Five Days of Family Travel in Iceland

1 year ago 142

My hubby and I archetypal went to Iceland backmost successful 2018, and we perfectly loved it. We’ve ever wanted to bring the kids determination 1 day, and erstwhile a bully accidental arose for america to go, we booked it close away.

As the onshore of occurrence and ice, Iceland is simply a destination that offers immoderate precise unsocial and acquisition experiences. The kids truly enjoyed the agelong daylight hours, cooler summertime weather, and supra all, the breathtaking scenery.

Usually, spending astir a week successful the state would beryllium perfect to sojourn astir sites astatine a leisurely pace. However, with plans to conscionable up with household successful Crete, we had to marque the astir retired of conscionable 5 days, and here’s however we went astir it.

Why Travel to Iceland arsenic a Family?

Iceland is nestled betwixt Greenland and Northern Europe. Its adjacent proximity to Eastern Canada makes it a precise casual destination to question to.

Reykjavik, Iceland’s superior and largest city, has galore large family-friendly attractions that are wrong walking region of each other. Once you get extracurricular of the main city, the attractions are precise dispersed out, and necessitate agelong time trips and galore hours of driving.

The beauteous scenery and scenery marque the thrust rather pleasant, but this should beryllium a information for those travelling with toddlers. Most of the attractions extracurricular of Reykjavik are besides not stroller friendly, too.

Even the summertime months successful Iceland are rather cool, with temperatures averaging betwixt 9–11°C successful July and August. The summertime upwind is akin to that of the United Kingdom, successful that it tin rapidly alteration from being windy and rainy to sunny respective times a day.

Throughout our stay, we had periods of prima and clouds with scattered rain, which sounds astir par for the course.

When travelling successful the summer, you’ll privation to battalion a waterproof insulated jacket, oregon formal successful layers with a thicker raincoat. We besides brought lined splash pants for the kids, which kept them lukewarm connected those windy and rainy days.

Hiking boots oregon waterproof shoes would besides beryllium helpful, arsenic determination are a batch of trails, and erstwhile there’s rain, it gets muddy and sometimes slippery.

Visiting successful the summer, you tin expect astir 20+ hours of sunlight, truthful there’ll beryllium plentifulness of clip for sightseeing. However, if catching a glimpse of the bluish lights is connected your deed database if things to see, past it’s champion to question during September to March, arsenic they won’t beryllium disposable successful the summertime months.

Furthermore, each earthy glacier caves are inaccessible during the summertime months.

Getting to Iceland from Canada arsenic a Family

Travelling from Canada, you tin alert nonstop to Reykjavik (KEF) connected Icelandair, Air Canada, oregon Play Airlines, from Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton, and Montreal. From Eastern Canada, it lone takes 5 hours to alert into Reykjavik, portion from the West Coast, it volition instrumentality a small implicit 7 hours.

Flights depart successful the evening from Eastern Canada, and successful precocious day from the West Coast, but some get successful Reykjavik precise aboriginal the adjacent morning. Encourage kids to slumber connected the flight, arsenic they volition beryllium rather bushed connected accomplishment otherwise.

In my opinion, the champion mode to question to Iceland is to publication Icelandair with currency during a formation sale, and past offset the outgo by redeeming fixed-value question points against the purchase, specified arsenic TD Rewards, HSBC Rewards, CIBC Aventura, oregon Scene+.

Sometimes, you tin find round-trip flights to Iceland for $538 CAD ($400 USD) from Eastern Canada successful economy, oregon $1,450 CAD ($1,100 USD) successful concern class. Icelandair besides serves galore European destinations, and allows escaped stopovers successful Iceland connected connecting flights.

Booking Icelandair utilizing points is alternatively difficult. The hose has its ain grant programme called Saga Club, and but it’s not a portion of immoderate alliance, truthful earning points tin beryllium tricky. You tin besides redeem Alaska miles for flights with Icelandair, but not astatine a peculiarly favourable rate.

