What to do in Jökulsárlón with kids? Jökursárlón is Iceland’s largest glacial lake. It is located in the south of Iceland between the towns of Vik and Höfn and it is 380 kilometers from Reykjavik. Visiting this lake is highly recommended with kids and I think they won’t soon forget this experience! Jökursálón has an area of no less than 18 square kilometers and the lake is 250 meters deep in some places. The lake is truly beautiful and there are hundreds of ice rocks of all shapes and sizes floating in it towards the sea. There are many activities to do on and around the lake with kids. In this blog we list the best children’s activities in Jökulsárlón!
Best travel time Jökulsárlón with kids
The climate in and around Jökursárlón, like the rest of Iceland, is very variable. You can encounter four seasons in one day. It does get really cold in the winter and it usually freezes in the months of November and December. The best travel time to visit Jökulsárlón with kids is from May through September. Then you have the best chance of dry weather and the days in terms of light are also a lot longer. This also allows you to do more in one day.
You have the best chance of beautiful weather in Jökursárlón during the summer months: June, July and August. Unfortunately, you do have the least chance of seeing the Northern Lights during these months. The Northern Lights can mainly be seen in Iceland during the months of October through March. Of course, also keep in mind that Iceland is most visited by tourists during the summer months and it can be a lot busier at attractions then.
You may then have to book certain activities such as the boat on Glacier Lake, and the prices of accommodations, for example, will also start to rise during this period.
Transportation to and in Jökulsárlón
Jökursárlón is quite a remote place and there are no supermarkets or other stores in the vicinity. Therefore, I really do recommend renting a car when traveling to this area. From Reykjavik you drive to Jökulsárlón in about 5 hours. You drive mostly on the good paved Ring Road 1.
If you want to rent a car in Iceland, most tourists do so at Reykjavik airport. You will have a car at your disposal right away and can drive everywhere you want. Whether you should rent a normal car or a 4×4 car depends on what you want to see. If you are going to the famous sights, which are usually located along the Ring Road 1, then a normal rental car is fine. If you really want to go inland, you will need a 4×4 rental car for some parts.
You can rent a car at Reykjavik airport through the organization Sunny Cars. With Sunny Cars, most insurances and often the excess are included in the rental price of the car. That way, you can hit the road with a rental car in Iceland with the family with peace of mind. For more information on renting a car at Reykjavik airport, take a look here.
Most tourists visiting the glacial lake of Jökulsárlón choose to stay in accommodation in Höfn. This is the closest town to Jökursárlón and it is still about 80 kilometers away, which makes a car handy to get there!
Children’s activities Jökulsárlón
#1 Glacier Lake
Jökursárlón is Iceland’s largest glacial lake and is also called the Jökursárlón Glacier Lagoon. It is located on Europe’s largest glacier, the Vatnajökull. It is one of the most beautiful natural wonders of Iceland, which also makes it one of the most photogenic places in Iceland. We were in corona time in Iceland, so we were the only tourists at that time at the glacial lake and this, of course, allowed us to take endless beautiful photos without other tourists in the picture and enjoy walking around.
Unfortunately, this prevented us from taking a boat trip on Lake Glacier. A boat trip on the lake is of course very nice with kids. You have two options here. You can take an amphibian boat or a Zodiac boat out on the lake. With the latter boat, kids must be 10 years or older to be allowed on the boat. A boat trip on the lake usually takes between 1 and 3 hours.
Keep in mind that during the summer period, these boats do fill up quite quickly and it is advisable to book the boats in advance. These boat trips are not cheap, but so are most activities in Iceland. If you find the boat trip too expensive, then of course you can do just fine walking along the side of the lake. There is washed up ice everywhere and the scenery is really beautiful!
Want something more challenging? There is also an option to take a kayak out on the lake, but this is only suitable for kids 14 and older.
At the glacier lake you can also do some really good seal spotting. This is super fun to do with kids! It is sometimes a challenge to see them, because as fast as they come up with their heads above water, they go under again. Of course, you may be lucky enough to see one sitting on an ice rock, but unfortunately we were not so lucky.
We did see quite a few seals and our little son absolutely loved it! To see seals you don’t have to take a boat out on the water at all, because we saw plenty of them from the shore.
#2 Diamond Beach
The ice rocks and glacier water flow from the lake through a small river towards the sea and it then passes a beautiful black beach. This black beach is a lava beach and the sand is all black. This combined with the giant ice rocks, this beach is truly a picture! The ice rocks look just like big diamonds because of the black sand and they come in all shapes and sizes.
Therefore, you can imagine why they named this beach Diamond beach. To drive from Glacier Lake to Diamond Beach you are a few minutes away by car. Diamond Beach is also wonderful to visit with kids. You can take a nice walk on this beach if you want and this is guaranteed to be a fun activity with kids.
