5 Best Sights in Hveragerði, Reykjanes Peninsula and the South Coast (with the Golden Circle)

This clinic is where Icelanders come to regain their health and peace of mind. Spa treatments like deep-heat mud baths and massages are available to both visitors and prescription-bearing patients. Before and after treatments you are welcome to use the hot tub, sauna, or swimming pool. There is also an on-site restaurant that offers healthy dishes made mostly from local ingredients.

A beautiful hiking trail leads from Hveragerði to Reykjadalur (Steam Valley). The colorful hills, waterfall, and natural hot springs make it very popular with tourists and locals alike. At the end of the trail, you can bathe in a geothermal river surrounded by green hills and the occasional roaming lambs. The hike takes about an hour and a half.

The charming little geothermal swimming pool in Hveragerði was once the biggest in Iceland. Although that's no longer the case, it still has a special characteristic: as a "constant stream" pool—heated with steam coming directly from the ground—the water is considered by many to have health benefits. The setting around the pool is green and lovely, and it has one of the best natural saunas in the country.

All of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable sources and 90% of Icelandic homes use geothermal water for heat. If you are interested in seeing how this sustainable energy system works, you should visit the Geothermal Energy Exhibition at the Hellisheiði Power Plant, the largest single-site geothermal unit in the world. People of all ages can learn about geothermal utilization via interactive installations and displays. Afterward, you can check out the gift shop and take in the moonlike landscape while enjoying some treats at the on-site café.

In May 2008 a massive earthquake (6.3 magnitude) struck the southern part of Iceland. The epicenter of the quake was about 2 km (1 mile) southeast of Hveragerði, so many buildings in this area suffered severe damage. This exhibition, located in the Sunnumörk shopping center, relates personal accounts of the earthquake and displays photographs and surveillance camera footage. Visible through the floor of the building is an earthquake crack that is thought to be around 5,000 years old. At the exhibition there is also an earthquake simulator, so visitors can experience for themselves what a powerful earthquake feels like.