Geothermal baths near Akureyri

7 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Three geothermal baths are within a day's reach of Akureyri, and they are very different places. Forest Lagoon sits among birch and pine in the Vaðlaskógur forest, with a view over Eyjafjörður and over to the town. Earth Lagoon Mývatn, still sold on many tour pages under its old name Mývatn Nature Baths, lies on the Ring Road by the lake, 87 km east. GeoSea in Húsavík fills its pools with seawater on a cliff above Skjálfandi Bay, 76 km to the north-east. All three sell entry tickets, so you can go on your own by car or join a tour that includes the bath.

Forest Lagoon, five minutes from town

The operator of Forest Lagoon gives the drive from the town centre as five minutes, about 3.6 km. The site has two warm pools with swim-up bars, a Finnish dry sauna with a view of the fjord and the mountains, a cold pool for switching between hot and cold, and a bistro. The entry ticket on this page includes a towel, a locker, shower products and one drink at the swim-up bar. Swimwear and bathrobes are extra.

Reviews mention two recurring points. The lagoon gets busy and loud at peak times, and some guests find the water hotter than they like. Several cruise passengers report that the lagoon was so full on their day that their tour group had to wait or could not get in at all, so leave a margin if you go in the cruise season.

Children up to 5 years go free. Children aged 6 to 12 must arrive by 18:30, and the ticket page asks children under 12 to leave the lagoon by 20:00. Opening hours appear in two versions on the operator's own website, so check the time of your slot when you book.

Earth Lagoon Mývatn

The baths at Jarðbaðshólar near Mývatn have changed their name. The old address myvatnnaturebaths.is now forwards to Earth Lagoon Mývatn, and the operator says a new facility was scheduled to open in summer 2026, with the current operation described as a soft opening. Many tour titles still use the old name, which is why you will see both here.

The water comes from a depth of 2,500 metres, and the lagoon is held at 36 to 40 °C. The ticket covers the lagoon, the steam baths, changing rooms, showers, soap and a locker. Towels, swimwear and bathrobes are not included, and neither is food from Café Kvika or drinks from the swim-up bar. Children up to 5 years go free with an adult.

Reviews from cold days are mixed. Guests report water and showers that were cooler than expected, cramped changing rooms and parts of the site closed for maintenance; some also mention the smell of sulphur. The setting and the café get the most praise.

GeoSea in Húsavík

GeoSea fills its pools with geothermally heated seawater and sits on a west-facing cliff above Skjálfandi Bay, at Vitaslóð 1 in Húsavík. From the water you look out over the bay where the whale-watching boats from Húsavík go out. The ticket includes a locker, soap, shampoo and conditioner from the Icelandic brand Sóley Organics; swimwear, towel and bathrobe are not included. Children up to 5 go free with an adult, and children from 6 to 16 pay a reduced rate.

The baths are small and exposed to the wind, and some reviewers find the buildings older than at the other lagoons. Cruise passengers point out that there is no transport from the port, so the way up is a walk uphill. Our page on Húsavík covers whale watching and the rest of the town.

Tours that include a bath

If you have no car, a tour is the simplest way to reach the baths outside Akureyri. Read the inclusions closely, because the word "Baths" in a tour title does not always mean the entry is paid. On the Mývatn day trips run by Fox Adventure from the port and by Star Travel with pickup, the bath entry is extra; Fox Adventure asks you to bring swimwear and a towel. The BusTravel tour from the cruise terminal includes the Mývatn entry and a packed lunch, but no towel.

Forest Lagoon appears in a number of half-day tours with Goðafoss, most of them built around cruise ship times. Saga Travel adds the Grenjaðarstaður turf house museum and a rental towel. The BusTravel small-group tour stops at the smaller Geitafoss waterfall as well; its ticket covers all pools, cold plunges and saunas, but not the towel. The Traveling Viking combines Goðafoss and Forest Lagoon with the Christmas Garden at Hrafnagil and a short tour of Akureyri. More options for the waterfall are on our page on Goðafoss and the Diamond Circle.

From September to April, an evening at Forest Lagoon can be paired with a search for the northern lights. Saga Travel and Star Travel run such evenings with entry and towel included; the Saga tour takes guests from 13 years. No tour can promise the aurora, and cloud cover often decides. Our page on northern lights tours explains the season.

For a more active start, Original North runs a two-hour e-bike tour through the Kjarnaskógur forest and the old town that starts at Forest Lagoon, with lagoon entry included and a minimum age of 12. At Mývatn, a guided five-hour hike through birch woods to the Grjótagjá cave ends with entry to the baths and a transfer back.

Driving to the baths

If you drive to Mývatn or Húsavík yourself, the Ring Road east of Akureyri passes through the Vaðlaheiðargöng tunnel, which charges a toll. There is no toll booth: you register your number plate and pay online, from 24 hours before until 24 hours after the drive. If you do not, the bill goes to the car's owner with a collection fee, so ask your rental company how they handle it. In winter the Ring Road stays open but depends on the weather; the road authority's site umferdin.is and the phone line 1777 show current conditions. For tour options around the lake, see Lake Mývatn tours.