7 Mountain Swimming Pools with Alpine, Andean and Icelandic Views

There are few better ways to end a day in the mountains than floating in warm water with snow-capped peaks on the horizon. These seven mountain swimming pools, from a 1905 villa above Lake Lucerne to a stone-walled pool in an Icelandic valley and a ski hotel in the Andes, each pair a swim with a spectacular view.

1. Villa Honegg, Bürgenstock, Switzerland

Villa Honegg is an Art Nouveau villa built in 1905 at 914 metres on the Bürgenstock, the ridge that rises steeply out of Lake Lucerne near Ennetbürgen. It reopened in May 2011 after a complete renovation and has just 25 rooms. Its outdoor pool is heated to 34°C and open all year, so you can swim on a winter morning looking out over the lake, the surrounding mountains or a sea of cloud filling the valley below.

The Bürgenstock itself is worth exploring. The Bürgenstock funicular, running since 1888, climbs from a steamer pier on the lake to the hotels, and a cliff path leads to the Hammetschwand Lift, billed as Europe's tallest outdoor lift.

2. Hathersage Swimming Pool, Peak District, England

Not every great mountain pool is a luxury spa. Hathersage's open-air pool in Derbyshire was built in 1936, a gift to the village from George Lawrence, a razor-blade manufacturer, and designed by the architect Cecil Jones. The 30 by 12 metre pool, complete with its bandstand, looks out over the hills of the Peak District, and it is heated and open all year round. A major refurbishment over the winter of 2019–20 has given it a new lease of life. Sheffield is a short drive or train ride away.

3. Seljavallalaug, Iceland

Set in a valley in south Iceland, near Seljavellir and the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, Seljavallalaug is one of the oldest swimming pools in the country. It was built in 1923 under the leadership of Björn Andrésson Berjaneskoti, and at 25 by 10 metres it was Iceland's largest pool until 1936.

When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, its ash filled the pool completely. Volunteers dug it out with loaders and excavators in early summer 2011. A newer pool was built in 1990 about 2 km further down the valley.

4. Hotel Portillo, Chile

Portillo is a historic ski resort high in the Andes of Chile's Valparaíso Region, about 160 km by road from Santiago. The hotel stands at 2,880 metres, and its outdoor pool sits in the snow with Andean peaks rising behind. Lifts run from 2,548 to 3,310 metres, and the summit of Ojos de Agua above the resort reaches 4,222 metres.

Construction began in 1942 and the ski area opened in 1949. In August 1966 Portillo hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships, where Jean-Claude Killy won gold in the downhill and combined. Because it lies in the southern hemisphere, the season usually runs from mid-June to early October.

5. LeCrans Hotel & Spa, Crans-Montana, Switzerland

LeCrans sits on the edge of the forest above the resort of Crans-Montana in the canton of Valais. It is a small, chalet-style hotel with just 16 individually furnished rooms and suites. Its LeSpa wellness area has both an indoor and an outdoor pool and panoramic views of the Alps.

6. The Cambrian, Adelboden, Switzerland

The Cambrian stands on the main street of Adelboden, a village at about 1,350 metres in the western Bernese Oberland. Its outdoor hot pool is set amid the peaks of the Swiss Alps. Adelboden is famous for its men's World Cup giant slalom on the Chuenisbärgli, one of the toughest on the circuit, and for the Engstligen Falls, where the river drops about 375 metres. To get there, take the train to Frutigen on the Lötschberg line and the post bus up the valley.

7. The Cliff Lodge, Snowbird, Utah

Snowbird opened in December 1971 in Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah's Wasatch Range, just 24 miles (39 km) from downtown Salt Lake City. It averages more than 500 inches of snow a year, and the 2023 season set a record of 838 inches. The Cliff Lodge combines rooms, restaurants and a spa under one roof, and the resort's pools and rooftop spa look out at the slopes. From the base, the aerial tram climbs to Hidden Peak at about 3,350 metres, for a vertical drop of 988 metres.

Planning a mountain pool trip

Most of these pools belong to hotels, so plan to stay the night or book a spa day pass where offered. Hathersage and Seljavallalaug are public pools, open to anyone passing through. For more mountain stays, see a different cold-weather hotel design, or start with our guide to comparing a trip’s practical costs.

More on Switzerland, Iceland, Chile and every ski resort we cover.

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