Iceland with kids: our Ring Road itinerary
If you’re planning a family trip to this magical island, you are probably in the midst of a good deal of research filled with confusing, ridiculously long words with too many j’s and k’s for anyone’s own good. For me, the most helpful information came from other parents who posted their itineraries. I would look at guidebooks and official-looking sites for estimated times and must-see spots, but I was never quite sure if they were taking into account the stride size of a 3 year old or the need to pick up every single rock before leaving the parking lot by a 9 year old aspiring geologist. So, this post is an effort to pay it forward and memorialize our trip at the same time. We had about ten days and did a self guided tour of the Ring Road. If you are interested in how I went about planning for this trip, from booking places to my packing list, check out my other post here.
Day 1: Reykjavik
Our flight got into Reykjanes airport around 8am. I know it’s sheer blasphemy, but we decided not to go to the Blue Lagoon. I knew we’d be going to Myvatn Nature Baths - the Blue Lagoon’s less popular little sister in the north - later in the trip, and I read something about a lot of floating hair - and not the kind from your head - in the Lagoon, so that was enough for me. Instead, we went to Viking World, a cute little museum near the airport, that opens at 7am! It got us all in the Icelandic spirit, and they served a decent buffet breakfast included in the ticket price. After an hour or so there, we headed to Reykjavik. From the moment we left the airport, we were transported into a strange and magical world of lava fields covered with various shades of green moss; I was sure at any moment Kristoff's family of trolls was going to come rolling out of the hills to tell me my husband is a bit of a fixer upper.
Once in Reykjavik we checked into Rey Apartments. This place was awesome! Tons of space, great location, clean, modern. Given the location it was a little loud at night; I was woken up at 3am to an entire bar of Icelanders belting out Zombie by the Cranberries. No complaints here; I am a child of the nineties after all. Can I just say, I love Reykjavik! The city is so clean and walkable and cool. There’s tons of street art and friendly people, and I was ready to move there on day one even though it was misty and 55 degrees in July. We did some shopping, visited Hallgrimskirkja Church - the kids very much enjoyed sliding down the back of the Leif Eiriksson statue in their rain pants, and had great crepes and lamb soup (I know, weird combo) at Cafe Babalu.
Day 2: The Golden Circle
First up is Thingvellir National Park, and of the three spots, we spent the most time here. I would give about two hours to explore the grounds. Read up on it beforehand and share what you learn with your kids. It’s a beautiful place on its own, but having the history and geology to back it up makes it even more interesting. On our way to Geysir we stopped for lunch and ice cream at Efstidalur farm. They had sheep and cows and ice cream and beer and good food. That’s all I need to say, right? The Geysir area reminded me of parts of Yellowstone with fumeroles, colorful hot springs, the sulfur smell loved by all children everywhere, and, well, the geysir! Actually, the real geysir of Geysir is no longer very active and the big one to see is Strokkur. It reminded me of Old Faithful except it’s much more frequent, but much less faithful and doesn’t last as long. The cool thing was we were watching it with about 100 people rather than 1000s and were able to get right up close. We spent 45 minutes there, then we were on to Gullfoss, our first of about 500 waterfalls we would see on the trip. I’m not kidding, they are everywhere. But, this one is big, powerful and just beautiful. It’s a fun little walk to the falls, followed by some slippery stones to get up close. Plan for another hour or so here. This day was a perfect welcome to the gloriousness of Iceland. We then had an hour and twenty minute drive to Guesthouse Akurgerdi in Olfus. Picture the cutest place you’ve ever seen, then add a hot tub and horses; stay there if you can.
Guesthouse Akurgerdi
Day 3: Southeast Coast: Olfus to Vik
We woke up to an early morning horseback ride right at Akurgerdi. I wasn’t sure if we would be able to ride horses while in Iceland because our youngest is three. However, the owner, Sabina, came along and walked beside her, holding the reins the whole time, and two other young women stayed close to our other children. Notice the headless pair of legs in the picture.
