Secret, Sky or Blue Lagoon: Which Reykjavik Golden Circle Combination?
The short answer. Choose the Secret Lagoon for the oldest and plainest pool and the lowest fare; the Sky Lagoon if you want a towel in the fare; the Blue Lagoon for the one everybody has heard of, on the longest day. All three come combined with the loop, and most fares include the ticket. Check that line before you make a Reykjavik Golden Circle booking, and what you still bring yourself.
The three lagoons side by side
| Secret Lagoon | Sky Lagoon | Blue Lagoon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fares from | $111 | $249 | $259 |
| The day runs | 8 to 10 hours | About 10 hours | About 11 hours |
| Time in the water | 1 hour to 90 minutes | About 2 hours | About 2 hours |
| Ticket in the fare | Yes, on the shared days | Yes | Yes |
| Towel | Not included, or rent | Included | Depends on the tour |
| Youngest on the combined day | 2 | 12 | 2 to 5 |
The Secret Lagoon also sells entry on its own: 4,500 ISK for adults 15 and over. The Sky and Blue Lagoons appear here only inside a tour, so this comparison sticks to what each fare includes.
The case for the Secret Lagoon
The Secret Lagoon, Gamla Laugin, was built in 1891 at Hverahólmi near Flúðir, and it is the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. It is a geothermal pool close to the loop, and the Secret Lagoon days run shorter than a Blue Lagoon day.
The Secret Lagoon coach gives you 90 minutes in the water and the crater, from $111, and takes children from two. A towel is not included, so bring one. That fare is a promotion booked by 30 September; after that it goes up. The Secret Lagoon minibus holds 17 at most and gives you an hour, with swimsuits and towels for rent.
The pool closes for upgrades for several days in May, and the coach then takes you to the Fontana spa at Laugarvatn instead. The private Secret Lagoon day sells the lagoon ticket as an extra, so check before you book it.
The case for the Sky Lagoon
The Sky Lagoon day runs the loop and the crater, then gives you about two hours at the Sky Lagoon, with entry and a towel in the fare. You bring the swimsuit. It is a shorter day than the Blue Lagoon combination by about an hour, and the fare is a little lower.
It is also the strictest on age: the child band on this tour starts at 12. If you travel with younger children, one of the other two baths is the answer.
The case for the Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon day carries the largest record of any lagoon day, rated 4.9 from 6,479 ratings. The minibus takes 19 at most, runs the loop and the crater, then crosses the Reykjanes peninsula to the lagoon for about two hours. The Comfort ticket is in the base fare; Premium costs more. Angela_S expected crowds and found the pool big enough to find quiet corners.
The other Blue Lagoon minibus includes the Comfort package with a towel, a silica face mask and a drink, and takes children from two. On either, bring a swimsuit; Thomas_M recommends beach shoes for the lagoon floor.
How the minutes are spent on each day
| Minutes at | Secret coach | Secret minibus | Sky day | Blue day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Þingvellir | 40 min | 45 min | 40 min | 45 min |
| Geysir | 60 min | 30 min | 90 min | 80 min |
| Gullfoss | 40 min | 30 min | 40 min | 40 min |
| Kerið | 20 min | No stop | 30 min | 30 min |
| In the water | 90 min | 60 min | 120 min | 120 min |
The pattern is clear. The Blue and Sky Lagoon days give you two hours in the water and still give Geysir an hour and more; the Secret Lagoon minibus is shorter all round, with 30 minutes at the geysers and an hour in the pool. If the geysers matter as much to you as the bath, look at the Geysir row before you book.
Grades and extras
Two of the days sell grades. The Blue Lagoon day offers Comfort or Premium entry with an 8:30 or 9:30 pickup; the fare shown is Comfort. The Sky Lagoon day sells two passes, and the fare shown does not say which. Choose the grade when you book, and check what it adds before you pay more. The Secret Lagoon days have no grades; the minibus rents swimsuits and towels if you forget yours.
A fourth bath, if the Secret Lagoon is closed
When the Secret Lagoon closes for its May upgrades, the coach goes to the Fontana spa at Laugarvatn instead. Fontana reopened after a full renovation on 1 August 2026. It is open every day, 10:00 to 21:00 from June to September and 11:00 to 21:00 the rest of the year, and it runs tours of its geothermal bakery, where bread is baked in the hot ground.
Can you do the loop and a lagoon in one day?
Yes, and that is what each of these days is. The trade is time at the stops: most lagoon days give the geysers and the falls about the same minutes as a classic day, then add the bath. It is a long day, ten or eleven hours, so it suits travellers with one free day more than those with three.
- Bring: a swimsuit, and a towel where the fare leaves it out.
- Lunch: never included; buy it at Geysir.
- What to skip if time is short: none of the stops; a shorter bath is the trade-off.
If you would rather keep the bath for another day, the classic minibus runs the loop and the crater in eight hours.
What to bring to any lagoon
- A swimsuit. No lagoon fare includes one; the Secret Lagoon minibus rents them.
- A towel, unless your fare includes it: the Sky Lagoon day and the other Blue Lagoon minibus do, the Secret Lagoon coach does not.
- Beach shoes, if you have them, for the lagoon floor and the wet steps.
- A bag for wet things, since you ride back in the same seat.
Children at each lagoon
For families the ages settle most of the choice. The Secret Lagoon coach takes children from two, and the other Blue Lagoon minibus does too. The Blue Lagoon day takes them from five, with children aged 2 to 11 sharing a locker with a parent and a towel in each child pass. The Sky Lagoon day starts its child band at 12. Denise_C’s warning applies to everyone: the steps to the changing rooms are slippery.
Who should skip the lagoon
A lagoon adds two to four hours to the day. If you have only one day and the geysers and the falls are what you came for, the classic loop gets you back to the city before dinner, with the evening free. If you have two days, split them: the loop on one, a bath on the other.
Verdict, by who you are
- On a budget: the Secret Lagoon coach.
- With children under 12: the Secret Lagoon or the Blue Lagoon, not the Sky.
- Travelling light: the Sky Lagoon day, with the towel in the fare.
- One day, the famous bath: the Blue Lagoon day.
Things to do covers every stop and bath on the loop, when to visit explains the light, the weather tells you how cold the walk from the changing room will be, and getting there covers the pickups.
Lagoon days to compare
Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon Small-Group Tour from Reykjavik
Eight hours in a minibus of 17 at most, from a 10:00 pickup: the three sights, then an hour in the Secret Lagoon, ticket included.
From $168 per person
Check Availability
Small-Group Golden Circle, Sky Lagoon with Ticket & Kerid Crater
Ten hours in a minibus of 19 at most: the loop and the crater, then two hours in the Sky Lagoon with entry and towel in the fare; bring a swimsuit.
From $249 per person
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Reykjavik: Golden Circle, Crater & Blue Lagoon Minibus Tour
Eleven hours: the loop, the crater and two hours in the Blue Lagoon, with entry, a towel, a face mask and a drink in the fare; from age 2.
From $261 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: check the fees and pickups first in fees, pickups and hours on the loop. Every fare sits side by side on Reykjavik Golden Circle Tours.