Golden Circle · With kids

Ice cream made from the farm's own milk, eaten at a counter with a window straight into the cowshed so children can watch the herd while they eat. There is a farm restaurant alongside and horses in the field. Open 10:00 to 20:00 daily, ten minutes from Laugarvatn.

The village pool rather than a spa: 25 metres, three hot tubs, a sauna and a cold tub, at Hverabraut 2. Adults 1,250 kr, ages 10 to 16 600 kr, under 10s free. Winter hours are 13:00 to 21:00 Monday to Thursday and 10:00 to 18:00 at weekends; longer in summer. Swimsuits and towels can be hired.

A small farm zoo between Reykholt and the river with rabbits, goats, pigs, birds and an indoor play area, aimed squarely at under-tens. It runs on seasonal hours and closes for parts of the year, so check before you drive out.

Arctic Rafting has run trips from the Drumboddsstaðir base on the Hvítá since 1985, about 98 kilometres from Reykjavik and close to Reykholt. The family version is the gentle one; wetsuits, helmets and guides are provided, and there is a hot tub and sauna at the base afterwards.

From the P2 Fossplan car park at Þingvellir it is a short, level boardwalk to the waterfall, which is about as much walking as a small child will tolerate in Icelandic wind. Free once you have paid the day parking, and far less crowded than the rift path above it.