Eight swimming pool locations, a geothermal beach, several museum themes and a 73-meter-high church tower offer very different starting points for a stay in Reykjavik. You can tailor your time around swimming, city history, fishing or views, according to your interests.
Swimming Pools and Geothermal Beach
Reykjavik’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 rooms and family-friendly activities. Water aerobics at the swimming pools is open to everyone; schedules may change. If you plan to attend a session, check the current schedule.
Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach offers a different kind of water experience. In a lagoon, warm geothermal water mixes with cold seawater; next to it is a golden-sand beach where swimming is possible year-round. Hot tubs, a steam room and changing rooms complete the facilities. While the swimming pools are spread across eight locations, Nauthólsvík combines a lagoon and beach in one named location—a practical distinction when choosing where to enjoy the water.
Animals, Playgrounds and Ski Lifts
At the Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo, visitors can meet Icelandic domestic animals and native wild mammals. The park also has several playgrounds, exciting play equipment and sheltered areas for year-round outdoor recreation. Animal encounters and play options therefore offer more ideas for planning your stay alongside the swimming pools.
Skiing is also among the activities available within the city limits: there are three ski lifts for children and beginners in Ártúnsbrekka, Breiðholt and Grafarvogur. Their operation depends on conditions. If you are planning to use them, check in advance whether the lifts are operating.
City History in Two Museums
The Settlement Exhibition on Aðalstræti, in central Reykjavik, uses an open archaeological excavation to tell the story of the city’s Viking Age. An extension opened in May 2022. The exhibition covers Reykjavik’s history from settlement to the present day and explores various aspects of city life as well as residents’ everyday lives over the centuries. Its timeline thus spans from the beginning of settlement to the present.
The permanent exhibition “Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries” at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum focuses on a different part of history. It tells the story of Icelandic fisheries, from the transition from rowing boats to large fishing vessels in the late 19th century through to the 21st century. In 2008, the former Coast Guard ship Óðinn was secured at the pier next to the museum as an extension of the museum. The exhibition and ship offer different ways to explore history and fisheries.
Hallgrímskirkja and Views over Reykjavik
Hallgrímskirkja is a national monument dedicated to Icelandic clerical poet Hallgrímur Pétursson, and also an active Evangelical Lutheran parish church in central Reykjavik. Its 73-meter-high tower offers panoramic views of the city, the surrounding mountains and the ocean to the west, as far as Greenland and the Americas. Here, the church’s role and far-reaching views come together.
Transport and Finding Accommodation
The Reykjavík City Card also serves as a ticket for Strætó public transport throughout the capital region and for the ferry to Viðey Island. As included services may change, check them before making plans. This may be useful to consider if you would like to use both public transport in the capital region and the ferry.
When searching for hotels in Reykjavik, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on: swimming pools and geothermal bathing, city history or views.
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