Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach (Ylströndin)

What to expect

Nauthólsvík is a small cove on Fossvogur, on the south side of Reykjavík, and Ylströndin (roughly “the warm beach”) is the city-run beach built there. It opened in 2000. The city built sea walls to enclose a lagoon, pumped in golden shell sand, and piped in geothermal water so that warm and cold water mix inside the walls. The result is a proper sand beach in a city at 64° north, which on a sunny June day draws a crowd you would not expect in Iceland.

It is not a natural hot spring. It is a heated sea lagoon plus a set of geothermal pools on the shore, run by the city’s culture and sports department. The city counts 70,000 to 80,000 paying guests a year, and many more people use the beach and shore without paying.

The water, according to the operator:

• Sea lagoon: about 59 to 66°F15 to 19°C on average in summer. The lagoon is heated only during opening hours in the summer months. That is warm for the North Atlantic, but cool by pool standards.
• Hot tub on the shoreline: 86 to 102°F30 to 39°C.
• Shallow paddling pool: about 100°F38°C.
• Long seating pool in front of the service building: about 100°F38°C.
• Steam bath in the service building.

The service building has changing rooms with showers, accessible toilets in both changing rooms, and a small kiosk with ice cream, sweets and soft drinks. There is a grill area outside. Lifeguards are on duty during opening hours and watch the area inside the rock walls.

In winter the scene changes completely. The lagoon is no longer heated, and the people in the water are mostly cold-water sea swimmers who go for a short dip in the open fjord and then sit in the hot tub. If you have never tried it, this is one of the easiest places in Iceland to do it with hot water and a changing room a few steps away.

Getting there

The beach is at Nauthólsvegur 100, next to Reykjavík University and just below Öskjuhlíð, the wooded hill topped by Perlan.

• From the city centre: About 3 km (2 miles) by road, under 10 minutes by car. Head south past the domestic airport toward Reykjavík University and follow Nauthólsvegur to the shore.
• On foot or by bike: The paved coastal path along Fossvogur passes the beach, and many locals arrive this way.
• From Keflavík Airport: About 47 km (29 miles), roughly 45 minutes.

There is a car park by the service building, with four marked spaces for disabled visitors. Wheelchair users can get from the car park into the service building, but there is no ramp onto the sand, no wheelchair access to the steam bath and no equipment to help people into the hot tub.

When to go

Summer (15 May to 18 August): Open every day from 10:00 to 19:00, and the lagoon is heated. On warm, sunny days the beach fills up with families and groups, so come early or on a weekday.

Winter (19 August to 14 May): Open Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 19:00 and Saturday from 11:00 to 16:00. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The beach is quieter, and the hot tubs and steam bath feel even better after a sea dip.

Public holidays: Most have shorter hours, usually 11:00 to 15:00. The beach is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and closes at 13:00 on New Year’s Eve. Check the city’s holiday list before you go.

Weather matters more here than at an indoor pool. A cold north wind can make the beach miserable even in July, while a calm, clear winter day can be lovely.

Prices and rules

The City of Reykjavík changed the prices for its pools and the beach from 5 May 2026. Current single-entry prices:

• Adults: ISK 1,500
• Ages 10 to 17: ISK 400
• Ages 0 to 9 with an adult: free
• Holders of a TR disability certificate: free

From the 2026 change, Reykjavík residents aged 17 and under go free, but they need a registered access card. The annual pass for the beach was cut by 21%, to ISK 18,000 for adults (ISK 2,000 for ages 10 to 17 and ISK 4,000 for ages 67 and over). Rentals: towel ISK 860, swimsuit ISK 1,270, lock ISK 820.

Many older travel guides say entry is free in summer. The current city price list does not show a free summer period, so budget for the adult fee.

House rules worth knowing:

• Children under 10 must be with a swimmer aged 15 or older.
• No diving into the hot tubs.
• Sober guests only. Anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs is turned away, and visibly drunk guests are removed.
• No cameras or phones in the changing rooms. The beach reports violations to the police.
• Stay off the Siglunes piers and boats. The sailing club next door shares the cove.
• Groups larger than 10 cannot store clothes in the changing rooms.

Bathing culture

The same rule applies here as at every Icelandic pool: wash without your swimsuit before you get into the hot tubs. The beach states this in its rules, and staff do notice. Put your suit on after showering, keep shoes outside the changing area, and dry off before walking back to the lockers.

Where to stay nearby

Nauthólsvík is inside Reykjavík, so the whole city is your base. Downtown hotels and guesthouses around Laugavegur and the old harbour are about 3 km (2 miles) away. The area around Reykjavík University and Öskjuhlíð is mostly campus and woodland, so plan to sleep in town.

Safety notes

• Cold water outside the lagoon: The open sea in Fossvogur is cold all year. On 21 October 2026 the beach recorded a sea temperature of 42°F5.8°C. Cold shock can make you gasp and lose control of your breathing in the first minute.
• Sea swimming rules from the beach: never swim alone, stay close to the coast, start only once your breathing has settled, keep early dips short and learn the signs of hypothermia. Staff cannot guarantee your safety in the open sea. Call 112 in an emergency.
• Hot tub after a cold dip: Moving from 43°F to 102°F6°C to 39°C water is a big jump. Sit on the edge first if you feel lightheaded.
• Children: Lifeguards cover only the lagoon inside the rock walls. Parents are responsible for their own children everywhere else.

Nearby stops worth adding

Walk up Öskjuhlíð through the woods to Perlan, the glass-domed building on the hot water tanks, for a view over the city. The shore path along Fossvogur continues west around the headland toward Ægisíða, a good walk or bike ride on a clear evening. For a different kind of soak in the capital area, Álftaneslaug is a short drive south, and the Blue Lagoon is under an hour away on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

The city is planning more for the beach. A September 2026 presentation to the city’s sports and recreation council listed a dry sauna, a second hot tub, moving the hot tub that now sits out in the lagoon, more ramps into the sea for swimmers and better toilets. None of these had a date at the time of writing.