After that we hopped in the car and headed to Seljalandsfoss. This is the big waterfall you can walk behind. It's right off the Ring Road and so. much. fun.
Seljalandestfoss
Back on the road, we made a random stop at a turf house we spotted. Keep your eye out for it on the left and if you see it, pull over! Part of the fun of this place, aside from the fact that elves most definitely live there, is discovering it, so I won't give away too much, but go inside and then keep going. If you prep for it, this would be a great place for a picnic lunch.
We ate at Mia's Country Van, right down the road from Skogafoss, our next stop. The fish and chips were delightful and so was Mia!
Skogafoss is a monstrous waterfall. Be sure to go to the bottom where you can get so close the power of the falls rattles your bones and climb the stairs to the top to hike around a bit. I know it looks like a whole heck of a lot of stairs, but it's worth it. I did it with 40lbs of kid strapped to my back, so you can do it, too!
We knew we weren't going to be able to hike a glacier on this trip; it looked like all the hikes had a minimum age of 6. It also looked like Solheimajokull was our best bet for seeing one up close. So, we decided to make the stop and hike to its edge. For normal people this would probably take 20 minutes each way, but for the smaller, whinier variety of human it took about 40. Once we were there though, it was well worth it. Glaciers are freaking huge!
Next, we made a quick detour to see Dyrholaey. Our littlest had passed out at this point, so we took turns running from the car park to see this huge arched rock in the ocean. Gorgeous!
Finally, we made it to our final destination before settling into our hotel near Vik, the black sand beach and basalt columns of Reynisfjara. If your kids like to climb - ours are part monkey - this place is a gem. Actually, even if no one likes to climb, this place is so cool; mother nature is one creative lady. For dinner, we had decent hot dogs at the cafe on the beach, and they had beer too, always a bonus after a full day.
This day was long but doable, and there is nothing I would leave out. There are actually some things we skipped that I could see adding in. We spent about an hour at each of the sights, which didn't feel rushed, but you could definitely spend more time at each. So, if you have the time, it might make sense to spend two nights in Vik, and do Dyrholaey and Reynisfjara on day 2.
Day 4: Southwest Coast: Vik to Hofn
Our first stop on day 4 was Svartifoss, which is a good hour and forty minutes from Vik, so we made a roadside stop along the way. I encourage you to do this whenever it strikes you. Every random stop we made was full of cool discoveries and beautiful landscapes.
The hike to Svartifoss is a steep climb, especially at the beginning, but well worth it. We brought a snack and ate right on the rocks at the bottom of the falls.
On our way out of Svartifoss, we noticed some cars traveling down an unnamed road and, eager to use the 4-wheel drive, decided to follow. Did you ever play trot trot to Boston as a kid? The road was like playing that game on a really aggressive grown-up. (I found out later in life, that if you weren't from the Boston area, then no, you didn't play that game as a kid, which was a mind-blowing revelation. So for those of you not from Massachusetts, the road was bumpy as shit.) Anyways, it led us to this secret, or secret to us, glacial lagoon called Svinafellsjokull. This is Jokulsarlon's dirty uncle. No seriously, the water was pretty muddy looking, but still an amazing place and a fun little detour.
Back on the road we headed toward that beautiful and clean niece (??), Jokulsarlon and Diamond Beach. As you are heading in, there are two car parks on the right. I would park at the one before the bridge. From our vantage point from the one after the bridge, it looked like there were just as many "diamonds" on the beach over there but way less people. The ice is washing up all of the time, so I'm sure it depends on the day, but less people is always a good thing.
You can walk right from the beach, under the bridge to the glacial lagoon, and man is it breathtaking. Do you know the color blue? I mean do you really know it? You will my friend, you will. The kids loved watching the icebergs float peacefully through the lagoon, aka they loved throwing rocks at the icebergs and watching them crash into each other.
We ended our day in Hofn where we had a great meal at Ishusid Pizzeria. Pizza! In Iceland! Hofn is famous for langoustine so we had the lobster soup, classic lobster pizza and classic cheese for the kids. This was our longest stretch without pizza in the history of our family, which, this being day 4, was exactly 4 days long. The wait was worth it; this pizza was seriously delicious.
