Exclusive, extraordinary and effortlessly epic, Iceland is the ideal place for families seeking a luxury holiday. With a wealth of upscale accommodation, private tours and high-end experiences that cater for all ages, this guide will show how Iceland’s natural beauty and cultural richness make it a destination that offers both educational and profoundly memorable experiences for children and adults alike.
Let’s explore why Iceland is an unmissable destination for luxury family vacations.
The Benefits of Opting for a Private Tour or Luxury Package
Discerning families understand there’s much to be gained from opting for a private tour. While group tours have their benefits – affordability and the chance to meet like-minded visitors being two of them – there are a plethora of advantages if you book a private excursion.
Carefully curated by those who know Iceland best
The activities that form the basis of our private tours have been specially selected by our local experts. Tried and tested, we know how valuable making lasting memories is for your family. Take the guesswork out of finding the kinds of experiences that you’ll love by engaging those who know exactly where to find them.
Fully customisable
No two families are alike. Different personalities, varying ages and diverse interests mean that a one size fits all approach isn’t going to cut it. A key advantage of choosing a private tour or luxury package is that it is fully customisable. You choose how to spend the time – it’s your holiday after all.
Freedom to set your own pace
Being able to control your own schedule is important while your family is at work or school so why shouldn’t that also be the case while you’re on vacation? On a private tour, there’s no hanging around waiting for other guests and no pressure to leave somewhere that has really grabbed your attention because others are ready to move on.
Our Picks: Activities and Experiences for a Luxury Family Vacation
Activity Iceland offers a wide range of activities and experiences that are ideally suited to a luxury family vacation. If you’re planning a trip to Iceland with kids, here are just a few of them. To see the full range of what we offer, why not take a look at the tours on our website?
Activities that are the perfect fit for every member of the family
When it comes to things to do in Iceland with kids, there’s no end to the choices we can offer you. Perhaps you share a hobby as a family, like taking walks amid gorgeous surroundings – Iceland’s hiking trails are perfect for that. Maybe you like trying new things? You might consider horse riding on a black sand beach, going on a RIB safari to see a huge puffin colony or descending into the magma chamber of a long-dormant volcano.
Sporty families will love Iceland. On a private excursion or luxury package, the country becomes your personal adventure playground. Myriad activities – whitewater rafting, heli-skiing, supported hikes, scuba diving and snowmobiling to name just a few – inject a shot of adrenaline into your time here and ensure everyone has a grin plastered across their faces.
It’s also possible to slow down the pace with a family yoga session overlooking a breathtaking landscape, a leisurely wildlife-focused boat trip or a family picnic beside a serene glacial lagoon. Educational opportunities abound. Explore Iceland’s history in the places where it happened or try unusual foods – sometimes an acquired taste!
Visits to deluxe geothermal spas
Our geothermal energy has long provided the means for Icelanders to soak in warm water in the open air. Gamla Laugin – you might know it as Secret Lagoon – opened back n 1891. In recent years there has been a number of new openings and there’s never been so much choice when it comes to relaxing in upscale surroundings on a family trip to Iceland.
Iconic Blue Lagoon has long been on the tourist trail but its luxurious hotels are a more recent addition. Sky Lagoon’s infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean and its seven-step ritual will feel like an indulgence for families with older children. Meanwhile if you’re the kind of family that likes to follow their own path, why not try less-visited but no less luxurious geothermal baths such as Vök or Krauma instead?
Private tours to hunt for the Northern Lights
There are some things money can’t buy, and that, unfortunately, includes a guaranteed sighting of the Northern Lights. However, on a private tour you’ll have total flexibility to choose your location, maximising your chances of seeing the aurora. When it does show up, you’ll have it all to yourselves as a family, with no risk of anyone else photo-bombing your souvenir snaps.
Working in conjunction with your experienced guide, you’ll make decisions together about where your aurora hunt will take you. Having a super jeep at your disposal means that you can reach areas that aren’t accessible in a regular 4×4. If your children are feeling cold, tired or impatient, they can retreat to the warm and comfortable vehicle until there’s a display worth getting out for.
Helicopter tours over Iceland’s extraordinary landscapes
Seeing Iceland’s extraordinary landscapes from the air is a real privilege. Choosing to do so as a family on a private flight is the ultimate in luxury travel. Our tours covers a diverse array of landscapes, so there’s sure to be one that ticks the right boxes for your family and their interests.
For instance, you might opt to overfly the newly-created volcanic area in Reykjanes. Peer down into the crater, take a look at the patterns created by rivers of lava and as the steam rises from active geothermal areas, be reminded that nature’s work isn’t yet complete. From the air, you can see the complete picture and get an overview of the scale of the recent eruptions that is much harder to achieve on the ground.
Alternatively, switch up fire for ice. Glaciers look just as spectacular from above, but landing on one is the icing on the cake. Taking a helicopter flight means that you can see areas of the glacier that are inaccessible from the ground or save precious hours that you might have spent hiking to reach an isolated location. Appreciating the extent of the ice and also the rate of glacial retreat is a valuable learning experience for all the family.
Where to Find the Best Accommodation in Iceland
On an Iceland family vacation, it’s important to find the right base so that you can rest well after each day’s activities and be comfortable in your surroundings. We can customise your itinerary so that you decide where you want to stay, immersing yourself in a stellar region such as the Golden Circle or being chauffeur driven on day tours so that you can enjoy Reykjavik’s restaurants and evening entertainment.
Our packages have been designed so that the Iceland luxury hotels and other accommodation we select gives you just as much pleasure as the things you do when you’re not in it. For some families, that means being at the heart of city life in one of the capital’s top hotels; for others, true relaxation comes in a secluded spot in Iceland’s remarkable countryside where we might instead arrange a stay at a premium lodge with a private chef.
When to Book Your Family Adventure in Iceland
Iceland’s a year-round destination and if you’re looking for somewhere that’s going to deliver a memorable luxury family vacation then this is it. The amount of daylight might impact how much you can fit into your itinerary while the nature of the activities you will be able to do will vary according to the season, so if there’s a particular thing that you’d like to tick off the family’s bucket list, then you’ll need to make sure you’re here at the right time of year.
For example, if you and the kids are hoping to see the Northern Lights, then the trip needs to be between late August and mid April for you to have the best chance of the auroraborealis showing up too. Similarly, it’s advisable to take an ice cave tour in winter when the ice has had a chance to stabilise as the temperatures drop. Conversely, some other outdoor activities are available only in the summer, such as puffin-spotting, rafting, kayaking or descending into a dormant volcano.
The good news is that a surprisingly wide range of activities are available year-round, whether that’s whale watching in Faxaflói Bay or an ATV ride to the wrecked plane on Sólheimasandur beach. So long as you dress appropriately, they can be as enjoyable on a cold winter’s day as they are in warm summer sunshine. Sometimes it’s just a case of switching up the means of transport and letting a super jeep or snowmobile be the answer to accessing otherwise unreachable destinations.
Your Iceland family holiday can be what you want it to be – no compromises. Our private tours and thoughtfully curated luxury packages will provide the initial inspiration and be the start of a conversation about how you’d like your vacation to take shape. Why not get in touch and set the wheels in motion?
