Reykjavik, Iceland — Airport to Airport | Travel the World with Me | Episode 26

Welcome to Reykjavik, the northernmost capital city in the world: coloured roofs, steaming geothermal pools and a church tower you can see from almost everywhere. This is airport to airport — everything you need, from landing at Keflavik to flying home.

✈️ AIRPORT TO CITY — AND BACK
Keflavik Airport (KEF) is about 50 km south-west of Reykjavik. There is NO train — every traveller comes in by road, 45–55 minutes.
• Flybus (airport coach): meets arriving flights, runs day and night, about 45 min to the BSI bus terminal. One way about ISK 3,999 (about $29) adult; return about ISK 7,298. Hotel drop-off about ISK 5,299 one way.
• Public bus — Straeto line 55: the cheapest way in, ISK 2,400 (about $17), about 75 min, roughly 06:30–23:00, about once every 1–2 hours — check the timetable before you land.
• Taxi: about ISK 15,000–18,000 to the centre — worth it shared between four, not for one person alone.
• Return: Flybus from BSI, or line 55 in the daytime. Leave about 2 hours before your flight.

???? HOW TO PAY
Iceland uses the krona (ISK), not the euro. Cards and phones work almost everywhere — even for a coffee or a bus ticket — and you can spend a whole trip without touching cash.
• City bus (yellow Straeto): ISK 690 a ride, under-12s free, fares capped at 3 rides a day.
• Reykjavik City Card: ISK 6,100 for 24h / 8,500 for 48h / 10,500 for 72h — 17 museums, 8 pools, city buses, Videy ferry, but NOT the airport bus.

????️ PLACES TO VISIT
• Hallgrimskirkja — the great concrete church on the hill, 74.5 m tall, facade shaped like basalt columns. Entry FREE. Tower lift: ISK 1,500 adult / 200 children 7–16 / 1,000 students & seniors. Best panorama in the city. Tickets in the church shop only.
• Skolavordustigur — the rainbow-painted street of galleries and cafes down from the church.
• Harpa — the concert hall on the waterfront (opened 2011), glass facade that changes colour with the light. Lobby FREE.
• Sun Voyager — steel Viking ship on the seafront, FREE, open all day.
• Tjornin — the city pond, 40+ bird species. The church–harbour–pond loop takes about 3 hours, and most of it costs nothing.
• Perlan — glass dome, indoor ice cave and glacier exhibition; tickets around €35–45.
• FlyOver Iceland — simulated flight over Iceland; about ISK 5,690 online.
• National Museum of Iceland — settlement era to today; ISK 3,300.
• Laugardalslaug — the city's biggest geothermal pool; ISK 1,500, hot pots, cold plunge, outdoor pool.

????️ CHEAPER RESTAURANTS & COFFEE
Eating in Reykjavik is expensive, even by European standards — knowing where to spend is half the trip.
• Pylsur (Icelandic hot dog) — the cheapest hot meal in town. Baejarins Beztu Pylsur, the little red kiosk by the old harbour, since 1937. Mostly lamb, with ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade and raw and fried onion. Order "eina med ollu" — one with everything. Sources disagree on the price (ISK 650–900), so expect under ISK 1,000 — and order two if you are hungry.
• Breakfast at a bakery: pastry and coffee about ISK 900–1,200.
• Flat white: about ISK 750–1,000.
• Sit-down main: about ISK 2,000–3,500 at an inexpensive restaurant, ISK 3,000–5,000 mid-range. Lunch special (dagsrettir): about ISK 2,200–3,500 — much cheaper than dinner.
• Cafe Loki, across from the church: plokkfiskur (fish stew) and smoked lamb sandwiches, about ISK 2,800.
• Food halls: Hlemmur Matholl and Grandi Matholl — a dozen small kitchens, most dishes ISK 2,000–4,000.
• Supermarket secret: Bonus (yellow sign, pink pig) is the cheapest chain; a pot of skyr costs about ISK 300–500. Tap water is excellent — do not buy bottled water.

???? EVENING: BARS, PUBS & NIGHTLIFE
Almost everything is packed into a few walkable streets around Laugavegur, Bankastraeti and Austurstraeti — and it runs on its own schedule.
• Happy hour is the trick: most downtown bars cut prices about 15:00–19:00. A pint normally costs about ISK 1,400–2,000; in happy hour it drops to about ISK 850–1,200. Kaldi Bar (Laugavegur) runs 16:00–19:00, beer and wine ISK 900.
• Kaffibarinn — late-night local favourite. Kiki Queer Bar — dancing and drag.
• Locals rarely head out before midnight; bars fill after midnight and peak 01:00–03:00. Most close about 01:00 Sun–Thu; Fri–Sat the busiest stay open until 03:00, some to 04:30.
• Legal drinking age is 20, not 18 — bring photo ID, door staff do check.
• Beer was banned in Iceland until 1 March 1989, still celebrated as Beer Day. Wine and spirits: the state-run Vinbudin shop, or cheaper at the duty-free in Keflavik arrivals.

???? GOOD TO KNOW
Winter: short daylight, but the northern lights may appear. Summer: the sun barely sets, near-constant light late May to late July. Pack for wind and rain in any season.

Prices are approximate, from web searches on 6 November 2026 — please check before you travel.

#Reykjavik #Iceland #TravelGuide #AirportToAirport #TravelTheWorldWithMe