Last Updated on 24 July 2026 by Colette
Guest Post
A few years ago, my husband suggested we take the kids to Iceland for the summer holidays instead of another week in Spain. My first reaction was, honestly, that he’d lost the plot. Iceland with three children? In a country famous for volcanoes, glaciers, and being punishingly expensive? I couldn’t see it working.
Reader, I was completely wrong. Iceland turned out to be one of the best family holidays we’ve ever had – the kids talk about it more than any beach holiday we’ve done – and I’ve since been recommending it to every UK parent who’ll listen. So this is the guide I wish I’d had when we started planning: what to book, when to go, how to keep the costs sensible, and how to make it work for a family with school-age children.
If you’re a UK family weighing up Iceland as your next big trip, everything below is written from experience, not from Pinterest.
Why Iceland Is Brilliant for UK Families
Iceland has a reputation for being a bit of a bucket-list destination for adults – photographers, honeymooners, people chasing the Northern Lights. What nobody tells you is that it’s genuinely one of the easiest countries in Europe to travel with children.
It’s safe. Iceland routinely ranks as one of the safest countries in the world, and you feel it the moment you land. Locals are lovely with kids, the crime rate is essentially zero, and there’s a whole culture of children being welcome everywhere – restaurants, hot springs, museums, none of that awkwardness you sometimes get with a toddler having a moment.
It’s easy to reach. Direct flights from Manchester, London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and a handful of other UK airports get you to ReykjavÃk in under three and a half hours. That’s less than a flight to Tenerife, and easier on tired kids than most Mediterranean options.
The scenery is genuinely a wow moment for kids. You know how sometimes you take children somewhere beautiful and they’re mostly interested in whether there’s Wi-Fi? Iceland doesn’t do that. Waterfalls the size of buildings, black sand beaches with actual ice on them, geysers erupting on cue, glaciers you can walk on – even teenagers put their phones down. Our youngest still talks about the puffins.
And crucially: the days are enormous in summer. From late June through July, the sun barely sets. That means bedtimes go completely out the window (accept this in advance), but it also means you can drive at 10pm to reach the next stop, or take a leisurely picnic tea at a waterfall without watching the clock.
When to Go with Kids
For UK families, the answer is almost always the summer holidays – late July into August. There are three reasons.
First, the practical one: the six-week summer break is genuinely the sweet spot for Iceland. You’ve got long daylight hours, mild weather (10-15°C most days), and every road in the country is open, including the routes into the Highlands if you’re feeling adventurous. This is when Iceland is at its most family-friendly.
Second, the timing lines up with what schools allow. You won’t be pulling the kids out of term, which matters if your school’s fussy about it.
Third, and this one surprised me: Iceland in summer is not aggressively cold. Pack layers and waterproofs and you’ll be perfectly comfortable. Our kids wore leggings under waterproof trousers most days and were absolutely fine.
The alternatives are the Easter and October half terms, which give you a shot at the Northern Lights but shorter daylight, less accessible roads, and colder conditions. If Northern Lights are the main draw and your kids are older (say, 10+), October half term is worth considering. For younger children or families who want the easy option, stick to summer.
Flights from the UK
Direct flights to KeflavÃk Airport (KEF) are widely available from UK airports throughout the summer.
Manchester runs direct with easyJet, Jet2, and Icelandair – usually around 2h 45m flying time, and if you book in advance you can find returns for a family of four in the £600-£900 range in July. London options are even more plentiful, with easyJet, Wizz, British Airways, and Icelandair all running direct flights from Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, or Heathrow. Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, and Belfast all have direct services in summer as well, though seasonal.
Worth knowing: Icelandair offers a stopover programme that lets you break a longer journey (to the US, Canada, or elsewhere) with up to seven nights in Iceland at no extra flight cost. If you’re planning a bigger holiday and Iceland is a possible add-on, it’s genuinely one of the best value ways to see the country. We used the stopover on our second trip and it worked beautifully.
Book flights three to five months in advance for the best summer prices. Prices climb sharply from May onwards for July and August departures.
Choosing Your Vehicle: Why a Camper Van Wins for Families
This was our biggest question when we started planning: hire a car and book hotels, or hire a camper van and combine transport with accommodation. We went back and forth for weeks. Once we did the sums, the camper van won – and after doing the trip, I’d never go back to the hotel-plus-car version for a family.
The maths is straightforward. A decent hotel or family apartment in Iceland runs £200-£400 per night in July for a family room, and you need to book them months in advance because remote regions have very limited stock. A car hire on top of that adds another £50-£80 per day. The camper van route combines both into a single daily cost, and Iceland has 170+ registered campsites across the country – many of them at destinations where a hotel simply doesn’t exist. That means you can stop where you want, when you want, and know you’ve got a bed for the night.
