THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS
1. Go Swimming
Swimming pools are great places for children to burn off any excess energy, especially after a long car journey. Just about every town in Iceland has a heated pool, which makes it an easy option. Though most of the pools are outdoors, they are especially fun in winter, when snow is falling.
One of many heated outdoor pools
2. Feed the Birds at Tjörnin
In Reykjavík, pick up a loaf of bread from the nearest bakery and head to Tjörnin lake in the centre of the city (see Tjörnin) to feed whooper swans, greylag geese, mallards and eider ducks. In June and July there are a lot of cute ducklings around too, but note that it is forbidden to feed the birds during these months.
A child feeds the birds at Tjörnin, in central Reykjavík
3. Visit the Museums
Iceland’s most engaging museums for children are the open-air Árbæjarsafn museum of traditional farm life (see Sigurjón Ólafsson Sculpture Museum); the Saga Centre at Hvolsvöllur, which is full of swords and dioramas; Borgarnes Settlement Center, showcasing spooky recreations of Egil’s Saga; and Húsavík Whale Museum, with its fascinating skeletons and marine mammal displays.
4. Eat a Hot Dog
Tryggvagata, 101 Reykjavík
Eating a pylsur (hot dog) from the flagship Bæjarins Beztu wagon in central Reykjavík (there are three further stands around the city) is a rite of passage for young Icelanders, who form long queues outside this unpretentious mobile stand. Why? The hot dogs taste great – though you might want to hold the onions.
5. Visit Reykjavík Harbour
Reykjavík has a busy harbour, with all types of colourful fishing boats and trawlers sailing in and out on a daily basis or hauled up on slipways for repairs. Look in the waters and you might also see jellyfish. Grab a snack along nearby Geirsgata at either Búllan for burgers, or at Icelandic Fish & Chips on Tryggvagata.
6. Go Horse Riding
Short and stocky Icelandic horses are even-tempered, making them child-friendly and a good choice for first-timers. Most of the riding schools cater to children with their flexible schedules and duration of rides (see Horse Riding).
7. Picnic at Reykjavík Botanic Gardens
The botanical gardens make for a pleasant place for a family outing and picnic, just a short way from downtown Reykjavík (see Perlan). There is plenty of soft grass, ducks and geese wandering about, and – in the summertime at least – beds of colourful endemic flowers. Don’t miss the small zoo, which is full of native mammals and birds.
8. Enjoy Whale-Watching
In Iceland there is quite a good chance of seeing minke and humpback whales, orca, sperm whales and even exciting rarities like blue whales. Húsavík is the best place to go whale-watching.
9. Hunt for Trolls
Trolls, the frightening, mischief-making giants, are said in local folklore to inhabit several places in Iceland. They turn to stone if they are caught in the sunlight but their oddly shaped, petrified forms can be seen (if you look hard enough) in many lava fields, mountain outcrops and sea stacks.
10. Go Beachcombing
Icelandic beaches are full of interesting flotsam and jetsam, from bird feathers and oddly-shaped pebbles to rusted relics from shipwrecks, tree trunks (which have floated here from Siberia) and even – if you are really lucky – whale bones.
A rusted shipwreck in Reykjanes
TOP 10 ICELANDIC FOLKTALES
1. Sæmundur the Wise
Founder of an 11th-century ecclesiastical school, who frequently took on and always defeated the Devil.
Statue of Smundur the Wise
2. Viking Treasure at Skógafoss
Legend has it that a Viking named Þrasi Þórólfsson hid his hoarded gold in a cave behind the Skógafoss waterfall.
3. The Beast of Hvalfjörður
This evil, red-headed whale terrorized Iceland’s west coast until it was lured into a trap.
4. Ormurinn, the Lagarfljót Serpent
Iceland’s elusive version of the Loch Ness Monster is said to inhabit Lögurinn lake near Egilsstaðir in the east of the country.
5. Bergþór
A friendly giant who lived at Bláfell, near Geysir, and died around 1000.
6. The Lovestruck Shepherd
A favourite tale about a young man who waded across the Hvítá river to propose to a shepherdess.
7. Eyvindur and Halla
Iceland’s most famous medieval outlaw, along with his wife, Halla, survived 20 years on the run.
8. The Origin of Öxará Falls
The falls are said to have been created around AD 930 when the Öxará river at Þingvellir was diverted.
9. Were-Seals
Seals are thought to sometimes adopt human form, especially those that swim close to shore.
10. Snorri
The wily thief Snorri escaped pursuit inside a small cave at Þórsmörk – it is near the bus stop.
