Soak Up the Experience at the Laugaskard Swimming Pool
Photo taken from Sundlaugin Laugaskarði-Hveragerði.
There’s an unspoken rule in Iceland: you visit the local pool. Full stop. In Hveragerði, that means Laugaskarð — once the largest swimming pool in the country, and still one of the best. It first opened in 1938, built largely by volunteers who clearly knew what they were doing.
Since then, Laugaskarð has been updated and expanded into a proper modern facility. You get a 164-foot (50-meter) heated outdoor pool, a sauna, and a couple of hot tubs — one of which has an electric massage system built in, which is exactly as good as it sounds. All that warmth comes from natural geothermal steam, the same source that powers the sauna. Gym access is available for a small fee if you want to keep up with a workout. Honestly, though, after a day of sightseeing, the hot tub is the more tempting option.
The water is warmed by natural geothermal steam, which also fuels the sauna experience. If you’re keen to maintain your fitness routine, you can access gym facilities for a small fee. After a day of exploring, there’s no better way to unwind than soaking in the rich geothermal waters that Hveragerði is famous for.
Discover the Quake 2008 Exhibition
Photo from Flickr, Creative Commons, by Alf Igel.
Tucked inside Hveragerði’s main shopping centre, the Quake 2008 Exhibition is small but genuinely worth your time. In 2008, two earthquakes struck the region at almost the same moment, reaching a combined magnitude of 6.3. Hveragerði and Selfoss bore the brunt of it, though the tremors were felt as far away as Reykjavik.
The exhibition walks you through what happened — damaged buildings, landslides, injuries — and gives a real sense of how quickly the ground can shift beneath a community. It’s a sobering reminder that Iceland sits on some very active geology, and for a free stop on a South Coast itinerary, it punches well above its weight.
Visit the LA Art Museum
Photo from Arnesinga Art Museum – LÁ Art Museum.
The LÁ Art Museum — officially Listasafn Arnesinga — is one of those places that surprises people. It’s a proper contemporary art space, with a mix of Icelandic and international work spanning painting, sculpture, photography, and installation. The programme rotates regularly, so even if you’ve been before, there’s a reasonable chance something new is on.
Entry is free, which makes it an easy addition to any day in Hveragerði. There’s a gift shop stocked with art, local crafts, and décor worth browsing, and a café serving coffee and cake if you need a sit-down. It’s the kind of place you wander into for twenty minutes and leave an hour later.