Play Airlines tin besides person akin pricing, but since it’s an ultra-low-cost carrier, expect to wage other for seats and baggage. If thing goes awry, the lawsuit assistance whitethorn beryllium limited, too.

For flights with Air Canada done Aeroplan, a redemption falls nether the archetypal region set connected the “Between North America and Atlantic zones” chart.

A one-way formation successful system should terms retired astatine 35,000–60,000 Aeroplan points for a five-hour formation from Eastern Canada. This decidedly isn’t the champion worth you tin extract from your points, and you’re apt amended disconnected booking a currency formation instead.

Family-Friendly Accommodations successful Iceland

When you’re readying retired a trip, support successful caput that astir flights get successful the aboriginal morning, truthful it’s champion to person different plans arsenic your accommodation volition apt not beryllium ready. You tin drawback a wound and bash immoderate sightseeing successful municipality to walk the clip until your country is ready.

You tin opt to alteration hotels arsenic you determination astir Iceland, which is what my hubby and I did erstwhile we visited respective years ago. Alternatively, you tin marque Reykjavik your basal from which you tin marque time trips, which is what we did this clip around, arsenic we scored a precise bully edifice complaint successful Reykjavik.

Unlike different destinations, wherever a base-level country tin person 2 treble oregon queen beds, galore hotels successful Iceland connection basal rooms that person either 2 duplicate beds oregon a azygous queen oregon king bed, which lone accommodates 2 guests. If you’re looking to enactment astatine a Hilton oregon Marriott spot successful particular, to accommodate a household of four, you’re either looking astatine paying a hefty currency complaint oregon parting ways with a tidy sum of points.

The Reykjavik EDITION is 1 objection to this rule, arsenic it offers base-level rooms with 2 queens beds. However, currency rates and Bonvoy redemption rates are precocious astatine this edifice – expect to wage anyplace from 59,500 ISK ($450 USD, $595 CAD) to 100,00 ISK ($765 USD, $1,000 CAD), oregon 61,000–78,000 Bonvoy points per night.

Thanks to the keen oculus of 1 of our chap Prince of Travel squad members, I was capable to people a random edifice successful Reykjavik astatine the complaint of $3 (CAD) per nighttime done a 3rd enactment question site. It was rather evidently an mistake fare.

The edifice wouldn’t honour our archetypal booking, truthful the third-party vendor rebooked america astatine the Reykjavik EDITION astatine nary further cost, which was a large win.

I usually ne'er publication a loyalty marque edifice done a third-party site, arsenic astir often your elite benefits and points volition not beryllium honoured; however, for what I was paying, it didn’t substance this clip around.

The EDITION ended up being perfectly situated for a bulk of our sightseeing needs, and with escaped parking, it was casual to travel and spell arsenic we pleased.

At check-in, they lone requested the passport of the impermanent the country is registered under, which made it casual to person our household of 5 enactment successful a country with lone 2 queen beds.

For our past nighttime successful Iceland, we stayed astatine the Courtyard by Marriott Reykjavik Keflavik Airport, for the convenience of being person to the airdrome and besides for exploring the country astir the hotel.

Unfortunately, each rooms astatine this edifice person either 2 duplicate beds oregon a azygous king bed, truthful we had to publication 2 rooms. There are respective connecting rooms, truthful if you take to enactment present with your family, I would urge requesting this successful advance.

Some autarkic hotels and section edifice chains connection rooms that tin accommodate up to 5 guests astatine much tenable rates of astir $300 (CAD) per night. Otherwise, Airbnb whitethorn beryllium different bully enactment for families.

Getting Around Iceland arsenic a Family

Public proscription successful Iceland is expensive. A taxi from Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik tin outgo astir 16,700 ISK ($127 USD, $167 CAD) one-way, and regular taxis volition lone accommodate a maximum of 4 passengers, careless of the fig of adults and kids. Larger taxis that tin accommodate up to six passengers mostly person to beryllium called successful for.

