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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 💥
The Mývatn Nature Baths (Jarðböðin in Icelandic) are in a geothermal area in the north of Iceland, between the Grjótagjá fissure and the Hverir site ♨️. They recently got a new name: Earth Lagoon Mývatn. Same lagoon, same water, but a site renovated and expanded in 2026.
Locals have been bathing here for centuries: they built stone shelters over the fissures to enjoy the natural steam, with traces dating back to the 13th century. The modern baths opened in 2004. The water is drawn from as deep as 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) 😱. Mineral-rich and alkaline, it naturally limits the growth of bacteria, and the lagoon is kept between 36°C and 40°C (97°F and 104°F) 🥰.
It was our very first geothermal bath in Iceland, during our 12-day road trip, before the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon. In this article, we tell you about our visit in the snow, and give you everything you need to know in 2026: new name, prices, hours and our review 😎.
🗺️ Planning your trip? Find all our tips and articles in our complete guide to traveling in Iceland.
THE MAP OF OUR ICELAND ROAD TRIP 🗺️
To help you plan your itinerary, we’ve gathered every place from our 12-day road trip in Iceland 🇮🇸 on an interactive map: waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, hot springs and stopover towns, all the way around Route 1. Click on each pin to discover the place in detail 📍. And to keep it handy during your trip, open it in Google Maps: you’ll find it easily on your phone 📱.
Our itinerary
Our trip to Iceland
12 days10 stops1 full loop of Route 1Dacia Duster 4x4 in winter
The stops, in order
- 1
Reykjavik
1 night
Arrival at Keflavík and car pick-up
- 2
Selfoss
1 night
Golden Circle: Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss and Kerið
- 3
Hof
2 nights
South coast waterfalls, Reynisfjara, ice cave and Diamond Beach
- 4
Reyðarfjörður
1 night
The Eastfjords and the pebble beaches of Hvalnes
- 5
Egilsstaðir
1 night
Seyðisfjörður, its blue church and its rainbow street
- 6
Mývatn
1 night
Dettifoss, Hverir and the Mývatn Nature Baths
- 7
Akureyri
1 night
Hverfjall, Dimmuborgir and Goðafoss
- 8
Bifröst
1 night
Glaumbær turf houses, Grábrók crater
- 9
Hvalfjörður
1 night
The Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Kirkjufell
- 10
Reykjavik
1 night
Fagradalsfjall volcano, Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon
OUR VISIT TO THE MÝVATN NATURE BATHS 🌟
ARRIVING AT THIS NORTHERN SPOT
The Mývatn baths are in North Iceland, right by Route 1, and very easy to reach by car 🚗. The parking lot is fairly big and, above all, it’s much less touristy than the Sky Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon. The entrance is simple, with a bistro right next door if you want to eat 🍽️. We went as soon as we arrived in Mývatn, before heading to our accommodation at Vogafjós farm.
OFF TO THE LOCKER ROOMS
When we visited, we were given a token for the locker, like at our French public pools: nothing like the electronic wristbands at the Blue Lagoon or the Sky Lagoon 😅. The locker rooms were simple and felt much more like a public pool, separated for men and women, with roomy lockers 🥳. (Since the 2026 renovation, the site has been modernized: new “Lava” changing rooms come with the Signature pass.)
As everywhere in Iceland, you shower naked before getting in the water 🇮🇸. It can be surprising, we French aren’t used to it 🤣, but it’s the custom at every pool in the country. If you’re shy (like me), the Essential pass now gives access to a private shower 😉.
OFF FOR OUR FIRST TIME
Time to slip into the hot water 😊! You leave your towel inside, then have to step out for a few seconds into the freezing cold 🥶 before dashing into the water. That day, it was snowing a little, and there were really very few people 😍: it was magical. For us, it was our first time in a geothermal bath like this, and we were lucky enough to experience it in these conditions.
The setting is exceptional, with several pools at different temperatures. The feeling in the water is quite unique, because steam rises through holes in the ground, creating temperature variations from one spot to another, and it’s very pleasant 🥳. You move from one pool to another by getting out of the water, which cools you down a bit 🤣. The view looks out over Lake Mývatn, and you can order drinks at the in-water bar.
