Fewer tourists visit North Iceland than the area around Reykjavík. Akureyri, a town in the north, has about 20,000 people. The flight from Reykjavík takes about 45 minutes. The town sits in a valley, so its winter weather is often less cold than visitors expect.
Warm swimming pools are important meeting places here. Families bring their children, and teenagers meet friends. In December 2025, UNESCO added Iceland’s swimming pool culture to its list of important living traditions. These pools bring people of different ages and backgrounds together.
Everyone must wash carefully without a swimming costume before entering the pools. People then put their swimming costumes on for pools that men and women share. At Forest Lagoon, visitors can enjoy warm water and views across the sea. They can also sit in hot rooms called saunas or try a cold pool.
GeoSea is about an hour from Akureyri. Its pools have different water temperatures and look over Skjálfandi Bay. Humpback and minke whales come to the surface in this bay, especially in summer. Beyond these places for visitors, local public pools are part of daily life, not just places for a holiday swim.
