Family Itinerary Ideas for Iceland: A Kid-Friendly 7-Day Adventure

Planning a family trip to Iceland? This kid-friendly itinerary is packed with fun, flexible adventures and essential tips to make your Iceland vacation unforgettable.

Welcome! This blog is new but I’m not new to traveling or blogging, so hopefully you can find some useful tips and plenty of inspiration for your next family adventure. 

I’m Alissa, and together with my wife Dani we planned and traveled to Iceland with our 5-year-old daughter Remi and our 10-month-old son Arlo. We also traveled with both sets of grandparents, so eight of us explored Iceland on this incredible 7-day trip. Traveling with such a big group can be chaotic, but it’s also so rewarding—seeing Iceland’s beauty through the kids’ eyes made it all the more special.

When to Visit Iceland

Iceland was a bucket list place for all of us, and we’d been talking about and planning this trip for a few years. In my research and now we’ve been to Iceland, I recommend shoulder season, like our trip in September. 

• Summer: Offers long days (even 24-hour sun!), but can disrupt bedtime for kids despite blackout shades in most accommodations. Plus, the crowds and prices are at their peak.
• Winter: Best for Northern Lights, but you’ll face harsh weather and up to 20 hours of darkness. It’s not ideal for little ones who might struggle with cold temperatures and icy conditions.
• September (Shoulder Season): A perfect balance. You get a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights without enduring the extreme cold and dark. The weather is still mild enough for outdoor activities, and the tourist crowds are smaller.

Spoiler Alert: We had amazing views of the Northern Lights during our September trip, right from the backyard of our Airbnb!

Planning Our Family-friendly Iceland Itinerary

We had just seven days to explore Iceland, as we traveled during our daughter’s school fall break. This felt like the perfect amount of time to explore without feeling too rushed. From the U.S., flights are reasonable in duration, so even with jet lag, we managed to pack in plenty of adventure.

If you have two weeks or more, driving the full Ring Road would be a great way to see the hot spots and to go more off the beaten path.

Choosing Where to Stay in Iceland

• Home Base: We chose this “Luxury Log Home with a Hot Tub” outside of Selfoss, about an hour east of Reykjavik. It was the perfect mix of affordability and location. Staying here let us access natural attractions without spending hours in the car each day, plus it’s quieter than Reykjavik—perfect for traveling with kids. I recommend booking it yourself! Read on for why we were happy with the location (and the hot tub was so nice to have.)
• Final Night: We booked an apartment in Reykjavik for our last night to be closer to the airport. Being in the city also gave us a chance to explore more urban sights before heading home.

Transportation in Iceland

• We rented two SUVs from Blue Car Rental to accommodate our group of eight. Blue Car was a standout—seriously the easiest car rental experience I’ve ever had. Within 15 minutes, we had our cars, including car seats for the kids, and were on the road.
• Driving in Iceland is straightforward with clear signs, good roads, and minimal traffic. Be prepared for long distances between attractions, though, so plan your days with breaks and scenic stops.

And that’s all we booked! We usually like to keep our days flexible, and that was especially important for this trip with so many of us. Instead, I did some research and made a list of activities that we might want to do, and made some rough calculations of driving time, so we could minimize the time in the car as much as possible. If you also have little kids, I’m sure this needs no explanation.

Day 1: Arrival, Coffee, and Geothermal Iceland Adventures

Morning

We left from Atlanta late Saturday morning, had a long layover in New York, and flew on a red-eye flight to arrive in Iceland on Sunday morning at 7am. The flight was less than 6 hours, so it’s difficult to feel rested enough to have a full day of exploring. But if you can manage to sleep, arriving in the morning is a good way to get adjusted to the new time quickly! Even without much sleep, the excitement of the first day in a new country always helps to push through. Plus, it was a beautiful sunny day!

The landscape in Iceland everywhere is really stunning, but the peninsula that you drive from the airport to Reykjavik is breathtaking. Especially after you’ve just landed after a long travel day in a new, exciting place, it feels like you are driving on another planet.

Breakfast

Since our Airbnb host wasn’t able to give us an early check-in, we decided to start in Reykjavik, about 45 minutes from the airport. We got to the city and got coffees and pastries at Reykjavik Roasters (there’s a few locations, we were near Hallgrimskirkja Church, which is also worth seeing). The drinks and food were nice, but then we walked by Brauð & Co, a beautiful bakery with a line out the door, so I think I’d check that one first.

