Getting from the airport to the city in Iceland

KEF is the only international gateway, it is 50 km from Reykjavik, and Iceland has no passenger railway of any kind. Reykjavik's small city airport handles domestic flights only, so everyone arriving from abroad faces the same 45-minute road transfer.

• Flybus (Reykjavik Excursions) - 3,999 ISK, 45 minutes. The default choice. It waits for every flight and departs roughly 35 to 40 minutes after the aircraft actually lands, so a delay does not cost you the ticket. It runs 24 hours a day and drops you at the BSI bus terminal in the centre. Board directly outside the arrivals exit.
• Flybus Plus - 5,299 ISK. The same coach plus a minibus transfer from BSI to a designated hotel stop. It adds 30 to 45 minutes. Worth it with heavy luggage in January, hard to justify in July.
• Airport Direct (Gray Line) - 4,000 ISK to 6,500 ISK. The competing shuttle, booked at a counter in the arrivals hall, 45 to 60 minutes. Check how far its drop-off actually is from your accommodation before buying the cheaper tier.
• Straeto route 55 - 2,400 ISK, about 1 hour 15 minutes. The public bus, and the cheapest way in. Two catches: it runs to a fixed timetable rather than to flight arrivals, roughly 07:30 to 23:00, and the stop is at Kjoavellir, about 150 metres from the terminal. Some runs terminate at Fjordur in Hafnarfjordur and need a connection to reach the centre.
• Taxi - 20,000 ISK to 24,500 ISK. Metered, from the rank outside the main exit, 45 minutes. Hreyfill charges an 880 ISK flag fall, then 477 ISK per km for the first 4 km and 364 ISK after that, with a 490 ISK airport departure fee. It is five times the Flybus fare for the same journey.
• Private transfer - 12,000 ISK to 18,000 ISK for 1 to 3 passengers. Pre-booked, meets you in the arrivals hall. Confirm whether the quote is per vehicle or per person.

• Night arrival, any budget: Flybus. It is the only service guaranteed to be there whatever time you land.
• Family or lots of luggage: Flybus Plus or a private transfer - a taxi for four costs more than both.
• Lowest possible cost, daytime landing: route 55, if your flight lands with enough margin before the last departure.
• Collecting a hire car: the rental desks are a short shuttle ride from the terminal, not in it. Budget 30 minutes on top.

• Decline anyone who approaches you inside the terminal offering a ride. Licensed taxis queue outside; they do not tout.
• Book the Flybus on board or online, both work - there is no cheaper airport-only fare hidden somewhere else.