A week in Iceland with a Toddler
Thank you for coming to read our blog on a A week in Iceland with a toddler.
Flying to Reykjavik
Iceland hadn’t really occurred to us as a holiday destination until my parents went and said how amazing it was. We thought it would be somewhere a bit different and, at at flight time of just over 3 hours, not too far away (considering our daughter was 17 months old, the age where they DO NOT WANT TO SIT STILL!) We flew with British Airways from London Heathrow Terminal 5 (our favourite as it’s super close to home). The flight was at 11.20am which was a pretty good time to travel, and the little one napped which was great.
Reykjavik
We flew into Reykjavik and stayed there for 3 nights at the Odinsve Apartments which were great. The only downside was there was no lift. So we had to walk to the top floor so we kept the buggy in the car and carried the toddler up. The apartment had two bedrooms and ample space and was designed beautifully. They’d provided a cot which was great. It was in the centre of the city so easy to explore. We paid £253.96 for 2 nights via Hotels.com.
We went to the botanical gardens and they were gorgeous, covered in snow and and icy ponds.
It was super cold, much colder than we’d expected. Dave and I are always getting caught out by the weather – I must get better at researching it! Because of this we generally found indoor things to do, such as a little soft play cafe in the city centre.
Exploring the Golden Circle
We then drove to our little cottage 15km’s from the town of Selfoss (about an hour and a half from Reykjavik) and it blew our minds. The cottage was absolutely gorgeous, the owners provided everything you could wish for and the views were stunning. There was a cot made up already (complete with blankets and toys), lots of food, children cutlery and a highchair. Ours had 3 bedrooms, all made up with eiderdown duvets and luscious throws – perfect for the wintry evenings.
We had chosen somewhere remote as we wanted as best chance as possible to see the Northern lights from our accommodation. Travelling with a toddler meant we couldn’t really do the ‘light chasing’ excursions that are available – find out more on Holidays to see the Northern Lights here. We chose well and were lucky enough to see the lights on numerous occasions during our stay.
As I said, we hadn’t expected it to be snowy but did appreciate that all hire cars hired before the end of March automatically come with snow tyres. We did encounter a few hairy drives during our stay and were reassured knowing the car was fit for purpose.
Secret Lagoon
As you can’t visit the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik with a child under 2 years old, we went to the Secret Lagoon about half an hour away from the cottage. It was AMAZING. Rustic, authentic and quiet.
I think it has been developed a bit more now but still seems to retain its unique charm. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours, soaking in a nice warm bath 😉
Gulfoss Waterfalls
Another trip we took was to the Gulfoss Waterfalls which are stunning. Due to the weather and the icy walkway down to the falls I stayed in the cafe with our daughter – sending Dave instead to take a photo. It was probably the only place we visited that didn’t go to plan as a direct consequence of the time of year we visited. My parents had visited in July and had negotiated the walkway with no problems.
Geysir Hot Springs
Another iconic Icelandic sight is the Geysir Hot Spring area. With boiling mud pits, exploding Geysers and the famous Stokkur which spurts water 30 metres in the air every few minutes. Again, it wasn’t the easiest of drives but definitely worth it. There is a nice centre with a cafe and good parking once you get there.
Food and drink in Iceland
We ate out a lot during our stay and found that, whilst expensive, the food was tasty and plentiful. It is worth noting that there is a zero tolerance drink driving level in Iceland. The only alcohol only is sold at state run ‘Vinbudins’ (like off-licences) of which there are only 49 in the entire country. We had noticed that a lot of people were buying alcohol in Arrivals at the airport when we got to Iceland, and I expect that is why!
The nearest we got to traditional Icelandic food though was some Icelandic Cod and Chips, which were delicious 🙂
Summary
Everywhere that we visited was in the ‘Golden Circle’ which features the vast majority of major sights in Iceland. I wouldn’t have wanted to venture much further in the time we had, or in the weather conditions we experienced. But would love to go back one day to explore further. It was STUNNING and is up there on our list of best ever holidays.
Have a look at our holiday to Norway for a similar snowy adventure 🙂
