“rainbow at Keflavík Airport” by Jason Eppink is licensed under CC BY 2.0
[Updated in July 2019. Prices increased again!]
Assuming our post about things to do near Keflavik airport didn’t persuade you, you may be looking for the best way to get from the airport to Reykjavik. As with most other decisions you’ll make, you have to balance price against time and convenience. A taxi that picks you up and shuttles you directly to your hotel is convenient, but not cheap. And a bus that forces you to transfer to a smaller shuttle to get to your hotel is cheaper, but not as convenient.
Large bus options to Reykjavik
Let’s start with the busses. The two biggest bus companies are Flybus and Airport Express. Both will offer Wifi on the bus, and both will require you to transfer at the BSI bus terminal in downtown Reykjavik to get to your hotel.
The good news is that both should provide car seats for children, and the journey is free for small children.
Prices for each are similar. We’ll look at a one way fare; roundtrip fares offer about a 10% discount. But, you’d want to book a different trip one direction if you wanted to stop at, say, the Blue Lagoon.
| Adults | Kids 12-15 | Kids 11 and under | |
| FlyBus | 4499isk | 2249isk | Free |
| Adults | Kids 12-17 | Kids 11 and under | |
| Airport Express | 3950isk | 1975isk | Free |
So Airport Express is always cheaper. Flybus does offer a cheaper option that just gets you to the Bus Terminal, but I’m assuming you want to get to your hotel. Reviews for each are comparable, so Airport Express seems like the way to go, though for most families the difference will not be too dramatic.
Assuming you have 2 adults and all kids 11 and under, you’re paying about $70 US (€64) for the whole family to get to your hotel.
Some 2019 thoughts: It seems to me that these bus prices have been increasing, but rental car prices have not. Or at least not as much. Two adult roundtrip tickets plus one kids ticket costs about the same as renting a small car for 2 days. (If you choose to rent a car instead, we like Blue Car Rental.)
Each company will run a bus approximately 45 minutes after an international flight lands. Still, I think it makes sense to make a reservation through the company’s web site. You can also often make reservations when you buy your airline ticket.
Private minibus / taxi options to Reykjavik
If your family happens to be the right size, you may benefit from private service from Back to Iceland. Oddly, they charge a lot more for leaving the airport than for going back at the end of your vacation. Here are the options:
| Airport to Reykjavik | Reykjavik to airport | |
| 1-4 people | 20000 kr | 20000 kr |
| 5-8 people | 30000 kr | 30000 kr |
| 9-13 people | 40000 kr | 40000 kr |
| 14-18 people | 50000 kr | 50000 kr |
(Prices above are now the same in both directions. They used to vary!)
If your group size is at the top end of one of these ranges, this can make sense. For example, 8 people at 30000 krona is 3750 krona per person each way– cheaper than the big bus options above. Of course, you’re not getting a discount for kids, though. Back to Iceland does offer Wifi on all of their buses.
Another high-rated option is Iceand Taxi Tours, which offers a fee of 19700isk for up to 3 people in a taxi. That’s after a 10% online booking discount. The price goes up to 25600isk for 5-8 people. (Quick shout out to Iceland Taxi Tours: They are the only company in this post that didn’t raise prices from 2018 to 2019.)
These expensive options definitely save some time. With Flybus or Airport Express, you’ll be waiting for the rest of the groups to board the bus, and you’ll have to either transfer at the BSI bus station. These options is only for you—you should even get a driver with a sign waiting for you. And you’re going straight to your hotel.
So which is the best option? As with most choices, it depends. If you have a lot of kids 11 and under, one of the big bus companies may still make sense. If you are a family of 8, with lots of older kids (or maybe grandparents), a private option may not be much more expensive than the bus options.
Stories online talk about hassles and long waits when making the transfer at the bus station with the full-sized bus companies. Your mileage may vary, and this may be the exception. But you may want to save the big bus tours for when you don’t have to deal with luggage, and probably sleepy children after an overnight flight.
What do you think? Are there other options? Or other taxi companies you would recommend?
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