One important happening to enactment is that kids riding successful taxis successful Iceland are legally required to person an age-appropriate car seat, truthful it’s champion to bring 1 with you for your trip. Otherwise, a taxi whitethorn not adjacent instrumentality you.

From Keflavik Airport, FlyBus is simply a work that volition instrumentality you to the autobus terminal successful Reykjavik successful astir 50 minutes. From there, you tin past hop onto a connecting autobus to instrumentality you person to your hotel.

Adult tickets are 3,899 ISK ($29 USD, $39 CAD) one-way, portion kids aged 6–15 are fractional terms astatine 1,950 ISK ($15 USD, $20 CAD), and kids nether six are free.

FlyBus tin besides beryllium booked to spell backmost to Keflavik Airport, oregon adjacent to and from the Blue Lagoon. The instrumentality summons tin beryllium booked connected Viator, and it really prices retired kids aged 0–11 to beryllium free.

Whether oregon not determination volition beryllium an contented redeeming the kid voucher erstwhile you committee the autobus is yet to beryllium determined.

At these rates, you’re apt amended disconnected renting a car. However, car rentals aren’t inexpensive either.

I recovered that the rates are cheaper if you’re picking up your conveyance from wrong Reykjavik, alternatively than from Keflavik Airport itself.

For our trip, we booked a one-day rental for $157 (CAD) with Enterprise done Expedia. Rates tin beryllium cheaper if renting for aggregate days, oregon if you person a firm code.

Dining successful Iceland arsenic a Family

Like everything other successful Iceland, eating is nary inexpensive affair. A crockery oregon crockery tin easy outgo you $20 (CAD), and a bagel with pick food $10 (CAD). We coiled up packing immoderate cupful noodles, and tons of snacks.

If you’re renting a car and staying successful an Airbnb, marque a halt astatine Costco, which is conveniently located betwixt Keflavik Airport and Reykjavik. Costco is besides the cheapest spot to state up connected the mode backmost to Keflavik Airport.

In Downtown Reykjavik, 10–11 is simply a 24/7 convenience store wherever you tin bargain immoderate drinks, snacks, meal items, oregon ready-made meals for the road, including wraps, sandwiches, and stuffed croissants, astatine a tenable price.

For economical beryllium down eating with kids, I was a immense instrumentality of nutrient halls. There’s plentifulness of them each implicit downtown.

They’re similar much upscale nutrient courts with a assortment of nutrient options and plentifulness of seating. For example, Posthus Foodhall & Bar had pizza, Italian food, tacos, Indian food, and an Asian fusion restaurant. Alcohol is besides served.

Pricing astatine nutrient halls was precise tenable by Iceland’s standards. For example, a pizza oregon pasta crockery costs $20–30 (CAD).

The prices are bully successful examination to a sit-down restaurant, which whitethorn complaint the aforesaid terms for a vessel of soup. With respective nutrient options successful each hall, determination should beryllium thing for the everyone successful the family.

Tap h2o is harmless to drink, and is astir apt the champion h2o you’ll ever portion arsenic it’s earthy Icelandic outpouring water.

Five Days of Family Travel successful Iceland

Since my hubby and I had covered overmuch of Southern Iceland before, we decided to absorption our travels connected different parts of Iceland this trip. Ricky has besides extensively travelled Southern Iceland, truthful for ideas connected what to spot successful that portion of Iceland, beryllium definite to check retired his article.

We truly packed our days, and it would person been amended to dispersed things retired implicit a longer play if we had the time, truthful support that successful caput erstwhile readying your trip.

Day 1: Exploring Reykjavik

Our edifice wasn’t acceptable connected arrival, truthful aft dropping disconnected our luggage, we grabbed an aboriginal luncheon and visited immoderate attractions successful municipality earlier returning to the edifice to check-in and instrumentality a nap. We walked on the harbour beforehand and visited the Whales of Iceland grounds and Lava Show.

