Guðrúnarlaug

What to expect

Guðrúnarlaug is a small hot pool built of stone on the grassy slope above Laugar, a cluster of buildings at the mouth of Sælingsdalur valley in the Dalir district of West Iceland. Below it is Dalahótel, a former boarding school, and beyond that the green floor of the valley and the hills of Dalir.

The pool itself is simple. Stacked stones form the walls, and hot water runs in from the slope. A small changing house stands beside it, and that is all. It fits a handful of people. Most rooms at the hotel look out over it, which tells you how close it is: you can walk up from the car park in a couple of minutes.

What makes Guðrúnarlaug different is the story. This is the setting of Laxdæla saga, and the saga describes the young Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir spending a lot of her time at a bathing pool at her home, Laugar. In English versions of the saga the place appears as the Baths of Saelingsdale. Sitting in the water, you are looking at roughly the same view as one of the best-known women in Icelandic literature.

History

Laugar was Guðrún’s childhood home in Laxdæla saga, and the pool there is one of the scenes the saga returns to. The bath turns up again in Sturlunga saga, which suggests it was well used for centuries. At some point the original pool was lost, probably buried by a landslide.

In 2009 a new pool was built close to where the old one is thought to have been, along with the changing house, and it was named Guðrúnarlaug. It is a reconstruction in spirit rather than a dig-site replica, but the hot water and the setting are real.

Getting there

Laugar sits just off Route 60, the main road from the Ring Road to the Westfjords.

• From Reykjavík: Drive north on Route 1 to just past Bifröst, then turn left onto Route 60 over the Brattabrekka pass to Búðardalur. Continue north on Route 60 toward Hólmavík and the Westfjords for about 16 km (10 miles), then turn left onto Route 589 (Sælingsdalsvegur). Follow it about 3 km (2 miles) on paved road to Dalahótel. The whole trip is about 167 km (104 miles) and takes about 2.5 hours.
• From the Westfjords: Come south on Route 60 and turn right onto Route 589 before you reach Búðardalur.

Park at Dalahótel. The pool is on the hill directly above the hotel, a short walk up a path. In winter the path can be icy, so bring shoes with grip.

When to go

Guðrúnarlaug is open year-round, and the hotel calls it always open.

Summer brings the most visitors, mostly road-trippers between Snæfellsnes and the Westfjords. The light lasts all night in June, and the valley is at its greenest.

Autumn and winter are the quiet seasons. Dalahótel has stayed open all year since new owners took over in autumn 2022, so you can soak, eat and sleep on the same spot. On clear, dark nights, Laugar is far enough from any town for a good chance of northern lights from the pool.

Check road conditions on umferdin.is before crossing Brattabrekka in winter. It can close in storms.

Rules and etiquette

Guðrúnarlaug is free, but it sits on the hotel’s doorstep, and one 2026 travel blog describes it as open to hotel and campsite guests. Treat it like a shared village pool:

• Shower first. There is no shower at the pool. Wash at the Laugar swimming pool, at the campsite or in your room before you go up.
• Swimsuits on. Hotel windows look straight at it.
• Keep noise down at night. Guests are sleeping a few metres away.
• No glass, no soap. The pool is small and has no filter.
• Share. If people are waiting, keep your soak short.
• Leave nothing behind. Use the changing house, then take everything with you.

Where to stay nearby

• Dalahótel: The family-run hotel at Laugar, in the old Laugaskóli boarding school building. It has 17 double and 5 single rooms with private bathrooms, plus 21 doubles, a quadruple and two singles with shared bathrooms. Many look out over the pool. There is a restaurant and bar, a heated pool, a hot tub and a sauna. Call 451-0000.
• Laugar campsite: At Laugar, 16 km (10 miles) north of Búðardalur, with toilets, hot and cold water, electricity and access to the swimming pool. Reception is in the swimming pool lobby. The hotel’s listed prices (2023) are ISK 2,000 per adult, ISK 1,500 for seniors and disabled visitors, free for ages 16 and under, ISK 1,000 a night for power and ISK 500 for a shower.
• Búðardalur: The service village for Dalir, with a shop and fuel, about 16-20 km (10-12 miles) south depending on the source.

Safety notes

• Heat: Test the water before you get in and keep soaks short if it feels very hot. Get out if you feel dizzy.
• Footing: The stones inside and around the pool are uneven and slick. The path up from the hotel can be icy in winter.
• Water quality: The pool is not chlorinated or filtered. Keep your head out of the water.
• No supervision: There is no attendant. Watch children at all times.

The swimming pool at Laugar

If you want a proper swim too, Sælingsdalslaug, the pool at Laugar, has a 25 m outdoor pool, a paddling pool, hot tubs and a steam bath. The hotel lists its opening hours on its Facebook page rather than its website, so check there or ask at reception.

Nearby stops worth adding

Dalir is saga country, and several sites are within a short drive. Tungustapi, a rock outcrop in Sælingsdalur, is a short drive down the valley. Hvammur í Dölum was the farm of the settler Auður the Deep-Minded. Krosshólaborg is a hill with a memorial cross to her. The coast road around Fellsströnd makes a quiet loop. South of Búðardalur on Route 60, the little-known pool at Grafarlaug makes a second, much rougher soak.