For families specifically, the practical wins add up:
Kids can nap in the van between stops on long driving days. Massive win.
You can cook your own meals rather than paying restaurant prices for children who might just want beans on toast anyway. Iceland is expensive to eat out in – a family meal in a sit-down restaurant can be £100+ easily.
You keep everything in one place, so no packing and unpacking at every hotel with grumpy children.
You avoid the accommodation lottery in remote regions where every hotel is booked out and the alternative is a two-hour drive back to civilisation. We booked ours with Campervan Iceland, a local Icelandic operator that’s been arranging rentals since 2013 and picks up right at KeflavÃk airport (a small thing that makes a big difference when you’ve just landed with tired children). Their fleet has both 2WD camper vans that handle the Ring Road perfectly for a family trip like ours, and 4×4 setups with rooftop tents if you fancy tackling the Highlands. Unlimited mileage and base insurance are included as standard, and their customer service works in English and Spanish, which meant everything was straightforward from booking through pickup.
Book four to six months ahead for July and August – camper van inventory in Iceland is limited and the family-friendly setups sell out first.
Our Suggested 7-Day Family Ring Road Itinerary
Seven days gives you enough time to do the Ring Road at a comfortable family pace – not so rushed that the kids are miserable in the van, not so slow that you miss the highlights. Here’s the route we did.
Day 1 – Arrive ReykjavÃk
Land at KeflavÃk, collect the camper, do a supermarket shop at Bónus or Krónan in ReykjavÃk (the two cheapest chains – you’ll pay noticeably more anywhere else in the country), and spend the afternoon in the capital. The Sun Voyager sculpture on the harbour and HallgrÃmskirkja church are both easy family stops. Sleep at ReykjavÃk Campsite.
Day 2 – The Golden Circle
The classic day-trip loop, and a brilliant introduction for the kids: Þingvellir National Park (where you can walk between two tectonic plates), the Geysir geothermal area (Strokkur erupts every 6-10 minutes and reliably makes children shriek), and Gullfoss waterfall. Overnight near Flúðir at the Secret Lagoon campsite – the hot spring itself is a beautiful family soak.
Day 3 – The South Coast Waterfalls
Head east along Route 1 and stop at Seljalandsfoss (the waterfall you can walk behind – wear waterproofs, everyone will get soaked, kids will love it) and Skógafoss (enormous, thunderous, straight out of a fantasy film). Continue to Reynisfjara black sand beach at VÃk – important safety note: keep well back from the waves, they can pull children out in seconds and it’s a genuine danger. Overnight at VÃk campsite.
Day 4 – Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach
Drive east to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, which is honestly worth the trip to Iceland on its own. Icebergs the size of cars drift out to sea, seals lounge on the smaller ones, and just across the road at Diamond Beach the icebergs wash up on black sand looking like actual gemstones. Boat tours run on the lagoon and are absolutely worth doing with kids. Overnight at Vagnsstaðir or another south-east campsite.
Day 5 – East Fjords to Mývatn
A longer drive day, but stunning throughout – the east fjords roll on for hours, with reindeer sightings if you’re lucky (we had two on the roadside). Cross the mountains north to Lake Mývatn in north Iceland by evening. Overnight at the Mývatn campsite.
Day 6 – Mývatn Region
A proper family day. The Mývatn Nature Baths are the northern answer to the Blue Lagoon, less crowded and about half the price. Dimmuborgir is a maze of lava formations perfect for children to explore (the walking is easy). The Hverir geothermal area smells of eggs but the bubbling mud pots are genuinely fascinating for kids. Second night at Mývatn campsite.
Day 7 – Return to ReykjavÃk
Drive back to ReykjavÃk via the north coast. Depending on your flight time, you can either spend the day at Blue Lagoon for a final soak before the flight, or head straight to KeflavÃk. Sky Lagoon in ReykjavÃk is the newer alternative with an infinity pool over the ocean and, in my opinion, a nicer experience for families.
Best Stops for Kids: The Highlights Recap
If your children are more “are we there yet” than “tell me more about the tectonic plates,” these are the stops that will actually engage them:
Geysir/Strokkur – the eruption every few minutes is genuinely thrilling for children of any age. Ours were mesmerised.
Seljalandsfoss – walking behind a waterfall is the sort of thing kids remember for years.
Jökulsárlón boat tour – amphibious boats float you through icebergs. Even teenagers will admit this is cool.
Diamond Beach – handling actual iceberg pieces on a beach, plus finding shapes in them. Perfect for younger kids.
Mývatn Nature Baths – warm swimming in the middle of a volcanic landscape. Universal winner.
Blue Lagoon or Sky Lagoon – book ahead. The Blue Lagoon in particular has children’s arm bands and staff who are lovely with families.