A little anecdote: with the cold and the snow, we ended up with frozen hair while the rest of our bodies were at almost 40°C (104°F) 😂. We stayed about 2.5 to 3 hours without noticing the time go by. That evening, the sky was overcast: no northern lights for us that day, but a great memory all the same.
EARTH LAGOON MÝVATN PRICES, HOURS AND PRACTICAL INFO 💰
A NEW NAME AND A RENOVATED SITE
The Mývatn Nature Baths are now called Earth Lagoon Mývatn. The site closed in early 2026 for the construction of a new building and the expansion of the bathing area, then reopened. Today you’ll find the lagoon, a hot pool, a new steam cave you swim into, a bistro overlooking the lake, and massages.
PRICES IN 2026
We paid about €40 per person in March 2023 (12,400 ISK for two, it was much cheaper back then). Today, the official Earth Lagoon Mývatn website offers three passes, with prices that vary by time and crowd levels (prices checked in October 2026):
- Earth Essential: from 7,900 ISK (about €56). Lagoon, hot pool and steam cave, standard changing rooms and a private shower.
- Earth Signature: from 9,900 ISK (about €70). “Lava” changing rooms, towel and one drink included.
- Earth Exclusive: from 52,000 ISK. A private lagoon, a relaxation area with a fireplace, private changing rooms and a glass of prosecco.
👶 Entry is free for children 5 and under accompanied by an adult. Swimsuit rental costs 1,100 ISK and towel rental 1,200 ISK.
HOURS AND ACCESS
- 🕛 Open every day from noon to 10 p.m. (hours in effect since September 1, 2026).
- 📍 Jarðbaðshólar, 660 Mývatn, by Route 1: about 1 hour from Akureyri and 2 hours from Egilsstaðir.
- 🎟️ Booking is recommended in high season, even though it’s the least crowded of the three big baths.
To explore the region at your own pace, a car is still essential: all our tips are in our article on renting a car in Iceland 👇.
RENTING A CAR IN ICELAND 🚗
To explore Iceland, we think a rental car is the best option: you’re free to string together waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches and hot springs at your own pace, and stop whenever a landscape catches your eye, without depending on organized tours 🏔️.
We drove all the way around Iceland on Route 1 in a 4×4, in the middle of March, and everything went really well. Here’s the agency we used and recommend, plus an alternative if you’d rather compare 👇
Our rental tip
Renting a car in Iceland
The agency we used, and an alternative to compare.
Blue Car Rental
Iceland's largest local rental company
We rented our Dacia Duster 4x4 with them for the whole loop around the island: we recommend them without hesitation!
Our budget€62013 days, full insurance · ~€48/day
- Tested on all of Route 1
- Insurance included, no deposit
- Free cancellation
DiscoverCars
Rental comparison site
To compare several Icelandic rental companies in a single search.
Excellent rating290,000+ Trustpilot reviews
- 1,000+ rental companies compared
- Free cancellation
- 24/7 support
To compare before you choose
Good to know before you rent
- Gravel, sand and ashThe wind blasts gravel and sand onto the bodywork: make sure these protections are included.
- Check the roads every morningLook at road.is and safetravel.is before setting off: in winter, a road can close within a few hours.
- Your French driving license is enoughIt's accepted in Iceland. The international driving permit is optional: only if you want one.
- Photos and video at pick-upFilm the car from every angle when you collect it, to avoid any dispute when you return it.
- Fill up whenever you canGas stations are rare in the East and North, and often self-service: bring a card with a PIN code.
- Hold on to the doorsIn strong winds, a door can be ripped off as it opens: park facing the wind and open gently.
VISITING MÝVATN ON A TOUR 💸
▶️ North Iceland is far from Reykjavik, but you can combine the baths with a tour around Lake Mývatn, Dettifoss or Hverir from Akureyri. You’ll find lots of offers on GetYourGuide, with free cancellation on most of them 👇.
THINGS TO KNOW 🥰
- It’s the cheapest and least crowded of Iceland’s three big baths, along with the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon.
- Plan 2 to 3 hours on site to enjoy it: we stayed 2.5 to 3 hours ⏳.
- In winter, bring a beanie for walking between pools, or accept frozen hair like us 😂.
- The water is shallow: everyone can stand.
- You can bring your phone or a GoPro for photos 🤳.
