Reykjavik Airport to City Center: Complete Transfer Guide for Keflavik and Domestic Airports 2026

Why Iceland Has Two Reykjavik Airports and Which One You're Actually Using

Keflavik International Airport sits forty-eight kilometres southwest of downtown Reykjavik on the windswept Reykjanes Peninsula, handling every international flight into Iceland. Reykjavik Domestic Airport, by contrast, sits barely two kilometres from the city centre in the Vatnsmyri marsh beside the University of Iceland, and handles only internal Icelandic routes plus flights to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The two are forty-five minutes apart by road, so the single most important thing to establish before you travel is which airport your ticket actually uses — an Icelandair flight from London lands at Keflavik (KEF), while a hop up to Akureyri or out to the Westman Islands leaves from Reykjavik (RKV).

The distinction trips up thousands of visitors every year because both carry the Reykjavik name. If you are connecting from an international arrival at Keflavik to a domestic departure, budget at least three hours to cross the city by Flybus or taxi; the two airports share neither a terminal nor a shuttle. Almost everyone arriving from abroad will use Keflavik and needs a transfer into town, so the bulk of this guide covers that leg. Only if you are flying internally — to Akureyri, Egilsstadir, Isafjordur or Vestmannaeyjar — will you use the central domestic airport, and that transfer is mercifully short, covered near the end.

The Flybus and Airport Direct: Coach Transfers from Keflavik

The Flybus, run by Reykjavik Excursions, is the default airport coach and the option most visitors choose. A bus meets every single arriving flight, day or night, departing the terminal roughly thirty-five to forty-five minutes after touchdown, so there is no timetable to catch — you simply walk out and board. The straight run to the BSI bus terminal, on the southern edge of the centre, takes about forty-five minutes. A one-way ticket costs around ISK 3,999 (about $29), and the Flybus Plus fare of roughly ISK 5,499 continues from BSI to your specific hotel on a smaller shuttle, which is worth the extra with heavy luggage or in bad weather.

Airport Direct, operated by Gray Line, is the near-identical competitor and worth a price check. Its Economy fare to the Skogarhlid terminal runs about ISK 3,990, while the Premium door-to-door service costs around ISK 6,990 and drops smaller groups directly at their accommodation. Both companies sell return tickets at a discount and let you book online in advance, though you rarely need to — seats scale to the flight, so they are effectively guaranteed. Book the hotel-drop tier if you are staying in the 101 or 105 postcodes; take the cheaper terminal-only fare if you are happy to grab a short taxi or walk the last stretch from BSI.

Taxis, Private Transfers and Renting a Car at Keflavik

A taxi from Keflavik to central Reykjavik is fast and painless but expensive: expect roughly ISK 15,000 to 22,000 (about $110 to $160) for the forty-five-minute run, with the meter climbing at night. Iceland has no ride-hailing apps like Uber or Bolt, so you take a metered car from firms such as Hreyfill or BSR at the rank outside arrivals, or pre-book a private transfer. A private sedan runs a fixed rate close to a taxi, while a larger van for a family of four or five can undercut buying four or five separate Flybus seats — do the arithmetic if you are travelling as a group with children.

Renting a car makes sense only if you plan to drive the Ring Road or the south coast rather than stay put in the city. Every major rental firm has a desk at or beside the Keflavik terminal, and the drive follows Route 41, the Reykjanesbraut, a fast dual carriageway straight into town in about forty-five minutes. Fuel and rental are not cheap — reckon on ISK 8,000 to 12,000 a day for a small car in summer, plus fuel — and central Reykjavik parking is paid and tight, so only collect the car on the day you actually leave the capital. Many visitors take the Flybus in, spend two city days on foot, then pick up a car for the road trip.

The Budget Route: Straeto Bus 55 from Keflavik

For the lowest possible fare there is the public Straeto bus, route 55, which links Keflavik airport with Reykjavik for around ISK 2,340 — little more than half a Flybus ticket. The catch is that it is built for commuters, not arriving tourists: it runs only a handful of times a day, usually requires a change at the Fjordur terminal in Hafnarfjordur, and the whole journey can take an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half. There is limited luggage space and no guaranteed spot for a suitcase, so it suits a solo traveller with a single backpack far better than a family with cases.

Check the timetable on straeto.is before you rely on it, because a late-evening or early-morning arrival may find no service at all, leaving the Flybus or a taxi as your only choice. Buy tickets with the Klappid app or have exact change — drivers do not give change — and confirm the connection at Fjordur so you are not stranded between buses. In practice the saving over the Flybus is modest once you factor in the time and the transfer hassle, so bus 55 is really only worth it for confident, light-packing budget travellers arriving in daylight. Everyone else should treat the Flybus as the sensible floor.

From Reykjavik Domestic Airport into the City

If your flight is an internal one — to Akureyri in the north, Egilsstadir in the east, Isafjordur in the Westfjords or Vestmannaeyjar off the south coast — you land at Reykjavik Domestic Airport, and the transfer could hardly be simpler. The airport sits in the Vatnsmyri, roughly two kilometres from the centre, so a taxi to a downtown hotel costs only about ISK 2,000 to 2,500 and takes five to ten minutes. The terminals are small: the main Icelandair building on the eastern apron handles Akureyri and Egilsstadir, while Eagle Air's smaller terminal on the western side runs the Westman Islands and other light routes, so confirm which one your carrier uses.

You can also simply walk if you are travelling light — it is about twenty-five minutes on foot to Tjornin pond and the old centre, passing Perlan's hill and the University. City bus routes stop nearby on Njardargata, and the BSI terminal where the Keflavik Flybus arrives is only a few hundred metres from the domestic airport's eastern terminal — handy if you are stitching an international arrival to a domestic departure. Because the domestic airport is so central there is no dedicated airport coach, and none is needed; a taxi or a short walk covers it. Do not confuse the two airports when booking a transfer, because a Flybus ticket is useless here.

Timing, Cost and Which Transfer to Choose

Line the Keflavik options up and the choice is straightforward. The Flybus at about ISK 3,999, or ISK 5,499 to your door, is the best all-round value and the default for solo travellers and couples: reliable, luggage-friendly and timed to your flight. A taxi or private van at ISK 15,000 to 22,000 only pays off for a group of four or five splitting the fare, or when you land at 3am and want no fuss. Bus 55 at ISK 2,340 is the cheapest but slowest and least reliable, worth it only for light-packing budget travellers in daylight. Rent a car from the airport solely when you are heading straight out onto the Ring Road.

On timing, always allow a buffer. From touchdown at Keflavik to a downtown hotel, reckon on ninety minutes to two hours door to door once you have cleared passport control and baggage, whichever transfer you pick — the drive alone is forty-five minutes. For a departing flight, transfer operators recommend leaving the city three hours before an international departure, so a Flybus back to Keflavik should leave central Reykjavik at least three and a half hours before wheels-up. Domestic connections are far quicker, but still leave at least an hour between a Keflavik arrival and a Reykjavik domestic departure given the cross-city hop. Book your Reykjavik hotel first, then work the transfer around your flight times.