7 Iceland Tours With Kids Ranked: What We’d Do Again
We wanted to see how much of Iceland we could realistically pack into seven days with four kids and still have everyone speaking to each other at the end. As a family of six, we knew we wanted the big, classic sights, but we didn’t want the whole trip to be one long bus nap. So we ended up with a mix: three massive 12-hour tours and then shorter, kid-friendly activities and museums on the “off” days.
In this post, I’m ranking all seven tours and experiences we did, what was absolutely worth it, what we’d only do with a discount, and what we’d skip next time, so you can build an Iceland itinerary that actually works with kids, not just on paper, especially if you’re planning around 7 days in Iceland with family.
Key Takeaways
- Prioritize a mix of long tours and shorter activities to keep kids engaged and avoid burnout during your Iceland trip.
- The Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour was the standout experience, providing in-depth knowledge and engagement from the guide, making it ideal for families.
- Schedule "off" days with light activities in Reykjavik to allow for rest and recovery between the more intense 12-hour tours.
Our 7-Day Iceland With Kids Itinerary: How We Structured Tours and Off Days
We built our 7 days in Iceland with family around a simple rhythm: two big days on, then at least one half day or full day off, or a very short tour on the “off” day. For us, “big days” meant 12–14 hour tours. “Off” days were 1–3 hour activities in Reykjavik plus playground and rest time.
We flew in overnight on a Friday, landed in Reykjavik on Saturday morning around 2 a.m., and had our first 12-hour tour starting at 9 a.m. That same morning. We had two long tours back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday, then another long tour planned for Tuesday, which is the one we canceled (the Silver Circle). Once we did the math, adding that Silver Circle tour on top of three existing 12-hour days would have left everyone fried, especially with four kids.
In total, we ended up with three 12-hour tours plus four shorter activities during the week. Most of the long bus tours stopped roughly every 45 minutes for bathrooms, snacks, and coffee, which worked well with kids and broke up those 12–14 hour days. On the Reykjavik days, we walked to most activities, sometimes 30 minutes each way, and stacked shorter things together instead of another full-day bus commitment.
Rough timing for the Reykjavik activities:
- Reykjavik food tour: about 3 hours
- Perlan: about 3 hours
- Lava Show: about 1 hour
- FlyOver Iceland: about 1 hour total, including pre-show
Compared to the intensity of the 12-hour bus days, those 1–3 hour Reykjavik activities plus playground and rest time gave us the reset we needed so the kids (and the adults) could actually enjoy the next big tour.
#1: Snaefellsnes Peninsula 12-Hour Day, Our Favorite Iceland Tour With Kids
This 12-hour Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour was the clear favorite of our entire Iceland trip, and it ended up being our favorite day in Iceland with kids, even compared to other Iceland 12-hour tours with children. We would 100% do this exact tour again, and if you’re building a 7-day Iceland itinerary with kids, this is the one I’d anchor a day around.
We did the Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour with East West Tours, and our guide, Simon, is from Iceland and has a geology background. That combo made the whole day feel different from our other tours. He shared detailed information about the landscape all day long, and it wasn’t just random facts, it actually helped the kids (and us) understand what we were seeing as we drove and at each stop. Compared to some of our other tours, this one stood out for how much real information we got and how flexible the day felt.
Logistics were very kid-friendly for a 12-hour day. We were in a comfortable Mercedes-Benz van with air conditioning, reclining seats, chargers, and free Wi‑Fi, which matters a lot when you’re talking about a full 12-hour tour with children. The bus stopped roughly every 45 minutes for photos, snacks, coffee, and bathrooms, and over the course of the day we counted around six coffee breaks. That pace made it doable with kids, because nobody was stuck in the van for long stretches and there was always another bathroom or snack stop coming up.
