Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach

The warm water here is pumped in. Nauthólsvík Geothermal Beach sits on a cove of golden sand on the Reykjavík shore, and hot water is fed into a man-made lagoon behind the beach. Inside the cove the sea runs a few degrees warmer than the open ocean, which is 12–16 °C in summer and drops to about −2 °C in winter. The main hot tub holds a steady 38.5 °C. The second tub is much cooler, and there is a steam room as well. The usual sequence is a dip in the cold sea, then the heat. Facilities are plain: changing rooms with showers and soap, baskets for clothes, lockers on site, and a service centre selling drinks and snacks.

• Cold sea: the open ocean is 12–16 °C in summer and drops to about −2 °C in winter. Inside the cove it runs a few degrees warmer.
• Hot tubs: the main tub sits at about 38.5 °C, the second is much cooler. There is also a steam room.
• Crowds: on hot days in spring and summer the beach gets dense.
• Facilities: changing rooms with showers and soap, baskets for clothes and lockers on site.
• Food and drink: the service centre sells snacks and beverages.

Nauthólsvík lies on the shore below wooded Öskjuhlíð hill, about 3 km south of the centre. Buses stop nearby, and parking by the beach is free. On a dry day the best approach is the walking and cycling path over the hill from Perlan, which stands on the same ridge — a short walk downhill to the sand. The University of Iceland and the domestic airport are just inland.

Best: cool days outside the summer peak, when the lagoon and the hot tubs do the work rather than the weather.

Avoid: hot days in spring and summer, when the beach gets dense and crowded.

Icelanders turn out for the sun, and warm weather fills the sand. The heated lagoon and the 38.5 °C tub are just as good in cold weather, and the contrast with a sea at about −2 °C is the point of the place in winter.