Swimming pools
Swimming pools
Access to swimming pools varies widely, and there are many of them. We recommend that people call the pool before leaving to be sure the facility is suitable. On the website swimmingpool.is An overview of most swimming pools in the country can be found, where individual locations have listed information about accessibility for people with disabilities and discounts.
Table of Contents
Specialty swimming pools
Swimming pool Self-rescue
The Sjálfsbjörg Swimming Pool is intended for people with disabilities who cannot use public swimming pools. It is open to the public twice a week. All further information can be found here.
Access to swimming pools
Below is information on accessibility for many of the country's swimming pools. The information is generally provided by the pool staff. We would like to point out that some individuals may need more detailed information than is provided here, in which case it is best to contact the specific pool.
Capital Region
City of Reykjavik
Á City of Reykjavik websiter Videos and detailed descriptions of the accessibility of each pool have been compiled.
Ásvallalaug, Hafnarfjörður
- Contribution There are four spacious, designated parking spots for the disabled outside the pool entrance. There is direct access from the parking lot. There are no thresholds and the doors are wide.
- Changing rooms The dressing rooms are a short distance from the checkout. There are two private rooms, and a person of the opposite sex may assist in the room, which are accessed from a hallway. Shower chairs are in both rooms. Next to these private rooms are restrooms with grab bars.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – A portable lift is available at the swimming pool. All pools and hot tubs are accessed by stairs, which have handrails.
South Bay Pool – Hafnarfjörður
- Contribution Two P-marked parking spaces are available in the pool's parking lot. There is direct, level access to the entrance with no thresholds. Steps are located at the main entrance, but they do not affect wheelchair access.
- Changing rooms From the front desk, it is a short distance to the locker rooms, and the path to them is step- and threshold-free. There are no shower chairs in the locker rooms.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities A wheelchair lift for people with disabilities is at the indoor pool, but there are steps to get into the pool. To get into the outdoor pool, you go down wide stairs with a handrail, and the same applies to all of the pool's hot tubs.
Hafnarfjörður Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a P-marked parking space near the entrance. You enter the building directly, but there is a low threshold at the main door.
- Changing rooms The reception area is a short distance from the locker rooms. The building is old and was not designed with universal design in mind. Shower chairs are not available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are stairs leading into the swimming pool and the hot tubs, and there is a handrail with them.
Salalaug – Kópavogur
- Contribution – Several P-marked parking spaces are available at the entrance, and upon entering, the doors open automatically.
- Changing facilities – The traditional locker rooms are about 35 meters from the main entrance, and the path to them is barrier-free. Toilets are located at the restrooms, and both a shower chair and a bath bench are available. Those with an attendant of the opposite sex have the option to use a so-called sick room. There is a shower there, but the toilet does not have toilet bars.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – The indoor pool has stairs. The outdoor pool has wide steps where a wheelchair can be wheeled down; stairs are also available. Wide steps lead to the hot tubs, with handrails on both sides. The wading pool is accessed by a slope.
Kópavogur Swimming Pool
- Contribution There are designated accessible parking spaces near the main entrance. From there, you do not have to go up a curb to reach the entrance. You walk straight in; the doors open automatically and there are no thresholds.
- Changing rooms – Changing rooms are near the entrance; from the front door, it is about 15 meters to the changing rooms, and there are no thresholds inside. Restroom aids are available at the restrooms. A private facility is available for those who wish to use it, and a gender-affirming attendant may be present in the room. A shower stool is available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are three swimming pools: a 50-meter outdoor pool, a 25-meter indoor pool, and a 10-meter indoor pool. Both the wide steps with handrails and stairs lead into the outdoor pool. There is an elevator in the 25-meter indoor pool, but the 10-meter pool has a platform all the way around that is about 35–40 cm high. The pool itself is 90 cm deep. Stairs with handrails lead down into all the pools.
Western Land
Borgarnes Sports Center
- Contribution – You walk directly into the Sports Center; the exterior doors open automatically.
- Changing rooms Changing facilities are available at the front desk. Two private changing rooms are located on the lower level, accessible by elevator. These rooms are equipped with toilet stalls, and the elevators provide access between floors.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is an elevator at the indoor pool. The pool is 33 degrees Celsius.
Ólafsvík Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a single step to the entrance and high thresholds into the locker rooms.
- Changing rooms The checkout area is a short distance from the locker rooms. A private room is not available. Shower chairs are available in the locker rooms.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities The swimming pool is an indoor pool. At one end of the pool there are stairs, and at the other end there are steps with handrails on both sides. In the outdoor area, there are hot tubs and a wading pool. The wading pool has both steps and a ramp.