- A swimsuit is mandatory (rental available on site).
- There are very few promo codes for this kind of activity: no point searching for a “Mývatn Nature Baths promo code.”
- Right nearby, don’t miss Hverir, the Hverfjall crater and the Dimmuborgir lava fields, which we did during our stop in Mývatn.
🌌 Far from the big towns, the Mývatn area has very dark skies, ideal for the northern lights, maybe even from the baths in the evening. Our tips and our four nights of northern lights are in our article on the northern lights in Iceland.
♨️ Torn between the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon? We’ve tried all three: see our ranking in our comparison Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon.
🗺️ Mývatn is the heart of the North: discover our full itinerary with Dettifoss, Hverir, Hverfjall, Goðafoss and Akureyri in our article on North Iceland in winter.
OUR REVIEW OF THE MÝVATN NATURE BATHS 💭
It was our first geothermal bath of the trip, and so our first discovery before the Blue Lagoon and the Sky Lagoon. Lost in the middle of nowhere in North Iceland, much less touristy than the south 🗺️, under a few snowflakes: it was a truly incredible first experience, and much cheaper than the other two 💸.
In our personal ranking, Mývatn comes in third place, behind the Sky Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon: it doesn’t have their wow factor, but it’s very beautiful, more authentic and much calmer. If you’re passing through the north, it’s an activity not to miss 👍😊.
👉 What about you? Does a hot soak in the snow in North Iceland tempt you?
FAQ: YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MÝVATN BATHS ❓
These are the questions people often ask before visiting the Mývatn Nature Baths. Feel free to ask yours in the comments, I’ll add to this FAQ 💬.
Yes, they’re now called Earth Lagoon Mývatn. It’s the same lagoon in the same place, by Route 1, but the site was renovated and expanded in 2026.
In 2026, the Earth Essential pass starts at 7,900 ISK (about €56) and Signature at 9,900 ISK, depending on the time and crowds. We paid about €40 per person in March 2023.
They’re open every day from noon to 10 p.m. since September 1, 2026. Check the hours on the official website, as they can change with the season.
It’s recommended in high season. In winter, it’s much quieter: when we visited in March, there were very few people.
The Blue Lagoon is more spectacular but much more crowded and more expensive. Mývatn is calmer, more authentic and cheaper. Our ranking: Sky Lagoon, then Blue Lagoon, then Mývatn.
Plan 2 to 3 hours. We stayed about 2.5 to 3 hours on our visit.
Yes, and entry is free for children 5 and under accompanied by an adult.
In North Iceland, by Route 1, about 1 hour from Akureyri, 2 hours from Egilsstaðir and 473 km (294 miles) from Reykjavik.
Yes, the baths are open all year. We were there in March, under a few snowflakes: a magical moment, even if our hair froze while the rest of our bodies stayed warm.
We stayed at Vogafjós Farm Resort, a farm on the lakeshore where you have breakfast next to the cows. All our accommodation is in our article on where to stay in Iceland.
WHERE TO STAY IN ICELAND 🏨
During our 12-day road trip in Iceland 🇮🇸, we slept in 9 different places, alternating between hotels and guesthouses, almost all booked on Booking. Changing accommodation every night is the best way to loop around the island without piling up hours of driving 🚗.
OUR TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLACE TO STAY
- 📅 Book ahead: outside Reykjavik, accommodation is scarce and the best places go fast.
- 🍳 Breakfast included: very handy, because cafés and restaurants are rare on the road. We often used it to make our lunch sandwiches.
- 🛒 A kitchen in remote areas: around Jökulsárlón, the nearest supermarket can be more than an hour’s drive away. Do your shopping before you arrive.
- ♨️ A hot tub: after a day in the cold and wind, it’s pure bliss. Several of our places had one.
- 🌌 Away from the lights: in winter, a place in the countryside gives you a better chance of seeing the northern lights right from your door.
- ✅ Free cancellation, to stay flexible if the weather forces you to change your itinerary.
HOTEL OR GUESTHOUSE IN ICELAND?
Both have their advantages. A guesthouse is often cozier, sometimes with a kitchen to cook your own meals. A hotel is more convenient for a one-night stop, with a reception desk, a restaurant and often breakfast included. As for us, we liked both. It all depends on what you want, your budget and how you like to travel.
