NoMoreParades
We have really enjoyed Iceland breaks. One of the things that works very well for us is the space and very small population relative to the size of country attractions just don't seam to get UK style busy.
We have been in August and December. August is mid season with prime season ending in July so quite a bit cheaper for accommodation. December low season but things are less accessible. In August daylight is almost 24 hours, in December I think it was 6 hours.
One thing worth mentioning is that particularly in more rural areas the water can be rather sulphurous and the toilet smells more after you've flushed it than after DH has had curry and beer. DS1 found this rather hard to adjust too and the tap water whilst safe to drink DS didn't like from the tap. We found that after 24 hrs in the fridge it improved - particularly when we added his familiar cordial to it.
In August we stayed on the Golden Circle about 1.5hrs from Reykjavik and 2 hrs from Keflavik airport. At Christmas we stayed in a cottage in the heart of Reykjavik. Both times we had a cottage with hot tub - something we love for downtime, which we always need a lot of.
We were near to Gulfoss in the summer a pretty amazing waterfall at the end of the great glacier that runs almost from one side of the country to the other. The icy air, spray and noise from the falling water were impressive. You can park for free at the top by a visitor centre/ shop/ cafe (free toilets) and view the falls with less noise at the top and then as you become more comfortable with the falls take the steps down (its a lot of steps for those less mobile so you can drive around to alternative parking to go down). My youngest with a mobility delay and severe anxiety, didn't like the noise and spray at the bottom but the older two loved it. Because it we went early and it wasn't busy we could move slowly towards the falls and acclimatise to what was a very amazing environment - DS1(Autism) was able to feel in control which makes life easier. We went several times and enjoyed seeing the rainbows across the falls and how the light/ noise etc changed every time. Its all free unless you choose to indulge in the coffee shop - which does do a lovely warming hot chocolate that we all enjoyed. As it's at the end of a glacier even in summer it's quite chilly - jumpers and coats essential. In December we visited during a blizzard. The falls were icy and again amazing but you could only view from the top and visibility was severely restricted considering the amazing summer views.
Just down the road from Gulfoss on the road back to Reykjavik is Geyser. Site of the famous Geysirs, again plenty of free parking and free access. The Geysirs are right next to the road and you often get hot water streams running down the side of the road. They erupt every 5 - 10 minutes so you don't need to hang around to see some impressive action. We went several times, first thing, at midday and later in the day. It's really very impressive and again plenty of space so DC can not feel pressured to conform - they can get quite close or have a good view from further afield - it's all about that control for us.
At Geyser there's a hotel/ restaurant that do traditional locally sourced Icelandic food. It was our one big eating out indulgence (saying that the food and drink came to £50 for the five of us as they only charged for 2 adults and hardly anything for the three DC). It worked for us because we wanted the children to try some local dishes but not feel pressurised. It was a massive selection hot and cold buffet, starters and desserts. Free tea, coffee and water. There were familiar items like a selection of breads and cold meats and slightly more unusual ones like some of the pickled fish. DS1 had a small side plate for try foods and a plate of bread and butter with a big bowl of meat soup - that he loved.
On the same road we went to a thermal spa that the children called the Epic swimming pools. Lagurvartan Fontana Spa. It was a series of thermal pools and steam rooms from ankle deep to chest depth at different temperatures. Plenty of places to sit and lounge about and play rather than swim. they had various toys around for the children to play with in the water and it's on the banks of a lake you can paddle into and experience the hot and very cold bits which is bizarre. The children liked that the place was quite small and they could have a whole pool to themselves. Lovely big changing rooms and again a little cafe that was nice but a bit pricy and quite basic. The spa you pay for adults only and It was about £20 each so not really cheap but they had multi-visit offers like £50 for two family visits so in holiday spending mode we didn't feel it was too bad.
On the bottom section of the golden circle we went to hveragerdi geothermal gardens Rather small and inconspicuous you enter through a greeenhouse it was only £1 or £2 to go in (adults pay only) and for 50p the children could rent a net and be supplied with a raw egg to cook in one of the hot streams. It was great fun and really made them think about the heat from the streams.
In the same area we also stopped at Selfoss (to go to the supermarket and grab some food). In the shopping center there's a little exhibit about earthquakes and for £1 you can go into a tiny garden shed sized room and experience an earthquake. I went in with DS2 to try it out and it's really quite simple but well done - DS1 then gave it a try and whilst I wouldn't say he enjoyed it he did get something from the experience and it was rather thought provoking.
Somewhere between Selfoss and Lagurvartan there was an extinct volcano crater that you could walk around the top off and go down into for a very small fee. I can't remember what it was called.
In Reykjavik we went Whale watching (not cheap but you only pay for adults). We went on one of the bigger boats that had a cafe on board. They provided all the safety gear like life jackets in the right sizes for the children (DS1 is a bit health and Safety obsessed). We found a quiet semi open deck just behind the drivers cab/ captains area (can't think what its called). It took DS1 a while to build the confidence to move from sitting on a packed lifeboat in the middle of the boat to look out at the view and whale spot, but he did and we did see a whale. We also got to sit and drive the boat for a while, handle some bones and find out a bit about the local wildlife.
In Reykjavik we went to the Whale museum which was quite small in comparison to a London museum but rather well done. They have a lot of scale model whales and porpoise that you can get right alongside. There's some interaction stuff and a quizz for DC. A small cafe that serve free coffee/ water as part of the entrance fee.
Theres a cathedral in Reykjavik that for a nominal fee you can go to the top of the spire and look out - a worth while distraction.
Near the front in Reykjavik the sea food restaurants are fairly clustered together and there was one that had a volcano exhibit next to it. They had an early bird beer fish and chips offer on and reasonable priced children's meals so we indulged. The fish was the nicest I've ever had absolutely silky and fell apart in your mouth with a really light almost tempura batter. On our next visit now the DC are slightly older we'd like to try a few more of these sorts of foods.
When we stayed at Christmas the weather meant we were more Reykjavik focused and we tried a local thermal pool - it was amazing. £12 for the five of us. Free lockers and hair dryers. Lounging pools, hot tubs, childrens pool, swimming pool, family pool (waist deep) with numerous water slides, basket ball hoops at one end and various balls, floats and toys for the DC to use. All outside in the open air. Watching the DC run through the snow and ice in their bare feet to plunge down a slide into the hot water was not something I ever thought I'd see (DD couldn't swim, she just had armbands and went for it). It snowed on us whilst we were in the pool which was great fun and the steam off the water was magical.
Reykjavik also has an Ikea and we rather enjoy Ikea meatballs so we did have a safe familiar meal at the point we needed to reduce stimulation a little and have things a little more familiar. There are also McDonalds and KFC popping up all over the city.
There are so many more activities we'd like to do and try and will go back as the children get older. Our next to do is to go along the bottom coast to the black beaches and to the glacial lake where the icebergs break off the glacier and float in a lagoon before drifting out to sea.