We stayed at Guesthouse Birkifell, about 20 minutes from Hofn. It was nice, but I probably would opt for something cheaper and closer to town if possible if I were to do it again.
Day 5: Hofn to Djupivogur
About 20 minutes down the road from Hofn is Stokksnes, a privately owned area that you can wander around for a nominal fee. I saw some reviews where people took issue with this fee, but I can't tell you how many times I was dumbfounded by what you can see and do for free in Iceland. My American brain just couldn't compute that every grain of sand hadn't been monetized. Anyways, make this stop if you have time. The drive out is beautiful and a great place to stop on the side of the road to greet some Icelandic horses. If you are camping, this would be a fun place to stay. We had a good breakfast at the little cafe and then made the 10-15 minute trek to the viking village. This was built as a film set in 2010, but then never used. Now you can wander in, on and around all of the turf structures. We got there on the early side and were the only ones there, which allowed for much viking role play with minimal embarrassment. Another great hike for little ones would be to the light house. We wanted to get on the road so we skipped it, but you can usually see seals there.
We decided to break up the East Fjords into two days and stay along the way in Djupivogur. I'm glad we did this for two reasons, first, I don't think we had a four hour drive in us and second we got to stay at Adventura. While the stay comes with breakfast, we also opted to have dinner there the night we arrived. I hereby command you to do this. Not only was the traditional Icelandic food delicious, but sharing a meal and conversation with Berglind and Gauti, the owners, was a highlight of our trip, for both the grownups and the kids. Gauti caught the fish that morning and hunted the reindeer in our reindeer pate. We had a chat before the dinner with our kids about trying everything and what to do if you don't like something. We also talked about saying thank you and not talking over people. Basically we covered how not to be an a-hole at the dinner table. Anyways, they did try everything and they liked it. Reindeer pate, people! Other highlights of Adventura: the ice cream man that goes door to door, the hot spring tub in the middle of nowhere, the countless birds' nests from which Gauti and Berglind collect down to sell to Japan for duvets (what??), the beautiful bay views, the impeccably appointed home, the basket of dolls Berglind keeps for children to play with, oh and Gauti is the mayor of Djupivogur.
Djupivogur is a cute little fishing town. One place to stop, especially if your kids are into rocks or fossils, is Bones, Sticks & Stones. I'm not really sure what this place is. A museum? A gallery? A store? It's as quirky and as cool as its owner, Free Willy. In a 15 minute chat with him we learned all about the hidden people, rocks that glow, sheep and horse ownership, and why there are relatively few trees in Iceland. It's located walking distance to the Eggs at Merry Bay, which were cool in theory but compared to everything else in Iceland, kind of just meh up close.
Bones, Sticks and Stones
Day 6: Djupivogur to Egilsstadir
To Oxipass or not to Oxipass? There is no question. If it's a decent day, don't be scared off from taking this beautiful jaunt up and over the mountains, unless of course you want to drive the fjords. Our kids had a "you've seen one fjord, you've seen them all" mentality so we decided to take the inland route. We found it crucial to pick our battles on this trip, and since Kevin and I both weren't dying to see more fjords either, we let them win this time. Something we all were dying to see? Puffins! After making a quick stop in Egilsstadir for coffee and treats, we kept on moving to the little village of Borgarfjordur Eystri. There is an island of puffins here. An island of puffins! You can get right up close to them. We spent a good hour here just observing these cute little buggers.
Afterwards we headed into the town proper to eat some lunch. Slim pickings in these parts. I would recommend stocking up at the store in Egilsstadir and then sitting for a picnic lunch on the rock table right in the harbor area. We had a random assortment of food left over, supplemented by weird stuff from the tiny store in town. I was feeling less than mother of the year as my kids called 6 day old doughnuts and doritos lunch, but then like the magical beast that she is Iceland offered up a pod of whales! They were swimming and jumping right in the fjord, as all five of us jumped and screamed right on the shore. See what I do for you, children? I give you whales with your doritos.
