4x (Free) Alternatives Blue Lagoon Iceland
A roadtrip through Iceland isn’t complete without visiting a hotspring. The most popular geothermal pool is the Blue Lagoon close to the airport, but this pool is quite expensive and often overcrowded. We looked for the lesser known places. There are some nice alternatives, less expensive and less crowded. A couple of our alternatives are even for free and surrounded by nature. Read more about the four (free) alternatives for the Blue Lagoon, all of which you can visit following our roadtrip Iceland.
Tip: Check out all the locations in our Google Maps itinerary Iceland!
1. Geosea Geothermal Baths in Húsavík
In Húsavík, located in the north of Iceland, you will find the first alternative for the Blue Lagoon. Geosea Geothermal Baths is located on the edge of the town of Húsavík. When we were there, it was really quiet in the area. We didn’t visit the bath itself, but walked past it during our visit to the ‘whalewatching city’. You have a beautiful view over the sea from the thermal pools and you can definitely see some boats passing by looking for whales. Geosea is artificially created and in summer it probably can get quite busy. Reservations were necessary during our trip anyway. The prices are slightly lower than at Blue Lagoon, but it certainly is not cheap!
2. Myvatn Nature Baths
Another option in the northern part of Iceland is Myvatn Nature Baths. These geothermical baths are located just behind the bubbling pools of Hverir and from here you have a nice view over Lake Myvatn. Like Geosea, the bath is artificially created. When you want to visit the baths, you will have to accept the bad sulphur smell due to nearby geothermal area. The bath is located next to the ringroad and therefore easily accessible. During our travelperiod, the prices where significant lower than the Blue Lagoon.
3. Reykjadalur Hotspring
In fact, we didn’t visit any of the above two baths in the end. We thought both pools (especially Blue Lagoon!) are quite expensive for what they have to offer. Fortunately, there are some other (free!) alternatives.
The Reykjadalur hot spring is one of the places we visited during our tour. This river is located rather close to Reykjavik on the route of The Golden Circle. The hike and access to the hot spring are free, but you have to pay to park your car. At the parking lot you will find a restaurant with some small cabins and a toilet. The walk is about four kilometers and is well marked. Along the way you will find many bubbling mud pools, making the walk to the hot spring already worth the trip. After walking for a while you reach a platform and a couple of fences for changing clothes. The hot spring itself is a shallow river. The closer you go to the source, the warmer the water will be.
4. Fosslaug
A small hidden pool close to a beautiful waterfall, and this all for free! We were most surprised by the Fosslaug area, especially because this source is located in the middle of nature in a very quiet spot. From the main road you will have to drive a short unpaved road, but this is easily possible using a budget rental car. There is a gravel parking lot near a farm. Please note: this part (the unpaved road and the parking lot) appears to be private property, just like the first part of the walk. However, it was possible to walk here during our trip. After a short walk you first reach the waterfall Reykjafoss. It certainly isn’t the largest waterfall in Iceland, still it was very beautiful to our opinion, since you can walk very close and it isn’t antother tourist attraction (yet). The hot spring is located at the top of the waterfall along the river. You will pass it during your walk to the waterfall, so it won’t be missed. The source is wonderfully warm, but don’t expect crystal clear water here!
Tip: Check out our accommodations along our roadtrip Iceland.
