Viking Age history; an extension opened in May 2022. The exhibition also covers Reykjavík’s history from settlement to the present, as well as various aspects of city life and the everyday lives of its residents over the centuries.

Hallgrímskirkja is a national monument in the city centre, dedicated to the Icelandic religious poet Hallgrímur Pétursson. At the same time, it is an active Evangelical Lutheran parish church with parish and musical activities. Its 73-metre-high tower offers panoramic views of Reykjavík and the surrounding mountains, as well as west across the ocean to Greenland and the Americas. Here, a national monument, church life and sweeping views of the city and its surroundings come together.

The Reykjavík Maritime Museum focuses on a different aspect of history. Its permanent exhibition, “Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries,” tells the story of Icelandic fishing: from the transition from rowing boats to large fishing vessels in the late 19th century to the 21st century. Unlike the Settlement Exhibition, the focus here is on fishing; the latter explores settlement and Reykjavík’s city history.

Combining Activities and Planning

The Reykjavík City Card may also be useful for getting around the capital area: it serves as a ticket for Strætó public transport throughout the capital area and for the ferry to Viðey Island. As included benefits may change, check them in advance if you plan to use the card for these services.

When planning your schedule, distinguish between the year-round bathing options and the ski lifts, whose operation depends on conditions. If you are considering both activities, keep this difference in mind and check conditions for your visit.

Discover more destinations: Hafnarfjördur, Mosfellsbær, Garðabær, Kópavogur, Seltjarnarnes

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