Lysulaugar Mineral Pool

The water is green. Lysulaugar is fed by mineral water carrying chlorella algae, and the pools take their colour from it. Two temperatures matter here. The hot tubs are properly hot, hot enough to stand out in a country full of hot pools, while the large swimming pool is tepid rather than warm and suits swimming about more than sitting still. The setting is farmland and mountains with nothing built up in between. The place is plain on purpose: pools, changing rooms and ice cream sold on the spot.

• Not always ready: in July 2026 the main pool was part-filled and the hot tubs cold, with no notice beforehand. Check ahead before a long detour.
• Green water: the mineral water carries chlorella algae and runs green. That is the pool working normally, not a hygiene problem.
• Payment: credit cards, debit cards and contactless are all accepted, so there is no need to carry cash.
• Exposed site: the pools stand in the open with no shelter, and wind makes the tepid main pool feel far colder than the hot tubs.

Lysulaugar sits in open farmland on the south side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The car park is at the pool itself, so the approach ends at the door and there is nothing to walk in on. Changing rooms and pools are grouped together, so nothing has to be hunted for on arrival.

Better: Friday evening. It is the one day of the week when the pool stays open late, and in summer the light lasts well past closing time.

Avoid: low cloud. The mountains are half of what you come here for, and they vanish completely when the weather closes in.

The pools are geothermal, so the season matters less to the water than it does to the view.