Hofsós Swimming Pool (Sundlaugin á Hofsósi)

What to expect

Hofsós is a small village on the east shore of Skagafjörður, one of the oldest trading posts in Iceland, with about 156 residents in 2024. Its swimming pool is a plain municipal pool, run by the Skagafjörður municipality like the pools in Sauðárkrókur and Varmahlíð. What sets it apart is where it sits.

The pool is cut into the slope just above the shore on Suðurbraut, at the south end of the village. The far edge is set so that, from the water, it lines up with the sea beyond. North Iceland’s tourist board is careful to say it is not strictly an infinity pool, but the effect is the same: you swim toward the horizon with the fjord and Drangey, the steep island in the middle of Skagafjörður, straight ahead. The municipality itself calls the view from Hofsós the best of its pools.

The pool opened at Easter 2010. It was a gift to the village from two businesswomen who own land on Höfðaströnd, the coast around Hofsós, and live there for much of the year. It was built to be used by locals, and it still is: kids after school, older residents doing laps, and travellers who came for the view.

A travel guide gives the main pool as about 25 m (82 ft) long, with a depth of 0.8 to 1.8 m (2.6 to 5.9 ft) and water at about 86 to 88°F30 to 31°C. There is a hot tub at about 100 to 102°F38 to 39°C. The municipality price list covers “pool and sauna” in one ticket. The municipality does not publish water temperatures, so treat those figures as a guide.

Getting there

Hofsós is on Route 76, the coast road that runs north from the Skagafjörður valley toward Fljót and Siglufjörður.

• From Sauðárkrókur: About 37 km (23 miles). Drive around the head of the fjord to the east shore and follow Route 76 north to Hofsós.
• From Akureyri or Reykjavík: Leave the Ring Road (Route 1) near Varmahlíð and follow signs for Hofsós and Siglufjörður onto Route 76 north.

The pool is at Suðurbraut 18, on the seaward side of the village. Park at the pool building. The changing rooms are inside, and the pool is a few steps away.

When to go

The pool is open all year, with longer hours in summer.

June to August is the best time for the view. On a clear evening the sun sits low over the fjord for hours and Drangey turns gold. It is also when the pool is busiest with visitors. Come early in the morning or toward closing if you want the edge to yourself.

Autumn and winter have shorter opening hours, and the weather on the coast can turn fast. On a calm, cold day the steam lying over the pool with snow on the mountains behind is worth the trip. The municipality does not post its winter timetable online, so ring 455 6070 or check the pool’s Facebook page before you drive out.

Prices and rules

The Skagafjörður municipality sets one price list for all its pools. The 2026 list:

• Adults (pool and sauna): ISK 1,400
• Children aged 7 to 18 who live outside Skagafjörður: ISK 425
• Children aged 0 to 6: free
• Seniors and disabled visitors: ISK 425
• 10-visit card: ISK 8,750 for adults, ISK 2,670 for children
• Swimsuit rental: ISK 850
• Towel rental: ISK 850

Children from outside Skagafjörður start paying on 1 June of the year they turn 6, so in 2026 children born in 2020 pay the child rate from 1 June.

There is also a museum and pool ticket: ISK 3,000 for adults and ISK 400 for children aged 7 to 17 (under 7 free). It covers a same-day visit to the Glaumbær folk museum and one of the municipal pools at Varmahlíð, Sauðárkrókur or Hofsós.

Hours: A travel guide updated in October 2026 lists 07:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 18:00 at weekends in summer, with shorter hours in autumn and winter. Call 455 6070 or email [email protected] to confirm.

Bathing culture

Icelandic pools run on a few firm rules, and staff do enforce them.

• Shower naked before you swim. Wash fully with soap, without your swimsuit, in the changing room. Signs show which areas to wash.
• Swimsuit on in the pool. Changing rooms are separate for men and women.
• Leave shoes at the changing room door and dry off in the shower area before you walk back to the lockers.
• No glass on the pool deck.

Where to stay nearby

• Hofsós campsite: The village campsite is on Skólagata, a short walk from the pool.
• Guesthouses in Hofsós: The village has only a few places to stay, so book ahead in summer. Many of the old timber houses in Plássið, the original trading quarter by the sea, have been restored, and some are now used as summer houses.
• Sauðárkrókur: About 37 km (23 miles) away, the main town of Skagafjörður, with hotels, a supermarket and its own municipal pool.

Safety notes

• Deep end: The pool runs from about 0.8 m to 1.8 m (2.6 to 5.9 ft) deep. Keep young children who cannot swim in the shallow end and within reach.
• Wet decks: The pool deck can be slippery, and icy in winter. Walk, do not run.
• Hot tub: At around 100 to 102°F38 to 39°C, the tub feels very hot after a cold swim. Keep it short if you feel dizzy.
• Weather on the coast: Wind off the fjord can be strong. Wrap up as soon as you get out in winter.

Nearby stops worth adding

The Icelandic Emigration Center (Vesturfarasetrið) in Hofsós tells the story of the Icelanders who left for North America between 1870 and 1914. Nearby, the Pakkhúsið, a log warehouse from the trade monopoly era built in 1772, is one of the oldest buildings of its kind in Iceland and now holds a museum about Drangey. A short walk along the shore at Staðarbjargavík shows off columns of basalt, and Þórðarhöfði, the headland just north of the village, has more. To the south, Glaumbær turf farm and museum pairs with the pool on a combined ticket.