On our way back to Egilsstadir we were trying to decide if we should go to Seydisfjordur or hike to Hengifoss for the afternoon. Naturally, we ended up at the Egilsstadir town pool. All I can say is the war really started to change hands to team children at this point in the trip. With that said, it was a great afternoon. Icelanders take their pooling very seriously. They are clean, warm - for the most part, and super fun! Just a heads up, you have to get completely naked and shower in the changing room before going into any of the pools. It's a good thing to mention to the kiddos before heading in, lest you want to continuously apologize for your ogling offspring. I actually thought it was really nice for my girls to see so many different body types. Other things to note, there are no life guards and it's really up to you if you want your kids in the hot tubs or on the slides. You mean I have to watch my own children and you are not petrified I'm going to sue you? What kind of place is this?? A magical one, as I think I've mentioned.
We spent the night at the Rubin Holiday House just outside of Egilsstadir…very private, a ton of space, beautifully decorated, clean, and of course, a sweet hot tub.
Day 7: Egilsstadir to Husavik
As we began our trek back west we made a detour, about 15 minutes off the Ring Road, to Saenautasel. As we drove up to these old turf houses in the rain and wind, we weren't sure what to expect. The place looked deserted. We found a door with the word Velkomin carved over the top, shrugged our wet, freezing shoulders, and went in. A table set for coffee with mismatched mugs, plates, and coverings filled the length of the long house. A wood stove warmed us from the corner. Icelandic sweaters and wall hangings hung from the rafters. And then a boy and a sheep dog came out from the kitchen asking us if we wanted coffee, hot cocoa and pancakes. Yes, fairytale Icelandic boy, yes, we do. As we drank our coffee and ate our endless pancakes, I couldn't help but feel we had transported 100 years into the past when we went through that door. This feeling continued when we went to the other house, "the museum," to see how people used to live in the turf houses. The crazy thing was the boy still live there, during the summers anyway, along with the owners of the museum. We were seeing the past but also their current living quarters. There was something surreal about it, and ok I'm sorry to keep saying it, but it was freaking magical.
The big destination of this day was the Lake Myvatn area. There is so much to see here, and I think we did a good job of hitting up the best parts for kids. We started at Hverir, the part of planet Earth that is from another planet. Then hopped back into the car and headed over to Viti.
As you drive up the mountain to the parking lot you pass the Krafla power station. We didn't go in but I kind of wish we did. I had a lot of questions about the geothermal heat: how it is harnessed, where it goes, what it is used for. I feel as though a powerplant stuck on the side of an active volcano could have provided me with those answers. We made the 10 minute hike up to what looked like the highest part of Viti, took some pictures and headed back down. It wasn't as blue as I anticipated, maybe because the day was overcast, but, you know, still a ginormous volcanic crater so I suppose that's cool.
Next we headed to lunch at Vogafjos Cowshed Cafe. This place is popular - we had close to an hour wait - and expensive, but like most places in Iceland they have a decent kids' menu, which is much cheaper. The food was delicious. Try the lamb shank and the geysir bread.
We made a quick stop at Grjótagjá. A cave that is apparently in some sexy Game of Thrones scene. No, I haven't watched Game of Thrones. Stop yelling at me! We climbed in and a little bit on top, but it was raining pretty hard so we moved on quickly. If the weather was nicer, this could have been a good place to climb around. I think there are also some great hikes in this area, but with the weather, we were ready to get to the Myvatn Nature Baths. Like I said before, this is pretty similar to the Blue Lagoon but smaller, cheaper and maybe cleaner. The kids liked it, but probably preferred the town pools with the waterslides and floats. I probably preferred this, with the attractive Icelandic staff bringing me beer in a giant hot tub.
After about an hour and a half in the baths, we headed to Husavik, where we stayed in the town's old primary school, which has been converted into apartments, Gamli Skólinn Húsavík. Another great apartment in an even better location.