Stykkishólmur Swimming Pool
- Contribution There are stairs and also a ramp to the house. You can press a button to open the door. Once inside, it's only a few meters to the locker rooms, with no stairs or thresholds.
- Changing rooms Shower chairs are available in the locker rooms. There is no separate changing area.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is an indoor pool and an outdoor pool, and an elevator is available. Stairs with a handrail lead down to both pools.
Westfjords
Bylta – Bíldudal Sports Center
Við Byltu has only a hot tub, not a swimming pool.
- Contribution – You enter the building directly, with no thresholds or stairs.
- Changing rooms – The locker rooms are near the front desk and there are no stairs in the gym. There is one toilet stall with grab bars. A shower stool is not available.
- Facilities at the pot There are about 3 meters from the showers to the hot tub. You have to go up stairs to get to the tub.
Árbær Sports Center – Bolungarvík
The Bolungarvík swimming pool was built in the first half of the 1970s, and its interior design and layout are from that period.
- Contribution There is a P-designated parking space at the main entrance. You enter straight in, but there is a low threshold at the doorway. The door has an electric opener. The reception desk is just inside the entrance, but there are stairs down to the locker rooms.
- Changing rooms – There are stairs to get to the locker rooms, and there are also stairs from the locker rooms to the swimming pool. A special facility for people with disabilities is located a short distance from the front desk. This facility has a toilet with grab bars and a shower chair.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities The swimming pool is an indoor pool and is located a short distance from the locker rooms, but there are steps leading to it. An old, homemade elevator is available. The pool deck is higher than the water level in the pool.
Bröttuhlíð Sports Center – Patreksfjörður
- Contribution The main parking lots for Bröttuhlíðar are located such that you have to go up many stairs to reach the entrance. To reach the accessible parking, drive past the church next to Bröttuhlíðar and up the hill to the accessible parking spaces. From there, there is easy access to the Sports Center.
- Changing rooms – There is about a 30-meter level walk from the reception to the locker room. There are no thresholds on the way to the locker room, but there is a threshold about 6 cm high from the shower to the pool. The locker rooms are narrow and it is rather difficult to get around in there. There is a chair available in the locker room that can be used in the shower, but it is not a proper shower chair.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is an elevator to the swimming pool but not to the hot tubs. There is a ladder in the swimming pool and stairs to the hot tubs. There is a handrail on each side of the stairs, and the gap between them is about 74 cm.
Drangsnes Swimming Pool
- Contribution – When entering the house, there is a low threshold.
- Changing rooms There are low thresholds from the locker rooms to the swimming pool. There is a special facility for people with disabilities if they wish to use it, and a chair is available for use in the shower.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are stairs in the swimming pool.
- Discount – Disabled people receive a discount at the swimming pool. Disabled people who are residents of the municipality get free admission to the pool.
The swimming pool of Tálknafjörður
- Contribution There is a threshold at the main entrance. It is possible to enter through other doors; there is a ramp to them, and a small threshold at the door (a narrow iron bar).
- Changing rooms – The entrance to the locker rooms is narrow. There are no grab bars in the stalls in the locker rooms, but there is a stall with a grab bar in the restroom by the other entrance. There is no shower chair available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is a concrete walkway to the swimming pool and an elevator into the pool.
Thingeyri Pool
- Contribution From the main parking lot, there is a 50-meter paved path to the front door. If necessary, it is possible to drive up to the front door. The threshold at the front door is about 10 cm high.
- Changing rooms There are no thresholds on the way from the checkout to the locker rooms, nor to the swimming pool. There are shower stools at the showers.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – To access the swimming pool, there is a steel ladder with plastic steps and a handrail on both sides. The shallow end is 90 cm and the deep end of the pool is 160 cm. The hot tubs have concrete steps and steel handrails on both sides.
Northwest
Blönduós Sports Center
- Contribution – The building has good accessibility and direct access.
- Changing rooms – The changing area is a relatively short distance from the checkout and has no thresholds. A shower chair is available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – Wide steps with a handrail lead down into the swimming pool.
The Sports Center in Hvammstangi
- Contribution There is a slight slope from the parking lot to the house and there is a ramp. At the entrance, there is an electric door that opens to the side.
- Changing rooms From the checkout, there is a hallway to the locker room. There is a shower stool and a walker in the locker room.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – To get into the swimming pool, there are wide steps. There are also steps to the hot tubs; in the other tub, the steps are narrow. Many people with mobility impairments have had difficulty getting in and out of the wading pool.
