About Fontana

A refreshing stop

Fontana - Steam by the lake is a must try experience en route to the Golden Circle, located within 80 km from Reykjavík. The geyser baths are one of the natural wonders of this geothermal area south of the capital, along with popular attractions such as Þingvellir National Park, Geysir and Gullfoss. Fontana is right by the shores of Laugarvatn lake and the local community has used the area's geothermal activity for cooking, bathing, and heating up buildings for generations.

At Fontana, you can enjoy the healing powers of the geothermal water; soak in natural baths, listen to the bubbling geysers in the steam baths, or for the venturesome, take a dip in the refreshing lake.

Like many areas in Iceland, Laugarvatn and its surroundings sit on top of a geothermal hot spot. This means that the earth beneath is simmering with boiling water, erupting into geysers here and there.

Local legends

Geothermal activity is one of the reasons for Laugarvatn's settlement. But locals weren't the only ones using the warm water. Legend has it that when Iceland converted to Christianity in the year 1000 AD, some chieftains did not want to be baptized in the ice cold water of Lake Þingvellir (about 20 km away) - but rather the warm springs by Laugarvatn. One of these springs is called Vígðalaug and is just 200 meters from Fontana.

Several centuries later, Iceland’s last Catholic bishop, Jón Arason (b.1484 – d. 1550) and his son, were executed during the reformation. Their bodies were later exhumed and washed at Vígðalaug before being re-buried at Hólar, a former episcopal see in North Iceland.