10 Must Dos in Iceland with Kids
Iceland is often talked about in superlatives. It is the coolest place. The most extraordinary vacation. This unique, amazing destination. Could it possibly live up to the hype?
The other thing I knew about Iceland beforehand was that natural dangers seem to lurk everywhere. The beaches have massive surprise waves that sweep people away. There are volcanoes poised to explode at any moment. The roads can be impassable. Is that the kind of place I want to take my kids?
Yes. Yes it is.
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We went to Iceland in the Summer of 2019. I was skeptical it could truly be as awesome as everyone says and I was so stressed out trying to pack for the extreme climates and other dangers that supposedly faced us.
I didn’t need to be so stressed and I was as impressed as everyone said. It might take some effort to get to Iceland but I think it’s extremely worth every ounce of planning and funds and packing. It’s an adventure and a completely family friendly one at that.
Note: The Icelandic language has many characters that we do not have in English. The places listed below are missing many accents and characters. I did my best – if you have trouble finding anything based on what I’ve typed here just ask! I’ll point you in the right direction.
Before Your Trip
I stressed out so much over packing. In some ways I probably could have just chilled out a little, but there are some things you absolutely must remember to bring.
- Layers for Everyone. The climate in general is not super warm – even in the summer – and rain is common. We wore a lot of fleece jackets with a raincoat over it when needed.
- Warm socks and Good Walking Shoes
- Swim Suit for the geothermal spas
- Waterproof Camera Gear – you will want to be able to take pictures often and between the rain and the waterfalls you need to be able to protect your gear whether it’s your cellphone or your fancy camera.
- Backpack Carrier for little ones. This is not a stroller friendly trip for the most part. This is the one I used when our twins were little but I highly suggest going to a store and trying them on (with the kiddo or weights in there!) because every back is different.
- Activities for the car!
Children’s Books about Iceland
- Skye the Puffin by Lynne Rickards
- The Problem with Chickens by Bruce McMillan
Where to Stay
We used Nordic Visitor to help plan our Icelandic adventure. They were awesome at pointing us towards the best attractions and responsible for picking all of the hotels that we stayed in and loved. Our family paid for this and I get nothing at all for telling you that they were amazing and did so much to make our trip easier.
This location was my favorite. It was remote and quiet and so beautiful (pictured above). The owners were kind and the breakfast was yummy. The only downside was that each room only had two single beds. Our kids ended up sleeping in a room next door to ours which did make me nervous. There was room in the loft area of our room for them to sleep on the floor but the hotel didn’t have any sort of bedding for us to put in this space. It worked for us – but it would have been harder if our twins were younger. Breakfast was included and their homemade bread was my favorite.
This was so convenient for many of the nearby attractions. We stayed here for several nights. The hotel was the most family friendly. We had a fold out couch and a large bed for the four of us. Breakfast was included and good.
This might have been my favorite. We had adjoining rooms so there was plenty of space for us and the kids. The kids each had their own bed which was nice and breakfast was also great.
Allergy Friendly Places to Eat
Icelandic food is largely meat and veggies. We were able to find something for our son to eat most places but he did eat about 400 hamburgers in the 10 days we were there.
Everyone was however kind and helpful about his food allergy. They seemed to understand the importance of being careful and didn’t mind altering things to help us.
Aside from the many hamburgers, what is pictured above was a common meal for him. The bread was hit or miss (although yummy everywhere) on whether it included dairy. But meat in some form and then a salad or some veggies.
Here were some of our Dairy Free favorites that we yummy for everyone in our family:
- The main grocery stores had great vegan options. We were able to find bread, alternative milk, fresh veggies and fruit, snacks, etc. We stocked up every couple of days and ate most lunches on the go. This is also where we first found Oatly milks which are so yummy.
- Kaffi Krus – This is super close to Hotel Selfoss and I would have eaten here every single day we were there if we’d found it sooner.
