Iceland in winter with kids

[WaltonOnNaze]

Anyone done this? Just four days. Did they enjoy it or was it too cold? How cold was it? What do you do in all the hours of darkness? And just how expensive was it to eat out.
Thank you!

We took our DC one February half term. It was cold but tolerable. We all had ski jackets/trousers. We stayed in an Airbnb so saved money by eating in. Eating out wasn't too bad but we didn't drink alcohol there.

It's dark but not unpleasant in the evening so we'd still go for walks around Reykjavik.

I wouldn't go out on the glacier on the skidoo with them it's bloody freezing. Apart from that it's tolerable.
Blue Lagoon with them is fab.

Winter can be brutal. Cold. Windy. Dark. Fine if you're happy to spend lots of time indoors. Doesn't sound ideal with kids think. I think you'd have a better time if you went in summer, or at least spring/autumn. It's an expensive place to holiday if you can't do all the fabulous outdoorsy things - or can't fully enjoy them as it's bitterly cold.

We visited in July and the weather was perfect for our toddler (late teens, not too hot and not too cold). There was so much for us to do both inside and outside, but you can't come to Iceland and not see some waterfalls and stunning scenery. I can't imagine the 24 hours of darkness and the freezing cold temperatures would be great for children in winter.

I put together an itinerary of how we spent 6 days in Reykjavik with a car and our 2 year old - hopefully you can take some bits from it and adapt if you're going in the winter (or just have a read through to see if you'd rather go in summer too!) - https://ashotoftheworld.com/6-days-in-reykjavik-in-summer-with-a-toddler/ x

We did this last year- 4 days before Christmas with 2X teens and an 8 year old. We arrived in the middle of a huge snowstorm and were stuck on the runway for 5 hours. Ours was the last transfer to Reykjavik and then all roads from the airport were shut. This included all roads around Iceland so it meant 2 of our trips were cancelled.
it was cold and we all wore base layers/thermals and ski type clothing plus snow boots. The snow was amazing and the kids loved it! We mostly pottered around Reykjavik because we couldn’t go anywhere else but there was plenty to do. We did manage to do our northern lights tour and Blue Lagoon. We didn’t find eating out to be much more expensive than here really, except alcohol so we hardly had any!

My DD went in winter and a trip was cancelled. I’d just not do it. She was with a hen do! We went in September and still
had very poor weather - it snowed. Reykjavik really doesn’t have enough to do. The rest of Iceland is what you want to see. Including whales! Go in the summer!

We went for New Years when the kids were 3-4. It was fine. You need the right clothes and an acceptance that it's a relaxed, lots of time in the hotel holiday.

We did a couple of tours - Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon. There was a lot of dark bus journeys, but the attractions were daylight.

MIL was with us, so DH and I did a Northern Lights trip without them, although they probably would have been fine (jet lagged in the right direction coming back from the US).

I wouldn't go for more than a few days, though. 1 day Reykjavik, 1 day Golden Circle, 1 day Blue Lagoon, 1 extra for bad weather allowance.

I did it at the beginning of December.
Days were short and dark; but really good fun!
We hired a car and drove ourselves around; chased the northern lights, did the golden circle etc
Daughter was fine with the cold - we did wrap up in thermals / snow boots etc
Only time she said she was cold and cried was at one of the waterfalls as it was high and open (was -20) - other than that she says was one the best holidays!

Eating out was expensive if eating in KFC (think it worked out at £20 for 1 adult and 1 kid) subway was reasonable, we ended up eating in our hotel one night & the rest we had a little kitchen in our hotel room that we had toasties / beans on toast / pot noodle etc (if brought some from home as of read up on the food)

In the darkness we chased the lights lol, had dinner, went to see the lighthouse, had an early night one night as we was shattered ....

Eating out isn’t that bad! We ate at lovely neighbourhood restaurants for the price of a McD it appears. Just aim a bit higher!

Plus what on earth is the point of going to Iceland if you cannot see what it’s famous for and then decide it’s a hotel holiday? Spend a bit more in summer or Whitsun and enjoy it all. I’d bitterly regret flying there and seeing very little. Plus they close the roads in bad weather. Understandably. There’s so much to see and enjoy when the days are longer.

Too right! It's fairly expensive even on a budget and it's one of those places people usually go once. Why waste it on the dead of winter? I will never understand!

I've been for years in October / November for the Airwaves music festival in Reykjavik (which is ace) and have brought the kids with me in the past. It has always been great at that time of you - you might see the northern lights! Reykjavik is well set up for the weather eg natural hot water under the streets so they're never icy even if it's snowy. Eating out can be dear but it's manageable - buy a bottle of something in the duty free and have a cocktail before you go out if you want! The Blue Lagoon is always brilliant and the geysers are amazing. You'll never regret it.

We went in May and it was big coats and bobble hats and one day of sideways rain. I wouldn’t go in winter as much as I’d love to see the northern lights. But rekyavik is very interesting and we loved the restaurants bars and museums. You want to be able to drive to see the geysers, volcanos etc so shame if roads are closed. Easter holidays might be a better choice than peak winter

A different viewpoint about going in winter.

We went in January - although not with kids - and had an amazing time. Saw the northern lights three times, we went on day trips from Reykjavik to various places including Thingvellir (we did the snorkelling between the tectonic plates) and saw the black sand beaches, waterfalls etc.
We also went to the north coast - Akureyri and Husavik. It was beautiful in the snow. We had some lovely snowy walks, went husky sledding. We visited the natural saltwater hot springs in Husavik which was amazing especially on a cold day.
We dressed warmly and were fine. There is more risk of flights being cancelled etc in the winter though so definitely need to keep that in mind and ideally have some flexibility.

I think re: going with children I’d ask what you want to do in Iceland and then ask yourself when the best time of year to go is? E.g If you want to explore the interior then that would mean going in summer, if you want to see the northern lights then you’ll need to go when it’s dark enough to (although that could be autumn or spring not necessarily winter).

Hot water under the streets is a tiny proportion of the very centre of Reykjavik. It's not standard and most of the roads do get snowy/icy. Ice rink pavements are a hazard in town in every winter.

Autumn is much better than winter, despite the storms. We're just having our first little autumn storm today (not a real one, only about 30 mph winds). But it's often still good weather, normal light conditions, not likely to snow, and dark nights to see the northern lights.

We went in Jan with older DC. It was light between about 10-4. Cold, but perfectly manageable except at Gulfoss where my phone battery drained in minutes. We had gorgeous blue skies for three days though. So picturesque.
Yes expensive to eat. We took a case full of non perishable foods and made sandwiches too. Two small pizzas and cans of beer on our last night cost around £50!
Our DC have been lucky enough to have a lot of holidays with us and say this was their favourite. It's unique.

I think people must be eating in tourist traps. We went in 2021 and didn’t pay anywhere near that. We were surprised it wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be.

Winter weather does prevent certain activities and can close roads. So it’s a gamble. So is northern lights if it’s cloudy! Whale watching would be difficult too.

We went for the new year (great time to go.!) It was cold but I've been colder in Scotland

You need a decent coat, hat , gloves and scarf but nothing out of the normal range for winter clothing