The route was a greatest-hits loop of the peninsula. We visited multiple waterfalls and scenic cliffs, saw the famous black church, and stopped at some Game of Thrones filming locations. The kids loved that we pulled over several times just to feed and pet Icelandic horses along the roadside. Compared to something like the Golden Circle, this felt more varied and less rushed, and doing the Golden Circle right after this honestly made Golden Circle feel less impressive.
The surprise highlight of the day was the homemade meal add-on, which I’d strongly recommend not skipping. The meal was a homemade dish featuring minced lamb meat wrapped in bacon with cheese, baked. We still talk about it as one of the best meals of our lives. Mike calls it a “top three lamb dish” he’s ever had and jokes it might be a top three dish overall, not just lamb. When we compare this tour to the others we did, same country, same general format, this one wins on overall experience, guide quality, and food, and that homemade lamb is a big part of why we’d book this exact Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour again.
Who it’s best for:
Families who want one big, information-heavy, scenery-packed day that still feels manageable with kids. If you’re only going to splurge on one 12-hour tour, make it this one.
#2: Reykjavik Food Tour, Best Value and Most Filling Meal Day in Reykjavik With Kids
The Reykjavik food tour ended up being our best-value meal day in Iceland, and if you’re building an Iceland itinerary with kids for 7 days, I’d put this near the top of the “best Iceland tours with kids” list as long as your family comes hungry. We paid around $35–$40 per person (it was $40 max per person, definitely not €100), it ran about 3 hours with 5–6 food stops, and there is just no way you could buy that much food separately in Iceland for $40 per person because Reykjavik food prices are so high.
Our tour started around 10 or 10:30 a.m., which was perfect. You show up hungry, and then you’re basically snacking and eating your way through the late morning instead of doing a big sit-down lunch. Compared to the more passive bus tours and short attractions, this felt like a really good 3-hour, walking, social format where you’re actually moving, talking, and eating the whole time.
Here’s what we ate:
- Stop 1: Sit-down breakfast with pancakes and coffee. This is where you want to arrive hungry, because this first stop sets you up for a full morning of eating and kind of anchors the whole “this is our main meal of the day” idea.
- Stop 2: The famous Reykjavik hot dog stand where Bill Clinton once ate. This is the classic Icelandic hot dog experience and was an easy win for picky eaters. The kids especially loved the hot dog and were all in from this point on.
- Stop 3: A bar with lamb soup and beer, plus optional fermented Greenland shark. The lamb soup plus a beer for the adults was great, and then the shark was offered as an optional tiny piece if you wanted the “Iceland” moment. The fermented shark smelled terrible and took an entire beer for Mike to get the taste out of his mouth; the pieces were tiny but intense. The kids really liked the lamb soup here.
- Stop 4: Arctic char over mashed potatoes. We described this as a “better salmon.” This became Aubrey’s favorite stop of the whole tour. The kids especially loved the Arctic char and absolutely crushed the fish; this was the standout dish on the tour for our family.
- Stop 5: Cake with coffee or tea to finish. Simple, but a nice way to end the morning and make sure everyone was completely full.
When we got home and looked online, we later saw what looked like the same Reykjavik food tour listed at €100 per person. That was not the price we paid, so either prices have changed or they vary by date, but based on our experience at $35–$40 per person, this was one of the best value tours in Reykjavik.
If you’re comparing this to a 12-hour bus tour, this is a much shorter, easier 3-hour option that still feels like a big experience, and it basically covers a full meal for everyone. It also pairs well with shorter attractions like FlyOver Iceland or a museum visit, because you’re not stuck on a bus all day and you come away very well fed.
Who it’s best for:
Families with kids who are at least somewhat open to trying new foods, and parents who want one day where the “where are we eating?” question is completely handled.
#3: Perlan Science Museum, Best Bad-Weather Day in Reykjavik With Kids
Perlan was our go-to “bad-weather day” in Reykjavik with kids, and it’s 100% worth it on a rainy or windy day, and still worth it even if the weather is decent. If you’re building an Iceland itinerary with kids (7 days, longer, whatever), this is the indoor day I’d anchor in Reykjavik for easy Iceland family activities indoors.
