Iceland with kids.

Álftaneslaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Breiðumýri, Garðabær

Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 09:00–18:00

The only pool in Iceland with artificial waves, which by the way, bankrupted the municipality that built it.

Árbær Open Air Museum

Culture, Kids · Reykjavík · Kistuhylur 4

Winner of “Best Museum” 2026.

Ásvallalaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Ásvellir 2, Hafnarfjörður

Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–18:00

Ásvallalaug opened in September 2008, just as the great Icelandic financial bubble was deflating.

Barnaloppan

Shops, Kids · Reykjavík · Köllunarklettsvegur 1, 104 Reykjavík

Daily 10:30–18:00

Runner up 2026 in “BEST SECOND-HAND STORE”.

Borgarbókasafnið (Reykjavík City Library)

Culture, Kids · Reykjavík · Grófin, Tryggvagata 15, 101 Reykjavík

Runner up 2025 in “BEST PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS”.

Dalslaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Úlfarsbraut 120

Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 09:00–22:00

Dalslaug is Reykjavík’s newest swimming pool.

Dogsledding Iceland

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Near Mosfellsbær; exact location sent before the tour

Dogsledding Iceland runs all year from a moving camp near Mosfellsbær, about 35 minutes from Reykjavík; the exact spot is set up to two days ahead in summer, or the evening before in winter.

Elding Whale Watching

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Ægisgarður 5c

Elding's boats leave the Old Harbour and sail 40 minutes into Faxaflói bay, where whales the size of buses do whale-shaped things.

Fjörukráin

Food · Reykjavík · Víkingastræti 1-3, 220 Hafnarfjörður

Daily 11:30–22:00

The Viking Village in Hafnarfjörður: a restaurant and hotel built as a timber longhouse, fifteen minutes from Reykjavík by the harbour.

FlyOver Iceland

Activities, Kids, Culture · Reykjavík · Fiskislóð 43

Daily 09:00–18:30

This VR experience has been popular since opening in 2019, attracting locals as much as its primary customer base, visitors.

Gaeta Gelato Aðalstræti

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Aðalstræti 6

Mon–Fri 14:00–23:00 · Sat–Sun 12:30–23:00

The subject of a 'heated ongoing debate' at the Grapevine office about who makes the best ice cream in Iceland — Gaeta usually wins.

Gaeta Gelato Hlemmur

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Hlemmur Mathöll

Daily 12:00–22:00

The subject of a 'heated ongoing debate' at the Grapevine office about who makes the best ice cream in Iceland — Gaeta usually wins.

Gaeta Gelato Laugavegur

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Laugavegur 23

Daily 12:00–23:00

The subject of a 'heated ongoing debate' at the Grapevine office about who makes the best ice cream in Iceland — Gaeta usually wins.

Grafarvogslaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Dalhús 2

Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 09:00–22:00

Grafarvogslaug is a small, nice, no-frills suburban pool, and the clientele is primarily local.

Grái Kötturinn

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Hverfisgata 16a

Daily 08:00–14:00

Tucked into a cellar on Hverfisgata 16a, Grái Kötturinn has served Reykjavík its early breakfasts since 1997.

Hard Rock Café

Culture, Drinks, Kids, Happy · Reykjavík

Mon–Fri 12:00–22:00 · Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00

A good family place needs to be appealing to parents and kids alike.

Hellisgerði

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Hellisgata 3, 220 Hafnarfjörður

Runner up 2025 in “BEST PARK”.

Hljóðhimnar, Harpa

Culture, Kids · Reykjavík · Austurbakki 2

Runner up 2026 in “Best Permanent Exhibition”.

Hljómskálagarðurinn

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Hljómskálagarðurinn, 101 Reykjavík

Runner up 2025 in “BEST PLACE TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS”.

Hraðastaðir

Kids, Activities · Reykjavík · Hraðastaðir 6, 271 Mosfellsbær

Mon–Fri 13:00–16:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–16:00

A working farm in Mosfellsdalur, half an hour's drive from the city, that opens its animal yard to visitors in summer and takes people out on horses the rest of the year.

IKEA

Food, Kids · Reykjavík · Kauptún 4, 210 Garðabær

Daily 11:00–20:00

Runner up 2026 in “Best Family Restaurant”.

Ísbúðin Laugalæk

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Laugalækur

Daily 11:30–22:00

The ice cream shop most Reykjavík locals hit after Laugardalslaug.

