Iceland

Reykjavik

Perlan's glacier exhibition and ice cave work well as a rainy-day anchor, and Laugardalslaug's geothermal outdoor pool is the kind of experience that makes a cold afternoon feel like an adventure. The Golden Circle, combining Gullfoss waterfall, the Geysir hot spring area, and Thingvellir National Park, is one of the most satisfying single-day excursions in Europe. FamiVentura's Reykjavik guides cover the city's family attractions, geothermal pools, and the dramatic natural excursions that make Iceland's capital so memorable.

7 activities3 free 10 food spots3 free 7 excursions3 free 7 hidden gems3 free 1 Itinerarie0 free

Off the Beaten Path

Hidden gems most tourists never find

Hallgrímskirkja: Church, Square, and Tower

Hallgrímskirkja's tower elevator takes you to an observation platform 73 metres up with a clear 360-degree view over all of Reykjavik — the harbor, the mountains across the bay, the grid of brightly-coloured buildings below. The church interior is worth seeing before or after: the 5,275-pipe organ at the far end is one of the largest in Europe and occasionally plays during free recitals (check hallgrimskirkja.is for dates). The Leif Eriksson statue outside was given by the United States in 1930 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Iceland's parliament — there is a story there about who discovered America first.

Address: Hallgrímstorg 1, 101 Reykjavik
Hours: Church interior 09:00-21:00 daily; tower elevator until 20:30
Price: Church free; tower ISK 1,200 adults, ISK 200 children (under 7 free)
Duration: 30-45 minutes (toddler, exterior and church); 1-1.5 hours (kids/teens, with tower)
Booking required: No

Tips

Go early morning for the tower — midday queues for the single elevator can reach 20-30 minutes; arriving at 09:00 usually means walking straight up
Check hallgrimskirkja.is before going for free organ recital times — hearing that instrument in a live setting is memorable for kids who have never experienced a large pipe organ
Tower ISK 1,200 adults, ISK 200 children; the church itself is free to enter

ArchitectureViewsCulturalFree entry

Settlement Exhibition

The Settlement Exhibition is built directly around the actual 871 AD archaeological site — not a reconstruction of a Viking longhouse, but the real floor stones and post holes of one, visible through a glass floor. The digital reconstructions show what the building looked like when it was in use. It is the kind of museum that feels like it is showing you something genuine rather than a display of copies, which it is. The exhibits connect the physical evidence to the Icelandic sagas — the written accounts of the settlers — making the archaeology legible rather than just a series of old rocks to look at.

Address: Aðalstræti 16, 101 Reykjavik
Hours: 09:00-18:00 daily
Price: Adults ISK 1,600; children ISK 600
Duration: 30-45 minutes (toddler); 45 minutes-1.5 hours (kids/teens)
Booking required: No

Tips

Take time on the glass floor to identify specific features — the post holes in particular are clearly visible as darker circles in the ash layer
The digital reconstruction of the longhouse interior is on screens throughout the exhibition; it gives the best picture of what the space actually looked like when inhabited
Children under 18 pay ISK 600; the exhibition is compact enough to work even when attention is starting to drift

ArchaeologyHistoryVikingsIndoor

Find the best picks for your family

Select your children's ages and we'll personalize Reykjavik for you

Tap an age group, then select your children's ages

Kolaportið Weekend Flea Market

The hákarl tasting at Kolaportið is a Reykjavik rite of passage. The fermented Greenlandic shark — served in small cubes on toothpicks at the food stall downstairs — smells strongly of ammonia because it literally contains ammonia: the shark's flesh is toxic when fresh and fermentation over three months renders it edible. Tasting it is free and the experience falls somewhere between food adventure and chemistry lesson. The dried fish (harðfiskur) in the same area is genuinely good and is what Icelanders actually eat as a snack. Beyond the food, the market is worth an hour to browse: secondhand toys, vintage Icelandic clothes, old cameras.

Address: Tryggvagata 19, 101 Reykjavik
Hours: Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 11:00-17:00 only
Price: Free entry; food samples free
Duration: 45 minutes-1 hour
Booking required: No

Tips

The hákarl is served free at the food stall downstairs on toothpicks — breathe out before tasting, not in; the smell is considerably worse than the taste
Harðfiskur (dried fish) is also sold downstairs and is a good buy: high-protein Icelandic snack that kids either love immediately or need two tries to appreciate
Weekends only: Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 11:00-17:00; confirm before making it the plan for any day

MarketLocalFood cultureIndoor

Off the Beaten Path

Hidden gems most tourists never find

Hallgrímskirkja: Church, Square, and Tower

Address: Hallgrímstorg 1, 101 Reykjavik
Hours: Church interior 09:00-21:00 daily; tower elevator until 20:30
Price: Church free; tower ISK 1,200 adults, ISK 200 children (under 7 free)
Duration: 30-45 minutes (toddler, exterior and church); 1-1.5 hours (kids/teens, with tower)
Booking required: No

Tips

Go early morning for the tower — midday queues for the single elevator can reach 20-30 minutes; arriving at 09:00 usually means walking straight up
Check hallgrimskirkja.is before going for free organ recital times — hearing that instrument in a live setting is memorable for kids who have never experienced a large pipe organ
Tower ISK 1,200 adults, ISK 200 children; the church itself is free to enter

ArchitectureViewsCulturalFree entry

Settlement Exhibition

Address: Aðalstræti 16, 101 Reykjavik
Hours: 09:00-18:00 daily
Price: Adults ISK 1,600; children ISK 600
Duration: 30-45 minutes (toddler); 45 minutes-1.5 hours (kids/teens)
Booking required: No

Tips

Take time on the glass floor to identify specific features — the post holes in particular are clearly visible as darker circles in the ash layer
The digital reconstruction of the longhouse interior is on screens throughout the exhibition; it gives the best picture of what the space actually looked like when inhabited
Children under 18 pay ISK 600; the exhibition is compact enough to work even when attention is starting to drift

ArchaeologyHistoryVikingsIndoor

Find the best picks for your family

Select your children's ages and we'll personalize Reykjavik for you

Tap an age group, then select your children's ages

Kolaportið Weekend Flea Market

Address: Tryggvagata 19, 101 Reykjavik
Hours: Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 11:00-17:00 only
Price: Free entry; food samples free
Duration: 45 minutes-1 hour
Booking required: No

Tips

The hákarl is served free at the food stall downstairs on toothpicks — breathe out before tasting, not in; the smell is considerably worse than the taste
Harðfiskur (dried fish) is also sold downstairs and is a good buy: high-protein Icelandic snack that kids either love immediately or need two tries to appreciate
Weekends only: Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 11:00-17:00; confirm before making it the plan for any day

MarketLocalFood cultureIndoor