Day 8: Husavik to Akureyri
Husavik is adorable. It is also the whale watching capital of Iceland. We went out with Salka Whale Watch and got a 15% discount through our hotel. I imagine they are all good, but we liked our guide and found him to be very knowledgeable. Bundle up, people. It was a beautiful 70 degree day, they gave us these awesome one piece snow suits, we wore layers and we were still cold at times. The ride out was nice until people started to spot whales. My kids couldn't see over or around the snowsuit wearing giants, better known as adults, and were freaking the eff out. Then some guy proceeded to puke off the side of the boat right next to them. As some dude's lunch streamed endlessly past my children's faces, I was beginning to think this was a bad idea. Luckily, the guy's wife forced him to the back of the boat despite him slapping her away repeatedly, which was weird and awkward, and the guide let the kids stand on the benches for a better view. We saw a couple of different types of whales, but the crown jewel was the bottle nose whales. Our guide said they are more rare on a whale watch than the blue whale. Cool!
Jonesing for some more whale time (people still say that, right?) we headed to the whale museum after grabbing some lunch. This was a great spot. Among other things, there were lots of whale skeletons, including a huge one of a blue whale.
On the road again, we made a stop at Godafoss. It's recommended to see the falls from both sides, and I would agree, but we definitely preferred the east side, where you take a short hike down to the base of the falls. Lots of good climbing down there. After a good climb-about (yeah I made that up), we enjoyed some crisp water right from the river. You can park on both sides, but we took the footbridge to get across. Then, when we were ready to go, Kevin went back for the car, and I stayed with the kids as they climbed around some more.
After checking into our apartment in Akureyri, we headed to Kaffi Ilmur for dinner. Get the fish soup. I am not that big on sea food, but this soup, Mia's fish and chips (see day 3) and Berglind's fish casserole (see day 5) have kind of changed my life.
Day 9: Akureyri to Reykjavik
The thing about our apartment in Akureyri is it was right across from the town pool. The thing about the town pool in Akureyri is it was like a mini Great Wolf Lodge. Ok it wasn't that crazy, but it had three huge waterslides, including that toilet bowl looking one, and they were all highly visible from the street. Needless to say, we were there basically when it opened, as we promised the kids we could go before our big drive back to Reykjavik. This was definitely the best pool we went to. Super clean, super fun.
Then it was time for the long drive. I'm happy to say, this was the first time the kids broke out the ipads in the car, and honestly, it was a much needed break for all of us. Kevin and I settled in with a great audiobook and we were on our way. We made a stop at The Settlement Center; meh. It was tough for the three year old - it's an audio tour - so maybe that colored my experience.
The best part of the drive was when we pulled over to see some Icelandic horses. These horses are the equivalent of the squirrel back home, meaning they are everywhere. So, we kept putting this stop off. But, as I got out of the car and 8 majestic creatures turned in unison and bounded in my direction, I realized squirrels they are not. Do squirrels have hair as beautiful as Beyonce or Sara Jessica Parker? Do squirrels look knowingly into your eyes as you pet their beautiful faces? Do squirrels, sensing they've done their duty of providing you with a profound sense that all will be ok in the world, turn and, again, in freaking unison, trot off into the distance? No, squirrels eye you like they may run up your leg at any moment and eat your pumpkins like the suburban rats that they are.
Our last two nights in Reykjavik were spent at 101 Central Apartments, another great stay. I liked that we were in two different places while in the city; it allowed us to explore two different neighborhoods without having to trek too far from our home bases. A notable place we ate was yet another food truck: Skuli Bao Bun - all the deliciousness of a restaurant without the constraint of having to sit still.
We finished out our time in the city shopping along Laugavegur and walking along the harbor. Our favorite ice cream spots were Isleifur heppni - they make it using liquid nitrogen, which was cool to watch, and Vladis, which was a bit of a trek down to the harbor but worth it.
So that’s it! We did Iceland and I feel, for the most part, we did it right. I would love to hear your feedback on this itinerary or answer any questions, so hit me up in the comments!
