Iceland Tips and Suggestions?

We went a couple years ago and had a great time...we lucked out on a crazy deal with cheap tickets. It was very windy and chilly when we went. If your weather will be cold I recommend wind pants for hiking. We did a farm stay for a couple nights. I can't remember which one we stayed at but I recommend this if you have a kid who loves horses. They gave us a tour of their milk cows/milking operation and brought us fresh milk in the morning and their teen daughter gave our 8 year old daughter horse rides which she loved! Efstidalur, a farm that has a restaurant and ice cream was a favorite stopping place. They were so nice to our kids. The ice cream was amazing. As for hot springs we liked Seljavallalaug and Laugarvatn Fontana. I wanted to go to Reykjadalur Hot Springs, Hveragerdi, but we ran out of time. The kids liked the viking museum in Reykjavik. We also found an art museum walking around that was super cool...modern and funky. We did some amazing hikes. It was gorgeous in certain areas. I loved the volcanic areas and the glaciers. It's so wild looking and beautiful there. My only complaint was, wow, it is expensive! Food especially. I would order the cheapest thing on the menu sometimes and it was soup for $20 a bowl! We ended up sharing a lot. Besides that we really enjoyed it...such a neat place. Oh, one last recommendation....the entire time we were driving we listened to traditional Icelandic stories (about myths, fairies, giants, little people, history, etc) that we downloaded for free. The kids loved this!

Oh wow lucky you! I've never been but would love to go someday, enjoy!!!

My daughter was in Iceland a few months ago after having visited some years ago. She did some of the things you mentioned, but the one thing that stood out was she did say it was WAYYY more expensive than she expected. She got a great deal on a flight and a couple of tours, but she said meals were ridiculously high - and she has traveled the world, so I know she has a good understanding of traveling costs.

Just a heads up so you can plan accordingly.

Have fun!

I can't give you any advice about Iceland, but wanted to say have a great time!!! So happy for you!

Wishing you the best on your trip!

Oh, what fun! How great to just have the 2 of you, and let him do stuff without his younger brother.

My mother was there some years ago, and friends have gone a few times more recently. They say to experience the rugged terrain and the sulphur springs, and to be aware that 24-hour electricity isn't always an American value shared at all hotels, so be prepared to "rough it" with good spirits. Iceland has a very high literacy rate so it's good to highlight that to kids - reading is a good thing!

They are pretty focused on energy independence especially with geothermal sources. They've had male and female heads of state/government so point out the "sson" and "dottir" endings on surnames. Also, many Americans don't realize how incredibly old many European societies are. We trace our country's beginnings to 1620 (because we discount native societies) but Europeans embrace things centuries further back than that. That's enlightening for kids.

Have a great time!