We then headed north toward the sea, and came out right next to the Sun Voyager statue for a photo stop, and a nice little walk on a wide sidewalk path on the water.

Lunch

We turned back toward the city looking for a larger meal around 10:30 am, but it was hard to find a brunch restaurant. Something to note about Reykjavik – many of the places that we found were closing for an hour or more in between breakfast and lunch, so bad timing by us.  I’m not sure if this was because it was a Sunday or not, so be sure to check before going. Unfortunately we were just a bit far from Ingólfur Square, the main city center and tourist hub, which may have some more options and expanded hours, FYI.

We eventually made our way back to Hallgrimskirkja Church and had a traditional (if a bit touristy) Icelandic lunch at Cafe Loki instead. I got the mashed fish on toast, which was tastier than it sounds! One thing Dani and I both love about travel is trying anything and everything when it comes to local food and drinks. The kids are getting there, but toddlers are toddlers. 

Afternoon

We still had some time before check-in so we stop at the Geothermal Park in Hveragerði for our first glimpse of hot springs and geysers. There’s a $5 entry fee, payable at a cute little cafe with some information about the area, and coffee with free refill, perfect for jet lag. We rest on benches in the area and got to see one of the geysers erupt! It was so cool to watch, and we even had fun with waiting and anticipating. 

After wandering for a bit, we got some groceries to have dinner at the rental house for the night, and finally checked into our Airbnb. It’s a modern cabin about 10 minutes drive north of Selfoss, in a housing development on a treeless, barron section of Icelandic landscape. It’s perfect. 

Day 2: Hidden Hot Springs and Icelandic Pizza

Highlight – Free Hot Springs

We skipped the crowded Blue Lagoon and opted for a hike to Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. This scenic 9 km round trip hike starts from a lovely little cafe (which also sells warm gear if needed) Reykjadular Cafe. The hike was a moderate trail and would be challenging but do-able for those with less hiking experience. Remi did most of the hike herself, easily her longest hike to-date, but Dani did carry her at sections as a reward and distraction to keep her going. 

The thermal river’s warm waters were the perfect reward for our effort. The hot springs look like a long, windy creek with a few spots that are as deep as a hot tub, and many areas that are much shallower. The first section we sat in wasn’t as hot as further up the river, so try a few spots to find the best place to relax. The changing areas are just walls with 2 or 3 sides open. 

Dinner in Hveragerði.

We ended the day with pizza and local brews at Ölverk Pizza & Brewery in Hveragerði. It was cozy and family-friendly—just what we needed after a big hike. Remi tried (but didn’t love) the banana pizza!

Day 3: Waterfalls, Black Sand Beaches, and Lava

We set out in our 2 rental cars, driving east. We want to see a black sand beach, and I’ve bookmarked a few nature wonders on the way. 

Activities

• Right near the road is Seljalandsfoss and nearby Gljufrabui which is a hidden waterfall that requires waterproof clothing and footwear and a hike through a cave entrance. (We didn’t actually stop here (preferring to let the kids nap)
• Skógafoss Waterfall was especially thrilling—you can feel the spray from the falls as you approach. We take some photos and continue on, but you can also walk up a path including wooden stairs to the top. 

• Lunch at The Soup Company in Vik is the most popular lunch restaurant for good reason (don’t miss the Lava Soup in a bread bowl). The kids loved their spaghetti, while I enjoyed trying traditional Icelandic fish curry.
• Afternoon at Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach. The dramatic scenery kept everyone entertained, and we wrapped up the day with some great family photos.
• We also didn’t make it to the nearby Hálsanefshellir Cave or Reynisfjara Beach but would be worth a stop if you have time. We opted to head back to the Airbnb, as it was getting late for the kids. 

Lava Show

Back in the same building as the Soup Company, our final activity was seeing real lava at the Lava Show. This was a highlight of the trip, especially for Remi who was thrilled to see the fiery flow.I think she’d been expecting more erupting volcanoes around the county, as we’d spent weeks reading books and talking about how Iceland was formed by and covered with volcanoes.

Northern Lights

That night, Dani and I were up and down as usual, settling Arlo and taking Remi to the bathroom, and Dani sees that the Northern Lights are visible outside! We wake up our parents, and everyone stumbles outside to get a glimpse. My dad, who is a professional photographer, set up his tripod and got some amazing shots from the back deck of our Airbnb. We’re also so excited to have seen them, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people.