Varmahlíð Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a sidewalk to the building from the elementary school. Otherwise, you have to go up stairs. There are wide doors and low thresholds into the house.
- Changing rooms A shower chair is available. When exiting the stall, you follow a ramp.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities You can get down to the swimming pool by either stairs or steps. There is one pool.
Northeastern Europe
Jónasarlaug – Þelamörk
- Contribution There are two parking lots at the Þelamörk Sports Center; if you go to the lower parking lot, you can drive up to the entrance.
- Changing rooms There are stairs from the front desk to the locker rooms. It is also possible to enter through the gym doors, but there is a threshold; from there, however, there is easy access to the locker rooms and the pool area. It is about 32 meters from the door to the locker rooms. There is no separate changing area. A shower stool is not available; plastic chairs can be used.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are stairs into the swimming pool and steps into the hot tubs.
Akureyri Swimming Pool
- Contribution – Access to the building is good. There is a P-marked parking space outside. At the main entrance, there are revolving doors and push-button doors.
- Changing rooms – Shower stools are available, and a shower curtain can be pulled for one of the showers. There is no separate changing area.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is an elevator to access the hot tub and the swimming pool. There is no elevator at the oldest hot tubs in the pool.
Glerárlaug in Akureyri
Good accessibility. One room is designed as a private room, is somewhat narrow, and is used for both genders. There is an elevator down to the pool. One designated parking space is outside the building.
Dalvík Swimming Pool
- Contribution Access is good, with no thresholds and the door opens automatically. You enter on the 1st floor, and in the lobby there is an elevator to the 2nd floor. From the elevator, it's a short hallway to the reception desk.
- Changing rooms From the front desk to the locker rooms, there is a short but wide aisle (with ample space) and no threshold into the locker rooms. From the locker room to the swimming pool, you must step over a threshold about 2 cm high. There is no shower chair available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is a ramp leading from the wading pool to the swimming pool. The handrail extends almost all the way into the pool. There is enough room for a wheelchair to use this ramp. There are also stairs leading into the swimming pool.
Eyjafjarðarsveit Swimming Pool – Hrafnagili
- Contribution From the parking lot, there is a ramp to the building. The exterior doors have an electric door opener, and there is no threshold at the main entrance.
- Changing rooms From the checkout, follow the hallway into the locker room. There is a private room available, and it has a shower stool.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities Elevators are provided to the hot tub and the swimming pool. Additionally, a ramp from the deck down to the swimming pool facilitates wheelchair access.
Húsavík Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a designated parking space by the swimming pool. There is a ramp to the front door and an automatic door opener.
- Changing rooms The checkout counter is a short distance from the locker rooms, and there are no thresholds. Toilet stalls are located at the restrooms. Shower chairs are available in the men's and women's locker rooms.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – An iron ladder is in the pool (the ladder has a 45° angle)
The swimming pool in Hrísey
- Contribution The building is accessible for people with disabilities.
- Changing rooms There is a separate dressing room, but a shower chair is not available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are stairs into the swimming pool.
Lundi Swimming Pool – Öxarfjörður
- Contribution – The parking lot is on the same level as the building. There is a threshold at the front door.
- Changing rooms The locker rooms are located near the counter and entrance. There are no toilet stalls at the restrooms, and a shower chair is not available. When exiting the locker room to the pool, you must step over a threshold. The locker rooms are for the swimming pool and gym. There is no separate changing room, but if needed, it is possible to change in the gym area, where there are no showers.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is a narrow step into the pool. The hot tub is not recessed at all. There is a ladder by the tub, but no handrail.
Raufarhöfn Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a ramp to the house and a threshold at the front door.
- Changing rooms – There are no indoor thresholds. Lockers are located near the front desk and entrance. There are no grab bars at the toilets in the locker rooms, but a restroom with grab bars is available. A family restroom is available upon request. A shower stool is not available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – The indoor pool has wide concrete steps and handrails leading down into the water.
Eastland
Stöðvarfjörður Sports Center
The Stöðvarfjörður swimming pool is not easily accessible for people with limited mobility.
- Contribution The parking lots are on the main street, and you need to walk up a gravel path to the swimming pool. It is possible to park in the elementary school's parking lot (which is a gravel lot), and from there it is a level walk to the entrance.
The main entrance to the building is 80 cm wide and there is a high threshold. - Changing rooms – The door from the locker room to the swimming pool is only 68 cm wide.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – stairs lead up to the swimming pool.
Seyðisfjörður Swimming Pool
- Contribution The swimming pool is not accessible. There are many steps to the entrance.