Lava Show Reykjavik is simply a 45-minute amusement that allows you to larn astir Iceland’s volcanos and spot molten lava up close. It was a fun, entertaining, and acquisition experience.

The kids were fascinated however molten lava seemingly hardened truthful rapidly connected the surface, but was inactive much than 6,000 degrees heavy inside. Book done Viator to gain currency back, Aeroplan points, oregon American Express US Membership Rewards points.

Whales of Iceland is an grounds featuring life-sized replicas of whales recovered successful and astir Iceland. It offers a escaped audio guide, age-appropriate quizzes to bash portion you locomotion done grounds (you get a certificate for completing it too), machine games relating to marine biology, and colouring sheets for younger kids.

If you similar a escaped guided tour, get for 11am oregon 3pm. Buy tickets onsite, arsenic as they connection a household summons for up to 2 kids for 7,800 ISK ($59 USD, $78 CAD) which isn’t disposable done Viator.

If you person much clip to kill, see visiting FlyOver Iceland and Saga Museum, a depository connected Iceland’s viking history. Whale-watching tours are besides fashionable here.

Day 2: Snæfellsjökull National Park

Our kids emotion wildlife, truthful we headed up the occidental seashore of Iceland for the time to spot the seals astatine Yrti Tunga Beach.

You tin spot them lazing astir connected rocks and popping their heads successful and retired of the water. A clump of them were located connected the acold extremity of the formation that required climbing implicit immoderate large boulders, which tin beryllium unsafe for toddlers.

The champion clip spot them is during the summertime months, and they tin beryllium recovered connected enactment wrong 2 hours of debased tide.

From determination we headed to Djupalonssandur, a achromatic pebble formation with the ruins of a vessel scattered on it, and saw a fewer waterfalls enroute. We ended the time astatine the Perlan Museum.

Perlan Museum features the earthy wonders of Iceland each nether 1 roof. There is simply a planetarium amusement connected the bluish lights, an grounds and amusement connected volcanic activity, an crystal cave and glacier exhibit, and a panoramic reflection platform which overlooks Reykjavik.

The depository is much due for kids six and over, arsenic determination is not a batch to entertain toddlers here. The depository is unfastened till 10pm successful the summer, which makes it a large add-on enactment astatine the extremity of the day.

Once again, this is an attraction wherever it is amended to bargain the summons onsite arsenic they person a household summons for 12,990 ISK ($99 USD, $130 CAD). It wasn’t wide however galore kids you tin bring successful for the price, but they didn’t person an contented with america bringing successful our 3 kids.

My kids were a immense instrumentality of the crystal cave. Although it was manmade, it was a bully simulation. It’s besides a bully alternate to visiting an existent crystal cave, which is precise costly acquisition and would necessitate wintertime covering and boots, which we didn’t person with us.

Day 3: Northern Iceland

If you’re moving astir hotels, past you tin decidedly thrust up to Northern Iceland, which takes astir 5 hours. Since we were abbreviated connected time, we caught a 35-minute home formation from Reykjavik Airport (RKV), the home airdrome successful Reykjavik, to Akureyri Airport (AEY), an airdrome successful the north.

From there, we picked up a rental car and drove eastward towards Eglisstadir (EGS), wherever we caught a formation backmost to Reykjavik.

In between, you tin marque stops astatine Krafla caldera, Hverastrond sulphur springs, Dimmuborgir for unusual lava formations, Jokulsargljufur stream and canyon with respective spectacular waterfalls, and Asbyrgi canyon.

Closer to Eglisstadir, you tin spot puffins astatine Borgarfjordur eystri, sojourn the Vok thermal baths, Studlagil basalt canyon, and Hengifoss. There’s not capable clip successful a time to spot everything, truthful prime and take your favourite sites.

Domestic flights are really truly convenient to catch. When we asked our hotel, they told america we lone needed to beryllium determination 10 minutes anterior to departure.

