The Blue Lagoon is one of the most visited places in Iceland. It is an outdoor geothermal spa with wonderfully warm, healing water that beckons travellers to take a moment to relax while exploring the island.
Nature or powerhouse?
While it may seem like the Blue Lagoon is a natural phenomenon, this is not the case at all. In fact, the water here comes from excess water from the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power plant. That doesn't change the fact that the surrounding landscape is beautiful and the power plant itself is practically invisible from the lagoon, hidden behind a small hill.
However, the water in the man-made lagoon is purely natural, as it comes from a deep borehole up to 2 000 metres below the surface. Before it is released into the spa lagoon, however, it first spins the turbine of the power station and passes through a heat exchanger that provides heating for the nearby villages.
Healing and hot water
The water in the lagoon has a year-round constant temperature of 38 to 39 °C, so it will keep you pleasantly warm whatever the weather. The milky turquoise colouring of the water is striking at first glance, which, in addition to the abundant silica, is also due to the healing mud at the bottom of the lagoon.
The mineral water is particularly curative for skin diseases.
Steam baths, whirlpools and restaurants
In the adjacent spa facility you can then enjoy several pools with whirlpools, steam baths or saunas. There are also a number of restaurants, and of course toilets, lockers and showers are mandatory before entering the lagoon.
So you can easily stay all day in the local area.
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Entrance fees and opening hours
Open every day of the year. During the summer from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, in winter only from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Admission is quite expensive and it's always worth booking in advance online at the official bluelagoon.com website. Prices vary according to the specific time you book entry for, and you can stay in the lagoon until it closes on that calendar day. This means that if you pay for entry at 8:00am, you will be charged for the entire following 12 hours.
You have a choice of two entry fee options:
- Comfort from 64 usd - includes entry to the entire lagoon, 1 free drink at the bar, a clean towel, mud wrap and lockers.
- Premium from 81 usd - Plus you get 2 mud baths, a swimsuit (if you don't have your own) and 1 glass of wine if you go for a meal at the Lava Restaruant.
How to get here?
The Blue Lagoon is also widely visited due to its great and easily accessible location. It is located between Reykjavík (50 km) and Keflavík KEF airport (22 km). From the main road connecting the capital with the airport you have to turn onto road number 41, the turn-off is perfectly signposted.
There is a huge free parking lot at the Blue Lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon can also be reached by bus, which you can use, for example, if you have long layovers at Keflavík Airport on your way to the USA and don't want to rent a car. Transportation from the airport and Reykjavik directly to the Blue Lagoon is only provided by the bus company Airport Direct, and expect a very high ticket price:
- Return from the airport: 6 990 isk
- Return from Reykjavik: 6 990 isk
- One-way from the airport to Reykjavik, with a stop of any length at the Blue Lagoon: 9 980 isk
However, buses from the airport only run twice a day. For more information, including timetables and to buy tickets online, visit airportdirect.is.
However, consider renting a car, even if only for a single day, which is ultimately cheaper than a bus transfer.
Accommodation
If you are planning to spend more than one day at the Blue Lagoon, there are several accommodation options on site. The most luxurious accommodation is offered by a hotel right in the spa building. The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, which includes entrance and a wide range of spa treatments. However, expect prices around 1099 eur per night in a 2-bed room.
Significantly cheaper accommodation can be found 20km from the lagoon near the airport, where non-cheap accommodation starts at 84 eur, which is a great price for Iceland. Well-rated accommodation in this category includes Hotel Tjarna Keflavik Airport.
Even closer to the Blue Lagoon is the village of Grindavík, about 5 km away, where you can also find accommodation from 81 eur in a family-run Anita's Guest House.
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