- Changing rooms – You walk up stairs in the women's locker room and then down stairs to get to the swimming pool.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities The swimming pool is an indoor pool, 12x7 meters, and has stairs leading into it. There are steps down to the hot tubs and also steps to access the sauna. There are handrails along the hot tubs.
Eskifjörður Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a threshold at the outside door, but it is low. There is also a rubber mat, and wheelchair users have not found it difficult to get across it.
- Changing rooms There is easy access from the reception area to the locker rooms. The locker rooms are spacious, and toilet stalls are available in the restrooms. A shower stool is available. There is a threshold from the changing rooms to the pool. A separate changing area is available, but it is not as spacious as the changing rooms. The restrooms in the separate changing area do not have grab bars.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are 4 steps to the swimming pool, with handrails on both sides. One high step leads down to the hot tubs, with a handrail at each tub.
- Discount – It's free for people with disabilities at the swimming pool.
Southland
Fontana – Lake of the Lakes
- Contribution There is a P parking space outside the building and a ramp to the main entrance. The main entrance has automatic sliding doors and a very low threshold. There are no thresholds inside.
- Changing rooms The locker rooms are spacious. There are benches by the lockers, and handrails on the walls in the drying area and showers. Shower stools are in both rooms. Toilet rails are on the toilets in the rooms and on one toilet in the cafeteria. There is a threshold from the locker room to the bathing area.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are four pools/four hot tubs. One pool has a ladder, another has stairs, the third has steps up and down, and the fourth is long and unevenly deep. The deepest part of the fourth pool has a ladder, but the shallowest part has a single step down. There are handrails by the step, the stairs, and on the ladder.
The swimming pool in Vik, Mýrdal
- Contribution – There is a low threshold at the entrance. It is easy to get into the changing rooms, which are, however, narrow.
- Changing rooms The locker rooms are narrow and difficult to be in with a wheelchair. There are neither handrails nor shower chairs available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – Steps lead down into both pots as well as the swimming pool.
Kirkjubæjarklaustur Sports Center
- Contribution – There is a low threshold at the entrance. From the reception area to the locker rooms is about 12 meters.
- Changing rooms – A toilet with toilet stalls is at the entrance of the building, not inside the locker rooms. A shower stool is available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are wide steps leading down into the swimming pool with a handrail in the middle. Down into one of the other pools, there are steps with handrails on both sides; into the other pool, there are steps with handrails.
Neslaug – Árnesi
- Contribution There is a P-designated parking lot at the entrance to the swimming pool. There is a low threshold at the main entrance.
- Changing rooms – There are toilet rails at the toilets. A shower chair is not available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – You walk down wide stairs into the swimming pool, with a handrail down the middle. The hot tub is elevated, and you must first go up to the platform it stands on, and then into the tub.
Skeiðalaug – Brautarholti
- Contribution – The swimming pool is on the ground floor and has low thresholds.
- Changing rooms There is no shower chair or special facilities.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities In the shallow end of the swimming pool, there are 80 cm wide steps that form an L. A handrail runs along the steps into the pool. Elsewhere, there are ladders to get into the pool. The hot tub has about 60 cm wide steps with a handrail alongside them.
Selfoss Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a P-designated parking lot at the entrance. Enter on the ground floor.
- Changing rooms There are separate outdoor and indoor stalls available for those who wish to use them. The locker rooms have toilets with grab bars. A shower stool is available.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There is an elevator for both the indoor and outdoor pools. The indoor pool also has a ladder. The outdoor pool has wide stairs with a handrail in the middle. The wading/splash pool is accessed by stepping down one step; this pool is connected to the slide pool. There are three hot tubs. Two of them have a railing around the tub and down the first two steps of the stairs leading into them. The third tub has a single step down, and there is a post/handrail by the tub.
Hornarfjörður Swimming Pool
- Contribution There are accessible parking spaces at the entrance. The entrance has a sliding door and no threshold.
- Changing rooms There are separate stalls off the men's and women's locker rooms. Shower chairs are available. There are no thresholds to cross on the way to the swimming pool.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – The swimming pool has ramps, stairs, and wide steps with a handrail. There is also an elevator available to access the pool. The hot tubs are accessed by stairs, which have handrails. The wading pool/kiddie pool has a bench at a sitting height, and a wheelchair user can sit on the bench to get into the pool.
