Transfers in Reykjavík

About Reykjavík

Reykjavík is Iceland’s capital and home to around 140,000 people, with roughly two-thirds of the country’s population living in the wider capital area. It is the northernmost capital city of any sovereign state and sits on Faxaflói Bay, ringed by snow-capped peaks and lava fields. The compact centre clusters around Tjörnin lake, Laugavegur shopping street and the basalt-column Hallgrímskirkja church.

Visitors use Reykjavík as a base for the Golden Circle, the South Coast, whale watching from the Old Harbour, and aurora hunting in winter.

Getting around

Central Reykjavík is small and walkable. The city bus network, Strætó, covers the wider capital region but runs less frequently than metros in larger European cities. There is no rail network anywhere in Iceland, so road transport is the only practical way to reach the airport, the cruise terminal at Skarfabakki, and onward day-trip destinations like Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss.

For airport arrivals, a pre-booked private transfer is the simplest option when you carry winter clothing and travel with several bags, especially on late-evening flights from North America.

Best time to visit

June to August is the warmest and brightest period, with the midnight sun keeping the sky lit through the night and most highland roads finally open. September to mid-April is aurora season, when the long, dark nights make the Northern Lights visible on clear evenings. December and January have only four to five hours of daylight, so days are short and weather can shift quickly. Shoulder months in May and September often balance manageable daylight, lower prices and quieter trails.

Transferring from Reykjavík’s airports

Reykjavík is served primarily by Keflavík International Airport (KEF), about 50 km south-west of the city on the Reykjanes peninsula. KEF handles all international flights, with a typical drive of 45 minutes via Route 41 to central hotels. Reykjavík Airport (RKV) inside the city is used only for domestic flights to towns like Akureyri, Egilsstaðir and Ísafjörður, and for some scenic flightseeing tours.

Cruise passengers arrive at Skarfabakki, the main cruise berth in the Sundahöfn harbour about 5 km north-east of the centre, with a short drive of around 10 minutes into town or roughly 50 minutes to KEF.

Common transfer routes

• Keflavík Airport (KEF) to Reykjavík city centre hotels, around 45 minutes
• Keflavík Airport (KEF) to the Blue Lagoon, around 20 minutes
• Reykjavík city centre to Skarfabakki cruise terminal, around 10 minutes
• Skarfabakki cruise terminal to Keflavík Airport (KEF), around 50 minutes
• Reykjavík to Þingvellir on the Golden Circle, around 50 minutes

Booking your Reykjavík transfer

Booking is straightforward. Enter your pickup, destination and flight number, choose a vehicle class sized for your luggage and group, then pay with Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero or PayPal. Fares are fixed and operated by licensed Icelandic drivers familiar with Reykjanes weather and the Route 41 corridor.

Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before pickup, and 60 minutes of free wait time after landing is built into every booking, which is welcome after a long transatlantic flight into KEF.