Keflavík Airport (KEF) is Iceland’s largest airport and the country’s main transportation hub.
Keflavík (KEF) – Iceland’s main airport
Most international travel to and from Iceland passes through Keflavik Airport (also called Reykjavik-Keflavik). The airport handles flights to and from major cities in Europe, North America and South America. It is here, rather than at the tiny city airport of Reykjavik, that most passenger aircraft land. The airport has two active runways, each about 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) long and 200 feet (61 meters) wide. They are large enough to handle even a NASA space shuttle or an Antonov An-225.
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Accommodation near Keflavik Airport
Most tourists start their visit to Iceland with a tour of Reykjavik. However, this is not a necessity and usually not optimal. Understandably we want to get over the jet lag and get accustomed to local weather etc, but you’ll actually be better off leaving the capital for the end of your trip.
Reykjavik is not the reason you visit Iceland, so it is better to leave it as a “safety buffer” at the end of the trip. If for some reason you’ll be in a bit of a hurry to the airport on the last day, it’s certainly better to shorten the Reykjavik tour to, say, 2 hours (or skip it altogether) than to miss a trip to a volcano, waterfall, cave or even a hot spring…
If you need to save some time it’s best you save it on Reykjanes and Reykjavik, then anything else that would otherwise make up your last day plans.
Also: a lot of flights arrive to Iceland at night or so late in the evening, that you won’t see much on that day anyway. Or so early in the morning, that it’d be a waste to spend the whole day just sightseeing Reykjavik.
If you arrive early, do consider picking up your car right at the airport and starting your self drive immediately.
If you arrive late, perhaps take a bus to Blue Lagoon and go to Reykjavik from there, after you’ve rested in the hot pools enough. And don’t worry about your travel luggage – there’s special storage boxes for that at the Blue Lagoon parking lot. Book your Keflavik-BlueLagoon-Reykjavik transfer here: Blue Lagoon transfer from Keflavík Airport with Reykjavik drop-off.
And if you’re arriving at night, or after a very tiring flight, don’t put another hour (or two, in reality) between you and the bed. Stay at Keflavik and leave the driving for the following day. Iceland will wait 🙂
Here are some suggestions for attractive accommodations near Keflavik Airport:
- Lighthouse-Inn – breakfast included and possible wake-up call if there is a visible aurora borealis in the sky;
- Aurora Hotel – a hotel right next to the airport (650 feet on foot, also with an airport luggage cart); the accommodation itself is a bit more expensive, but you can pick up your car the next morning, so you have more options – with rentals that don’t operate around the clock;
- V13 Guesthouse – very nice rooms, well maintained and reasonably priced; fully equipped kitchen;
- Brimarsbrú sleep inn-art Gallery – one of the cheaper places in the area, and with an amazing atmosphere; the owner also offers a ‘ride’ from the airport (by arrangement);
Transport from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik
Leaving the plane
Later in the article we describe in more detail the various options for getting from the airport to your accommodation or hotel in Reykjavik (and back), but if you don’t rent a car at the airport, the most convenient – and often the cheapest – transportation is the shuttle buses:
- Flybus
connections correlated with flights, operating 24/7;
transfer to BSI terminal (southern Reykjavik, close to the city center, the main long-distance bus station): 3,999 ISK (about $29) pp;
transfer to your hotel or the nearest numbered stop in the center (with a change-over to a smaller bus at BSI): 5,299 ISK (about $38) pp;
prices October 2026; see Flybus availability; - Airport Direct and Gray Line
you may still see these two names in older guides, but both now send their airport-transfer bookings to Flybus (Gray Line Iceland belongs to the same Icelandia group), and the airport’s own transport page lists Flybus as the only shuttle bus, besides city bus 55; the drop-off points the other two were known for – Bus Hostel Reykjavik, stop “6: Safnahusid Culture House” next to Harpa and “13: Raudararstigur” right by Hlemmur – are now on the Flybus hotel drop-off list; book a hotel transfer (Flybus PLUS);
In the rest of the article you will find detailed information about the advantages and disadvantages of each mode of transportation.
| Getting from Keflavik to Reykjavik: Total costs | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| type of transport | remarks | 1 person | 2 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons | 6 persons | 8 persons |
| rental car | no airport surcharge these days | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| shuttle bus | $38 pp (w. hotel drop-off) | $38 | $76 | $152 | $190 | $228 | $304 |
| taxi | fixed fare for a party of 4 or 8 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $190 | $190 | $190 |
| city bus 55 | 2,400 ISK ($17) pp | $17 | $34 | $68 | $85 | $102 | $136 |
The table gives the total cost of the trip for the number of people indicated.
| Getting from Keflavik to Reykjavik: Cost per person | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| transport | remarks | 1 pax | 2 pax | 4 pax | 5 pax | 6 pax | 8 pax |
| rental car | no airport surcharge these days | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| shuttle bus | $38 pp (w. hotel drop-off) | $38 | $38 | $38 | $38 | $38 | $38 |
| taxi | fixed fare for a party of 4 or 8 | $150 | $75 | $37.50 | $38 | $31.70 | $23.80 |
| city bus 55 | 2,400 ISK ($17) pp | $17 | $17 | $17 | $17 | $17 | $17 |
The table gives the cost of travel per person.
