Reykjavík Flights

Reykjavik does have its own airport but this really only serves light aircraft on domestic flights. Most international flights arrive at Keflavik Airport, around an hours drive fromReykjavik.

There aren't many options for people wishing to fly to Iceland from Europe, at least not cheaply. Iceland Air, Iceland Express all have direct flights to Keflavik Airport (about an hour from Reykjavik) but fares can be quite expensive.

Iceland Air fly from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Paris.

Iceland Express fly from London, Warsaw, Friedrichshafen, Copenhagen, Berlin and Alicante to Keflavik.

From Ireland there are no scheduled direct flights to Iceland but Wallace Travel in Dublin arrange package trips to Iceland including flights (charter), transfers and hotel. (Prices around €550.)

This is the main airport in Iceland. It's some 50 kms. southwest of Reykjavík, the capital of the country, and it takes about 40-50 minutes to drive to the city.

- Fax: (+354) 425 60 10

For the information about how to get there, visit the next tip.

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The only airline flying to Iceland from North America is Iceland Air from BWI,BOS,JFK,MSP, YYZ and MCO (Orlando). From europe the options are better Iceland Air, SAS, Lufthansa, British Airways and German Wings. If you are planning a trip to Europe form North America or vice versa Iceland Air allows a free stopover in Iceland as part of your trip.

Appon arrival in KEF you can rent a car for a fortune take a cab for $150 or take the fly bus that runs every half hour or so for aroung $15. The bus will take you to the centeral bus station in Reykjavik where you can transfer for free to your hotel. It is truly the only way to reach the city from the airport and its kinda fun to be honest.

Reykjavík's international airport (KEF) is an old unused American military base that was converted into an airport. It is located about one hour's drive from the city without traffic. Small as it is, Reykjavík suffers from gridlock traffic during morning rush hour, so the drive into the city could take as long as 1 hour and 45 minutes! Beware also that a taxi ride could cost as much as $100 each way, though luckily taxis accept credit cards (visa/mastercard). I am certain that there are public buses, but I did not utilise one since I was travelling on business.

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Reykjavik Municipal Airport (Code: RKV) should not be confused with Keflavik Airport (Code: KEF). From Reykjavik, Air Iceland provides frequent air service to several destinations around Iceland. In addition, Atlantic Airways flies three times per week to the Faroe Islands (Note: these flights paradoxically depart from the "Domestic Terminal").

Our guidebook called Reykjavik Airport a "glorified bus station," and this description is fairly accurate. There is a small cafeteria, but not too much else. Check-in for domestic flights normally starts 30 minutes prior to departure. The departing gate is announced at boarding time. To board, show your boarding pass and an ID, and get on the plane.

The process for boarding flights to the Faroes is a bit more formal. Check-in begins about an hour prior to boarding. These flights depart from Gate 4, behind a security check and metal detector. Once past security there's a small waiting area and a large Duty-Free store.

The airport is about a 15-minute walk from the BSI bus station. Local Bus 15 runs from the BSI station to near the terminal, while Bus 12 runs from downtown (Fare Kr 280). A taxi will cost you roughly Kr 600 (tipping not expected).

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You are almost certainly going to arrive in Iceland at its International Airport Keflavik, which is located around 50 minutes outside of Reykjavik. The airport facilities are modern and comfortable. I should know, since I had a five hour layover there on my way back to the States from Scotland in April 2007. There isn't a food court, but there is a good cafeteria style restaurant and a Kaffitar for your coffee fix. There are also plenty of shops selling any last minute gift items you might need (Blue Lagoon Shop, books, Duty Free, etc). My only complaint is that there is no place to get online if you don't have a laptop with you. If you do, you're in luck and WiFi is available throughout the airport.

I didn't fly to or from the airport that is actually in Reykjavik, but it serves mostly domestic flights as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Iceland Air has been offering a free stopover in Iceland for years when you purchase a ticket between North America and Europe. I've been eyeing that for a couple years and decided to take advantage of it on this trip. The service on Iceland Air was great on the four flights that I made, although they are in the process of upgrading their planes now. They're fine, but they don't have individual entertainment units yet (unless you consider beautiful flight attendants as "individual entertainment units", but that would just be a sexist comment). ;-)

Flying into Iceland you will be landing in Keflavik (pronounced KePlavik) which is about 50 km south of Reykjavik. It is a very small one level airport. Icelandair is the main airline into Iceland (go figure). From the States, you can fly from Boston, Baltimore, Minneapolis/St Paul, Orlando, San Fransisco, and New York's JFK. You MUST check their website for current schedules, because at certain times of the year flights from certain cities all flights cease.

A very cool option offered is to have a layover, up to 7 days in Iceland, before flying into one of their destinations in Europe. Most of the flights I have seen are at least equal, and sometimes cheaper, than direct flights.