Stokkseyri Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a P-marked parking space outside and the entrance is on the ground floor.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities From the locker room, the swimming pool is about 5 meters away. There is a staircase leading to the pool. There are three pools. One of the pools has a railing around it and has the first set of steps leading into the pool. The second pool has a single post/handrail, and you go down two steps. The third pool has two posts/handrails. There are no seats in that pool; instead, you sit directly on the bottom.
Westman Islands Swimming Pool
- Contribution – At the main entrance There are no barriers and the door is a sliding door. There are two parking spaces marked "P" and about a 40-meter walk to the main entrance. It is possible to drive people to the door, but vehicles cannot be parked there because this area must be kept clear for an ambulance.
At the side entrance There is one step and the inner door opens inward. There is one P-marked parking space. The walk from the outside door to the service area is about 15 meters, and then it's down a hallway to the stalls, about 10m for men and 30m for women. A wheelchair is available to borrow. - Changing rooms There are no barriers to the locker rooms. The doors to the locker rooms are often propped open. Staff are also available to assist if needed. There is one toilet in each room that is compliant with regulations for wheelchair access. Pillars are by the restroom. There is a separate, wheelchair-accessible room with a bench and hooks. It has a seat under the shower and grab bars on both walls for support. Some people may need assistance to exit the room, as the door has a stiff pump.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities – The indoor pool is 25 x 11 meters, and there is an elevator to get into the pool. To access the outdoor area, you have to pull a door open, and some people with disabilities have needed assistance to open it, but the door is located by the lifeguard station. In the outdoor area, there is a "play pool" that you can walk directly into and even drive a wheelchair into (though no such chair is provided). Two of the pools are accessed by narrow stairs with a handrail on one side. The third, massage pool, is accessed by first going up steps and then down, with a handrail on both sides. The pool is surrounded by a tiled ledge, allowing a wheelchair user to transfer from the chair onto the ledge and then into the water.
Thorlákshöfn Swimming Pool
- Contribution Outside the building, there is a designated P parking space for guests with disabilities. There are no stairs or thresholds to enter the building.
- Changing rooms There is an approximately 25-meter walk from the front desk to the locker rooms, following a barrier-free path. Restrooms are located near the toilets. Private stalls are available for those who wish to use them.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are stairs leading down to the pool, and also a ramp for wheelchair access. There is no elevator to the pool or hot tub. The hot tubs and wading pool are on the ground floor. Indoors, there is a slide pool, which is accessed by a three-step staircase; there are no handrails on the stairs.
The swimming pool in Hvolsvöllur
- Contribution There are no thresholds to enter the building. At the end of the parking lot, there is a ramp leading up to the sidewalk in front of the swimming pool.
- Changing rooms There is a separate changing facility, with toilet facilities at the restroom, and a shower chair.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are stairs leading into the swimming pool. One hot tub is accessed by going up steps and then down into the tub; there are handrails on both sides. The other hot tub is elevated (about 40 cm) and has no handrail. The wading pool has a simple handrail.
Southern Peninsula
Garði Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a handicapped parking space at the entrance. The entrance is directly from the parking lot, and the front door is threshold-free.
- Changing rooms The changing room is a short distance from the checkout, with no thresholds or barriers on the way. The restrooms have grab bars and the showers have handrails. No separate changing facilities are available.
- Swimming pool facilities The locker rooms are a short distance from the swimming pool. Stairs lead down into the pool. There are two hot tubs and one wading pool. There are handrails around the hot tubs and along the steps leading down into them. A deck surrounds the wading pool, with a step down.
Grindavík Swimming Pool
- Contribution There are three designated P parking spaces. The entrance is a short distance from the parking spaces and there are no thresholds at the entrance. From the reception area to the locker rooms, there are no thresholds or barriers.
- Changing rooms There are separate changing rooms available for those who wish to use them, which include a shower chair, an attendant's area, and accessible restroom stalls. There are no thresholds from the changing rooms to the swimming pool.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities - At the shallow end of the swimming pool, there are steps with a handrail on one side. At the deep end of the swimming pool, there are stairs. The hot tubs have handrails around the tubs and down the steps. The wading pool is accessed by going down one step.
Sandgerði Swimming Pool
- Contribution There is a P-designated parking space at the entrance, and from that space, you enter directly; there is no threshold at the main entrance. The locker rooms are a short distance from the front desk.
- Changing rooms There is a separate changing room for those who want it, and there are toilet rails and a shower chair at the restroom.
- Swimming pool/hot tub facilities There are stairs leading down into the swimming pool, with a handrail down the middle. In the deep end of the pool, there is a ladder. There are two hot tubs and one wading pool. Steps lead down to the hot tubs, with handrails on both sides.