Visiting Iceland with family: Best experiences from Reykjavik for kids

In the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, you will find a wide variety of activities to enjoy and many of them, you can do with children. It is a city with colorful streets, beautiful scenery, many parks and hot springs pools that the little ones will love. The key will be to get organized and take note of some tips to make the most of your trip.

You will find very entertaining plans for the little ones and attractions for the whole family. My first tip is to consider guided tours for children, which are much more comfortable and you won't have to worry about the organization. You can also visit museums, where the little ones will have fun learning, and do outdoor activities for the whole family.

One of the best ways to enjoy Reykjavik as a family is to take advantage of guided tours of the city. This way, you will make sure that the children can be comfortable and enjoy the activity and at the same time, get to know and walk around the city.

You will have plenty of options to choose from, but to add a little extra fun to the tour, I recommend some that are particularly ideal for families, such as a bike tour of Reykjavik or a whale watching excursion from the old harbor of the city.

On either of these two tours, children must be accompanied by an adult. And note that on the whale watching tour you can take the baby carriage. These options will allow you to get to know the city in a different way and will be a great plan for the whole family.

The National Museum of Iceland is located in the city of Reykjavik and offers a unique place for children that you can not miss.

Here the little ones will let their imagination run wild and will be able to wear fun Viking costumes, with swords and shields, play with historical objects and even enjoy listening to stories or reading books.

It is important to note that this space is suitable for children between 5 and 12 years old. In addition, the place is adapted so that you can travel with a baby carriage. And best of all, it is a free activity for children under 18 years old.

Information of interest

• Where: Suðurgata, 101 Reykjavík.
• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Closed on Mondays.
• Price: about 10 euros per person and children under 18 are free.

Another great attraction to visit with children is the Reykjavik Botanical Garden. It is an open-air museum with educational and recreational activities for the whole family, where you will learn about a huge diversity of vegetation spread over 8 sections with more than 3,000 species of plants.

Every week different activities are developed there, so I recommend that before you go check what will be available to prepare for the occasion.

There are guided tours with lunch included, and others that do not. In the latter case, it is better to be cautious and bring some snacks for the little ones and something to drink in your backpack.

Note that the entrance to the Botanical Garden is free and it is open from 10 am to 3 pm in winter and from 10 am to 10 pm in summer.

Interesting information

• Where: Hverfisgata 105, Hverfisgata 105, 101 Reykjavík.
• Hours: Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer, 3 p.m. in winter.
• Price: free admission.

At Árbær Open Air Museum children and adults will have fun learning about the customs, traditions and typical architecture of Reykjavík, transporting them to the lifestyle of years gone by.

It is very entertaining for children, as they can see domestic animals and participate in exhibitions and events that tell the history of the city. This site has more than 20 buildings that make up a square, a village and a farm. I recommend that you check the calendar of activities before you go.

Note that in the summer you can access this open-air museum between 10 am and 5 pm and in the winter from 1 pm to 5 pm. It is another good activity to visit with children, as it is fun and free for children under 17 years old.

Interesting information

• Where: 4, 110, Kistuhylur, Reykjavik.
• Hours: between 10 am and 5 pm and in winter from 1 to 5 pm.
• Price: about 12 euros per person and free admission for children under 17.

In the pools of Laugardalslaug you will find a complex of pools and thermal baths that is ideal to enjoy with the family.

There is the largest pool in Reykjavík and has extensive and innovative facilities for the little ones, such as slides, which your children will love, some hot tubs, steam baths, gym, mini golf, everything!

Interesting information

• Where: Sundlaugavegur 105, 105, Reykjavik.
• Hours: Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Price: for adults, about 7 euros per person and for children under 17, 1 euro per person.

Nauthólsvík geothermal beach is relatively new. It was created in 2001 and attracts about 550,000 visitors a year.

Its main feature is that it is made up of hot and cold water that melt into a unique lagoon, with a temperature reaching 38 °C.

It is the perfect place to spend the day with the family. Children can do outdoor activities, such as sailing or playing in the children's pool, while you can sunbathe, use the steam baths or bathe in the sea to counteract the heat of the pool, since the water there is about 15 °C in summer.

You can access the spa all year round and you will find changing rooms, showers, restaurants to eat something to eat and even a barbecue area.

Interesting facts

• Where: in the south of the city, near Reykjavik airport.
• Hours: every day from 11 am to 7 pm, except Sundays when it is closed.
• Price: about 5.50 euros per person.

The Perlan building is a must-see in Reykjavik and an ideal plan to do with the family.

It is a 25-meter high building, which houses a revolving restaurant, an observation deck on the fourth floor and the Perlan Museum.

In the museum, your children will be able to learn a lot about **Iceland'**s glaciers, their history, their shape, and the future that awaits them. But the most fun is that everyone will be able to travel through an ice cave.

It is undoubtedly a very complete and entertaining experience for the whole family. Both adults and children will have fun learning and appreciating the best views in this futuristic building.

