Isafjordur with Kids: 9 Family Tours and Things to Do
The short answer
Isafjordur works well with children if you pick short outings built on animals. The seal tour pairs the Hvítanes colony with Súðavík, where the Arctic Fox Centre and the Raggagarður playground are. Farm stops add horses to the Dynjandi run, whale and Vigur boats sell child fares, and the town pool is free for everyone under 18.
Family tours from Isafjordur compared
| Tour | Price | Length | Child fare | Stroller / child seats | What children remember |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seal Watching and Scenic Fjord Tour | From $151 | 3.5 h | Ages 2–11 | Not stated | Seals on the rocks, then the Arctic fox town |
| Isafjordur Port: Small Group Dynjandi Waterfall & Farm Visit Tour | From $181 | 3.5 h | Ages 2–12 | Infant seats available | The waterfall, then horses at a farm |
| Dynjandi Waterfall and Westfjords Farm Tour | From $154 | 3.5 h | Ages 2–11 | Not stated | Nearly two hours at the falls, then a farm |
| 3.5-Hour Sightseeing Tour to Dynjandi Waterfall | From $82 | 3.5 h | Not stated | Stroller accessible | The waterfall, and the scramble up beside it |
| Whale Watching in the Westfjords from Isafjordur | From $111 | 3 h | Ages 4–15; under-fours as infants | Stroller accessible | Whales if they surface; seals and seabirds |
| Vigur Island Tour from Isafjordur | From $229 | 3 h | From 2 | Not stated | Puffins, a boat ride and cake |
| Private Westfjords Day with a Local Guide | From $368 | 6 to 8 h | Ages 1–14 | Stroller accessible, booster seat included, infant seats available | Your own pace and your own stops |
Every one refunds in full up to 24 hours before it starts, so a feverish morning costs you nothing if you cancel the day before.
1. The Hvítanes seals and Súðavík
The Seal Watching and Scenic Fjord Tour gives you the most animals for the least waiting. It collects you at the ship, drives along Ísafjarðardjúp and gives you thirty minutes at Hvítanes, where harbour seals lie on the rocks a few metres from the shore. The farmers there have added a car park and benches, so your smaller children can watch from a seat.
Then you get forty-five minutes in Súðavík, home to the next two items. It runs three and a half hours at From $151 per person, and children aged 2 to 11 travel on a child fare.
2. The Arctic Fox Centre in Súðavík
Súðavík is 20 km from town, and the Arctic Fox Centre on Eyrardalur is the reason to stop.
From 1 September to 15 October it opens 09:00–16:00, and in winter by arrangement by email. The regional tourist board lists 09:00–18:00 in June and July, so confirm with the centre before you plan round it. No admission price is published.
3. Raggagarður, the Súðavík playground
A few minutes from the fox centre is Raggagarður, a family park and playground built by Vilborg Arnardóttir in memory of her son Ragnar. It is where you spend the rest of the seal tour's hour in the village. No fee or season is published for it.
4. The waterfall run, and the climb with small children
Dynjandi falls about 100 metres over stepped basalt and charges nothing to visit. The path climbs for about fifteen minutes from the car park, but the main fall is in view from the bottom, so a toddler on your hip still sees it.
- 3.5-Hour Sightseeing Tour to Dynjandi Waterfall: From $82, three and a half hours, rated 4.8 from 880 reviews, capped at 45 and marked stroller accessible.
- The Dynjandi day trip by bus: From $81 for the same length, with a 90-minute stop at the falls and 2,257 reviews behind it.
Both run in weather that ties the boats up. The other Dynjandi waterfall tours differ mainly in how long they leave you at the falls, and our Dynjandi waterfall guide walks the path fall by fall.
5. A farm stop with horses
Two trips add a farm to the waterfall:
- Dynjandi Waterfall and Westfjords Farm Tour (BusTravel Iceland): From $154, three and a half hours, one hour fifty at the falls and then one hour forty at Gemlufall farm. Child fare 2 to 11.
