Ísafjörður Swimming Pool: The Town’s Geothermal Pool a Short Walk Away

In almost every Icelandic town, the swimming pool is where daily life happens: neighbours trade news in the hot pot, kids do laps before school, and visitors get a cheap, unglamorous way to warm up after a day outside. Ísafjörður, the small capital of the Westfjords, is no exception. Its pool, Sundhöll Ísafjarðar, sits at Austurvegi 9, an easy walk from the town centre and harbour.

What the Pool Offers

Sundhöll Ísafjarðar has a 16-metre indoor pool alongside a hot tub and a sauna — smaller and simpler than the multi-pot complexes in Reykjavík, but built on the same geothermal-heated model used across the country. Expect the main pool to be a comfortable swimming temperature, with the hot tub run hotter, in the usual Icelandic range of about 38-40°C, for sitting and soaking rather than swimming.

Icelandic Pool Etiquette

The rules are the same here as at any pool in Iceland, and they are taken seriously: shower thoroughly with soap, without swimwear, before you put on your swimsuit and enter the water. Signs illustrating the required areas to wash are usually posted in the changing room. This isn’t a suggestion — attendants do check — and skipping it is the single most common mistake first-time visitors make.

Practical Details

• Getting there: about a 10-15 minute walk from most addresses in central Ísafjörður; the pool is at Austurvegi 9
• Cost: a modest per-visit entrance fee is charged (rates change periodically, so check current pricing locally or via sundlaugar.is before you go)
• What to bring: your own swimsuit and towel if possible; both are usually rentable on-site for a small extra fee
• Hours: opening hours differ between weekdays and weekends and shift seasonally — confirm the current schedule before heading over, especially outside peak summer months
• Best timing: a low-effort, high-reward evening plan after a steep half-hour to hour-long hike up to Naustahvilft, the horseshoe-shaped hollow above town

Where to Stay

The Ísafjörður Inn sits in the town centre, close enough to Sundhöll Ísafjarðar that a post-hike or post-dinner soak doesn’t require a car — just a change of clothes and a short walk back to a warm room afterward. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Smiley.toerist via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.