Ísbúð Huppu

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Álfheimar 4, 104 Reykjavík

Mon–Fri 14:00–23:00 · Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00

Runner up 2025 in “BEST ICE CREAM”.

Ísbúð Vesturbæjar

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Hagamelur 67

Daily 12:00–23:30

Runner up 2026 in “Best Ice Cream”.

Íshestar

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Sörlaskeið 26, Hafnarfjörður

While we beg you not to stop your car in the middle of our highway to stare at Icelandic horses, there is no denying the majesty and cuteness of said horses.

Kaffi Laugalækur

Food, Drinks, Kids, Happy · Reykjavík · Laugarnesvegur 74a, 105 Reykjavík

Daily 10:00–23:00

The keto chicken salad at Kaffi Laugalækur is kind of perfect, in a keto way.

Klambrar Bistro

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Kjarvalsstaðir, Flókagata 24, 105 Reykjavík

Daily 10:00–17:00

The café-bistro inside Kjarvalsstaðir, the museum of Iceland's best-loved painter, on the edge of Klambratún park.

Klambratún

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Klambratún, 105 Reykjavík

Runner up 2025 in “BEST PARK”.

Kópavogslaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Borgarholtsbraut 17, Kópavogur

Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–18:00

Kópavogur’s two swimming pools are unquestionably among the best in the capital region; large, comfortable and well designed.

Kópavogur Natural History Museum

Culture, Kids · Reykjavík · Hamraborg 6a

Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–17:00

Tucked into the basement of Kópavogur Library, this is a natural history museum that trusts you to have fun.

Laugardalslaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Sundlaugavegur 30

Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–22:00

The current iteration of Laugardalslaug was inaugurated in 1968, sixty years after the municipality began operating a bathing facility in the area, which has acted as a pool site since 1772.

Laugardalur

Kids, Activities · Reykjavík · Laugardalur, 104 Reykjavík

Grapevine's Best Place to Take the Kids in 2017 is not a place but a valley: skate park, playing fields, the botanical garden, the city's biggest pool with its slides, and the zoo with its seals and…

Lava Show

Activities, Kids, Culture · Reykjavík · Fiskislóð 73, 101 Reykjavík

Real molten lava, superheated to 1,100°C and poured into the room a few metres from where you sit, while the host explains what it is doing.

Laxnes Horse Farm

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Laxnes, 271 Mosfellsbær

Laxnes has been putting beginners on horseback since 1968, when the farm in Mosfellsdalur set out to be Iceland's first proper activity company.

Mekó

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Hamraborg 4, 200 Kópavogur

Mekó is the name given to an assortment of Kópavogur’s cultural institutions; Gerðarsafn museum, Salurinn concert hall, natural museum and a library.

Museum of Design and Applied Art

Culture, Kids · Reykjavík · Garðatorg 1, 210 Garðabær

Daily 12:00–17:00

Runner up 2026 in “Best Museum”.

Nexus

Shops, Kids · Reykjavík · Glæsibær, Álfheimar 74, 104 Reykjavík

Runner up 2025 in “BEST GODDAMN STORE”.

Omnom

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Hólmaslóð 4

Daily 11:00–20:00

Runner up 2026 in “Best Ice Cream”.

OSUSHI The Train

Food, Kids · Reykjavík · Tryggvagata 13, 101 Reykjavík

Mon–Fri 11:30–21:00 · Sat–Sun 16:00–21:00

There’s something about eating food off a conveyor belt that appeals to the inner child in us.

Perlan

Culture, Kids · Reykjavík · Öskjuhlíð

Daily 09:00–21:00

Perched on Öskjuhlíð hill, this glass-domed landmark sparked multiple debates among our panel before we finally pinned down the category it fits best.

Ráðagerði Veitingahús

Food, Kids · Reykjavík · Ráðagerði, 170 Seltjarnarnes

Mon–Fri 11:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–22:00

Winner of “Best Family Restaurant” 2026.

Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Culture, Kids · Reykjavík · Grandagarður 8

What would Iceland be without the sea?

Reykjavík Park & Zoo

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Múlavegur 2

Daily 10:00–17:00

Located in Laugardalur, where you’ll also find an Olympic swimming pool, Reykjavík Park & Zoo is mainly two things: a petting zoo, featuring all of Iceland’s domesticated animals, along with seals,…

Salalaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Versalir 3, Kópavogur

The newer of the two Kópavogur pools is among the best family pools in the capital region.

