5 Day Family-Friendly Winter Package | Golden Circle, South Coast, Reykjavik & Blue Lagoon

You’ll arrive at Keflavík International Airport, located in the barren lava fields of the Reykjanes peninsula. Board a bus heading to Reykjavík city where you’ll find your accommodations for the next few nights.

After you’ve settled in, you can start exploring the city. Reykjavík is a fun and lively place with many museums, art galleries, playgrounds and swimming pools.

The swimming pools are heated using the geothermal energy from the ground, making a visit to them possible even in the wintertime. In fact, a popular activity in Iceland during the winter is to visit one of those pools, soak in the warm waters and breathe in the cold winter air.

In the evening, you'll get to hunt for the elusive Northern Lights by either heading out into the darkened countryside on a bus or by boarding a boat at Reykjavík's Old Harbour and sail out into the ocean in search for these dancing lights.

You'll spend your first night in Reykjavík.

Today, you’ll get to visit Iceland’s most popular attraction, the Golden Circle. This trio of destinations will show you how diverse this little island at the edge of the Arctic Circle can be.

Your first stop today will be Þingvellir National Parliament Park where the Viking settlers founded Iceland’s parliament, Alþingi, over a thousand years ago. Þingvellir is not only a site of great historical importance but also a geographical wonder as the park is neither located on the Eurasian tectonic plate nor the North-American one, but in a rift valley between.

The plates are slowly moving apart, tearing up the landscape around in process and creating cracks and canyons in the area. One of those canyons, Silfra fissure, is underwater and filled with crystal clear meltwater from Langjökull glacier. Those who have reached the age of 16 can add on a snorkelling tour in the fissure and enjoy the unparalleled visibility of the canyon’s blue waters.

From there, you’ll move on to Haukadalur valley, a place filled with history and folklore, but most importantly, erupting geysers! At Geysir geothermal area, located in the valley, you’ll find the very active Strokkur hot spring, which erupts in a 15-20 metre water column every 5-10 minutes. Remember to bring a camera so you can capture the perfect photo of your family with the erupting geyser in the background.

Last but not least is the majestic Gullfoss waterfall. Once again, the glacier Langjökull has had a helping hand in shaping Iceland's landscape. The river Hvítá, fed by this mighty glacier, rushes forth from the highlands before plunging into an ancient canyon, creating this two-tiered waterfall.

Here you can opt for a snowmobile tour on top of Langjökull where you race across the white expanse of the glacier. Those who have a driver’s license can grab the handles of the snowmobile, while those who have reached the age of six can sit at the back as passengers, making it a family-friendly activity.

You’ll then head back to Reykjavík where you will spend the night.

Today you’ll explore the beautiful South Coast and see cascading waterfalls, majestic glaciers and a stunning black sand beach.

You’ll be picked up in a minibus in the morning and whisked away to the first attraction of the day, the high and narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This stunning cascade flows over a concaved cliff face where a cave is visible underneath the curtain of water. In the winter, the waterfall is lit up with strong lights making it seem even more magical.

You’ll then move on to another equally beautiful, but utterly different, waterfall; Skógafoss. It is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, with a width of 25 metres and a 60-metre drop. According to local legend, a treasure is buried behind the flowing water.

As you travel between these cascading beauties, the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull will be visible in the north. If you’d like to explore a glacier better, you can add on a hike on Sólheimajökull, one of Mýrdalsjökull outlet glacier. Glacier hiking is a fun, family-friendly activity where participants over the age of 8 can trek across the ice cap and discover a new world of ice sculptures and blue crevasses.

From there you’ll visit the stunning black sand beach at Reynisfjara. The beach is edged in by cliffs of dark basalt columns which create a fascinating hexagonal pattern in the cliff face. Out in the ocean rise the 66-metre Reynisdrangar sea stalk resembling terrifying trolls.

Those who wish to explore the South Coast more can add on a tour during the booking process where they hop on a coach bus heading to the gorgeous Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. There, you can see enormous icebergs float peacefully on the water before they drift off to sea, and maybe a seal or two swimming by.

On your way back to Reykjavík, where you will spend the night, make sure to look up in the sky for a chance to see the elusive Northern Lights.

Today you’ll get to relax in the warm, healing waters of the Blue Lagoon. The spa is famous for its mineral-rich waters, and it is the perfect way to unwind after days of travelling.

When you return to Reykjavík, you’ll have the day to explore this northernmost capital in the world. You could learn about Viking settlers in the city’s many museums or check out Laugardalur area’s Family park and Zoo.

The zoo is filled with Icelandic farm animals and mammals from the wild such as sheep, foxes, seals and the Icelandic horse. If you’d like to get to know the friendly and gentle Icelandic horse better, you could opt for a horse riding tour through the Icelandic countryside, suitable for both beginners and expert riders over the age of 8.

Another option for animal-lovers is to go on a whale-watching tour from Reykjavík’s old harbour to discover the wealth of marine life just off the city’s shore.

If you’d like to explore the country a bit further, you could schedule your Blue Lagoon visit on another day and take a full-day excursion to visit the Snæfellsnes peninsula, the Ice Cave Tunnels in Langjökull glacier or a natural Ice Cave in Mýrdalsjökull glacier.

Snæfellsnes is a 90 km peninsula filled with natural wonders such as waterfalls, black pebble beaches, and lava fields. It also has a tall and mighty glacier covering an ancient volcano that was featured in Jules Verne’s classic novel ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’.

At the Ice Cave Tunnels in Langjökull, you’ll get to travel through a maze of intricate tunnels that have been carved into the glacier. Everybody from the age of 2 will enjoy this fun and informative journey that is usually only reserved for scientists and glacier experts. You'll travel through the dozens of tunnels and learn how glaciers are formed, how they move, and how climate change is affecting them.

Each autumn, local guides hike up Mýrdalsjökull glacier to hunt for the perfect natural ice cave. On an Ice Cave tour, those who have reached the age of 12 are taken up the glacier, which covers the volcano Katla, to explore this natural wonder and see how the blue and white of the glacier mixes with jet-black ash from past volcanic eruptions.

If you choose to travel on this day, your visit to the Blue Lagoon will be moved to another day so it will all fit smoothly into your itinerary. You’ll then spend your last night in Iceland at your accommodations in Reykjavík.

Now it is time to say goodbye to Iceland. If your flight leaves late, you might have time to explore the city better and maybe pick up a souvenir or two.

You could start the day by heading out to your nearest bakery and try some Icelandic pastries like ‘snúður’, a cinnamon filled bread rolled slathered in chocolate, caramel or sugar glaze. Or you could visit some of Reykjavík’s many cafés which offer traditional, and healthier, Icelandic delicacies like ‘skyr’ or ‘flatkökur’.

When it is time to leave, you’ll board the airport bus and head again to the barren lava fields that greeted you when you arrived here only a few days ago.