- Isafjordur Port: Small Group Dynjandi Waterfall & Farm Visit Tour (Nordur Travel): From $181, capped at 28, forty-five minutes at the falls, then cake at a farm where you meet Icelandic horses. Child fare 2 to 12.
6. The puffin island and its Puffin Path
The Vigur island tour is a thirty-minute crossing to Vigur Island, a walk along the Puffin Path and coffee and cake in the farmhouse, three hours at From $229. Puffins arrive in mid-April and begin leaving in early August. In July, when the Arctic terns nest, you are each handed a stick to hold above your head.
Child places start at age two. You board by steps with a handrail and no ramp, so fold the pushchair and carry it.
7. Whale watching, and the age question
The whale-watching trip is three hours on the Djúp at From $111, from the red boathouse on the harbour, with a restroom on board, and it is marked stroller accessible. Children from 4 to 15 pay the child fare; under-fours are booked as infants.
No sighting is promised, and wind stops sailings, sometimes on the morning itself. The Isafjordur boat tours page sets this trip beside the Vigur crossing.
8. Sundhöll, the town pool
Your answer to a wet afternoon is free: every pool in the Ísafjarðarbær municipality lets anyone under 18 in at no charge. Sundhöll on Austurvegur is an indoor 16-metre pool built just after the Second World War, with a hot tub and a cold tub.
- Summer (from 2 June): weekdays 10:00–21:00, weekends 10:00–17:00.
- Winter (from 23 August): weekdays 07:00–08:00 and 16:00–21:00 (Thursday 18:00–21:00), weekends 10:00–17:00.
- The rule: children aged 10 and under must come with someone 15 or older.
- With a car: Suðureyri has the municipality's only outdoor pool, 17 metres, with two hot tubs and a wading pool for the smallest.
On a September call, the pool is shut through the middle of weekdays. The other practical questions are on the Isafjordur tours FAQs.
9. Tungudalur and the town's own waterfall
The regional tourist board calls Tungudalur the playground of Ísafjörður. The valley beside the town has a small waterfall, one of the region's best-established forests and the campsite with a playground. You need no booking and no ticket.
If you want your own car seat and pace: a private day
The Private Westfjords Day with a Local Guide is From $368 per person for six to eight hours, up to 8 in the vehicle, with a booster seat included and infant seats available. Children from 1 to 14 pay the child fare, and lunch is extra. You stop when your child needs to, and the other private tours from Isafjordur are set out side by side.
How to fit two of these into one ship call
- Under fours: the seal tour, then the pool. Or the waterfall coach, watched from the bottom of the path.
- Four to ten: the whale boat or the island in the morning, then the pool, with the seal tour as your fallback if wind stops the boat.
- Teenagers: the island or the whales, plus the waterfall if your ship stays two days.
The timings for each length of call are in Isafjordur for cruise passengers, and the adult version of this list is 10 best things to do in Isafjordur.
Every trip named here is compared on price, hours and what the fare covers at Isafjordur Tours.
Frequently asked questions
Is Isafjordur good for kids?
What age can children go whale watching from Isafjordur?
Can I take a stroller on Isafjordur tours?
Is the Isafjordur swimming pool free for children?
Do any Isafjordur tours have child car seats?
Four family days, from seals to a car of your own
Seal Watching and Scenic Fjord Tour
Seals a few metres from the shore, then an hour in the village with the Arctic fox and the playground.
From $151 per person
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Whale Watching in the Westfjords from Isafjordur
Three hours after humpbacks, with a restroom on board and a child fare from age four.
From $111 per person
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Isafjordur Port: Small Group Dynjandi Waterfall & Farm Visit Tour
The waterfall, then cake and Icelandic horses at a farm, with infant seats available.
From $181 per person
Check Availability
Private Westfjords Day with a Local Guide
A vehicle to yourselves for six to eight hours, with a booster seat included.
From $368 per person
Check AvailabilityPick one outing for the animals and keep the pool for the afternoon, and a day here runs at a child's pace rather than the ship's.