Iceland with Kids: Itinerary, Tips + Photo Journal

As I have mentioned many times before, traveling with kids isn't a leisurely vacation. It's a journey filled with planning, packing, and patience. But the rewards are immeasurable. They learn invaluable lessons about adaptability, problem-solving, and appreciating different perspectives. The memories created during these trips will last a lifetime, shaping their worldview and fostering a lifelong love of adventure (we hope!) This is why we choose to save and spend our money on these trips, it means a lot to us that our children see the world.

Why Iceland? From glaciers to geysers, waterfalls to volcanoes, Iceland is a playground for both kids and adults. I have heard so many amazing things about this country and since this year was the PEAK year to see the Northern Lights for the next 20 years, we decided this would be our next trip. Out of all of our trips, this may have been our favorite one. I would absolutely live there.

Our friends Ailsa and David came with us and I absolutely loved being able to experience this country alongside them.

Gearing Up for an Icelandic Adventure

Our trip was in October and the weather was absolutely beautiful - average of 25-40 degrees with sunshine. When I looked at the weather the week before there was a lot of rain (it’s their second rainiest month of the year) but we lucked out and didn’t have any! Regardless, I packed winter layers and waterproof layers for everyone just in case. Don't forget swimsuits – the geothermal pools are a must-do in Iceland! Renting a car is a must if you plan to see as much as possible and be on your own schedule.

You can see more about what I packed for myself and the kids here. I ended up removing the taupe rain boots because two pairs of boots was too many and I took out the jeans and black puffer coat (and replaced it with a fun multi colored FP coat). This was a great decision because two pairs of shoes was more than enough and there was NO role for jeans in Iceland. You will be living in outdoor hiking gear.

Within the rest of this post I will go into depth about our daily itinerary, where we stayed, where we ate, hikes we did, etc. This includes a detailed google maps that you can use for your own trip if you wish. This is for paid subscribers only because this trip took me many, many hours to plan. I think this is the most in depth trip recap I have ever done - phew! Thank you for your support!

The rest of this article contains:

• a detailed itinerary with google map accessibility

• printable itinerary for your own use

• photo collage of the entire trip with video

• Northern lights photos/videos with details on what we learned about them (how to photograph them and spot them easier)

• tips and advice for planning your own trip to Iceland

• what we wish we could have done but didn’t have time for