HOW MUCH DOES ACCOMMODATION COST IN ICELAND?
Iceland isn’t a cheap destination, and accommodation is one of the biggest items in the budget. We paid between €78 and €162 a night for two. To be completely transparent with you: €1,366 for 11 nights, or about €124 a night on average (that was in 2023, prices may have changed since).
👇 Here are the 8 places where we slept during our road trip that still welcome travelers, in the order of our itinerary.
Tested during our road trip
Our 8 places to stay in Iceland
GuesthouseHotel
-
HotelReykjavik201 Hótel (Kópavogur)
Right next to the capital, handy for the first and last night of the road trip.
- Double room
- Breakfast included
- Close to Reykjavik
- Guesthouse
SelfossLambastaðir Guesthouse
A quiet guesthouse, perfect for sleeping after a day on the Golden Circle.
- Hot tub and sauna
- Breakfast included
- After the Golden Circle
- GuesthouseOur favorite
SvínafellThe Potato Storage
Our absolute favorite of the trip: an exceptional place at the foot of the glaciers.
- Our best place to stay
- Fully equipped kitchen
- Close to Jökulsárlón
- Hotel
EgilsstaðirHótel Eyvindará
A quiet hotel on the edge of Egilsstaðir, with a hot tub to unwind.
- Hot tub
- Breakfast included
- Near Seyðisfjörður
- Hotel
MývatnVogafjós Farm Resort
A farm on the shores of Lake Mývatn, chosen for watching the northern lights.
- Ideal for the northern lights
- On-site restaurant
- Breakfast included
- Hotel
AkureyriCentrum Hótel
Right in the town center, a stone's throw from Akureyri church: you can do everything on foot.
- Town center
- Breakfast included
- Superior room
- Hotel
BifröstHraunsnef Country Hotel
A country hotel in the middle of nowhere, with a hot tub and a restaurant.
- Hot tub
- On-site restaurant
- Breakfast included
- Guesthouse
HvalfjörðurHótel Laxárbakki
A stop on the edge of the fjord, ideal after a day on Snæfellsnes.
- Hot tub
- On-site restaurant
- Heading back to Reykjavik
MY MUST-HAVE TRAVEL GEAR 🧳
It’s a question that comes up a lot when preparing a trip “What should I bring?” And in Iceland even more than elsewhere, because the cold, wind and rain can quickly ruin a day if you’re poorly equipped 🥶. That’s why you’ll find below the travel accessories we had in our bags. Planning ahead and getting these items in advance helps you save money and avoid paying for some of them on the spot, where everything costs much more 💸 These are the accessories we took to Iceland in the middle of winter 👇.
Our road trip checklist
What to pack for Iceland?
What we had in our bags for 12 winter days. Good news: the outlets are the same as in France, no adapter needed.
0 / 12 in my suitcase · check what you already have
- Essential
Cold & snowHeat Holders thermal socks
The ones we took: to keep your feet warm on walks in the snow.
- Essential
Cold & snowThermal underwear
Thermal leggings and T-shirt under your clothes: the basics for facing the Icelandic wind.
- Essential
Cold & snowWarm gloves
A pair of ski gloves against the wind, and a thin pair for taking photos.
- Essential
Cold & snowBeanie and neck warmer
The wind is often strong, especially near the waterfalls and on the black sand beaches.
- Essential
Cold & snowWaterproof hiking boots
Icy trails, snow and waterfall spray: dry feet all day long.
- Essential
ElectronicsPower bank
The cold drains batteries fast: your phone lasts until evening.
- Recommended
Baths & waterWaterproof phone pouch
To take photos in the hot baths with no risk to your phone.
- Recommended
Baths & waterMicrofiber towel
Light and quick-drying: handy for baths and hot springs.
- Recommended
Baths & waterWater bottle
Tap water is excellent in Iceland: no need to buy bottles.
- Bonus
Travel & securityEmergency blanket
Keep it in the car, in case a closed road forces you to wait.
- Bonus
Travel & securityTSA lock
To lock your suitcase on the plane, with no risk of it being broken at security.
- Bonus
Travel & securityAirTag
To track your suitcase if your luggage is delayed or lost.
THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK 
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