Our little son could not walk yet when we were at the beach, but even he ventured to climb and walk around the ice rocks. Of course, it is a little cold when you have to hold your little hands on the ice rock, because otherwise you will fall ;).
#3 Fjallsárlón
You have more glacial lakes in the vicinity of Jökulsárlón that you can view. For example, you have the glacial lakes Fjallsárlón and Breiðárlón that you can visit. Here it will be a lot quieter than of course the most famous glacial lake of Jökulsárlón. However, you should of course keep in mind that it is all a bit similar.
A somewhat smaller glacier lake that you can visit near Jökulsárlón with kids is Svinafellsjokull glacier lake. The road to the parking lot of this glacier is a bit of a challenge, but you can see the glacier a lot better here than at the other lakes. This gives kids a better idea of what a glacier looks like. You do have to be careful with young kids at this lake that they don’t fall, as there are few amenities at the glacier such as gates.
#4 Eldhraun Lava Fields
Driving from Vik toward Jökursárlón via the Ring Road 1, you will drive for dozens of kilometers through the famous “lava fields.” This is the largest lava field in Iceland. This lava field is completely covered under a 10 to 20 centimeter thick layer of moss and is very special to see! Halfway through the route you will see a parking sign somewhere.
The route to the viewpoint over these lava fields is a route that you can really only do with a 4×4 car. We did it with a normal car, but whether that was very wise is questionable. The road is full of holes and thick stones and is therefore not really suitable for an ordinary car.
You drive on this road for almost 20 kilometers, so it’s not like it’s just a very small stretch either. The viewpoint you eventually reach is beautiful and you can look for miles across the lava fields from the lookout point. If you have a 4×4 rental car, then it is definitely a nice option to drive here with kids in the area of Jökursárlón.
#5 Höfn
Höfn is a small fishing village in southern Iceland and it is located on a peninsula. The village has 2100 inhabitants, so it is not very large. However, it is a convenient base for fun activities with kids in the area. From Höfn you can, for example, visit the Svartifoss waterfall. This waterfall is also called the black waterfall and this waterfall is 20 meters high and completely surrounded by black basalt blocks. This makes the waterfall extra beautiful!
You can take a nice 3.2 kilometer hike from here and you will come across 3 super beautiful waterfalls. These are the Skaftafall waterfall , the Hundafoss waterfall and the Svartifoss waterfall! It is a challenging hike so I would recommend this when your kids can easily walk by themselves or when they can still be in a baby carrier.
From Höfn you can also visit several glaciers around Jökursárlón, including the Vatnajökull and this is the largest glacier in all of Europe. Are your kids older than 8? Then you can take a hike across this ice plain with special equipment and visit an ice cave! You can further visit the glacier museum in Höfn and this is of course a fun and educational activity with kids.
Furthermore, there are some stores and restaurants in the village that you can visit! A great place to book accommodation and visit all the highlights around Jökursárlón with kids from here.
Family-friendly restaurant Jökulsárlón
As in most places in Iceland, finding a suitable restaurant can be a challenge at times. Anyway, restaurants are very expensive in Iceland and there are families with kids who bring food in the suitcase and save money that way. For example, near the glacial lake of Jökursárlón you have a number of food trucks where you can go for a fries, a sandwich or a hot dog.
The best option to eat then is the town of Höfn which we just mentioned. Here you have several restaurants where you can get something to eat. We list some of them here.
Otto Matur & Drykkur: This is a modern restaurant where it can be very busy. You cannot make reservations here, but you can have your name put on a waiting list on the spot. By the way, this is the case at all restaurants in Höfn. They have about 12 tables in the restaurant here and a very extensive menu. The price-quality ratio here is very good and the restaurant is rated tremendously well online.
Ishusid Pizzeria: If you are a family in the mood for a nice pizza, then this restaurant is definitely a good option. Besides delicious pizzas, they also have meat dishes and vegetarian options here, so there is a suitable meal for everyone. The pizzas are quite affordable by Icelandic standards.
Kaffi Hornid: If you want a quick meal with young kids, this restaurant is a good option. The service here is fast and you can choose from dishes like pizza, burgers with fries, as well as dishes like a grilled salmon.
Family-friendly hotel Jökulsárlón with kids
You can stay in the town of Höfn with kids just fine. You don’t have super many family-friendly accommodations. But there are some nice options. We list below the best rated options in different price ranges. Click on the blue link for more information.
Budget accommodation: Höfn Cottages
Middle class accommodation: Guesthouse Dyngja
Luxury accommodation: Hotel Jökull
For the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Höfn, take a look here.
About the author: We are a family of now 4 people! Elise (33), Gert (44), Lev (4) and Vik (3). Our motto is: it’s better to regret things you do, than things you didn’t do! We love traveling immensely and especially to faraway destinations! We can be followed on our Instagram page travel.family.