As you can see, the cost of travel for a single person strongly depends on the size of the group in which you are traveling. If you are renting a car anyway, picking it up at the airport costs nothing extra, so it wins whatever the group size. The city bus is the cheapest of the rest at any group size – it is simply the slowest and the least convenient. A taxi starts to make sense from a party of 4 up, while the shuttle buses are the best answer if you’re traveling alone or in a group of 2 or 3.
How best to get from Keflavik airport to downtown Reykjavik
Although the airport is sometimes referred to as Reykjavik-Keflavik (or simply Reykjavik, or Reykjavik International), it is about 30 miles (50 km) from the Icelandic capital. Iceland lacks railroads, so the journey to Reykjavik must be made by road.
Optimal transportation: rent a car directly at the airport
Virtually all car rental companies hand the car over and take it back directly at Keflavik Airport, and these days this normally costs nothing extra. In practice, even if you need to rent a car for 1 day more just to get it to/from Reykjavik, it may still be worth it. Considering the prices of bus or cab rides (see below), renting a car right at the airport is a very attractive option, especially if you don’t intend to spend more than one day in Reykjavik (and it’s not likely to be worth it).
Campers are the one clear exception. Motorhome rentals practically never hand the vehicle over at the airport – you collect it at the company’s depot, and you get there by shuttle or bus. It is still worth planning the trip around the camper rather than around Reykjavik: with an RV both the first and the last night are spent at a campsite (in Reykjavik, Keflavik or, for example, in nearby Grindavik), so in a way you save on a guesthouse or hotel.
If you arrive in Iceland late at night, it may be better to spend the first night in one of the guesthouses or hotels in the nearby town of Keflavik. You can pick up your car in the morning and only then set off to “conquer” the island. A beer in a pub in Reykjavik costs about $11, so there is no need to set yourself up for an “evening on the town”.
Most convenient transportation: cab from Keflavik airport
A cab is, of course, the fastest and most convenient way to make this trip. The trip takes about 45 minutes, and the cab picks you up as soon as you leave the terminal and right at the door of your hotel, guesthouse or hostel.
This is often considered the most expensive way of getting to Reykjavik, and if you just catch one at the airport, it very well may be expensive. But you can pre-order your cab and then for a party of 4 or more, this is actually a very inexpensive transfer to the city.
Cabs can be ordered by phone or also through their dedicated apps (moderately convenient). Uber, on the other hand, does not work in Iceland.
See one of the companies operating at Keflavik airport here: Taxi Reykjavik. Current prices: 21,000 ISK (about $150) for a 1-4 pax ride, 26,500 ISK (about $190) for 5-8 pax.
Most popular option: shuttle bus from Keflavik
Perhaps the most popular way to get from Keflavik Airport to downtown Reykjavik is by shuttle bus. It is a comfortable, reasonably inexpensive option (especially for single travelers), quite comfortable and safe. However, it is not without its drawbacks.
Today the shuttle runs under a single name: Flybus – Airport Direct and Gray Line, which used to compete with it, now redirect their airport-transfer bookings to Flybus.
Large tourist coaches depart from the Keflavik terminal at times synchronized with airplane arrivals and the number of tickets purchased. Together with the wait for departure, the trip takes about an hour (the ride itself is about 45 minutes). The coaches are comfortable, the drivers helpful, and there is wifi on board :-).
Flybus coaches go to the main suburban bus station: the BSI, and from there smaller buses take you further (for a surcharge) – to your hotel or the nearest numbered stop in the center.
Two of those stops are worth knowing even if your hotel is elsewhere: no. 13 (Raudararstigur) sits right by Hlemmur, where every Reykjavik city line meets, and no. 6 (Safnahusid Culture House) is in the very heart of town, a short walk from Harpa.
The drop-off list also includes the parking lot in front of the Bus Hostel. If you are looking for economy accommodation in Reykjavik then the combination of this hostel and the Flybus hotel transfer will be perfect for you. The hostel itself is about a 10-minute walk east of BSI.
- Book your Flybus transfer
- Book your Flybus PLUS transfer to your hotel
The price of a one-way Flybus ride between Keflavik Airport and downtown Reykjavik is 3,999 ISK (about $29) per person, or 5,299 ISK (about $38) if you want to be dropped off at your hotel (prices October 2026). For individual travelers, this is certainly the best offer.
Naturally, you can also do it the other way round: take a bus from Reykjavik to Blue Lagoon, and then from there directly to the airport. Or take a simple Reykjavik – Blue Lagoon – Reykjavik option.
The ride offers pick-up and drop-off at any hotel in Reykjavik and together with Blue Lagoon admission it costs $155 per person.
Check availability and buy your tickets here: Keflavík Airport – Blue Lagoon, Comfort Admission & Transfer.