- The Soup Company – This was near the Lava Centre and such a lovely warm meal. The soups were a little spicey if that’s an issue for your kiddos but otherwise so good.
- Valdis Ice Cream in Reykavik – The line was a little ridiculous but the ice cream was good and there were several DF options.
10 Things to Do with Kids
If your kids like to be outside then Iceland is like paradise. It is a bit like one massive road trip – so be prepared for time in the car – but in general we were in and out a lot.
Also Read: Lots of Tips for Entertaining Kids in the Car and While Traveling
Our kids loved each and every single moment of our stops listed below. They were just as awed as we were by the waterfalls and loved all of the opportunities to explore outside.
1. Waterfalls
Okay so the thing about waterfalls is that they are literally everywhere in Iceland. Visit a national park – waterfall. Golden Circle – waterfall. Drive down a random country road – waterfall.
They are everywhere you look. It’s incredible.
Our absolute favorite waterfalls were:
2. Golden Circle
This is a good full day of activities. Yes, it is more crowded than a lot of Iceland but I didn’t think it was terrible and the sights were worth seeing.
Our favorites on the Golden Circle were the North American / Eurasian rift at Pingvellir National Park.
The Strokkur Geyser. So cool.
and the Keiro Volcanic Crater. We almost skipped this one because we were tired by this point in the day but I’m so glad we didn’t. It was one of the coolest things we saw the whole trip – in my opinion.
3. Horseback Riding
There are a million opportunities to do this in Iceland. You will see Icelandic horses almost as often as you see waterfalls. We did ride horses just outside of Selfoss at Solhestar. They were sweet – especially with our kids, the horses were calm, the views were pretty.
4. Geothermal Spa or Public Pool
This is another thing you will find in most towns. Selfoss had awesome options for both. They had a public pool with a slide for the kids at Sundholl Selfoss and a couple of geothermal spas not far away.
We went to Fontana Spa and you guys, this was my favorite thing of the whole trip. My kids loved it too.
It is set on this lake with mountains surrounding it.
You can jump in the freezing cold lake and then go to one of the five warm baths.
Oh my goodness, amazing.
5. Lava Centre
This was a major highlight for my kids. The Lava Centre is essentially a museum about volcanoes. It is well done – the best museum we visited in Iceland. The staff was helpful and knowledgeable.
The movie is slightly scary but in a wow – volcanoes are insane kind of way, not a horror movie kind of way.
The exhibits were clever and interactive.
6. Reynisfjara Black Beach and Sea Cave
This was cool. We went in the rain and I was still impressed by how pretty the beach and views were. The sea caves are cool and my kids thought they were fun to explore.
The one thing is that there are tons of signs about the dangerous waves at this beach and trying to keep my water babies away from the water did stress me out a bit.
However, the view was pretty, the black rocks were cool, and my kids got to climb stuff.
7. Fjallsarlon Ice Lagoon
This was another of those wow! moments. Are you sensing I said “wow” a lot while we were in Iceland?
We did one of the amphibian boat rides. Our guide was awesome. We got to go fairly close to the icebergs.
They let us hold a chunk of glacier.
We could even eat a piece if we wanted.
This is seriously cool even if you just pop out and look at it from the land, but I do highly recommend booking a boat ride if you can.
8. Fjaorargljufur Canyon
This is another thing we almost skipped but I was glad we went and it was stunning. This canyon was so hard to capture on film, but I felt dwarfed by it in the coolest way possible.
9. Dverghamrar Canyon
This canyon was small but fun. My kids love to climb so they got to pop out of the car for a little hike and rock climbing.
They also loved the legend of the trolls that is associated with the canyon.
10. The Blue Lagoon
Worth it? There are endless debates about this. Personally I would say yes.
I love, love, loved the geothermal bath we visited and if I really had to pick one I maybe would go with that, maybe, but The Blue Lagoon is unique and huge and a cool experience.