I was skeptical, truthful we arrived 30 minutes anterior to takeoff, but the unit were right. It’s an highly tiny airport, and if you person nary bags to check, you virtually locomotion into the airdrome and into a tiny country to await your formation with perfectly nary information to spell through.

Despite being specified a abbreviated flight, Icelandair inactive provided cute enactment kits to the kids.

A round-trip home formation volition outgo $150–300 (CAD) per person, erstwhile again a outgo that tin beryllium offset utilizing a recognition paper with a fixed-value question points.

Day 4: Golden Circle

This is simply a fashionable and comparatively shorter time travel that tin beryllium made from Reykjavik. Even though the thrust volition instrumentality astir 3 and a fractional hours, it’s champion to treble that clip to relationship for the clip needed to really sojourn the attractions on the way.

Here, you tin sojourn Thingvellir National Park, which sits successful a rift vale and was wherever Iceland’s parliament was erstwhile located.

Also worthy visiting is Gullfoss, a magnificent waterfall, the world’s 3rd largest geyser, and locomotion astir Kerid volcanic crater.

A somewhat antithetic acquisition is seeing however accepted geothermal breadstuff is baked astatine Laugarvatn Fontana. Bread tours are 30 minutes long, with a tasting afterwards, and the breadstuff is delicious.

Adults are 2,990 ISK ($23 USD, $30 CAD), but kids are free. Be definite to pre-book this acquisition online, arsenic the circuit often sells out.

If you person much clip successful the area, past you tin besides sojourn a lava cave, Langjokull glacier, oregon sojourn a skyr depository to spot however Icelandic skyr is made. For those with older kids, you tin snorkel betwixt the tectonic plates astatine Silfra.

If you’re looking for a spot to person lunch, cheque retired Efstidalur farm, which serves caller burgers and crystal pick made in-house. The eating country looks down into a barn with grazing cattle, which the kids enjoyed watching.

We ended disconnected the time with a relaxing sojourn to the Blue Lagoon, which is unfastened until midnight during the summer. Admission for adults isn’t cheap, but kids aged 13 and nether are escaped with a paying adult. The minimum property for admittance is two, and floaties are mandatory and provided for kids aged 8 and younger.

Our kids loved swimming successful the white, lukewarm thermal waters and applying their escaped facial mud mask. Be definite to publication early, arsenic admittance is timed and limited.

Day 5: Reykjanes Peninsula

On our past time earlier our flight, we ventured to Reykjanes Peninsula, which was adjacent to the airport. The main attraction present for america was visiting Fagradalsfjall volcano and lava fields, and the Bridge Between Continents.

Fagradalsfjall Volcano is simply a volcano that erupted successful 2021. Hiking to the apical of the volcano and backmost requires astir 5 hours. However, if you conscionable privation to spot the extremity of the lava fields, you tin easy bash truthful with a abbreviated 15-minute hike to the Nátthagi viewpoint.

To get here, caput to car parkland #2 successful the area. You’ll beryllium capable to interaction the extremity of lava field, and spot its way from the volcano down into the valley.

Bridge Between Continents is benignant of a neat symbolic landmark. The span connects the rift betwixt the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. The kids had amusive hopping from 1 continent to another.

Conclusion

Our 5 days successful Iceland were action-packed. Despite the upwind being a spot chill and astatine times wet, the kids were filled with a consciousness of awe, and recovered a caller appreciation for the wonders of nature, which are genuinely astatine their champion present successful Iceland.

When we left, they were already asking erstwhile we could travel back. We’re readying connected a fewer trips to Europe successful the coming years, truthful I’m definite we’ll find a clip to stopover again and sojourn each the attractions we missed.

Next time, we’d besides similar to instrumentality them on the confederate seashore to spot a existent glacier and sojourn the celebrated Glacier Lagoon.

The station Five Days of Family Travel successful Iceland appeared archetypal connected Prince of Travel by Amy Tung.

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