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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Iceland with 8 year old?

17 replies

Jank8 · 01/04/2023 16:38

It's my DH big birthday next year and Iceland is on his bucket list. I don't know a great deal about the country so just starting to research and would love to hear experiences, dos/don'ts, places to go, how long do we need, kid suitable things to do?. We'd have to go in school holidays but no idea what time of year would be best to get the most out of the trip? Massive thanks in advance

OP posts:

StillWantingADog · 01/04/2023 16:39

Following as I’d like to go- I went as a 16 yo and not convinced mine would like it- next year they will be 8 and 10.

Original poster

Jank8 · 01/04/2023 16:40

DS will actually be nearly 10 when we go 😯🙈

OP posts:

EasterIssland · 01/04/2023 16:41

Im thinking about taking my son next year when he’ll be 6. If they are into nature then they’ll like it

decemberagain · 01/04/2023 16:49

we went twice before having my daughter. She's only 4 now but we are planning to take her in a couple of years. It will depend what your child enjoys but I think it's a great place to visit.

decemberagain · 01/04/2023 16:51

As for what time of year to go what is it you want to see? If you are aiming for snow and northern lights then obviously winter. If you want to explore then summer would be better. The roads can be quite difficult to navigate in winter once you get outside of Reykjavik so unless you specifically want snow it's best to avoid it!

Original poster

Jank8 · 01/04/2023 17:04

No snow! I think either June or October half term, would that be a good time?

OP posts:

midsomermurderess · 01/04/2023 17:09

There is a Facebook group you could join, Iceland — Fire and Ice, packed with tips and trip reports.

stealthninjamum · 01/04/2023 17:10

There’s a circular route around the country that is supposed to be nice to drive around in the summer. I think it takes between 5 to 8 days to do at maybe 150 miles a day driving. You get to see lots of scenery.

around Reykjavik is the Golden Circle, which you can do in about 8 hours seeing a national park, geyser, waterfall.

You can do things like outdoor pools are supposed to be lovely, scuba diving between tectonic plates, whale watching.

I haven’t been yet but have been researching it.

christmastreefarm · 01/04/2023 17:27

We went May half term and it was great weather.

My youngest was just about to turn 11 and she really enjoyed it - it's so different to home.

decemberagain · 01/04/2023 17:34

I went in June and it was warm and long days - sun set about 11:45pm! I think by October half term it could be getting colder and shorter days.

Petrarkanian · 01/04/2023 17:40

Go to the public swimming pools. They are brilliant

We liked these best
https://reykjavik.is/laugardalslaug
https://reykjavik.is/vesturbaejarlaug
You need to read the changing information as it is totally different to here, but don't let it put you off, it's worth it.

Laugardalslaug

https://reykjavik.is/laugardalslaug

thattravelphotographer · 01/04/2023 17:47

May half term is probably your best bet as you will get the most daylight hours without it being summer holiday prices. But if seeing the Northern Lights is on your husbands bucket list then you will need to go October onwards, but bare in mind very little daylight that time of year (and non by midwinter).

Your best bet is to hire a car, and if you go for long enough I would recommend doing as much of the ring road as you can. In particular try to visit Jökulsaron glacier lagoon and the Oxarsarfoss falls - you can actually see where the tectonic plates moved which is incredible.

Just be mindful that Iceland is very expensive!

whoateallthecookies · 01/04/2023 18:02

Definitely June rather than October

Geysir, which no longer erupts, but its neighbour, Strokkur does is definitely worth a visit. It's very much on the tourist trail, and easy to get to from Reykjavik

If you're planning to rent a car, decide your route first - a 'normal' car is not suitable for unpaved roads (especially those involving fords) but will be fine for the ring road.

I also really enjoyed the outdoor public swimming pools, but as others have said, check the changing room rules first.

Take a swimsuit with you if you go anyway - there are some natural, geothermally heated pools where you can bathe, and they're awesome.

Even in June, it can be cold. It was 4C when we visited a glacier (in August), so take layers. However I also got to have a snowball fight in bright sunshine at over 20C, so it can be warm!

Have a great time!

Choconut · 01/04/2023 18:07

Jokulsaron glacier lagoon was the best thing we did there, boat trip was fun for the kids as was the Strokkur geysir. My second favourite thing was the Blue lagoon but it wasn't too busy when we went, kids enjoyed too. The public swimming pool we went to was also really good for the kids.

Dinoboymama · 01/04/2023 18:09

Do you want the almost 24 hour sunlight in June or a chance at seeing the Northern lights in October?
You can't see the Northern lights between mid April and mid August in Iceland due to the sunlight.

I have been in September it was not really cold and we didn't need thermals. It didn't even rain when we went.

We picked September due to the chance to see the Northern lights and were blown away with what we managed to see. It's never guaranteed but it was great to see them.
Weather can be bad any time of year even in July it's just a chance you take going.

TizerorFizz · 01/04/2023 23:29

We went in Sept 21 and it was very wet for half the time. Windy and cold too. Then snow! We had to hole up in a remote car park for 3 hours as it was so windy and snowing. A blizzard. Roads were closed. A few days were bright sunshine. It’s so variable and no guarantees of anything. October isn’t much different.

I think the ring road takes a week at least. You might want to drive off it to explore. Hire a 4x4 so you can go on all the roads. Some are barred to ordinary cars.

You might see whales in June. We also did a super jeep tour. Fantastic fun. There’s an outside museum at Skogar. There’s the site of the first Icelandic parliament snd fantastic waterfalls. Go into the wild highlands and visit pretty fishing villages. It’s a fairly expensive country but not as bad as Norway!

Reykjavik is worth a couple of days. Look at Lonely Planet for good recommendations. We went with Discover the World. Some places don’t have loads of hotels so plan in good time.

ginforall · 02/04/2023 20:30

We went when our boys were 5 and 10.

We hired a car and went along the Southern coast. Staying in self catering places helped keep costs down and we took a lot of snacks in out suitcase for the drives.

Jokulsaron glacier lagoon was a highlight, such an amazing place.

We also really liked the beach at Vik, black sand beach stone stacks at the side of the beach was just so different to home.

Also the waterfalls along the south coast were all great.

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