Tickets were “probably” around $30 per adult, with kids a bit cheaper. It was cheaper than FlyOver Iceland and, for us, it offered several hours of activities instead of a quick in-and-out. We spent multiple hours there and you could easily spend three hours on a bad-weather day without anyone getting bored, which is a big deal if you’re trying to line up the best Iceland tours with kids or planning around longer Iceland 12-hour tours with children and need a flexible buffer day.
From the outside, Perlan is built into four massive tank-like structures that look like old silos. Inside, it’s a multi-level science museum with a mix of Iceland-specific exhibits and more general science. There are multiple levels of exhibits plus a rotating café at the top with amazing panoramic views over Reykjavik, so you still get that “we’re in Iceland” feeling even if you’re hiding from the wind and rain.
The standout things our kids loved:
- Indoor ice cave, a very realistic walk-through experience that feels like you’re actually moving through ice, not just looking at pictures.
- Aurora/northern lights show, another favorite, and a nice way to sit down for a bit.
- Dome theater, movie-style presentation that breaks up the walking.
- Lava-themed and marine life exhibits, more educational and museum-style versus the “actual molten lava in front of you” at the Lava Show.
- Interactive walls and games, kids can point at walls and trigger visual effects, which helped a lot with energy and attention.
- Rotating café at the top, snacks plus views over Reykjavik.
We’d done the real molten lava at the Lava Show, so we treated Perlan’s simulated lava show and lava-themed displays as a different type of experience, both useful for the kids to understand what they were seeing, just in different ways.
If you’re choosing between Perlan and FlyOver for a rainy day, Perlan was cheaper and offered more time and value for our family, so this is the one we’d repeat.
Who it’s best for:
Families who need a flexible, low-pressure indoor day that still feels very “Iceland” and can easily fill a morning or afternoon.
#4: Lava Show in Reykjavik, Short, Educational, and a Surprise Kid Favorite
This ended up being one of our surprise “top four” experiences of the whole week, and it was only about 1 hour long. We booked the Lava Show in Reykjavik as a last-minute bonus activity using Viator reward points, went in with pretty low expectations, and walked out saying it beat some of the longer, more expensive things we did, making it an easy Iceland lava show with kids recommendation.
The format is simple: they take old lava/rock, heat it up in a furnace until it’s actually molten, and then pour it out in front of the audience. It’s real molten material, which is a big difference from the simulated lava experience at Perlan. Perlan’s version is more of an effect; here you’re watching the real thing behave like lava, and it just feels more impressive.
The presenter made the whole thing. She was from Washington State and absolutely killed it with her presentation and Q&A. She walked through different lava forms using standard volcanic terminology, ‘a‘ā, pāhoehoe, Pele’s hair, and explained what each one looks like and how it forms, while you’re literally watching the lava cool and change in front of you. It was very straightforward and educational without feeling like a lecture.
Our kids were so into it they kept trying to move closer for better seats, which tells you a lot about how engaging that one hour was. For a family looking at an Iceland itinerary with kids for 7 days, or trying to pick the best Iceland tours with kids, this is a really solid indoor option that doesn’t eat your whole day like some of the Iceland 12-hour tours with children.
The funniest part was Mike’s reaction. Before the show, he was openly skeptical and said it “isn’t going to be great.” Afterward, he completely changed his mind and put it up there with our favorite things, even compared to bigger-ticket experiences like FlyOver Iceland.
Who it’s best for:
Families who want a high-impact, low-time-commitment science experience that works well on a lighter day between long tours.
#5: Golden Circle 12-Hour Tour, Classic Sights After a Hard-to-Beat Favorite
Our Golden Circle day was another one of those 12-hour bus tours, and it landed after our favorite Snaefellsnes day, which definitely affected how it felt for us as a family.
