We are planning a Europe trip in mid-may and are considering a short stay in Iceland first. We will be traveling with our daughters who will be 2.5 & 8 months. Any suggestions for fun activities, kid friendly events or hikes. We'll have a backpack for our 8 month old & jogging stroller. Also, we know the blue lagoon is 3+ so are there other hot springs that you could go to with young kids? Thank you!
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7054 posts
I don't have kids but I hope this helps a bit. I've been to Iceland twice and it's incredibly kid-friendly - there is a culture of trust there that seems hard to fathom and it's really nice to see...for example, parents can leave a pram unattended without fear while going into a store. Plus they have the highest (or one of the highest) birthrates in all of Europe, so it feels like a very young country. There are lots of nice strolls right in Reykjavik and it feels very safe at all hours. I think you would have some issues with a stroller on the lava fields though because the surface is uneven. Riding Icelandic horses is a huge attraction but your kids are too young for that...hopefully you'll be back one day. Check out the national tourism website for Iceland as well as the site below.
The hot springs may be too hot for little ones - they really do get hot. Also, when you're on the ground, pop into the visitor center. Lots of nice people there can help you with anything.
http://www.visitreykjavik.is/travel/family-friendly-reykjavik
Posted by
8322 posts
We did the Golden Circle tour, I highly recommend it.
Posted by
Atlanta, Georgia
451 posts
We traveled when our daughter was 10 months old. We also used a backpack for the baby. Make sure she is used to spending lots of time in it. We carried enough formula for our trip. She did not do well to changes in her diet.
We have only visited Germany, Switzerland, and Italy on our first two trips and the European's tend to love children.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA, United States
465 posts
Hi Megan- I'll be traveling with a two year old this summer. I am just curious of what you are doing for sleeping arrangements for your older daughter. Is she in a bed, or will you bring some kind of travel crib? I know this is a bit off topic but wanted to see if you had any advice. Thank you!
Posted by
2 posts
Hi! You will LOVE Iceland!! We just back back in November 2016 and took our 20 month old son and 5 year old daughter. We had 6 nights and stuck mainly to West Iceland. Our favorite things we did was swimming in the city pools (Selfoss is a great one, has a fun slide), but I have also heard the pool in Reykjavík is awesome as well. We swam in the Secret Lagoon on the day we toured the Golden Circle. That was very hot (like hot tub water) so we only stayed for 30 minutes but it was extremely peaceful and relaxing and felt like you were in an actual natural hot spring (which you are) vs the blue lagoon which is more commercial.
We did a tour where we went inside an ice cave with Into the Glacier. It was man-made, but the experience was incredible and both of our kids loved it! I would highly recommend. There are also a few places around town that allow young kids to horseback ride with you. We opted not to do it as we thought it would be too cold in November but you might have better luck in May. We also did the Golden Circle stops (Geysir and Gulfoss), drove to Vik (which has gorgeous waterfalls along the way that are a must to stop at), visited the black sand beaches and drove to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon which was by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen!
I hope you have a great trip! We cannot wait to go back!