Laugardalur, Reykjavík — Area Guide & Where to Stay

What are the main landmarks in Laugardalur?

Laugardalslaug anchors the valley. The city's largest geothermal pool draws swimmers to its outdoor lanes, hot pots, a steam bath and water slides through every season. Close by stand Laugardalsvöllur, Iceland's national football stadium, and Laugardalshöll, an indoor arena used for sport and concerts, with an ice rink alongside.

The Reykjavík Botanic Garden, or Grasagarður, lays out thousands of plant species across open lawns. Beside it, the Family Park and Zoo keeps Icelandic farm breeds, along with seals and foxes. Reindeer roam there too.

At the valley's edge, the white-domed Ásmundarsafn shows the work of sculptor Ásmundur Sveinsson in his former studio, its garden dotted with large outdoor figures.

What is the history of Laugardalur?

For centuries the valley's hot springs were where Reykjavík households came to wash. They carried the laundry out from the old town along the route now called Laugavegur, the wash road that later grew into the city's main shopping street. Washing here lasted into the 1930s.

The brick basins still survive near the northern entrance, known as Þvottalaugarnar. When the city spread eastward, the open valley was kept for recreation rather than building. It soon gained a swimming complex and a stadium.

Sports halls came too. Over the following decades a botanic garden and a sculpture museum were laid out in the valley. A family park and its small zoo arrived later, fixing Laugardalur as the city's principal green and sporting quarter.

Where is Laugardalur?

A wide, shallow basin opening east of the city centre, the valley is reached from downtown along Laugavegur, the old wash road that leads out from the old town. Its floor stays open. Playing fields and pools take it up, with gardens between them, rather than dense building.

Low-rise residential streets rise on the slopes around the rim.