Best Of Reykjavík Activities 2022: Best Place To Spend Time With The Kids (Summer!)

Reykjavík is bustling with activities, from famous attractions to our small hidden gems. And we have busted our balls, pushing ourselves to our physical limits—have you seen how many mountains we hiked?—to compile this list of what you need to do to experience Reykjavík to the fullest (and most authentic). So, here are the winners of our Best of Reykjavík 2022 Activities awards, all of which are recommended by our panel of locals.

Best Place To Spend Time With The Kids (Summer!)

Húsdýragarðurinn

Múlavegur 2, 104 Reykjavík

Húsdýragarðurinn (Reykjavík Family Park and Zoo) is the go-to place for Icelandic families on a nice summer day. It’s basically a petting zoo where you’ll find everything from seals and horses to reindeer. If you’re really lucky, the zoo might be nurturing a falcon or eagle, which you can visit before they’re released back into nature. The last time one of our writers went, a bewildered stork was being nursed back to health. The garden also offers an amusement park with a few rides like go-carts, a quainte little boating lake, and a drop tower.

Runner-Up:

Elliðaárdalur

Kistuhyl 4, 110 Reykjavík

photo by Art Bicnick

Reykjavík has a lot of small secret hide-outs. Elliðaárdalur is of course no small place, but not many travellers manage to find it. There is a beautiful river and a forest and even salmon if you want to catch a fish—though you’ll need a licence. But still, what other capital can boast a salmon river smack dab in the middle of the city area?

Runner-Up:

Árbæjarsafnið

Kistuhyl 4, 110 Reykjavík

Hey, here is a newsflash for you nihilistic monsters; the past is cool and really matters. Not only that, it can be incredibly fun and entertaining. Árbæjarsafnið is a unique open-air museum, set up like a small village, with old houses from the 18th century and a good old vibe from the past. The museum is very entertaining for children, and the houses are just something else.

Previous Winners

2021: Maritime Museum

2020: Húsdýragarðurinn

2019: Tjörnin

You can buy a copy of the full Best Of Reykjavík 2022 magazine—an essential guide to having fun in Reykjavík—here, posted worldwide.