The cheapest option: city bus to Reykjavik
City bus at Keflavik Airport – line 55.
source: straeto.is
Such a ride costs 2,400 ISK (about $17) per person and takes about 1:15 h. Young people, seniors and passengers with disabilities pay 1,200 ISK (about $9), and children under 11 ride for free. Currently the main way of paying for your ticket is via special app – Klapp. For now however, you can still pay for your ticket with the bus driver, upon entry. Be aware, however, that if you want to pay in cash, the driver might not give you change (it’s better to pay by card, as for everything in Iceland).
Unfortunately, city buses do not adjust their schedules to the arrival times, and this route is only served by Line 55, which has few runs during the day. Line 55 goes from Keflavik Airport to BSI bus station.
Buses run roughly from 6:30am until 11pm, usually about once an hour – but the timetable does get reshuffled, so check the current departures on straeto.is before you count on one. Not every run ends at BSI either: some finish at the Fjordur (Fjörður) bus station in Hafnarfjordur, on the southern edge of the Reykjavik area. That is too far to walk downtown (about 6 miles), but line 1 will take you into the center every 10-15 minutes almost around the clock.
The bus ride certainly takes the longest, but is also by far the cheapest option. If you’re arriving late in the evening (so you’ll probably miss the last bus) or departing very early in the morning (so the first bus of the day gets you to the airport too late), and you don’t want to pay for more expensive forms of transportation, book accommodation in Keflavik, preferably at the Aurora Hotel as the town itself is a good few miles away from the airport.
The latest schedules are always available on straeto.is (although the site is not the easiest to navigate) and in the Klapp app, which has taken over from the old Straeto app – that one is gone from both stores.
Here’s Straeto’s official website dedicated to getting from the airport to the city center: straeto.is.
History of Keflavík Airport
The first airport in Keflavík was built by the US military during World War II. It consisted of two separate, two-lane airfields, built simultaneously, located about 2.5 miles (4 km) apart. These were Patterson Airport (opened in 1942) and Meeks Airport (opened March 23, 1943). During World War II, the airport was used only for military operations, but at the end of the war it became a refueling stop for international civil aviation crossing the Atlantic. After the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the base, it was handed over to the Icelandic government, which renamed it Keflavík Airport.
A new civilian terminal was opened in 1987. It was named after Leif Erikson, a Viking with Norwegian-Icelandic roots, who was the first European to arrive in North America. Over the following years, the terminal was successively expanded.
Today, Keflavík Airport is equipped with 25 check-in counters, three baggage claim lanes, 14 gates and many stores and restaurants. It also has cargo facilities and a parking lot with 1,150 long-term and 365 short-term spaces. Naturally, a number of car rental companies are also represented at the airport.
A remnant of NATO’s presence in the area (Iceland has no armed forces of its own) is the Rockville radar station, about 3 miles (5 km) north of the airport.
Reykjavik City Airport (RKV)
A plane from Reykjavik arriving at Husavik Airport
However, there is also a second airport called Reykjavik. Be careful not to confuse the two places.
Where can you fly direct from Reykjavik
Reykjavik Airport (IATA: RKV; isl. Reykjavíkurflugvöllur) is a small airport almost in the center of Reykjavik. It primarily serves domestic flights to smaller airports in Iceland. So you can fly from here, for example, to Akureyri, Husavik or the far-off Grimsey in the north, Hofn (Hornafjordur) and Heimaey in the south, Egilsstadir and Vopnafjordur in the east, or Gjogur and Isafjordur in the Westfjords.
However, it is not strictly a domestic airport (although it is also sometimes referred to as such – Reykjavik Domestic Airport), as you can also fly from here to Greenland and the Faroe Islands – although that flight often departs from or routes through Keflavik.
Cruise flights from Reykjavik Airport (map)
What airlines fly from Reykjavik city airport
Scheduled service at Reykjavik City Airport is run by two airlines today, and both are small by international standards (see the airport’s own destination list).
- Icelandair – the airport’s main airline. It absorbed Air Iceland Connect, which used to fly these routes under its own name, and today serves Akureyri, Egilsstadir, Isafjordur and Hornafjordur;
- Norlandair – a tiny operator that specializes in charter flights but also keeps a few scheduled ones: Bildudalur and Gjogur in the Westfjords, and from its Akureyri base also Grimsey, Thorshofn, Vopnafjordur and Greenland;
- Eagle Air (Icelandic: Flugfélagið Ernir) flew mainly to the north of the island for years, but it is no longer one of the airport’s scheduled carriers – its old address ernir.is now belongs to a charter broker;
- Air Greenland is Greenland’s national airline. It used to add Reykjavik City Airport to its schedules from time to time; today it is not among the airport’s scheduled operators.
How to get to Reykjavik city airport
You can simply walk to this local airport (it’s about half a mile from Hallgrimskirkja Church), take a cab (no more than 3 miles from almost any point in the city) or take a bus. City line 15 stops about 1,000 feet (300 m) from the airport terminal – stop Reykjavíkurflugvöllur.