Seltjarnarneslaug

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Suðurströnd 8-10, Seltjarnarnes

Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–19:30

Situated in a well-off suburb, Seltjarnarneslaug is one of the nicest pools in the capital region.

Skopp

Kids, Activities · Reykjavík · Dalvegur 10-14, 201 Kópavogur

Mon–Fri 16:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–18:00

A trampoline park in Kópavogur, formerly called Rush, whose slogan is “if they can walk, they can bounce”.

Skúbb

Food, Cafes, Kids · Reykjavík · Laugarásvegur 1

Mon–Fri 14:00–23:00 · Sat–Sun 12:00–23:00

Winner of “Best Ice Cream” 2026.

Smárabíó

Culture · Reykjavík · Hagasmári 1, 201 Kópavogur

The country's largest cinema, by its own account, sits inside the Smáralind mall in Kópavogur and has been a Best Cinema runner-up at Grapevine seven times, most recently 2024.

Spilavinir

Shops, Kids · Reykjavík · Suðurlandsbraut 48, 108 Reykjavík

Daily 11:00–22:00

Runner up 2025 in “BEST DATE PLACE”.

The Laundromat Café

Drinks, Food, Cafes, Kids, Happy · Reykjavík · Austurstræti 9

Mon–Fri 09:00–21:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–22:00

The only place you can get your laundry done while enjoying lunch and letting your kids play in the rec room.

The Volcano Express

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Austurbakki 2

With an eruption happening on the very same peninsula as Reykjavík sits on seemingly every other month for the past few years, Lava Express, located in Harpa concert hall, explains all of that from…

Tjörnin

Kids, Activities · Reykjavík · Tjarnargata, 101 Reykjavík

The pond beside City Hall, and Grapevine's Best Place to Take the Kids in 2019.

Viking Horses

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Almannadalsgata 13, 110 Reykjavík

Iceland shut the door on foreign horses early, so the animals here are close to what the settlers rode, which is the premise behind Viking Horses.

Whales of Iceland

Kids, Culture, Activities · Reykjavík · Fiskislóð 23-25, 101 Reykjavík

Daily 10:00–17:00

Twenty-three whales, life size, in a hangar on Grandi, and none of them can leave.

Ylströndin Nauthólsvík

Activities, Swim, Kids · Reykjavík · Nauthólsvegur

Mon–Fri 11:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–16:00

Ever dreamt of sunbathing in the midnight sun, on an island in the North Atlantic?

Your Friend in Reykjavík

Activities, Kids · Reykjavík · Ingólfstorg, 101 Reykjavík

Your Friend in Reykjavík runs a small stable of downtown walks, and they all begin at the same spot: outside Hlöllabátar on Ingólfstorg, the salty, saucy, greasy sub shop most people only meet at…

Museum of Rock 'n' Roll

Culture, Kids · Reykjanes Peninsula · Hjallavegur 2, Keflavík

Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 · Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00

Icelandic music aficionados can have an informative and fun time at “Rokksafn”.

Borgarnes Museum (Safnahús Borgarfjarðar)

Culture, Kids · The West · Bjarnarbraut 4-6, Borgarnes

Mon–Fri 10:00–17:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–14:00

Safnahús Borgarfjarðar is one of the most locally-focused museums in the country.

Borgarnes Pool

Activities, Swim, Kids · The West · Þorsteinsgata 1, Borgarnes

The family-friendly Borgarnes swimming pool boasts a clean and modern feel as well as a great view out to the ocean.

Háafell Goat Farm

Activities, Kids · The West · Reykholt

Icelandic goats, after having been isolated here for 1100 years, are actually the purest breed you can find in Europe.

Sea Monster Museum

Culture, Kids · The Westfjords · Strandgata 7, 450 Bíldudalur

Daily 10:00–18:00

After driving over the mountains and pulling into the tiny village of Bíldudalur, the last thing you’d expect to find is a state-of-the-art interactive exhibition.

Hestasport

Activities, Kids · The North · Vegamót, 560 Varmahlíð

In Skagafjörður, Grapevine writers have stopped the car for herds of horses crossing the road, and six to seven thousand people camped in a field when the national horse show came to Hólar.

Snow Dogs

Activities, Kids · The North · Vallholt, 641 Húsavík area (Reykjadalur)

Snow Dogs is a family outfit with about 30 Siberian huskies at Vallholt farm near Laugar, between Akureyri and Lake Mývatn.

