Selárlaug (Selárdalslaug)

What to expect

Selárlaug is the swimming pool for Vopnafjörður, a fishing village in the far northeast of East Iceland. It is not in the village. It sits about 12 km (7 miles) away, out in the valley of Selárdalur, on the bank of the Selá river where the water runs through a shallow ravine. The municipality says you would struggle to find a more beautiful spot for a pool, and that is the reason people drive out here.

Many travel guides call it Selárdalslaug or the Selárdalur swimming pool. The municipality uses Selárlaug. They are the same place.

The pool is heated with water from a nearby hot spring. The municipality lists:

• The main pool, beside the river.
• A large hot pot, the spot most visitors head for.
• A wading pool for children.
• A large sundeck and a picnic area, which get plenty of use on warm summer days.

Changing rooms and showers are in the small pool house beside the pool. The municipality does not publish the pool’s size or water temperatures, so we do not give them here.

The setting is quiet and open. You hear the river below you, and in summer you may see anglers working the Selá, one of Iceland’s well-known salmon rivers. East Iceland’s tourism office notes that Selá and its neighbour Hofsá have hosted well-known visitors, including King Charles and the late US president George H. W. Bush.

History

Members of Einherji, the local youth association, built the pool in summer 1949, mostly as unpaid volunteer work, and it opened in summer 1950. It has been repaired and improved since. Until 1975, children came for two-week swimming courses and stayed in the pool house while they learned. Swimming lessons for local schoolchildren still take place here in autumn and spring.

Getting there

Vopnafjörður is off the main tourist loop, which keeps the pool quiet.

• From the Ring Road: Route 85 leaves Route 1 about halfway between Mývatn and Egilsstaðir. East Iceland’s tourism office puts the drive from the turn-off to Vopnafjörður at about 50 km (31 miles).
• From the village: The pool is about 12 km (7 miles) from Vopnafjörður. Follow Route 85 north, the way toward Bakkafjörður, and turn off for the pool. The last stretch is about 3.5 km (2.2 miles) from Route 85. The municipality’s GPS point is N 65° 48′ 9″, W 14° 54′ 41″.
• From Borgarfjörður eystri or Egilsstaðir in summer: Route 917 over Hellisheiði eystri links Vopnafjörður with the Héraðsflói side. It is steep and winding, usually fine for all cars in summer, and closes with the first snow in autumn.

There is no bus to the pool, so you need a car. In winter, check umferdin.is for road conditions on Route 85 and safetravel.is for alerts. This corner of Iceland gets heavy snow and strong wind.

When to go

The pool is open all year:

• Summer (June 1 to August 31): Monday to Friday 10:00 to 22:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00.
• Winter (September 1 to May 31): Monday to Friday 14:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday 12:00 to 18:00.

Summer weekday evenings are the pick. You get the long light, the late close and the hot pot to yourself or close to it.

Winter is short and dark, and the weather decides a lot. The municipality closed the pool on March 25 and 26, 2026 because of weather, during a red weather warning in February 2025, on Good Friday and Easter Sunday 2026, and for a staff training day on September 25, 2026. Holiday hours change too. Phone 473 1499 before you drive out in the colder months.

Prices and rules

The municipality’s price list for 2026:

• Adults (16-66), single entry: ISK 1,100
• Adults, 10-visit card: ISK 9,200
• Children (0-16), single entry: ISK 400
• Children, 10-visit card: ISK 2,800
• Towel rental: ISK 600
• Swim nappies: ISK 300

In 2026 Vopnafjörður lets all children up to 16, and old-age and disability pensioners, who live in the municipality swim free. Visitors pay the listed prices. No separate senior rate is published for visitors.

Pool notice (from the staff):

• Entry stops 20 minutes before closing.
• Everyone must be out of the pool and in the changing rooms at closing time.
• Everyone must have left the building 15 minutes after closing.

The notice also quotes Iceland’s swimming pool regulation (No. 814/2010): children under 10 may only enter with a swimmer aged 15 or older, who may bring no more than two children unless they are the parent or guardian. People under the influence of alcohol or other drugs are not allowed in.

Bathing culture

Selárlaug is a public pool, so the national rules apply in full.

• Shower naked, with soap, before you swim. At Icelandic public pools this is a legal requirement, and staff do check.
• Swimsuit on in the pool. Changing rooms are separate for men and women.
• Shoes off at the changing room door, and dry off in the shower area before you return to the lockers.
• No glass on the deck or in the pools.

Where to stay nearby

There is no accommodation at the pool. East Iceland’s tourism office mentions a handful of farm guesthouses and cottages around Vopnafjörður, and the village itself has basic services. Book ahead in summer, since there are not many beds in this corner of the country. The Mývatn area and Egilsstaðir, both on the Ring Road, have far more choice and their own bathing spots: Earth Lagoon Mývatn to the west and Vök Baths near Egilsstaðir.

Safety notes

• River bank: The pool sits right above the Selá. Keep children away from the bank and the ravine edge.
• Wet and icy decks: Walk carefully, especially on winter afternoons when the deck can freeze.
• Hot pot: Get out if you feel dizzy, and drink water.
• Remote roads: Vopnafjörður is a long way from larger towns. Carry warm clothes and check the forecast and road status before you set off in winter.

Nearby stops worth adding

Bustarfell, a turf farmhouse museum, was lived in until 1966 and has been in the same family for almost 500 years. Café Hjáleigan on the farm serves coffee and cake. In the village, Kaupvangur, an 1882 customs house, holds a cultural centre and the East Iceland Emigration Center. Gljúfursárfoss is a 45 m roadside waterfall with a marked trail to the sea, and the Kolbeinstangaviti lighthouse is an easy walk north of the village.