This route hits the classic Golden Circle sights, including a national park and a visible fissure where the tectonic plates meet. We spent a significant amount of time walking along that fissure, and that ended up being one of the more memorable parts of the day for us. It was just really “neat” and felt different from some of the other stops we’d done on our other 12-hour tours.
Logistically, the Golden Circle day was very similar to our other long tours: around 12 hours total, with bathroom and snack breaks roughly every 45 minutes. That pacing made a huge difference with kids. It felt almost tailored to kids and older travelers, because you were never stuck on the bus for too long, and there were frequent chances to stretch, grab a snack, and reset.
At some point across our 12-hour tour days, we also did the walk-behind-a-waterfall experience. We’re pretty sure that specific stop was on our Katla day, not on the Golden Circle, but in our heads it all lives in the same “long tour with big sights and lots of bus time” category. That’s how we think about planning: not just each tour on its own, but how many of these long days your family can realistically handle in a row.
Emotionally, the Golden Circle had a hard job because it came after Snaefellsnes, which was our favorite day of the whole trip. The Golden Circle is full of classic sights and it’s a very solid, well-run, kid-friendly tour in terms of pacing and logistics. But when we compared it to the more varied and personally impactful experiences we had on Snaefellsnes, it just didn’t hit us in the same way.
Who it’s best for:
Families who want the “we did the Golden Circle” box checked and are okay with another full bus day, especially if you haven’t already done a more varied peninsula tour first.
#6: Katla Ice Cave Tour, Stunning Scenery but a Disappointing Melted Cave
This was our most expensive tour of the entire trip and also the one we felt the most mixed about. The Katla ice cave day had stunning scenery, fantastic guides, and really cool film locations… but the actual ice cave itself was small, actively melting, and pretty disappointing for what we thought we were booking.
We did an ice cave near Katla, and the drive out plus the area around the glacier were breathtaking. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable and kept pointing out where Star Wars and Game of Thrones had been filmed. They even showed us the exact spots and angles, and we have photos to prove how cinematic it looked. From a “best Iceland tours with kids” perspective, the transportation, the stories, and the overall vibe on the way there were all great.
The part that fell flat was the actual cave. The ice cave we went into was only about 20–30 yards deep. That was it. Our kids kept asking if we could keep going deeper into the cave, and there just wasn’t any more cave to explore. The company told us this cave was actively melting and they expected to use it for only a few more months while they searched for new caves. Our guide walked us over and showed us where last year’s ice cave had been, about 100 yards away, and seeing how far the glacier had receded in just one year really hit us.
A big part of our frustration was expectations. Based on the tour description, we thought we were signing up for a longer hike up onto the glacier plus a more extensive cave system. In reality, it was a short walk up a hill to a small, melted cave. We’d seen other Iceland ice cave tours that advertise these massive ice caves where you might have to wait in line for 40 minutes just to enter, and we assumed we were getting something closer to that type of experience. Instead, we got a much smaller cave that, yes, was interesting, but didn’t match what we had in our heads when we booked.
To be clear, our disappointment was about cave size and expectations, not the guides or the company. The guides were great, we liked the transportation, and the food was good. We booked through Viator and chose a company with fewer reviews (around 400) compared to others that had thousands, partly because some of the bigger tours bundle in things like snowmobiling. A lot of the alternative ice cave tours include snowmobiling, and we couldn’t do those because we didn’t have enough adults for the kids, so this felt like the best fit at the time.
Because this Katla ice cave tour was at least 50% more than our other tours, it ended up being our priciest day and also the one where we walked away feeling the most conflicted. If you’re putting together an Iceland itinerary with kids for 7 days and wondering “are Iceland ice caves worth it,” my main advice is to double-check current cave conditions before you book. Ask how big the cave is now, how deep you can actually go, and whether you’re getting a short walk to a small, melting cave or a longer glacier experience.
