Iceland with kids?

[georgiegirl]

Has anyone been to Iceland with kids? We are considering going to Iceland next summer with the kids, who will be 13, almost 10, and almost 6. We did Alaska this last summer and we loved it. The younger two (boys) are more into outdoors than anything cultural, so I’d hesitate to bring them elsewhere in Europe.




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[SnuggleBuggles]

We had a great itinerary planned but it fell apart when my in-laws got involved (they couldn't settle on a date and everything Planned was too booked up by the time I could book )
I can PM you the itinerary, if interested. Our friends used it before us so it's a decent one.

[robinsmommy]

Iceland Air has good discounts for under 12’s. Kids under 12 are cheap/free for a lot of things there- they support families much more. If you can, find a place with a kitchen to save money- food is expensive. The butter is awesome- almost good enough to eat by itself.

It can be cold, bring layers and rain coats. And make sure your accommodations have black out curtains if you go in summer.

[123LuckyMom]

We had a great itinerary planned but it fell apart when my in-laws got involved (they couldn't settle on a date and everything Planned was too booked up by the time I could book )
I can PM you the itinerary, if interested. Our friends used it before us so it's a decent one.

I’d be really grateful if you’d share the itinerary with me even though I’m not the OP! We’ve been considering a trip to Iceland, and it’s just the planning I’m dreading since I know so little about that country.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

I’d be really grateful if you’d share the itinerary with me even though I’m not the OP! We’ve been considering a trip to Iceland, and it’s just the planning I’m dreading since I know so little about that country.


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I'll PM you.

[jgenie]

We had a great itinerary planned but it fell apart when my in-laws got involved (they couldn't settle on a date and everything Planned was too booked up by the time I could book )
I can PM you the itinerary, if interested. Our friends used it before us so it's a decent one.

I would love to have this too!!


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[marinkitty]

Yes!

My DD (then 13) did a two-week hiking and kayaking expedition with Overland two summers ago so we used that as an excuse to go.

I flew over with my boys (then aged 11 and 8) when my DD had four days left in her trip. We rented a campervan for the three of us from CampEasy (we got the one that sleeps five and it was perfect for three of us - easily could have held four, five might have started to feel tight - the boys slept up top and I was down on the bottom). With a six year old I think five could fit no problem. A camper van was the PERFECT way to see the south coast of Iceland. We picked up the van and stopped to stock up at a grocery store and off we went.

We spent our time working our way south and east - camped the first night just west of Sejalandsfoss and got up early, had breakfast and headed straight to the falls. We saw that one and hiked to another nearby one (both super cool) and totally beat the crowds coming by tour. After that we had lunch and headed to Skogafoss and hiked up above the waterfall. Then we hit the black sand beaches near Vik to see the basalt cliffs and the puffins. Totally amazing! We did a little coffee and hot cocoa warm up in a cafe right on the main beach and then headed off again for the canyon at Fjadragljufur. We were there totally alone and hiked all the way along the rim - great views and lots of sheep grazing all around us - it was a cold and rainy day which helped us have it totally to ourselves in the late afternoon, I think. We drove on to Skaftafell National Park and camped there for the night. We did one last short hike before making dinner - up to Svartifoss and another couple of waterfalls. You are in glacier country then and it was so beautiful with lupines blooming all around us and the glaciers and snow capped mountains in the background.

The next morning we got up and did a glacier trekking tour in the morning out of Skaftafell. My boys were too young to ice climb, but this was a great two hours on the ice with crampons and pick axes. They had an absolute blast with it and the guides were great with them and actually helped them do a few feet of "climbing." We got back, had lunch and drove onward to the glacier lagoon at Jokulsarion where we'd booked at 4 p.m. zodiac tour of the lagoon. That was super cool (although cold even in the crazy suits they bundle you into) - but worth it for sure. Such a unique setting. After that we goofed around on the edges of the lagoon for awhile, went to the "diamond" beach near the mouth of the lagoon where all the icebergs wash up on the black sand and look like huge crystals and then we headed onto Hofn for the night. That was a cute little port town - we ate out there for the first time - amazing lobster dinner and camped nearby. Finding campgrounds was totally easy using the internet and we never had reservations or needed them even in mid-July. I loved that we could do what we wanted and stay totally flexible.

