Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool is in a stunning location, tucked away between some beautiful mountains on the Icelandic south coast. A place which is truly worth the relative short walk from the parking lot.
The swimming pool was built in 1923. The pool is one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland and was the biggest one in the country for years. Back in the day it was used to teach the locals how to swim. Today, swimming lessons are a part of the curriculum in all Icelandic schools for children up to 16 years of age. Which means that all Icelandic children learn how to swim. Which is kind of neat, right?
Today, Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool is a popular site among tourists that have seen beautiful pictures of it online. And these are quite accurate. The location is stunning. No question about that.
But. These pictures don’t tell you about the darker sides of Seljavallalaug. Ok, this sounded a bit more dramatic than planned! But hear me out regardless. There are a few things I think you should know about Seljavallalaug. Things that might influence your decision on whether to spend some of your precious time visiting this site or not. Not that I think you shouldn’t visit. I just want you to know all the facts. Know what to expect.
So what’s Important to Know about Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool?
1 It’s totally free to swim/bathe in Seljavallalaug
Which is a good thing. But that also means there is no one who cleans up after you and other guests. At least not on a regular basis. I know you will take everything you brought with you but sadly that doesn’t apply to all pool guest.
This also means there is no toilet on the premises. So please make sure you take care of that business before you arrive 🙂
2 The water isn’t hot
This one might surprise you. It’s a common misconception that the water in the pool is hot like in a hot spring. Well, it’s not. It’s warm at best. The temperature is usually somewhere between 20°C and 30°C (68-86°F), depending on the weather conditions.
So you should think of Seljavallalaug as a heated pool rather than a hot tub or a hot spring. The water is a bit warmer at the end further from the little house. That’s where the geothermal water flows into the pool.
3 The water is filled with algae
The pool is only cleaned once a year. This means there is plenty of time for algae to grow and thrive in the pool. You know, the slimy, green, slippery stuff? I have to admit that’s not really my cup of tea and one of the reasons I’ve never been into the water 
If you decide to go into the water, please watch your step as the algae make the pool’s surface very slippery. You really don’t want to hurt yourself while you’re there.
One more thing. I wouldn’t recommend putting your head underwater. Most likely there are some chunks of algae floating around and they can easily get stuck in your hair. To avoid that just keep your hair out of the water.
4 The changing rooms are small and dirty
To be honest, they are disgusting. Again, there is no staff at the pool and therefore nobody who cleans up after the guests on a regular basis.
You can wear your swimsuit underneath your clothes when you get there. But you’ll always have to change after you get out of the water. So there isn’t really a way around this part of the experience.
To make it a bit more pleasant I would recommend to bring:
- a plastic bag for your clothes as you most likely will not have a clean and dry place to put them
- flip flops to avoid stepping into something mysterious on the floor
- a big water bottle to give your body a quick rinse before you dry off
- a towel. This one is a given but I decided to mention it anyway 🙂
Truly worth a visit even though you don’t go into the water
This list of mine might sound very negative. You might even think I want to discourage you from visiting this location. That’s not my intention at all. As I mentioned before, I just want to make sure you know what to expect. The beautiful pictures on instagram don’t tell you these things.
That being said, despite (in my opinion) the uninviting water I think this place is amazing. The surroundings are stunning and it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere when you’re there. Even though it’s only a short drive from the main road. The pool stands next to a small river and is surrounded by magnificent mountains. In my mind it’s definitely worth the rather short walk from the parking lot. Even though you don’t dip your toes into the water.
How to get to Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool?
Seljavallalaug is located on the south coast of Iceland, between two very popular waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss.
It’s a short drive from the ring road to the parking lot. Not sure how long exactly but somewhere around 3km/2mi. Google Maps shows you the location but doesn’t for some reason show you the route. I find it best to put “Welcome Guesthouse Edinborg” into Google Maps. Then you don’t miss the turn from the main road into road 242. When you reach the guesthouse, just continue driving straight ahead towards the mountains along the dirt road.
The hike to Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool
This isn’t really a hike. Just an easy walk with close to no elevation gain. It’s a gravel trail and you’ll need to cross a tiny creek at one point. But that’s no big deal. Just step on some stones and you’re good. Just don’t wear flip flops!
The distance from the parking lot to the pool is about 0.9km/0.5mi each way. Depending on how fast you are, it’s about a 20 minutes walk in total. Back and forth.
So what do you think? Do you want to put Seljavallalaug on your itinerary? If yes, are you planning on going into the water? Again, it’s well worth the visit even if you don’t.
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Until next time!
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Paul says
Hi there – I am going to Iceland next month and thinking of calling at this pool. I have a quick question… is there a best time of day to visit? I watched a couple of YouTube videos and there was one when there were just a couple of people in the pool, and then I watched another and there were around 20 or so… I’m just wondering when you think it might be at its busiest so we can hopefully avoid those times… .thank you!!
Jórunn aka Siggadottir says
Hi Paul,
That’s really hard to say as there is no staff on site. The weather and time of year definitely play a role here. July being one of the busiest months. What I can tell you though is that I recently spoke to a woman who watches a small hot spring that tourists also use and is located on her private property. She said people come by during the whole day but it’s most busy in the late afternoon. I didn’t ask if the night are also busy, but that’s what she said.
So sorry, can’t give you anything more than that. I really don’t know. It also depends a bit on luck I guess 🙂
Paul says
Thank you, Jórunn… that’s helpful all the same. We’ll be driving from near Hofn to Reykjavik one day, so I think this will be a nice stop all the same, regardless of how busy it is. A good opportunity to stretch our legs. I notice Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss and the plane wreck are all nearby also, so we might try those also. There is too much to see and not enough time, it feels!