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Icelandair is famous for its stopovers, allowing you to explore Iceland for one or more days en route to Europe. What if you only had six hours in a layover – is a six hour layover enough to visit the Blue Lagoon? I found out! Read on for some exclusive tips I had not seen anywhere else!
Why I had a six hour layover in Iceland on Icelandair
When I booked my ✨Sparkling Summer ✨ trip to Europe months and months ago, I booked a flight on points via Dublin. Thanks to an “industrial action” I had to rebook just a week before my trip. Icelandair came through with a flight to Paris for only 27K points, but with a six hour long layover. I’ve been wanting to visit Iceland for years, but couldn’t use the stopover feature to stay long enough for a real trip.
Six hours is a long time to hang out in any airport, let alone KEF. I took to the googles to see if anything was close enough to the airport to visit it within the six hour layover I had thanks to Icelandair. Since Icelandair offers free layovers (called a stopover), there was a lot of information on what to do for one day layovers. The main search result for any layover/stopover in Iceland was the Blue Lagoon. But would six hours be enough to visit the Blue Lagoon? What even is the Blue Lagoon??
What is the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
The Blue Lagoon in Iceland is a renowned geothermal spa located in a lava field near Grindavík, 45 minutes from Reykjavik. It is known for its milky-blue waters, which are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur. (❗Tip: The water does not smell sulfurous though, but you do NOT want to get your hair wet in it!)
What surprised me most is that the lagoon is man-made, fed by the water output from the nearby geothermal power plant, where superheated water from beneath the earth’s surface is used to generate electricity and hot water. The excess water, which is rich in minerals, is then fed into the lagoon. When in the water, you can feel that the water is hotter near where the water is fed into the pool.
The Blue Lagoon has changing rooms with lockers, a swim up bar, saunas, steam rooms, and mud masks available. Towels and one drink are included with the basic ticket. They also have a café where you can enjoy a light lunch, coffee, or drink.
Is six hours enough to visit the Blue Lagoon?
The short answer is: YES!
The long answer is also yes, but you need to plan ahead and do your research to see if this is a viable option for you. This is not a cheap layover by any means, and you need to be on it with your timing to do it.
Can you still visit the Blue Lagoon with the volcanic eruption?
Yes, the Blue Lagoon is open again despite the ongoing seismic activity (most recently updated July 2024). The nearby town of Grindavík has been destroyed by the volcanic eruption, including the regular road to the lagoon. However, you can still drive around the coast of the peninsula to reach it. The drive now takes 45 minutes instead of 20, and you will drive through some bumpy sections where the road is being rebuilt. At one point, there is a security crossing where guards check to ensure you have tickets to the Lagoon before entering.
Before your visit, check out the most up to date information provided by the lagoon. I found this map to be inaccurate, we actually had to drive around the cost of the peninsula due to additional road closures.
https://www.bluelagoon.com/seismic-activity
Planning your visit to Blue Lagoon on a layover in Iceland
Planning ahead for your layover in Iceland is key. A few things to keep in mind are:
- Amount of time between flights
- What airport you are flying INTO
- What airport you are flying OUT OF
- Pre-booking a ticket to the Blue Lagoon
- Time you can spend at the Blue Lagoon
- Total cost
Amount of time between flights
In my opinion, a six hour layover is the bare minimum you need in order to visit the Blue Lagoon safely. Any shorter and you will not have much time at the lagoon and risk missing your flight onwards. I found security lines to be fairly short in Keflavik airport, but you never know with security. Expect 30 minutes through passport control, 45 minutes each way, and 2-2.5 hours at the lagoon. That gives you wiggle room for security and a snack before your flight.
What airport you are flying INTO and OUT OF
If you are flying internationally, you’ll fly into Keflavik International Airport – KEF. Keflavik is located 45 minutes from the main city of Reykjavik, and a 45 minute drive in the opposite direction to Blue Lagoon in Grindavík.
