Traveling to Iceland with kids? With airfares as low as $99 one way from many cities to KEF, a trip to Iceland sounds like a bargain… until you factor in the price of accommodations, food, and attractions. Although Iceland is filled with natural beauty and waterfalls that are free to view from the Ring Road, other costs and expenses can come as a surprise to those who were expecting a “cheap” getaway. One of the most common questions I’ve been asked is “just how expensive” Iceland is and “how much should a family budget” for Iceland. With that in mind, I’d like to share with you the cost of my recent trip to Iceland over Memorial Day Weekend with my nine year old son.
Airfare + Transportation + Gas = $1053.54
Wow Airlines round trip airfare for two + one checked bag for each leg of the flight (added at the time of booking for $49.99 each way) = $567.06
Route1.IS four day rental car = $359.36 (booked via holiday autos)
Gas = $127.12 (1.25 tanks diesel gas used)
Accommodations = $700.99
Cottage at Reynisfjara Beach (two nights) = $515.99
Nina’s Guest House (one night) = $185
Excursions = $253.50
The Blue Lagoon (admission for one adult, children under 13 free) = $70
The Lava Tunnel (admission for one adult, children under 12 free) = $64
Hallsgrimskirkja (admission for one adult and one child) = $10.50
Jokulsarlon Glacial Boat Ride (admission for one adult and one child) = $77
The Viking Museum (admission for one adult and one child, including buffet breakfast) = $32
Food: $298.01
Food was a surprisingly expensive part of our trip. I don’t mind spending money on food and we love dining out and do so frequently, but I was a bit taken aback by a simple pizza that cost about $30. Nevertheless, we didn’t end up spending all that much on food because we had access to a grocery store and a kitchen at both locations. We only ended up eating out on a few occasions. On the first day, we had a large, late lunch of burgers and fries for lunch and then opted to just snack on cheese and crackers for dinner. Our second day, we spent a grand total of $19.89 at the Glacier Lagoon cafe but otherwise, ate items that we picked up at the grocery store and made spaghetti for dinner. On our third day, we shared a small snack at the Reykjavik Fish Market and then splurged on our most expensive meal – pizzas and wine at Endofninn. Our final morning, we enjoyed coffee and baked goods at a bakery in Reykjavik and then, due to timing, did not eat again until we found ourselves at the airport (although we did enjoy some refreshments at the Blue Lagoon). At the end of the day, we saved quite a bit of money because we were able to purchase and store groceries at our accommodations. Our dining expenses are as follows:
Smidgen brugghus (one kid’s meal, one adult burger, one beer) = $42.42
Kronan (local grocery store chain where we purchased light snacks, breakfast supplies and spaghetti materials for dinner) = $45.54
A small jar of pasta sauce that was just enough for the two of us costs nearly $4.
A $3 baguette at the Kronan in Vik.
Sandwich and soup at the Glacier Lagoon = $19.89
Endofninn (two pizzas, one soft drink, two glasses of wine) = $62.59
Reykjavik Fish Market (one entree of fish and chips) = $28.03
Breakfast coffee and pastries = $16
Blue Lagoon Cafe (one beer, one slushy) = $16.44
Bonus (local grocery store where we picked up food souvenirs to bring home) = $21.27
Nord (our pre-departure dinner of one pizza, one soup, and one beer at KEF airport) = $45.83
To be honest, I wish I had the opportunity to spend more on food. I happen to love dining out and my husband and I are very adventurous eaters. My nine year old, while a wonderful traveling companion, isn’t one to enjoy fish or lobster stew and he can also be particular about his meat. That said, I glanced at many menus and simply decided that it wasn’t worth trying to eat a nice dinner with my son as there was very little, if anything, that he would enjoy on the menu. This ended up saving us quite a bit of money, even if it left me a bit disappointed that I did not get the opportunity to explore the Reykjavik dining scene or the local cuisine. I guess I’ll just have to wait for my next trip to experience the hot dog and fish soup!
As for grocery store prices, I found grocery items to be more expensive than in the US, but not astronomically so. A $3 baguette costs more than the $1.50 baguette at my neighborhood grocer and one kg of oranges cost $3.50 (so ~$1.65/lb), but it was still such a significant cost savings over dining out.
Grand Total = $2,306.04
Our grand total for flights, transportation, accommodations, food, and gas was just over $2300. Yes, we spent a bit more than that on incidentals, such as the $12 travel adapter I had to purchase when I realized I had neglected to pack one from home and the $70 vase I purchased as a souvenir for my mother-in-law, who was graciously babysitting my three year old back home. But, for non-negotiable items, we managed to stay within a reasonable budget. Of course, your own travel patterns and practices will dictate what your trip ends up costing. I was fortunate that we found a nice balance between free activities and paid experiences and that my son was more than content to eat items we picked up at the grocery store for a number of meals.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our trip to Iceland! Planning your own Icelandic adventure with kids? Be sure to check out our listing of all Iceland posts or join our Facebook group We Go To Iceland With Kids, a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland
1 comment
We haven’t been to Iceland yet but food in Switzerland was equally expensive. We ended up cooking our own meals there, too. While it was nice to save the money we too missed out on a big part of what makes travel so special on that trip. To make up for it we are heading for Slovenia this fall and plan to eat everything in sight as its much cheaper there.