With kids · Reykjavík · Iceland
Reykjavík with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Reykjavík is relaxed and easy with children: geothermal pools with slides and hot tubs, a small zoo, whale-watching boats and hands-on museums. Long summer days give lots of time outdoors, while in winter the pools and Perlan fill dark afternoons. Top picks: Laugardalslaug geothermal pool, Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo and Perlan. Families usually base themselves in Laugardalur.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Laugardalur
- Rainy-day options
- 3
- Busiest months
- June–August
Best things to do with kids
Experience · Laugardalur
1.Laugardalslaug geothermal pool
Reykjavík's largest public pool has a 50-metre outdoor pool, a row of hot tubs at different temperatures, a steam bath, a cold tub and a water slide, all heated by geothermal water. Soaking in a hot pot and chatting with locals is a core part of Icelandic daily life.
Shower thoroughly without a swimsuit before entering, as required; staff and locals take this rule seriously.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Active
Zoo · Laugardalur
2.Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo
A small zoo of Icelandic farm and wild animals — horses, sheep, reindeer, Arctic foxes and seals — with playgrounds, a fun park section with small rides in summer, and the botanic garden next door.
Combine it with Laugardalslaug pool next door for a full day with young children.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
Museum · Öskjuhlíð
3.Perlan
A glass dome built on top of hot-water storage tanks on Öskjuhlíð hill houses the Wonders of Iceland nature exhibition, with a man-made ice cave, exhibits on glaciers and volcanoes and a planetarium show about the northern lights. A 360-degree observation deck looks over the city and bay.
Use it as a rainy-day substitute for glacier and aurora experiences, especially with children.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Views
- Nature
Museum · Grandi
4.Whales of Iceland
Life-size models of 23 whale species found in Icelandic waters hang in a dimly lit hall in the Grandi harbour district, including a blue whale model of around 25 metres. Audio guides and screens explain their behaviour and migration.
Visit before or after a whale-watching trip; it helps children understand what they will or did see.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Experience · Old Harbour
5.Whale watching from the Old Harbour
Boats leave the Old Harbour for Faxaflói Bay, where minke whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises are the most frequent sightings and humpbacks appear at times. From about May to August, many trips also pass the puffin colonies on the small islands of Lundey and Akurey.
Take seasickness tablets beforehand and wear the warm overalls the operators provide; it is much colder on the water than in town.
- Time needed
- 3–3.5 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Trips are often cancelled for rough seas; book early in your stay so you can rebook if needed.
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Park · Downtown (101 Reykjavík)
6.Tjörnin and City Hall
The city-centre pond is home to swans, ducks and geese and is ringed by painted houses and the Hljómskálagarður park. On its northern shore, the modern Reykjavík City Hall has a large free 3D relief map of Iceland that helps you understand the island's glaciers and mountains before a road trip.
In hard winters the pond freezes and locals skate on it; part is kept ice-free by geothermal water for the birds.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
Museum · Árbær
7.Árbær Open Air Museum
More than 20 relocated buildings, including turf-roofed farmhouses, a turf church and 19th-century town houses, form a small village showing how Reykjavík lived before the 20th century. In summer, staff in period dress demonstrate crafts and farm animals graze around the site.
Visit in summer, when the most houses are open and demonstrations run.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Architecture
Rainy-day ideas
- Perlan — Use it as a rainy-day substitute for glacier and aurora experiences, especially with children.
- Laugardalslaug geothermal pool — Shower thoroughly without a swimsuit before entering, as required; staff and locals take this rule seriously.
- Whales of Iceland — Visit before or after a whale-watching trip; it helps children understand what they will or did see.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for families, budget and quiet stays
Laugardalur
About 3 km east of the centre, Laugardalur is Reykjavík's recreation valley, with the Laugardalslaug geothermal pool complex, the Family Park and Zoo, the botanic garden and the national stadium. Hotels here tend to be larger and better value than downtown, with frequent buses into the centre.
- Good
- Space and parks for children; Better-value hotels; Next to the biggest pool
- Watch out
- Bus or 30–40 minute walk to the centre; Few restaurants nearby
- Nearby
- Laugardalslaug, Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo, Reykjavík Botanic Garden
Family travel tips
- Children are welcome in every pool; the shallow warm areas and slides at Laugardalslaug are popular with families.
- Pack blackout eye masks for summer nights, when it never fully gets dark.
- Keep children well back from the water at black-sand beaches and waterfalls on day trips; waves and slippery rocks are dangerous.
- Whale-watching boats lend warm overalls, but bring hats and gloves for children even in summer.
- Many restaurants offer children's menus, and supermarkets make easy picnic lunches.
Day trips for families
- Golden Circle (A 6–8 hour loop by car or tour) — The classic loop links Þingvellir National Park, where the Alþingi parliament met from 930 and the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart; the Geysir geothermal area, where Strokkur erupts every few minutes; and the two-tiered Gullfoss waterfall.
- South coast waterfalls and Vík (About 2.5 hours each way by car) — Route 1 east passes Seljalandsfoss, which you can walk behind, and the 60-metre curtain of Skógafoss before reaching the black-sand beach of Reynisfjara and the village of Vík.
When to go with children
The best months overall are June–September. June–August are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Reykjavík good for kids?
Reykjavík is relaxed and easy with children: geothermal pools with slides and hot tubs, a small zoo, whale-watching boats and hands-on museums. Long summer days give lots of time outdoors, while in winter the pools and Perlan fill dark afternoons.
+What can kids do in Reykjavík?
Laugardalslaug geothermal pool, Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo, Perlan, Whales of Iceland and Whale watching from the Old Harbour.
+Where should families stay in Reykjavík?
Laugardalur: Green valley of sports grounds, the city's largest pool, a zoo and botanic garden.