 

Day 4: The Golden Circle

We’ve set aside today for the more touristy part of the trip – The Golden Circle. This national park area was worth seeing, but honestly not the best part of the trip. The scenic areas are beautiful but even in the shoulder season it is very crowded. Fighting with bus-loads of tourists in a country as vastly beautiful and uncrowded as Iceland felt a bit ridiculous.

Activities

• Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir is the Icelandic spelling). We stopped at a lookout point near the main road, then drove onto the Thingvellir Visitors center 
•  Öxarárfoss Waterfall. We walked to a few lookout points and up a short hike to view Oxararfoss, but no big hikes today. We wanted to fit more in rather than longer walking for our groups, but if you have time to get further from the parking lot than we did, there’s much more to see in Thingvellir 
• Strokkur Geyser erupts every 10-30 minutes, so it’s a reliable one to visit, but also very crowded. The geyser itself was actually not a big or long as the one we saw the first day at the Geothermal Park in Hveragerði, so I would recommend skipping this one if it’s out of the way.

Tip:  Each of the parking lots (and most places we visited in Iceland) had a charge for parking but no entry fee. 

Northern Light Encore

After another dinner in the Airbnb, my dad checked his Northern Lights tracking app, and saw there was a good chance of visibility earlier in the night this time. Sure enough, at 9 pm we saw an even brighter light show than the night before! We got in the hottub on the deck to take our time relaxing and enjoying the lights. My dad spent some time getting multiple angles of the ever-changing hues and shapes, and we didn’t have to be awake in the middle of the night for it. It was freezing outside though, so after several trips back and forth, the kids had enough and the lights gradually faded enough for us to head inside and crash after a big day. 

Day 5: Local Adventures in Selfoss

After a lot of time in the car for the past few days, we opted to stay a bit closer to home on day 5. 

Activities:

• Hiked around the Kerid Crater. 
• We had deep-fried hotdogs at Pylsuvagninn and walked along the river to stand in craters made by lava bubbles. 

• Iceland is known for its unique soft-serve ice cream experience: lots of mix-in so we all tried a different flavor – Remi’s was so pumped about her little monster cone surrounded by cotton candy!

• A highlight was the local swimming pool – Sundhöll Selfoss. All towns in Iceland have these public pools and they are able to stay open year-round because of the geothermal heating. We were the only tourists, which was a plus (but easy to access and navigate). A low-key activity that was a highlight for the kids

Dinner

Splurged at Rauða Húsið Restaurant for a memorable meal. It was the perfect blend of elegant and welcoming.

Day 6: Reykjavik Peninsula and a Recently Active Volcano

We made the most of our last full day with adventures around the Reykjavik peninsula. 

Activities

• First, one of the best coffees and unique shops we found was a cafe called Pallett in the town of Hafnarfjörður.
• We also wandered around Hotel Viking which Remi loved, and found a cool playground at Óla Run tún
• We took some touristy photos holding up the Bridge Between Continents, which is a pretty unremarkable bridge in a very remarkable place, between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. 
• A highlight of the trip for sure was seeing Fagradasfjall, Iceland’s most recent volcano. You could see fresh black lava from the last few eruptions, and get a glimpse of how the entire country was created out of the ground. And it was only about 600 (steep) meters from the parking lot so it was doable for a 5-year-old! 😆

Tips for Planning Your Iceland Family Trip

We hit plenty of hotspots and hidden gems on our quick trip to Iceland, and based on what we did and didn’t do, here’s the summary of my top tips:

• Driving is easy (not much traffic, clear signs and nice roads) but things are far apart. Take car fatigue into consideration and plan one main stop each day to give you plenty of time for flexibility when you inevitably drive by something worth stopping for. 
• Make at least one of your stops each day a longer one – enough for kids to explore, learn, and play. A small hike or swim will keep them entertained much more than photo ops! 
• Selfoss or Hveragerði are great spots to stay in as a home base: plenty of accommodation options that are cheaper than Reykjavik and closer to the natural spaces that we visited and loved. Plus, less light pollution for the easiest Northern Lights viewing if you get lucky!
• Blue Car Rental – seriously the only time I didn’t hate picking up or dropping off a rental car

FAQs About Family Travel in Iceland

Ready to plan your Iceland adventure? Whether it’s chasing waterfalls, soaking in hot springs, or marveling at the Northern Lights, Iceland offers something magical for every family. Let me know in the comments how these tips helped or share your own favorite spots!