Our last full day we headed back west and stopped at another lagoon, more black sand beaches, little troll houses built into the hills along the way, got out and hiked here and there, stopped to see lots of sheep and Icelandic horses (we thought about trying to ride but we had a lot of ground to cover so passed that up) and ended up making it back to almost Vik. The local town campground didn't thrill us, so we backtracked a little and detoured off the ring road for the first time and stayed at a campground called Pakgil. It was a good hour of driving (felt like we were headed straight into middle earth) on crushed lava roads and you ended up in this unbelievable valley surrounded by huge volcanic cliffs with a stream running through it and his cute as a button campground with cabins and a cave in which you could cook and eat dinner (fire and lights inside and everything) with hiking all around. It was awesome and if we'd been able to stay an extra day we definitely would have - but we had to get back to Reykjavik to rendevous with our DD who was done with camp the next day and my DH who was flying in for the weekend.

So in the morning we headed out, hit Dyrholaey on the way back for more amazing sea views, sheep and puffins and then beat it back to Reykjavik stopping en route for a great pizza lunch. We dropped off the camper van and checked into the Hilton by Canopy in downtown which was a great spot. Super cute, very charming comfortable rooms and one of the best included breakfasts I've ever had at a hotel. We spent the afternoon walking around and exploring downtown and by the docks. It was a huge change from the rest of the places we'd seen but one afternoon felt like enough.

The next day we rented a car and drove the Golden Circle (car rental was expensive but for five of us less than the tour (and we hate tour groups) plus we could drop off at the airport the next day so that saved us taxi fare to the airport and gave us a place to put our luggage so we wouldn't need to backtrack to Reykjavik again). It took pretty much the whole day to do the Golden Circle - we stopped at all the high points and it was a great way for DH to get the feel for the countryside since he was only there for two days. We did the geysirs, Pingvellir National Park where the tectonic plates come together (great little paved hike there), Gulfoss water fall (another short hike there), Kerid crater lake (again, another short hike there) and then we headed to the Blue Lagoon because we'd booked into the hotel there for our last night (Silica Hotel - the other one that's new wasn't there yet when we went). We immediately hit the private lagoon, broke for dinner and then back into the lagoon until about midnight.

The next morning we went to the actual Blue Lagoon for a few hours before heading to the airport (VIP access came with the night at the hotel) and then we flew out.

All in all it was a super fun, active family trip to a place that is seriously unlike anything we'd done before. All of us absolutely loved it and my boys and I adored the campervan portion and can't wait to travel that way again sometime.

[baymom]

Marinkitty gave a great trip report! I’ll just add that we took our 11 & 13 year olds (at the time) last fall and it was an absolutely wonderful trip. We are all outdoorsy but even if you weren’t, the natural beauty of the country is breathtaking and you’d love it.

[georgiegirl]

Thanks marinkitty. I don’t think the camper van will work for us since we usually get 2 hotel rooms or a 2 bedroom condo when we travel. DH would hate the camper van (although the kids and I might like it.). I’ll look into all the places you mentioned. That hotel by the blue lagoon looks amazing!


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[SnuggleBuggles]

Thanks marinkitty. I don’t think the camper van will work for us since we usually get 2 hotel rooms or a 2 bedroom condo when we travel. DH would hate the camper van (although the kids and I might like it.). I’ll look into all the places you mentioned. That hotel by the blue lagoon looks amazing!


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One thing to note is you’ll have to be flexible on hotel expectations. If you venture out of Reykjavik (my itinerary), a lot of the towns have more B&B accommodations with few rooms. That was the problem we had- not enough capacity since we were late booking. If that sort of travel (road trip with smaller lodging options, my itinerary probably won’t work ).


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