However, if your connecting flight is within Iceland, you fly out of the Reykjavik Domestic Airport RKV – NOT KEF. You have time to visit Blue Lagoon during a six hour layover if and only if you are flying into and out of KEF.
Pre-booking a ticket to the Blue Lagoon for your six hour layover in Iceland
This is the most important part of planning your long layover via Icelandair at KEF, which is why I’ve buried it in the middle of the post! (❗Tip!)
You MUST pre-book a ticket to the Blue Lagoon in order to successfully visit there during a six hour layover in Iceland. The Blue Lagoon sees thousands of visitors a day, and tickets sell out quickly, plus many tour buses go there each day. While there is a line for walk-ups, that eats into precious time for your visit.
When I went to book tickets for two adults a week ahead of time, the Blue Lagoon website was sold out for the entry slot I needed. However, Get Your Guide had tickets for the same price for the timeslot I needed. This is the exact ticket I purchased for entry, and received a confirmation email with a QR code directly from Blue Lagoon for entry. I landed a bit late at 9:45 am, and had an 11am ticket booked and arrived right on time. Do not try to visit without pre-booking your ticket!
Getting to the Blue Lagoon from the airport on a layover
Keflavik Airport is located a 45 minute drive from the Blue Lagoon. Look, blogs are going to say it’s 20 minutes. Google Maps might even say it’s 20 minutes. That’s what I thought until I landed in Reykjavik and Google Maps said it was actually 45 minutes.
However, due to the recent volcanic eruptions that have destroyed the Grindavík town and road to BL, it now takes 45 minutes to drive there (accurate as of July 2024). Your options to arrive at BL from KEF are either take a taxi, bus, or private transfer.
I tried very hard to find a bus company/public transit option to take us to BL. For whatever reason most bus companies had four pickups per day, and those times did not align with my landing/departure times. If you have more than six hours, or a flexible schedule, the bus transit ticket for ~$30-$60 might work better for you.
I ended up taking a taxi from the cab stand at KEF. Our driver explained that the direct road was currently closed and that we needed to have tickets already booked in order to get to BL for security reasons. A taxi is not cheap – expect to spend 20,000 krona or $140 USD one way.
Should you have a long layover, or decide to head into Reykjavik city afterwards, BL does have large luggage storage available in the parking lot before you enter. If you are flying into KEF from the US, your bags should be checked through to your final destination, so you don’t need to worry about this!
Getting back from the Blue Lagoon to KEF on a layover
Since there is only one route in and out of BL due to the volcano, we asked our driver how we could get a pickup. He gave us his WhatsApp number (❗Tip), and arranged to pick us up in two hours. He said that before the volcanic eruption, he would make constant pickups and drop offs, running back and forth to the airport every 20 minutes. However, since the volcano, it’s too far to return to the airport and wait for a pickup. He gave us a 10% discount on the return trip, so it cost about $125 to return.
You can also pre-book a return bus ticket on one of the bus vendors if the time slots work for you. There are also buses to Reykjavik, if you are heading there for the rest of your layover or stopover. BL has large luggage storage in the parking lot, so you can store your bags there.
How much time to spend at the Blue Lagoon if you have a six+ hour layover
Here is the timeline of our visit, courtesy of my iPhone photo timestamps:
10:00am: Landed in KEF, a bit delayed
10:20am: Made it through customs/immigration and caught a cab
11:07am: Our taxi driver dropped us off at BL
11:15am: Made it through the entry line
11:33am: BL has free lockers for your things, so we changed and showered before entering the lagoon. Your ticket includes a free drink at the swim up bar! I had a beer
12:24pm: I had lagooned enough! I got the mud mask in my eyes and called it quits. I went back into the locker rooms to clean up and change.
12:55pm: I got a coffee and sandwich in the café for about $22 while I waited for my friend to finish up.
1:30pm: Out and ready to be picked up by our taxi driver.