Information of interest

• Where: 105 Reykjavik.
• Hours: daily from 9 am to 9 pm.
• Price: about €32 for adults, €17 for children aged 6-16 and free admission for children under 6.

If you plan to travel to Reykjavik in autumn or winter, witnessing the phenomenon of the northern lights is something you can not omit in your itinerary and even more if you go with children. These dates are the best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland.

Your children will love this work of art of nature and it is a great plan to enjoy as a family. You will find several options to go to see the northern lights from Reykjavik, but if you plan to go with children I recommend a guided tour, as it will be the most comfortable way to get there and more entertaining for the little ones.

Remember that it is very important to choose the right clothing for this type of excursions, as temperatures can be very cold. In fact, the colder it is, the brighter the auroras will be seen in the sky.

The best times to see them are from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., as long as the sky is clear.

A walk around Lake Tjörn is undoubtedly one of the best things to do with your family. Your children will have plenty of green space to play and have fun.

This lake is located right in the historic center of Reykjavik and draws a beautiful landscape with the colorful houses that border it, making it one of the most picturesque and photographable places in the city.

It is an emblematic place of Reykjavik, as it was the first place where the settlers who arrived in Iceland in the ninth century landed.
Today it is a very quiet area, where families go to spend the day, enjoy a walk or watch their children playing and feeding the ducks, swans and geese that inhabit the waters of the lake.

Information of interest

• Where: in the Old Town of Reykjavík
• Hours: all day
• Price: free admission.

Food is not a minor detail if you plan to visit Reykjavik with children. It is important that you have a list of restaurants and stores where you can stop to eat something that both children and adults will enjoy.

Here are some places for you to consider.

• Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur: to start with, the most classic place and an option that never fails. This is an Icelandic chain of hot dog stands and they have the reputation of being the best in town. In addition, the prices are affordable so you can grab a bite to eat and keep walking around the city. The stand is located a few meters from Reykjavik harbor.
• Café Laundromat: it is not just another place in the city, it is a unique experience and it is the ideal place for the youngest members of the family. It is a mix between good coffee with delicious food options and a laundromat. Yes, you can wash your clothes while having a coffee. But, as if that wasn't exotic enough: it has an exclusive play area to entertain the little ones - an oasis for families!
• Valdís: yes, in Reykjavik you can have ice cream no matter the temperature and this ice cream shop has the best for you to enjoy with your family. It is located a few streets away from the cathedral of the city and is a good place to rest and recharge your batteries to continue walking.
• Reykjavik Fish: is another excellent option to enjoy lunch or dinner with the family overlooking the harbor. They have a variety of dishes for all tastes and the best and most popular Fish and Chip of Reykjavik.

Traveling to Reykjavik with children can be very economical if you know how to take advantage of reduced rates at attractions and plan in advance what activities you are going to do.

As you can see, it is just a matter of good organization. There are many activities, such as guided tours of the Botanical Gardens, which are free to the general public, but these are the fewest.

In many others, such as the National Museum of Iceland, you only have to pay for adult tickets, as children under 18 get in for free. And in some others, children pay a lower fee, such as at the Laugardalslaug swimming pools.

Therefore, I recommend that before purchasing tickets for the different activities, find out which ones are free for children or have reduced rates. This way you can make a list of attractions, keeping in mind the budget you will spend on each activity and evaluate if it is worth it.

You've probably heard that it's cold in Iceland and yes, it's true. However, there are activities to do all year round and every season has its charm.

If you plan to visit Reykjavik with children, you should consider which are the months when you can do more activities and get to know the city better without freezing in the attempt. In principle, here is a guide to the best time to visit Reykjavik so you can decide when you prefer to travel.

In Iceland you will find many activities to do in summer and winter. But personally, for traveling with children I recommend the intermediate seasons (autumn and spring) or summer, although being high season, it is usually more expensive. It will depend on you.

In addition, I recommend that beyond the temperature, you take into account the length of the days. In winter they are shorter and the attractions usually open later and close earlier, so you will have to be well organized to visit what you want to see with the little ones.

Many times the Reykjavik tourist bus can become a great ally and on a family trip, I assure you that it can be an excellent choice.

Everything will depend on what you want to do and the time you have to visit the city, but undoubtedly this alternative is comfortable for the little ones and very profitable.

The tourist bus ticket for Reykjavik costs about 26 € per adult and 13 € for children between 6 and 15 years old and allows you to visit all the essential points of the city in 24 or 48 hours, depending on your choice, along 15 stops.

On your tour you will find places like Hallgrímur Church, Perlan, the National Gallery of Iceland, Laugardalur Park, the National Museum of Iceland, the Víkin Maritime Museum, Kringlan Mall, Whales of Iceland, and much more.

In addition, you can use it as a means of transportation to move around Reykjavik, which is very economical if you are traveling with your family, since buying the ticket for this bus, you will forget about having to use public transportation.