Iceland with a 5 year old
 

We are going to Iceland over Thanksgiving (actually leave on the Monday before Thanksgiving and return on Thursday/Thanksgiving). We'll be in Reykjavik most of the time.

We have our 5 year old with us (no other children). He is very much into science-like things (identifying birds, geology type things, and so on. Any suggestions for things that might be enjoyable but not too wearing for a kindergartener?

We were hoping to do the Golden Circle and a trip to the Blue Lagoon. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

That sounds like a great start. I think that you will all love Iceland.

June

Your 5-yr old will like many parts of the Golden Circle, particularly watching eruptions at Geysir. There is a nice little museum there as well.

Please be very careful at Gulfoss, as there is no railing to prevent a child from getting too close to the edge of the cliff overlooking the rushing falls - only a rope about a foot off the ground, just the right height for tripping over.

Most Golden Circle tours stop at Eden, a huge indoor greenhouse. While a bit of a tourist trap, there are some really nice plants and flowers in the back part of the greenhouse.

When you go to the Blue Lagoon, make sure that you also get to visit the adjacent geothermal power plant - there is a really nice small geology museum there, with hands-on exhibits.

Another fun stop would be The Perlan, Reykjavik's attempt at an iconic landmark. You can't miss it, a giant silver dome perched on top of cylindrical tanks. Views from there of the city and surrounds are great.

Thanks! I did notice in the pictures of Gulfoss that the people seemed VERY close to the edge. We'll have to hang back a little there!

Our son is very excited about this trip. He's been practicing asking how to say a lot of things in Icelandic (I have been trying to look it up for him). I think the hands on geology exhibits would thrill him to no end!