WEEKEND TRIP TO ICELAND WITH A BABY

Everything you do without a baby you can do WITH a baby when visiting Reykjavik, Iceland. Below I’ve given some examples of tours, what to expect and what you can do with a weekend trip to Iceland with your baby.

In true Savannah style, my trip to Iceland was a very last-minute decision and I boarded the plane from Amsterdam to Reykjavik having done very little research. We travelled in a group of 6, which included my parents, sister, sister-in-law and my 4.5 month old baby, Tripp. Despite this being my third trip with my son, I was still nervous, especially to take him to Iceland in the winter. But I wasn’t about to pass up the invitation to join my family for a few days in my 112th country and Tripp’s fifth country.

Views from Iceland

Because we had so many extra hands to carry, entertain and watch Tripp it made travelling with a baby a breeze. Though it is possible to do it alone, I highly recommend going with at least another adult when travelling with an infant. This way you can always rotate turns when exploring and relaxing. Unfortunately, Iceland ranks in the top 10 most expensive countries in the world to visit, so if you’re traveling with kids, take them while they’re still young enough to travel for free.

Getting There:

We took a cheap flight with WOW Air from Amsterdam to Reykjavik for just €120/person (baby is free of course if he sits on lap). The baggage allowance is almost nothing unless you pay a lot extra for a carry-on or check-in bag so we packed extremely light. Luckily the airline allows a stroller of any size for free which made life much, much easier. The flight was roughly three hours, which is really a hop, skip, and a jump, even with a baby.

Tiny Traveler

Read my article World Traveler’s First Flight With a Baby to get further details of what it’s like to fly with an infant.

Transport:

Depending on the size of the bus, they will either put the stroller (and your luggage) in the back or underneath the bus. We brought the stroller on every tour and transport and everyone was very good about loading it for us while we boarded with the baby in his detachable car seat.

Trip to Iceland with a Baby

The people were very friendly to us in Reykjavik and I was so thrilled to meet my first-ever (that I know of) Icelandic person, Ragnar. Yes, no joke, his name was Ragnar like out of the TV series “Vikings”.  He had a very interesting life, spending 16 years of it navigating ships in Antarctica!

The landscape around the capital city is very barren, with very short trees or none at all. Ragnar told us an Icelandic joke that, “If you get lost in an Icelandic forest just stand up.”

Views from Iceland

Reyjkavik City Tour

This city tour we took with Gray Line was very nice and required limited walking to sites. If you are traveling with another adult, it is super easy to take turns getting on and off the bus to take a few photos and see the sites. Walking distances are very minimal, so you don’t even need to take the baby on and off the bus. Very easy!

Golden Circle Tour

Unfortunately, due to a an expended snow storm with windchills of -20 we were kindly urged not to take the baby with us on this tour with Iceland Horizon, a very friendly intimate tour company. In the rare case that we would get stuck in the storm, it could be life threatening for an infant as small as Tripp. The tour was smooth and very enjoyable, getting to see waterfalls, geysers and more of the beautiful countryside. The sites are very accessible by stroller and thus would make another easy tour to bring your infant along, assuming there are no forecasted storms.

Blue Lagoon 

You need to have a second adult to visit the Blue Lagoon with an infant. Only children 2+ are allowed to swim in the lagoon, so you’ll need someone with you to take turns enjoying the hot pool. It’s not the BEST way to visit since it’s nicer to be able to swim together, but if it’s a choice between going or not going at all, I say GO. The change rooms and halls are wide enough to get through with a stroller and there is a cafe and restaurant. I do have the feeling they don’t see many strollers coming through there, especially in the winter.

The Blue Lagoon is shockingly expensive so BRING your own towels! They charge a ridiculous amount for the use of towels, robes, slippers, food. We ate at the cafeteria-style restaurant and paid $150 for a few sandwiches and drinks. Not kidding.

Blue Lagoon

Northern Lights Tour

Iceland is the furthest north I’ve ever travelled and the first opportunity I’ve had to see the Northern Lights, the #1 thing on my travel wish list. This is something you must travel in the winter to see and luckily something you can definitely bring the baby along on (assuming again, there are no expected storms).

The tour consists of a lot of driving in the dark and a few stops to get out and look UP. Not seeing the lights was definitely the biggest disappointment of the trip. You’re going to spend around five hours in the bus so be sure to bundle your baby, bring some toys and bottles to keep him satisfied and quiet.

Gullfoss Waterfall

Have you been to Iceland with an infant? What are your tips? What was your best memory? Would you ever consider traveling to Iceland with a baby? Which destinations do you recommend traveling to with a baby? I look forward to hearing all about it in the comments below.

Safe travels mommies, daddies and babies.

Savannah Grace