The day you will step onto Iceland’s shores is approaching quickly and you are nothing but excited. You’ve been preparing your trip for a long time for sure. You have your itinerary ready and you probably already marked all the places you wish to visit. Most of you probably rented an RV for your trip and you feel you have all set up now.
Some of you start your trip directly from the Keflavik international airport where you will pick up your rental campervan. Others prefer to rest or simply start their trip from the capital the next day. And so another question comes to mind. How do I get from the airport to Reykjavik city? Will I have an easy hotel connection? There is nothing to worry about as we will now respond to all those questions and will give you all the necessary information about the Keflavik shuttle service.
Keflavik or Reykjavik airport?
Honestly, is is quite easy to mistake these two and we understand it completely! That is why, at the beginning of this post we would like to clear some confusion up.
Many of you who are coming to Iceland for the first time, do not know that we have both Keflavik airport and Reykjavik domestic airport too.
How can you recognize which one you are landing at? Simple, through the IATA number of the airport- KEF for Keflavik. Note though that on most of the flight tickets, the name of the airport you will find will be “ Reykjavik KEF” - that is mainly the reason why people get confused. Now you know though that KEF stands for the Keflavik International.
As already mentioned above, Keflavik international airport is for all the flights from abroad, to make it easier. Reykjavik airport is a domestic one for domestic flights only. Now you know the difference!
How to get from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik City?
Most of the tourists who arrive to Iceland start their trip directly from Keflavik, they rent a campervan from the offices near by and hit the road towards Reykjavik. Others prefer to start the trip from Reykjavik city, do some sightseeing and then continue the trip starting with the Golden Circle route.
Keflavik airport is located approximately a 45-minute drive from Reykjavik city. You need to somehow get there though, right? How? You have a few options.
1. Get a bus transfer.
There are several companies offering transfers between Keflavik airport and Reykjavik BSI Bus Station. The well-known company is FlyBus which provides the bus service from 3.000 ISK. They operate every day, even on weekends and you can always check the departure time on their website here. They normally depart every 35-40 minutes after each passenger flight arrival. You will easily find their bus stops outside the terminal. We do recommend to get the tickets in advance. In their offer you will also find the transfers from Reykjavik to Keflavik airport.
2. Take a taxi
That is the most comfortable way obviously also known as door-to-door service. You can get a taxi just from outside the terminal which will get you to the exact place you wish. This is however a bit more expensive ride as Reykjavik is quite far from the international airport. That trip will cost you around 15.000ISK (120 $). It is thought of as the most convenient way of getting straight to your hotel’s door.
3. Rent an RV
This is also an option. You can get your campervan or a motorohme same day of your arrival and start your trip from Keflavik. You can drive up to Reykjavik that day and stay few days there, leaving your vehicle at the parking lot. In that case next day when you are ready to go further for your Icelandic adventure, you already have your vehicle with you. Simply pack your stuff and start the journey! This is a very convenient way as some of the rental companies do not offer pick up services from Reykjavik so you would have to go back to the airport for your pick up. If you decide to go for this option, have a look at our guide to RV rental in Iceland.
Hotel connections
For those who would like to rest after a long flight, the best option seems to be staying the first night in the hotel near the airport and starting the trip the next day. There are several hotels very close to the airport where you can book for a night. Some of them are even so close that you can walk and there is no need for the shuttle. Talking about the shuttle, there are no hotel connections offered from the KEF international. For that you would need to get a taxi from the terminal.
Keflavik airport transfer - shuttle service
Now you have all the necessary information about the Keflavik shuttle service offered. As you can see you have several options. There is nothing to worry if you are arriving on a late flight. You will still be able to catch a bus to Reykjavik or stay in a hotel nearby. You might even be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights from your plane. That will surely make you dream of an amazing adventure you will have in Iceland and somehow help you hold the excitement till next day.
