Iceland With Kids: Why Iceland?

Our trip to Iceland was our kids all-time favorite vacation.  The scenery alone more than makes up for the less than ideal weather.  Despite traveling in June, we really did not see many other family travelers but wondered why Iceland with kids did not seem popular.  We are glad to see it picking up as a family destination and whole-heartedly recommend it as a fabulous place for a family vacation.

Iceland Summary

We booked our flights, as we often do, on a whim to take advantage of an airline fare sale. My husband forwarded me a Travel Zoo Newsflash announcing Wow Air’s fare sale from Pittsburgh on a Wednesday afternoon in November with bargain round trip flights to Europe – all connecting through a new direct route from Pittsburgh to Reykjavik beginning in June 2017. One or both of us had traveled to almost all the destinations offered, but neither of us had been to Iceland, and we always love a nonstop flight.  We did some really quick research, messaged two friends who had recently traveled to Iceland with kids and had five flights booked for June an hour later.  While this was not the first time we have booked flights an hour or two after finding them, it was definitely one of the fastest bookings.

Family Travel in Iceland

While we found that some people believe Iceland is a particularly exotic or even inappropriate destination for family travel, we thought it was an amazing location for a family vacation, even with a toddler.  Most tourists were adults, but we occasionally saw other families with young children – particularly in the most popular sites like Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik, the Golden Triangle and the Myvatn Lake area.

While cost of accommodation, food and gas in Iceland is considerably higher than other tourist destinations.  However, there are many options for budget friendly air fares.  Also, Iceland is particularly welcoming to tourist children.  Fees for special tours or sites (e.g. the Blue Lagoon, the Lava Tunnel, whale watching, jeep tours, Hallgrímskirkja observation deck) are generally only charged for adults. If there are fees for children, they are usually half price of less for ages 7-13.  Most museums, public pools and buffets also have no fees or substantially reduced fees for children.

Very few tourist sites in Iceland have an entrance/parking fee.  We did not visit museums, and the only entrance fee we paid was a minimal fee per adult to at Kerið Crater.  We only paid for parking twice the whole trip. The downside to no entrance fees is that many sites also do not have the facilities common in the US like a nearby visitor’s center, gift shop and restaurant options.  Where there were facilities, there may be a fee to use the restroom.

Iceland is known for rain and wind. We had a few days of rain and wind that I can look back on now with fond memories as if occasional unfortunate weather was a fun part of the experience.  The rain was not necessarily extraordinary, but the wind was pretty memorable.  It was so strong at time that it could literally blow a waterfall away.

                                                                     This waterfall did not reach the ground.

Traveling with an Infant or Toddler

Many people are hesitant to bring infants or toddlers to Iceland, but we did not find it to be a challenging destination to bring our two year old.  We knew in advance that Iceland is not a place to bring a stroller as there is virtually no use for it outside of the Keflavik Airport where you can usually find some to use.  In heavy rain, wind or rocky terrain, I carried our toddler in our Beco Baby Carrier.  In cooperative weather, she discovered a new-found love of hiking, often holding hands with her older brothers.  They designated themselves “the friends team” on this trip, and that absolutely melted my heart.  And, she also gained confidence in the water for the first time at the Blue Lagoon by floating independently with water wings, which were available and required at all the pools we visited.

If you travel with an infant or toddler, you will have a few limitations.  For example, children under age two are not permitted at the Blue Lagoon. Myvatn Nature Baths in North Iceland provides an alternate lagoon experience for families with children under two.  We were also warned not to attempt hiking up Hverfjall in Myvatn, so we settled for viewing the crater from the road. While we were able to do a number of hikes with our toddler in her carrier or walking on her own, there are definitely more strenuous hikes available that we did not attempt, but we also really did not have time for long hikes during our packed 10-day trip. Traveling with children of any age also means you also miss out on the club/bar scene in Reykjavik, which I have heard is quite an experience.

While we were fortunate to travel diaper-free on this trip, I noticed that there were very few actual diaper changing facilities in bathrooms.  However, families renting a car can always use it for necessary diaper changes.

Scenery

The scenery was the absolute highlight of Iceland.  Typical natural sites in Iceland include mountains of all shapes and colors, waterfalls, craters, volcanos, geysers, lakes and even icebergs.  In addition to beautiful birds, sheep, lamb and horses are seen almost constantly along the side of the road, and sometimes crossing it.  Additionally, because most of Iceland is so sparsely populated, there is little development to spoil views.  We felt the entire country was so beautiful that all of Iceland might be designated as a national park if it was part of the US.

Continue to Part II – Preparing for an Iceland Vacation, check out our listing of all Iceland with kids posts or join our Facebook group, We Go To Iceland With Kids.