Guide

Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik: Flybus, Route 55 or Taxi

2026-10-17 · TourFax editorial team

Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik: Flybus, Route 55 or Taxi

Photo: Jakub Hałun (CC BY 4.0)

Keflavik is the only practical gateway to Iceland and it sits 45 to 50 minutes south-west of Reykjavik with no rail link. The choice is between an airport coach that meets every flight, a public bus that runs about a dozen times a day, a taxi that costs several times either, or a rental car collected at the terminal. Most Iceland packages leave this leg to you or sell it as an extra, so it is worth knowing the numbers. This note sets out each option with the fares we could verify, the October 2026 changes to the public bus stops, and the questions to put to an operator. Figures are from flybus.is and the Icelandic government's announcement of September 30, 2026, checked October 10, 2026.

Flybus meets every flight for 3,999 ISK one way

Flybus, operated by Icelandia, is the default airport coach. Its site describes a smooth 45-minute journey to the city and says buses depart shortly after every flight arrival; the published timetable shows departures 30 to 120 minutes apart depending on the hour. The booking widget showed a total of 3,999 ISK for one adult one way on October 10, 2026; the site did not print a separate fare table.

The coach terminates at the BSI bus terminal on the edge of the city centre, roughly a 15 to 20 minute walk from the main shopping street. A hotel-transfer option moves you to a smaller shuttle at BSI for drop-off at participating hotels; the site says this may include an additional fee without stating it.

The former competitor Airport Direct now redirects to the Flybus site, so the two-coach price competition of earlier years has gone. Book a return at the same time if the departure flight is early, because the first public bus does not suit a 07:00 check-in.

Route 55 is the public bus: cheaper, slower, roughly a dozen departures

Route 55 is part of the national rural bus network run under the Icelandic Road Administration, and it links the airport with BSI in Reykjavik or with Fjordur in Hafnarfjordur, where route 1 continues into the city. The government's announcement of September 30, 2026 says there are twelve departure times, that weekday services run to either terminus, and that at weekends Fjordur is the only one.

The fare was not published on the pages we could read. Straeto's own fare table returned an error on October 10, 2026, and secondary sources quote roughly 2,400 ISK to Reykjavik and 1,800 ISK to Hafnarfjordur for 2026, against 2,280 ISK in a 2024 city document. Treat 2,400 ISK as indicative and check the Klapp app or the driver's reader on the day.

Payment is by cash or contactless card on board, per the government notice, with no change given by drivers according to traveller reports. Journey time to BSI is longer than the coach because of intermediate stops; allow an hour or more.

  • Flybus: 3,999 ISK one way per adult as displayed, 45 minutes, after every flight, to BSI with an optional hotel shuttle.
  • Route 55: roughly 2,400 ISK to Reykjavik (unverified), about an hour, twelve departures a day, weekends to Hafnarfjordur only.
  • Taxi: metered, no official estimate readable; traveller reports place it at several times the coach fare for a car, so it only competes for three or four people with luggage.
  • Rental car: collected at the terminal; the right answer for a self-drive package, the wrong one for a Reykjavik city break with a guided Ring Road coach.

The airport stops changed on October 1, 2026

The same government announcement describes three bus stops at the terminal where there was one. Departing passengers are now dropped on the departures side where the airport coaches stop, though boarding is not allowed there. Arriving passengers board at a marked bay on the arrivals side, reached by a walkway that is now covered.

Signage inside and outside the terminal was redone at the same time. Timetables and routing were unchanged; the notice says more frequent service is the next step, without a date. Older guides describing a single stop in the far car park are out of date.

What an Iceland package usually does with this leg

Our Iceland Ring Road checklist notes that guided packages meet flights or, more commonly, start from a Reykjavik hotel the following morning, with the airport transfer by scheduled coach either included or sold separately. Self-drive packages hand you the car at the airport and the question disappears.

The distinction matters on day one. A package that starts at a Reykjavik hotel at 08:30 and lands you at Keflavik at 23:50 the night before is relying on you to book a coach, find the hotel in the dark and sleep four hours. The jet lag and long travel days guide explains why that first morning is usually the worst of the trip.

  • Is the airport transfer included in both directions? Inbound only is common.
  • If included, is it a private car or a Flybus voucher? Both are sold as transfer included.
  • Does the package hotel sit on a Flybus hotel-shuttle list? If not, add a taxi from BSI or a walk with luggage.
  • What time does day one actually start? Match it to the arrival time and the last coach.
  • For a self-drive, is the car collected at the terminal or in town? A town pick-up adds a coach fare and a morning.

Marketplace listings on TourRadar often show the transfer as an optional add-on at a price above the coach fare; operators that run their own trips, such as Intrepid, generally state arrival transfer not included in the inclusions list. The optional excursions note explains how to total these add-ons across a trip.

Cards, cash and the first hour in the country

Iceland is effectively cashless and every option above accepts cards, including the public bus. There is no reason to withdraw krona at the airport for the transfer. The cards, cash and tipping guide covers why a card with no foreign transaction fee is the single most useful piece of kit here.

The 45 to 50 minute drive crosses the Reykjanes lava fields with no services. In winter the road is kept open but conditions can slow the coach; the Flybus timetable is a plan rather than a promise, and anyone booking the first morning coach for an early departure should add margin. The when a tour goes wrong guide covers missed-connection liability.

Iceland Ring Road package checklist

Bottom line

For one or two people arriving at any hour, Flybus at 3,999 ISK is the simple answer and the one most packages assume. For a daytime arrival with no hurry, route 55 saves roughly 1,600 ISK per person on indicative fares and takes a little longer. A taxi makes sense for a full car with luggage, not otherwise.

Before paying for a package, confirm whether the transfer is included each way, what form it takes, and whether the hotel is on the shuttle list. Then check the first morning's start time against your arrival.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a train from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik?

No. Iceland has no passenger railway. The options are the Flybus coach, the route 55 public bus, a taxi or a rental car. The coach takes about 45 minutes to the BSI terminal; the public bus takes about an hour and runs around twelve times a day, per the government notice of September 30, 2026.

How much is the Flybus from Keflavik to Reykjavik?

The Flybus booking widget showed 3,999 ISK for one adult one way on October 10, 2026. The site does not print a fare table, and a hotel drop-off may add a fee it does not state. Check the total at the final booking step, and compare the return fare before buying two singles.

Does route 55 go to Reykjavik at the weekend?

Not directly. The September 30, 2026 government announcement says that at weekends Fjordur in Hafnarfjordur is the only terminus, with a change to route 1 for the city. On weekdays some departures run through to BSI in Reykjavik. Check the specific departure in the Straeto route planner before relying on it.

Sources checked

  • Flybus, flybus.is, checked October 10, 2026 (45-minute journey, departures after every flight, 3,999 ISK displayed in the booking widget, hotel-transfer note; Airport Direct redirecting to the same site).
  • Government of Iceland announcement of September 30, 2026 on bus access at Keflavik airport, stjornarradid.is, checked October 10, 2026 (three stops, twelve departures, termini, payment methods).
  • Not readable on October 10, 2026: the Keflavik airport transport pages on isavia.is and kefairport, and Straeto's fare and FAQ pages. The route 55 fare is therefore from secondary sources and marked as indicative; no official taxi estimate is quoted. Check the official sites before travelling.

Sources