# Reykjavik with toddlers and preschoolers

Written 2026-10-10 by Play Day. Reykjavik with a two- to six-year-old: the big city pool, Perlan and Whales of Iceland for bad weather, the zoo in Laugardalur, a Golden Circle day, and hotels and apartments to base it all from. See which ones have changing tables, cribs or a kitchen before you go.

Almost everything below is a short bus or taxi ride from downtown, so the Golden Circle is the only day that needs a car (or a tour).

## Start at the pool

Every pool in the city has you shower without a swimsuit before you get in, which is worth explaining to a four-year-old before you arrive.

### [Laugardalslaug](https://ourplayday.com/places/laugardalslaug-reykjavik)

Area: Laugardalur

The biggest pool in the city: indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, a kids' pool and a slide just for kids under 120 cm. It's worth a morning of its own. There's a private changing room if your family wants one.

## Indoors

### [Perlan](https://ourplayday.com/places/perlan-reykjavik)

Area: Öskjuhlíð

A big piece of Iceland under one dome: a walk-through ice cave, glacier and volcano exhibits to touch, Áróra (the northern lights show) and a viewing deck with a café. You don't have to do all of it. The planetarium is dark and loud, which some small kids love and some don't. It sits at the top of a hill, with free parking outside.

### [Whales of Iceland](https://ourplayday.com/places/whales-of-iceland-reykjavik)

Area: Grandi

Twenty-three life-size whale models in one big hall, with whale sounds playing around them. Kids can touch the models, which does more for a four-year-old than any panel. They're models, not live whales, so say so on the way there.

## Animals in Laugardalur

### [Reykjavik Family Park and Zoo](https://ourplayday.com/places/reykjavik-family-park-and-zoo-reykjavik)

Area: Laugardalur

Horses, seals, reindeer and Arctic foxes, with a big play area between the pens. The animals and the playground are open all year; the rides are mostly a summer thing. Laugardalslaug is next door, and with a five-year-old you can do both around a long lunch (with a toddler, one is plenty).

## A Golden Circle day

Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss make a long loop east of the city. Choose the one or two you care about and leave time to eat, because a famous path isn't always a stroller path.

### [Friðheimar](https://ourplayday.com/places/fridheimar-reykholt)

Area: Reykholt

The lunch stop on the way to Geysir, in a working tomato greenhouse. Tomato soup and fresh bread are the thing to order, which is great unless your kid has strong feelings about tomatoes (some do). How to book is on the listing.

## Where to stay

A central hotel makes the short hops easy. An apartment gets you a kitchen and a door between you and the sleeping kid, and with small children that's often worth more than the location.

### [Reykjavik Residence](https://ourplayday.com/places/reykjavik-residence-hotel-reykjavik)

Area: Downtown

Real bedrooms in the middle of town: apartments go up to three bedrooms and the family suites sleep six. Some have a full kitchen and some a kitchenette, so check which one you're booking.

- Kitchenette: Yes

### [Apartment Hotel Black Pearl](https://ourplayday.com/places/apartment-hotel-black-pearl-reykjavik-reykjavik)

Area: Old harbour

Serviced apartments a few streets from the old harbour, where the whale boats leave. The suites have a separate bedroom and a sofa bed for two kids, and the two-bedroom flats sleep six.

- Cribs: Yes
- Kitchenette: Yes

### [Grandi by Center Hotels](https://ourplayday.com/places/grandi-by-center-hotels-reykjavik)

Area: Grandi

Next door to Whales of Iceland. Besides the family rooms there are suites with a separate bedroom, which is the difference between an early bedtime for the kids and one for everybody.

- Cribs: Yes

### [Fosshotel Reykjavik](https://ourplayday.com/places/fosshotel-reykjavik-reykjavik)

Area: Borgartún

A big hotel east of downtown, nearer the pool and the zoo than the harbour hotels are, with rooms for a family of four.

- Cribs: Yes

## Lagoons, rides and tours

Sky Lagoon is for ages 12 and up, and every lagoon sets its own age rules. FlyOver Iceland has a minimum height, and horse riding, glacier walks and other tours each set their own ages, so go by the rules for the exact tour you're booking, not the company's family page.

## Leave room in the day

You don't have to plan the whole trip before you land. The [Reykjavik map](https://ourplayday.com/places/in/reykjavik) has the playgrounds, cafés and parks near wherever you end up when everyone is ready for the next thing.

Page: https://ourplayday.com/guides/iceland/reykjavik/with-young-kids