The first stop on my European adventure is the tiny island nation of Iceland, home to about the same population as the state of Wyoming at 400,000 souls. The country turned into a major chess piece on the global stage during World War II when the British took over the island and built Reykjavik airport, which is used primarily for domestic flights. Since the Americans always like to build bigger than our cousins across the pond, we built Keflavik airport, the largest in Iceland and the one you will be flying into on almost any international flight. There’s only one problem, the airport is about 30 miles away from the capital. In a city The Economist magazine called the richest on Earth, how do you get from Keflavik airport to Reykjavik cheap?
The best way to make the 30 mile+ trip is to use one of the bus companies that operates the route between the two sites. You have two choices, the Flybus which charges about 1950 kroner (about $16 as I write this) or the KExpress which charges 10 Euro (currently about $11). The catch with the KExpress is that they only operate at 7:30am, 11:30am, and 4:30pm and the Flybus operates on 30 minute intervals. I think the KExpress is the one to take simply because the price is cheaper and they make two stops in the east part of the city and one in the west part.
For the dropoff, R is the Reykjavik City hostel and H is the Harpa Conference Center and Concert Hall. The first stop (R) will put you in a less crowded area and the second (H) will drop you right in the middle of the city. Keflavik airport has really good free WiFi, duty free shopping, a grocery store, and neat shops and cafes so I think it’s part of the cultural experience to relax there if you have some extra time on your hands.
Once you book the KExpress, you walk outside where all the rental cars are and it’s only 150m from the terminal. You should see a modern statue of a jet airliner hatching from an egg. If you see it you’re going the right way. Reps from KExpress will hold a sign for you if you’ve booked a ticket ahead of time.
Another tip is absolutely do not buy your bus ticket to Reykjavik before you land in the country. I made the mistake of going ahead and buying my 10 Euro ticket when a couple American and Icelandic travelers my age offered to give me a lift to the city so I didn’t have to wait on the KExpress, and I said sure why not? I got a lot of tips on the best bars and night spots in the capital as well as the cheapest places to buy food. The key to getting to Reykjavik from Keflavik International airport cheap is to wait until you land, sweet talk the person on the plane next to you and see if they happen to be heading into town as well. They will likely already have arrangements involving their own vehicle and are typically more than happy to have you tag along. Iceland is one of the only countries in the world where it is close to 100% for a person to hitch hike. There’s clearly a bunch of options saving you from spending $20 or more for a simple shuttle into the city.
Follow this advice and you’ll only spend about $20 round trip on transit to and from the Iceland airport if your charm doesn’t get you there for free. Just remember do not book the bus until you land in Keflavik and when you do if you are leaving close to 7:30AM, 11:30AM, or 4:30PM use KExpress. If you want flexibility or a drop off at your hotel or hostel use Flybus. Both options will save you a ton of money so you’ll have more to spend to see places like the Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral.
I just spent almost $4 on a hot dog because that was the cheapest food I could find. Hope I don’t go broke, here’s to thermal baths and sunlight 24 hours a day!