Best Things to Do in Reykjavik With Kids

Reykjavík is the northernmost capital of the world, and is tiny compared with other European capital cities.  With a population of about 120,000 in the city limits and 215,000 in the region, a significant portion of Iceland’s 335,000 residents live in this area.  But, there is a marked difference from London’s 8.8 million residents.  These are our recommendations for the best things to do in Reykjavik with kids.

A large concentration of Iceland’s shopping, restaurants and tourist sites are in Reykjavík.  There are also significantly more accommodation options than other parts of the country, and our three bedroom AirBNB about 10 minutes from the city centre provided our least expensive nights of the entire trip.  The Blue Lagoon, the most popular tourist site, is located between the Keflavik Airport and Reykjavík, and the Golden Circle and thermal pools were fabulous, but the city center itself was not as exciting as most other parts of our trips.

We spent part of the first day in the Reykjavík area and then had about three full days at the end of our trip.  We thought we would take a day trip to the Snæfellsnes peninsula but decided to limit driving at the end of the trip and stay closer to our accommodations.  Looking back, we probably would have preferred to spend an extra day in the Southwest, but Reykjavík certainly has lot to offer visiting families with kids within a 90 minute radius.

Central Reykjavik

• Hallgrímskirkja is a Lutheran Church in Reykjavik that is visible throughout the city center.  The statute of Norse explore Leif Erikson in the front of the church was a gift from the US on Iceland’s 1,000th parliamentary anniversary in 1930.  Erikson was the first European explorer to discover the continental North America around 1000, almost 500 years before Christopher Columbus’ journey.   64°08′30″N 21°55′36″W
  • Kid Facts:  Hallgrímskirkja is the final work of State Architect Guðjón Samuelsson, who also designed Akureyrarkirkja.  It was commissioned in 1937, and construction lasted from 1945 to 1986.  The church houses a 50 foot pipe organ that has 5,275 pipes.
  • Kid Moment:  Kids enjoy the view from above.  The church doubles as an observation tower that you can access via elevator (2,000 kr or about $19 for our entire family).  Most cathedrals I visited were built well before elevators were invented, and if you want to get to the tower, you need to climb many flights of stairs.  There is not as much adventure in riding an elevator, but it is definitely convenient.

Hallgrímskirkja and view from the observation deck

• Harpa is a beautiful concert hall and conference center on the harbor that was completed in 2011. There are a variety of shops and a Sterna Travel office that offers day trips on the main level. 64°9′1″N 21°55′57″W
  • Kid Facts:  Construction of Harpa was delayed by the 2008 Icelandic financial crisis.  For several years, it was the only construction project in Iceland.  Both the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera perform here.
  • Kid Moments:  Our kids enjoyed the exploring the souvenir shops but actually preferred building rock towers across the street even more.

View of harbor from Harpa

Harpa exterior

Building rock towers across from Harpa

• The Sun Voyager is a stainless steel sculture by Jón Gunnar Árnason located on the sea front near Harpa.
  • Kid Facts:  The Sun Voyager was completed in 1990 and was not intended to symbolize a Viking Ship but a dream boat as an ode to the Sun.

• Baejarins Beztu Pylsur is a very famous hot dog stand. Lines are regularly long for 400 kr ($3.75) hot dogs, but we were there at about 9 pm and had almost no wait. My husband and boys ate two each.  64°08′53″N 21°56′16″W
  • Kid Facts:  Baejarins opened in 1937.  Bill Clinton visited in 2004.  The name translates to “The Town’s Best Sausages.”
  • Kid Moments:  Eat at the picnic tables and use the hot dog holders.

• Thermal Pools:   There are four thermal pools in Reykjavík.  We visited Laugardalslaug and Salalaug Kopavogur.  Laugardalslaug is Iceland’s largest thermal pool and extremely popular. It was the only thermal pool we visited where there were more tourists than locals. Please make sure to review our post on pool etiquette before you visit.  64°08′46″N 21°52′48″W

Near Reykjavik

• Blue Lagoon is the most popular tourist attraction in Iceland located on the Reykjanes Peninsula about 20 minutes from the airport and 50 minutes from Reykjavik. The man-made geothermal pool is rich in minerals such as silica and sulfur that are supposed to improve the skin.  We chose a 9 pm entry because it was available, gave us a full day to spend in Reykjavik and meant we would not have to eat a meal while we were there and our kids never fully adjusted to the Icelandic time zone and regularly stayed up past 11 pm during our trip.  It turned out to be a relatively quiet time, and we were the only family with young children as usual.  The water is approximately 100° F, and visitors bathe rather than swim.  Pool rules are slightly different at the Blue Lagoon than other thermal pools around the country.
  • Kid Facts:  The water in the Lagoon comes from a nearby geothermal power plant and is replaced every other day.  Silica creates the water’s milky blue coloring.
  • Reservations:  It is absolutely necessary to book in advance during the summer months and likely all year.  Reservations can be made directly on the website.  You book a specific hour of entry (but can stay until close after you enter), and admission cost varies based on how far in advance you book and which entry hour you select.  I thought I would book after getting a better idea of weather, but when I logged onto the website about a week in advance, I found very few options.
  • Lagoon Etiquette:  While it is required to shower before entering, there are individual shower stalls rather than communal showers.  Also, visitors bring their towel, bath robes and flip flops outside with them rather than leaving them on racks near the showers.  If you have long hair, make sure it is wet before you enter the lagoon and leave conditioner in while you bathe (it is not recommended that you go under water) to protect your hair from the silica.  Use conditioner again multiple times when you are done and use plenty of lotion.  Also, make sure you are dry before entering the change rooms.
  • Kid Rules:  There is no charge for children at the Blue Lagoon, but children under age two are not permitted.  No proof of age was required for our petite almost three-year-old.  There was no visible prohibition regarding use of swimming diapers, but I did not see anyone using them, either.   Additionally, all children under aged eight must wear arm bands.  Everyone receives a wrist band at check-in to wear throughout the visit.  The band is used to lock and unlock the lockers, and the color indicates a child’s age or adult’s package.  The adjustable band kept expanding.  Helpful guards periodically pointed out to me that mine needed to be tightened, and we ended up putting the kids’ on their legs.
  • Kid Moment:  Make sure to get silica masks for the whole family!

• Lava Tunnel Raudfarholshellir is located about 30 minutes from Reykjavik and started offering a family-friendly one hour Standard Lava Tunnel Tour in June 2017. I used my Beco carrier for my two year old and learned at the end of the tour that she was their youngest visitor yet. A four year old in our tour walked on her own with no issues. N.63º 56.407 / W. 021º 23.742
  • Kid Facts:  A lava tube is a natural tunnel formerly occupied by flowing lava.  This tunnel was formed after the Leitahraun eruption about 5,200 years ago.
  • Kid Moments:  Notice all the step marks on the cave walls that mark the various depths at which the lava flowed.  Also, enjoy the moment of darkness when the tour guide switches off the lights inside the cave.

Golden Circle – Check out our post on the Golden Circle in southwest Iceland.

Continue to Iceland Part V – Southwest Iceland.  Interested in finding out more about visiting Iceland with kids?  Check out our listing of all Iceland blog posts or join our Facebook group We Go To Iceland With Kids, which is a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland.