Keflavík Airport to Reykjavík: Flybus, Taxi or Hire (2026)
KEF to Reykjavík in ~45 minutes: book the Flybus, compare airport hire, or take a taxi. When to stay in 101, and when a hire car on day one is the wrong tool.
Written from general Iceland airport-transfer knowledge for 2026. Coach times, hire rates and festival traffic change — confirm on the partner page and on road.is if you drive.
Book the KEF → Reykjavík hop
Compare cars at Keflavík first if you are self-driving — Flybus and a 101 hotel stay secondary when the first night is in town.
Compare cars at Keflavík AirportKeflavík Airport · Reykjavík · via DiscoverCars.com
You book and pay the partner on the next page. We earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Keflavík International Airport (KEF) sits about 45 minutes’ drive from Reykjavík on a coastal motorway with almost nothing in between. Most arrivals choose an airport coach (often sold as Flybus / Reykjavík Excursions), a taxi, or they pick up a hire car and drive themselves. This page is the straight comparison — not a programme listing.
Three honest paths: book the KEF Flybus if the first nights are in town, hire a car at KEF if you are self-driving from day one, or take a taxi when the coach is the wrong tool. If you are staying in 101 / harbour / Laugavegur, take the coach — do not collect a car just to park it. You compare and book the partners on those pages; we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Airport coach / Flybus
The default for visitors without a car. Coaches meet arrivals and run to BSÍ (central Reykjavík) with optional hotel drop-offs on many tickets. Book ahead around peak banks — walking out hoping for a seat is how people wait. The tagged booking path is the Flybus / KEF airport coach landing (~45 minutes, round-trip on most tickets).
Coach is usually the cheapest per person for 1–2 travellers with normal luggage. It is slower door-to-door than a taxi once you add hotel distribution, and it is the wrong tool if you are staying in Keflavík / Njarðvík for the festival weekend rather than continuing to 101.
Hire car from KEF
If you are self-driving Iceland anyway, picking up at KEF skips the coach. The drive is a well-signed motorway in daylight and reasonable weather. Compare live rates on the Iceland car-hire landing — Keflavík and Reykjavík pickup, 2WD and 4x4. Desk vs shuttle, late-night pickup, and first-trip class sit in Keflavík airport car rental. The hire yes/no and Ring Road class sit in rent a car in Iceland.
Taxi
Taxis wait outside arrivals. They cost more than the coach for the same route — useful for very late arrivals, families splitting the fare, tight connections, or when you just want the door. There is no taxi booking on this site — for 1–2 people on a normal flight, the cheaper default is still the airport coach.
Stay in 101, or stay near the airport?
If the first nights are city tours — a Golden Circle day, harbour walks, a Northern Lights hunt — sleep in 101 / harbour / Laugavegur so pickup works, and take the Flybus in. Downtown Keflavík is the right call for an early flight, not as a default airport hotel for a Reykjavík trip.
Early or late flights
Book the coach or the hire car before you land. Services thin outside the main flight banks. If you land before hotel check-in, luggage storage and a first-day plan beat wandering Reykjavík with bags — a short Golden Circle is only sensible after you have slept.
Related: Keflavík airport car rental · rent a car in Iceland · Northern Lights 2026–2027 season.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Keflavík Airport to Reykjavík?
About 45 minutes by road in normal traffic. Coach + hotel distribution can take longer door to door. Weather, road works, and Saturday festival traffic near Keflavík can stretch it.
Is Flybus / the airport coach worth it vs a taxi?
For most solo travellers and couples, yes — it is usually cheaper per person. Taxi wins for late nights, groups splitting the fare, or when you want the hotel door with no BSÍ change. Book the coach ahead around peak arrivals.
Should I pick up a hire car at KEF instead of transferring?
Yes if you are self-driving the trip. No if your first nights are city tours only — pay for idle airport days and then still need parking.
Can I stay in Keflavík instead of going straight to Reykjavík?
Yes. Downtown Keflavík is a short hop from the terminal, not a 45-minute coach. Useful for an early flight — then continue to Reykjavík when you are ready.
Book it: related Iceland tours
Turn the plan into a trip — browse the experiences from this guide.
Keep reading
- Getting Around During Reykjavík Pride: Road Closures, Buses and Airport TransfersHow transport works during Pride week in Reykjavík — what closes on parade day, when the city bus is worth it, and why a rental car is the wrong tool that weekend.
- Keflavík Airport Car Rental 2026: Compare Before You LandRent a car at Keflavík Airport — compare Iceland hire before the KEF desk. Shuttle vs terminal, first-trip class, excess. Collect after you know the total.
- Reykjavík Culture Night (Menningarnótt) 2026: Date, Closures and How to Get AroundCulture Night (Menningarnótt) was Saturday 22 August 2026, noon–10pm and free. What closed in 101, how to get from KEF, and why that Saturday is a bad car-hire day.
- Best Golden Circle Tours Compared: Budget Coach, Small-Group, Combos and PrivateA straight comparison of Golden Circle tours from Reykjavik — budget coach, small-group minibus, lagoon and snowmobile combos and private days — with five specific picks.
- Golden Circle Self-Drive 2026: Þingvellir, Geysir, GullfossThingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss on a paved day loop from Reykjavík. Summer 2WD is enough — skip the highland 4x4. Compare car hire before you leave Reykjavík.
- After Reykjavík Pride: Turning a Long Weekend Into a Week in IcelandPride falls in Iceland’s best travel month — here’s how to extend the weekend into a five-to-seven-day trip, and which direction to head once you leave the city.