Iceland – the land of fire and ice with a 5 year old!

Iceland has been on my bucket list for years, but I was apprehensive about travelling alone with my 5-year-old. It turns out that my apprehension was unfounded, and solo travelling with my child in Iceland was one of the best trips I’ve taken in a long time.

The strange landscape, wilderness, volcanoes, geysers, and the overpowering presence of Mother Nature were epic and have left their mark.  My child is still talking about volcanoes, black sand beaches, and outdoor swimming months after we returned. 

After an easy three-hour flight from London, I collected our hire car and drove straight from Reykjavik airport to the small town of Vik on the south coast.  A word of warning about driving in Iceland: as soon as you leave Reykjavik, the roads become simple single-lane roads with no streetlights and questionable driving surfaces in places.

On clear days, driving was wonderful, but I faced a few hair-raising experiences with dense fog, torrential rain, hail, and high winds. As a girl used to driving in the city, this experience was tough, and I can’t imagine what the driving conditions would be like when it’s snowing.

Vik

We stayed in a self-catering apartment at the stunning Black Beach Suites. The staff were exceptionally friendly, the room felt luxurious and the remote location just outside Vik offered breathtaking views over the rugged fields to the beach. 

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The public swimming pool in Vik was amazing. It features a waterslide and a box full of kids’ pool toys. There are three different swimming pools, with temperatures ranging from 29 to 40 degrees Celsius. We visited on a rather foggy miserable day, and there was something magical about swimming in warm water while it was cold outside. The view from the pool of the surrounding mountains was splendid.

Just next to the swimming pool is a playground with a zip line, so we spent an entire day swimming and then playing in this part of town before heading to Vik Horse Adventure for an afternoon Black Beach family riding tour. The horses were gentle and well-trained. The short ride along the beach was perfect for little ones, and I loved that I got to ride with my child.

The next day, we played on the beach at Reynisfjara—an incredible black sand beach with stunning rock formations. We were then back in Vik for the fascinating Lava Show, during which molten lava is poured out in front of you while you receive an overview of Iceland and all its volcanoes. This was such a wonderful experience for both kids and adults!

The road trip from Vik to Reykjavik

On the way to and from Vik, we stopped off at various sites, and below I have listed my highlights:

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

You can see this waterfall from the road, and the car park is almost directly next to it, making it a really nice and easily accessible spot. This waterfall was our favourite because you can walk along a path behind it. Warning – we got very wet! It was an exhilarating experience.

Skógafoss  Waterfall

This waterfall is an easy walk on a wide, flat path from the car park. We then walked the 527 to the top of the waterfall—quite something for my 5-year-old! From the top, you can walk along the path next to the Skoga river, but this was a step too far for my child, so we simply walked back down.

Sólheimajökull Glacier

This is a glacier and is again an easy walk from the car park to a viewpoint. The walk is a bit longer but beautiful, taking you along the river that, when we were there, had huge chunks of ice floating in it. Many people go glacier hiking here, but obviously, you can’t do that with a 5-year-old!

Hrunalaug Hot Spring

This was a real highlight. A natural hot spring in the middle of nowhere. We spent a couple of hours chilling in the hot water, surrounded by rugged countryside and mountains. There are little huts to change, but it is a mad cold dash from the changing hut to the hot spring. It was well worth the detour off the main road.

Reykjavik Town

The Perlan Museum is a fantastic museum that provides everything you need to know about Iceland. The highlights included the Volcano film, ice cave, and Northern lights experience. The views from the roof are extraordinary, and there is an ice-cream parlour. Entry is expensive but children aged 5 and under are free.

On the weekend we went to The Children’s Culture Festival, which takes place every April with activities throughout Reykjavik for free. Due to the festival, entry to the Zoo was free as well, and activities occurred throughout the day. We participated in a yoga class by the seal enclosure, met some Icelandic trolls, took part in an African dance class, and were entertained by a marching band while we played in the amazing playground. Without this, I’m not sure the zoo would be too much fun. They have a few animal enclosures, focusing on Icelandic animals, which you can see as soon as you leave Reykjavik! The playground is fantastic and probably worth the entry price.

Right next to Reykjavik Park and Zoo is the Laugardalur Ice Rink, where we had a fun hour. Children aged 5 and under are free.

In the same complex is Laugardalslaug Pool. We visited numerous times! Again, children under 5 are free. The water in all the pools is warm (29 – 40 degrees centigrade, depending on which pool you choose), and the highlight for my daughter was the waterslides.

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon rock pooling on the beach near Grotta Island Lighthouse.

Harpa Concert Hall & Conference Center

The concert hall in the harbour at the centre of Reykjavik is beautiful. We went there for a free kids’ concert as part of the Children’s Culture Festival, which was wonderful. They also have a fantastic music-themed soft play area in the lobby that is free. In the basement, there is a 4D volcano experience. Its crazy expensive and probably too scary for a 5-year-old, but we did it anyway and then wished we hadn’t! 

The House of Collections

This is an intriguing contemporary art gallery that features a craft area for children. We spent an hour or two creating shadow puppets. Your ticket here grants you access to The National Gallery of Iceland. We visited both, but found The House of Collections to be more captivating, with fun interactive elements that are ideal for kids.

The Reykjavik Art Museum is located in a beautiful park that also features a fab playground equipped with a bounce pillow and zip line. Your ticket provides admission to all three art museum venues (Hafnarhus, Kjarvalsstaoir, and Asmundarsafn).

Our favourite Restaurant picks in Reykjavik

Eating out in Iceland is expensive, so we mostly cooked at home, but these places were highlights:

Raoageroi Veitingahus  – This place was a real treat. Great Italian food and drinks in a beautiful setting. The sandpit and toys outside were enjoyable too.  I sat in the sun sipping an Aperol spritz while my child walked around on stilts and played hoopla. Also, very close to the Grotto Lighthouse.

Ramen Momo – fab ramen and dumplings. Perfect lunchtime pitstop.

NEO Pizza  – great cheap pizzas. Simple but a total winner with the kids.

Hygge Coffee & Micro Bakery – We had the best brownie and best carrot cake we’ve ever eaten. I am still dreaming about it.

Skubb Ice Cream  – Located near Laugardalslaug Pool, the huge portions made a great after swimming snack!

The Golden Circle

We completed the Golden Circle on a day trip from Reykjavik. It was quite an epic undertaking, involving about three hours in the car that day. Next time, I would prefer to stay overnight before returning to Reykjavik, as there were some remarkable sights I believe we missed due to the lack of time. Below is what we managed to accomplish:

We drove through the Thingvellir National Park. The scenery was unbelievable.

Brúarfoss – another waterfall. Again, easily assessable. My kid wasn’t that interested “because we couldn’t walk behind it”!

Gullfoss – an impressive waterfall. It’s an easy walk along a gentle path from the car park to the viewing point to see this waterfall. There’s also a huge gift shop and restaurant catering to the busloads of tourists who come to see this impressive waterfall. For my child, this was one waterfall too far. I was blown away, but my kid claimed she didn’t want to see any more waterfalls, as we’d already seen too many on this trip!

Stokkur Geyser – Just across the road from the car park and another large gift shop and restaurant is a field of geysers. The strange, steaming landscape, with warning signs advising against touching the 100-degree centigrade water, is bizarre. The geyser erupts approximately every 10 minutes. The anticipation adds to the excitement! We strolled around the field, discovering other bubbling pools that were smoking. The overpowering smell of sulphur led to many complaints from my little one.

Laugarvatn Fontana – a true Icelandic hot spring spa experience with views of the mountains and lake. Children under 5 were free here.