10 Reasons To Take a Family Vacation to Iceland this Summer

Or any summer, really. These 10 reasons to take a family vacation to Iceland this summer should convince you to book plane tickets as soon as you’re done reading this post. We took our almost 2 year old, Jovie, to Iceland for 11 days in July and had the BEST time. It was our first international trip with our kiddo, and I was pretty anxious about it. Within a day, though, I knew we had made an excellent decision with Iceland. It’s so easy, so pretty, and just so easy to love.

Here’s the list – 10 Reasons to Take a Family Vacation To Iceland This Summer

#1. Daylight. all. the. time.

In summer, Iceland experiences 24 hours of daylight mid-May to mid-August. It’s called the Midnight Sun, and it is glorious. You get sunset hues at midnight, and it never gets dark outside.

This might sound like a bad idea with kids, but hear me out. Unless you have a perfect sleeper (ah, what’s that like?), kids’ sleep (especially toddlers and babies) is sporadic. If your kiddo is up really late or wakes really early, you ALWAYS have daylight. Iceland is the land of beautiful nature, so you can get outside at any time.

Also, when you travel with kids, you’re restricted to wherever they’re sleeping. When your kiddo goes to bed, you can’t exactly go party in Reykjavik. But with the Midnight Sun you can at least spend time outside your airbnb and not just be in darkness.

My advice to get your toddler to sleep in the all-the-time brightness is to buy a Slumber Pod. We’ve used one on all our travel, but it was especially helpful for an Iceland summer. **I do earn a commission if you buy a Slumber Pod through this link**

For older kids, you might want to pack a dark sheet in your bag to darken the windows. Or use sleep masks!

Here we are at the Blue Lagoon at MIDNIGHT.

#2. The time change is easier.

This kind of goes with reason #1, but young kids do not understand time change. Jovie has a hard enough time with the 1 hour change of Daylight Saving Time here in the US, she most definitely did not understand a 6 hour time change when flying to Iceland. On our first night, we put her to bed at 8pm, she woke up at 10:30pm thinking she’d had a great nap, and was wide awake. We were staying at a guesthouse and knew everyone could hear her shouting “Jovie awake!” We put her in the car, drove to the Blue Lagoon, and hiked around outside of it (open 24 hours!) It’s now one of my favorite memories of the trip.

She never really adjusted to the time change, so we just let her stay up way later than usual. Having daylight at all times made everything easier and opened up things for us to do.

#3. The weather is pretty pleasant.

Iceland is not known for warm weather, but the summer weather can be nice for a toddler who wants to run around outside. It is typically around 50 degrees in the summer but ranges from 40s-70s. We had some cool days when we bundled up a bit but then also had some gorgeous 65 degree, sunny days. Always pack for any sort of weather in Iceland, but summer weather is definitely better than winter for traveling with a kiddo. The weather never kept us indoors while we were there.

This is a big reason to take a family vacation to Iceland this summer. You can debate which season is best, but if you’re traveling with kids – summer always wins.

#4. There are so many outdoor things to do on a family vacation to Iceland.

Iceland is one of the most beautiful countries… waterfalls, geysers, lakes, mountains, glaciers… it has it all. Everything is more accessible and fun to experience in nice weather. I went to Iceland in February a decade ago, and while it was still an astounding place to visit, I felt like I could enjoy its beauty more in the summer. I wasn’t rushing back to the car to escape the icy wind. You can spend so much time outside without worrying about your kiddo’s cold fingers and nose.

The Golden Circle is the most scenic route in Iceland, and it’s a must do for a family vacation in the summer. For more, check out the Best Outdoor Activities for Toddlers in Iceland.

#5. Rocks. Rocks. Rocks.

Are babies just born with some innate obsession with rocks? Iceland has a never-ending supply of cool rocks for your kids. Volcanic rocks, smooth rocks, “cold” rocks, according to Jovie. She spent more time on this trip bending over to pick up rock after rock than anything else. Summer is the perfect time to explore their favorite hobby.

#6. Farm animals.

Yes, farm animals are in Iceland during all seasons, but they’re more fun to hang out with in the summer. And seeing the baby horses, cows, etc. was extra awesome. You can pull over and see the Icelandic horses, you can also book airbnbs that are on farms, and they have different dairy farms/places you can visit to get up close with their awesome animals.

These bounce pads are all over Iceland and are free to use!

#7. Bounce pads.

Iceland has all these cool bounce pads for kids that are just available to the public. We saw them in a lot of the towns we visited, and they’re a great way for kids to burn energy.

#8. Iceland has the greatest pools.

One of my favorite things about Iceland is their pools. The facilities are always super clean, they’re not expensive to visit, and because their pools are sourced from their geothermal pools, they’re not full of a bunch of chemicals.

Their pools are open year-round, but the summer is easier for toddlers. They don’t have to freeze while running into the warm pool. It’s just a better experience.

You do have to shower – fully naked – prior to going in the pools. Kids too. Because their pools are so natural, they want everyone to be clean before going in. Embrace the nakedness. Some pools provide chairs to sit toddlers/babies in so it’s easier to shower them.

#9. Iceland is extremely safe.

No matter when you visit Iceland, it’s one of the safest countries in the world. We obviously want to keep our children safe, so it’s great to visit a place where you don’t have to think about crime hardly at all.

#10. Almost everyone speaks English.

English is taught as a second language, so everyone you encounter will speak English. Traveling with a toddler is stressful enough without adding a language barrier.