Who it’s best for:
Families with older kids or teens who are very into glaciers and filming locations and are okay with the possibility that the cave itself might be underwhelming, especially in warmer months.
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#7: FlyOver Iceland, Cool Simulator, Very Short and Overpriced for Families
FlyOver Iceland ended up being one of those “kids loved it, parents did the math” kind of stops for us. It’s a cool experience, but for our family, the value at full price just wasn’t there, especially when we compared it to other Reykjavik indoor attractions like Perlan.
This is a seated simulator/movie, so you’re buckled into a row of seats and “fly” over Iceland while watching aerial views of remote parts of the country you can’t easily access on foot. The actual “flight” portion is about 8 minutes long. Before that, there’s about 20 minutes of story and history as a pre-show. All in, with the pre-show plus the 8-minute flight segment, we were in and out in roughly 30–40 minutes total.
When we went, tickets were around $40 per person. For a family of six at $40 per person, that full price would add up quickly for such a short main attraction. The only reason the cost felt somewhat reasonable for us was that we used Viator rewards to get about half off, which made the price easier to swallow. At full price, we’d feel very differently.
Our kids thought it was “the greatest thing ever.” From their perspective, it was a hit, and if you’re building an Iceland itinerary with kids for 7 days and need something indoors, this definitely checks the “fun” box for them. From the parent side, though, when we compare best Iceland tours with kids or even Reykjavik indoor attractions, the cost-to-time ratio here is tough, so this FlyOver Iceland review for families is very much “only with a discount.” Perlan, for example, was cheaper for our family and could easily fill three hours, so on a pure “how long can we be entertained inside” scale, Perlan wins by a lot.
If they doubled the flight time to around 20 minutes, we’d have no complaints about the experience. As it is now, for something that’s about 30–40 minutes total with only 8 minutes of actual flight, we’d only recommend it at a discount, especially if you’re paying for multiple kids and comparing it against other Reykjavik indoor options or longer Iceland tours with children.
Who it’s best for:
Families with kids who love rides and simulators, and parents who can either get a discount or are okay paying a premium for a short but very fun experience.
Why We Canceled the Silver Circle Tour With Kids
We ended up canceling our Silver Circle tour with the kids, and I’m really glad we did. It wasn’t that Silver Circle was bad; it just overlapped a lot with the other long tours we’d already booked, and it would’ve pushed our family past what we could realistically handle on a tight Iceland itinerary with kids.
Originally, we had four long 12-hour tours on the schedule, and Silver Circle was one of them. A local tour guide looked at what we’d booked and immediately pointed out that Silver Circle would be very similar to some of the other routes we were already doing. On top of that, they felt a few parts of Silver Circle might be harder on kids specifically, especially stacked on top of multiple long days in a row. That was the first moment we really stepped back and asked, “Do we actually need this one, or are we just repeating the same type of day again?”
The timing mattered a lot. We arrived in Iceland around 2–4 a.m. And had 12-hour tours on both Saturday and Sunday after landing. By the end of those back-to-back 12-hour days, we were wiped. The kids were wiped. Thinking about a third 12-hour day on Tuesday started to feel like too much, even before we factored in the overlap in what we’d be seeing.
So we canceled the Silver Circle tour that was scheduled for Tuesday and freed up that entire day. Instead of another 12-hour push, we used that time for Perlan, FlyOver, the Lava Show, and exploring Reykjavik. Those were all shorter, more flexible activities that we could do in 1–3 hour chunks, which fit a lot better with where everyone’s energy was at that point in the trip.
Canceling Silver Circle also gave us two much-needed off days after those two back-to-back 12-hour tours. We used the freed-up time to rest at the house, take the kids to playgrounds, and mix in those shorter 1–3 hour activities instead of committing to another full-day bus tour. Having that buffer made a big difference. For our family, three long days was the number. Four 12-hour days, especially with the overlap and the 2–4 a.m. Arrival, would’ve been too much.