2:16pm: Arrived back at KEF
2:33pm: Through security and checking out books in the airport gift shop
2:48pm: Enjoyed a Gull beer ($7) from the airport café
3:47pm: Boarded our Icelandair plane in Keflavik
4:00pm: Departure from KEF → CDG
All told, my friend and I spent about an hour in the mineral water at the lagoon. I ended up getting the free silica mud mask in my eyes and was over it at that point. Every blog I read said to get to the lagoon early in the day so you could stay all day and… I can’t imagine staying longer than an hour or two in the water.
As you can see, we arrived back at the airport with plenty of time before our flight. Security lines were minimal, and we had time for some shopping and snacking at the airport.
Total cost of visiting Blue Lagoon on a six hour layover in Reykjavik, Iceland
Nothing in Iceland is cheap, and neither was this trip to the famed Blue Lagoon.
The ticket cost $102.66 USD for a standard ticket via Get Your Guide, the same price as if you booked directly. (If you book through my GYG links, I receive a small commission to help defray the hosting costs of HFIL.) The taxi was $140 USD there and about $130 USD return. All in all, it was $372.66 USD to visit the Blue Lagoon on my six hour Icelandair layover.
You could decrease the cost by booking bus transportation, which would save you $80+ each way, or defray the costs of the cab with another person. (I did actually travel with a friend, so the taxi cost would be halved for me too.)
Another lower cost option would be to visit Sky Lagoon instead. Our taxi driver and Adventurous Kate have both recommended this lagoon that is closer to Reykjavik. It is also a 45 minute drive from the Keflavik Airport but only 13 minutes from the city of Reykjavik. Sky Lagoon costs about $80 for a basic ticket and from what I’ve read it’s less “touristy.”
What else can I do on a six hour layover in Iceland or Reyjkavik?
Based on my research, you could head to Reyjkavik and toodle around for about 2.5 hours. It takes 45 minutes to get from KEF to the city. While there, you would have time for a 3 hour food tour, a one hour puffin tour, or ride the hop on hop off bus. On the plus side, this might be more affordable because there are several buses that can take you into the city more frequently.
I also found a tour of the Grindavik volcano! This looks so cool and it would be a great add-on right after you land or before you take off, even if you don’t have a layover per se. The meeting point is in Reyjkavik, but the tour itself is in Grindavík, so it’s worth reaching out to see if one could meet there. This tour, which I only found on Expedia, is a 3 hour hike with a geologist. So cool, it makes me want to book another trip to Iceland just for this.
Is it worth visiting the Blue Lagoon on a layover?
For me this is a resounding YES! We took a redeye from Seattle, Washington, leaving around 7pm. We landed in Iceland at 10am local time, or 3 in the morning. I got a few hours of sleep, but since Icelandair doesn’t have layflat seats, I was pretty blurry when we landed.
Being out in the bright sunshine on a beautiful summer day helped minimize my jet lag immensely. I was able to shower and clean up before getting onto my next flight. I landed in Paris around 9:30pm feeling like a real person! In fact, I don’t think I had any jet lag on the outbound portion of my trip at all!
This next reason may sound silly, but my sister and I compete to see who has visited more places on Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist. The Blue Lagoon is on it, so I got another “point” for visiting it.
Overall, visiting the Blue Lagoon on my six hour layover on Icelandair was absolutely worth it so I did not need to spend six hours bored in an airport. I could afford the cost, even though it was a last minute expense, so I’m glad I did it.
One last ❗Tip: Bring a waterproof phone case. Photos are allowed in the lagoon, but you won’t want to get your phone wet. I might have and it wouldn’t charge for several hours.
Other Lonely Planet Ultimate Travelist locations in Iceland that I still need to visit:
- Vatnajökull National Park
- Gullfoss
- Borgarfjarðarhreppur Eystri and Seyðisfjörður
- Silfra Snorkeling
- Snæfellsnes
- Geysir
- Jökulsárlón
Don’t miss a moment of the ✨ Sparkling Summer ✨
Read all about Paris, Taylor Swift, hiking in the alps, getting slightly lost in the Alps, cycling through wine country, drinking through wine country, and cycling AND drinking through wine country. Catch every post on my Sparkling Summer on Hi Friends It’s Laura.
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