Whale watching in HúsavÃk – if you have time, this is one of the best places in the world for it, and children never forget seeing a whale surface next to a boat.
How Iceland’s Campsite System Actually Works
A word on this because it caught us by surprise: wild camping in vehicles has been illegal in Iceland since 2015. That means even with a camper van, you must sleep at registered campsites. The good news is that Iceland has 170+ of them scattered across the country, most with hot showers, cooking shelters, and often play areas. They cost around £12-£20 per person per night, sometimes with a small extra fee for the vehicle.
Download the Tjalda app before you go – it maps every registered campsite, shows amenities and reviews, and often lets you check availability. For summer travel, the big south-coast sites (Skaftafell, Vagnsstaðir, Kirkjubæjarklaustur) can fill up a day or two ahead, so it’s worth booking or arriving early afternoon. Remote sites in the Westfjords or north almost never fill, even in peak season.
What to Pack for Iceland with Kids
Iceland’s weather changes hourly and dramatically, so packing is genuinely important. This is what saved us from having miserable children:
Proper waterproof shell jackets and overtrousers for everyone. Not shower-proof, actually waterproof. This matters.
Warm layers – wool or synthetic base layers, fleece mid-layers. Cotton is useless once wet, don’t rely on it.
Warm hats and gloves for everyone, even in July. On a bad day at Skógafoss you’ll want them.
Sturdy walking shoes or boots. Trainers are fine most of the time but proper boots for anything with slippery basalt.
Swimming things in an easily-reached bag. Hot springs happen constantly and unpredictably – you’ll want everyone’s kit accessible.
Snacks and familiar food from home. Icelandic supermarkets have most things but children can be conservative and the last thing you want at 9pm in a remote campsite is a child refusing to eat.
A power bank or two – the van will charge from the vehicle but everyone needs their phone or tablet at some point, and stretched charging is a real thing on a family trip.
Rough Budget for a UK Family of Four (7 days)
Iceland has a reputation for being astronomically expensive. It’s true you can spend a lot, but a camper van trip keeps things properly manageable. Here’s roughly what we spent, based on July travel for two adults and two children.
Flights: £700-£1,000 for a family of four from Manchester/London in July, booked 3-4 months ahead.
Camper van hire: £1,400-£1,900 for 7 days for a 4-berth camper. Book with Campervan Iceland well in advance for peak season pricing.
Fuel: £250-£350 for the full Ring Road. Fuel in Iceland runs around £1.60-£1.90 per litre.
Campsites: £200-£300 for 6 nights of camping for a family of four.
Food: £300-£500 for the week if you cook from supermarkets. Add another £200 if you eat out a few evenings.
Activities and entrance fees: £200-£500 depending on whether you book Blue Lagoon, whale watching, glacier tours, and so on.
Total (rough): £3,000-£4,500 for the family for the week, excluding any additional souvenirs and impulse spending. Cheaper than most people expect for Iceland, and dramatically cheaper than a hotel-plus-car version of the same trip would work out at.
Practical Tips We Learned the Hard Way
Ring Road driving is easy but distances deceive you. The road bends around fjords and passes, so a “300 kilometre day” can easily take six hours. Plan shorter days than you think and leave room for stops.
Weather changes in minutes. Check vedur.is (the Icelandic Met Office site) before you set off each morning. If it’s a red warning day, don’t drive – wait it out.
Never let children run near cliff edges or the water at Reynisfjara. Both have killed people. The sneaker waves at Reynisfjara come far further up the beach than they appear to.
Icelandic hot dogs at petrol stations are a national treasure and cost about £4. The kids will demand them at every stop.
If you can, do the drive counter-clockwise – the south coast hits first, which is the most dramatic scenery and best for keeping children engaged early.
Book any activity you know you want (whale watching, Blue Lagoon, glacier hikes) at least a month in advance. They sell out.
Emergency number is 112. Works everywhere and search and rescue are free. Don’t hesitate to use it if anything genuinely worrying happens.
Would We Do It Again?
Absolutely, and we’re already planning the second trip – the Westfjords this time, which we ran out of days for. Iceland is one of those holidays that spoils you a bit for other family destinations. Not because it’s easy in the beach-club sense (it isn’t), but because it delivers actual awe. Kids remember standing next to a glacier or watching a puffin colony in a way they don’t remember another swimming pool at another resort.
If you’re weighing it up as a UK family, my honest advice is to stop weighing it up and book the flights. Go in summer, hire a camper (we’d genuinely recommend Campervan Iceland again – they made the logistics painless), pack proper waterproofs, download the Tjalda app, and give yourself seven to ten days. You’ll come back with the sort of family memories that stick.