The Húsavík Whale Museum

Culture, Kids · The North · Hafnarstétt 1, Húsavík

Daily 09:00–18:00

Located in an abandoned slaughterhouse in the middle of Húsavík, this Whale Museum takes matters one step further than its Reykjavík counterpart.

Vogafjós Farm Resort

Stay · The North · Vogafjós, Mývatn

This small, newly renovated café is almost on the shore of Lake Mývatn.

Zipline Akureyri

Activities, Kids · The North · Þingvallastræti 50, 600 Akureyri

Zipline Akureyri exists because its owners thought the town was short on things for adrenaline seekers.

Horseback Riding Húsey

Activities, Kids · East Iceland · Húsey

Horseback riding is always fun when the conditions are nice, and at Húsey you’ll get an added bonus.

Beluga Whale Sanctuary

Activities, Kids · The South · Ægisgata 2, Vestmannaeyjar

Daily 10:00–16:00

The world's first open-water sanctuary built for beluga whales, run by SEA LIFE TRUST.

Eldheimar

Culture, Kids · The South · Gerðisbraut 10, Vestmannaeyjabær

Daily 11:00–17:00

In 1973 Eldfell buried around 400 homes on Heimaey.

Eldhestar

Activities, Kids · The South · Vellir, 816 Ölfus

Eldhestar works out of the farm Vellir, just outside Hveragerði, about 40 minutes from Reykjavík over the Hellisheiði pass.

Fjallsárlón Iceberg Boat Tours

Activities, Kids · The South · Fjallsárlón, 785 Öræfi

Fjallsárlón is the smaller, younger sibling of Jökulsárlón: fewer visitors, smaller icebergs, and a shoreline much closer to the glacier, which comes crawling over the mountain and ends abruptly in a…

Fjöruborðið

Food, Kids · The South · Eyrarbraut 3A, 825 Stokkseyri

Daily 12:00–20:15

Forty-five minutes from Reykjavík on the Stokkseyri shore, and famous for one thing: the langoustine.

Icelandic HorseWorld

Activities, Kids · The South · Skeiðvellir, 851 Hella

Icelandic HorseWorld is a horse farm at Skeiðvellir, near Hella, that also takes people who have no intention of riding.

Laugarvatnshellir (The Cave People)

Activities, Kids · The South · Laugarvatnshellar, 840 Laugarvatn

About a hundred years ago, two separate families made their home in a cave dug into the soft rock of a hillside between Þingvellir and Laugarvatn.

Laugarvatn Fontana

Activities, Swim, Kids · The South · Hverabraut 1, 840 Laugarvatn

Fontana sits on the shore of Lake Laugarvatn, about an hour from Reykjavík, and runs on the geothermal water underneath it: hot pools at assorted temperatures and natural steam rooms that do not mess…

LAVA Centre

Culture, Kids · The South · Austurvegur 14, Hvolsvöllur

Daily 08:30–17:00

Deceptively light and cheery on the outside, this interactive museum is a brilliantly constructed immersive volcanic experience.

Mega Zipline Iceland

Activities, Kids · The South · Árhólmar 1, 810 Hveragerði

The Svartagljúfur canyon sits right beside the switchbacks down into Hveragerði, and almost everyone drives past without noticing it.

Monster Truck on Langjökull

Activities, Kids · The South · Upper Gullfoss car park, 806 Gullfoss

Sleipnir is an eight-wheeled monster bus that rolls over crevasses as if they were speed bumps, and the ride up onto Langjökull is half the point.

Puffin Lookout

Activities, Kids · The South · Stórhöfði, Vestmannaeyjar

The Westman Islands hold the largest Atlantic puffin colony on the planet, and Stórhöfði at the island's southern tip is where you meet it without effort — a two hundred metre walk from the car park…

Rafting on Hvítá

Activities, Kids · The South · Drumboddsstaðir, 806 Selfoss

Hvítá is only an hour and a half from Reykjavík, which makes never having rafted it slightly embarrassing.

Selfoss Pool

Activities, Swim, Kids · The South · Tryggvagata 15, Selfoss

Quite possibly the largest swimming pool in South Iceland, the Selfoss pool is the perfect spot for a family outing.

Spranga

Activities, Kids · The South · Sprangan, Vestmannaeyjar

Before it was recreation, spranga was professional development.

Volcano ATV

Activities, Kids · The South · Strandvegur 65, 900 Vestmannaeyjar

Eldfell did not exist before 1973.

Westman Islands By Boat

Activities, Kids · The South · Básaskersbryggja, Vestmannaeyjar

The calm alternative to the RIB.