If you’re planning a 7-day Iceland itinerary with kids and looking at the best Iceland tours with kids, this is where I’d really pay attention to tour overlap and think about which ones to skip. Silver Circle in Iceland isn’t necessarily one you have to avoid, but if it’s duplicating what you’re already seeing and you’ve got multiple 12-hour tours with children lined up, it might be the one you cancel to protect everyone’s energy.
How Many 12-Hour Tours Can You Do With Kids in Iceland?
For our family, three 12-hour tours in a 7-day Iceland itinerary with kids was the max we could handle without feeling wiped out. We did Snaefellsnes, the Katla ice caves, and the Golden Circle as our three long days, and we’re really glad we didn’t add a fourth 12-hour day like the Silver Circle. Looking at how our kids were doing by the end of the week, we’re pretty sure a fourth long bus day would’ve pushed everyone over the edge.
What made it work was building the rest of the week around shorter, 1–3 hour activities on our off days. That gave us structure and got us out of the house, but didn’t exhaust the kids. On those lighter days we did things like the Lava Show (about ~1 hour), FlyOver Iceland (about 30–40 minutes total), Perlan (about ~3 hours), and the Reykjavik food tour (about ~3 hours). We also used those off days to visit museums, do quick tours, eat around town, and take the kids to playgrounds, then go back to our rental to rest.
One thing that added up more than we expected was the walking. We sometimes walked up to 30 minutes each way to get to activities in Reykjavik, and that’s on top of whatever the activity itself was. So even a “short” day still had some effort built in, which is another reason we’re glad we stopped at three 12-hour tours instead of four.
The other piece of this was how we booked everything. We ran all our tours through Viator, and the rewards from booking multiple tours in Iceland helped pay for the Lava Show and gave us a discount on FlyOver. For the money side of these trips in general, we’ve also found that using something like Wise to move dollars into local currency keeps fees lower than most banks, which adds up fast with a family of six.
With the structure we used, three big days, shorter tours and city time in between, we didn’t feel too exhausted at the end of the trip, and the kids held up really well.
How We Turned This Trip Into a Blog Post
Behind the scenes, turning a week of Iceland footage and notes into something organized enough to share is its own little project. Tools like ContentFold helped us pull details from our videos and turn them into a draft we could then edit, add context to, and shape into this ranked list.
Closing
If you’re looking at Iceland with kids and feeling overwhelmed by all the tour options, you really don’t have to do everything for it to be an incredible trip. A couple of well-chosen 12-hour days, a few solid short experiences, and some built-in rest can go a long way. Hopefully our hits, misses, and “only with a coupon” days give you a clearer picture of what’s worth your time and budget so you can tweak this to fit your own family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best tours for families in Iceland?
The Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour is highly recommended for families due to its engaging guide and kid-friendly logistics. Other shorter activities in Reykjavik, like the food tour and Perlan, also work well to balance out the longer tours.
How did you manage the kids during long tours?
We structured our itinerary with a mix of long tours and shorter activities, ensuring we had plenty of breaks every 45 minutes for snacks, bathroom stops, and stretching. This kept the kids engaged and prevented burnout.
What should we avoid when planning an Iceland trip with kids?
It's best to avoid cramming too many long tours back-to-back. We learned that adding a fourth 12-hour tour would have been overwhelming, so scheduling "off" days for lighter activities is crucial for a smoother experience.
How did you choose which tours to do?
We ranked our tours based on engagement, educational value, and how kid-friendly they were. The Snaefellsnes Peninsula tour stood out as our favorite, while some other tours were less engaging and not worth the price without discounts.
What are some recommended off-day activities in Reykjavik?
On our off days, we enjoyed activities like the Reykjavik food tour, visiting Perlan, and the Lava Show. These shorter, fun experiences allowed us to recharge while still exploring the city.
