Airport
Keflavik International Airport
IATA Code: KEFLocation: The airport is situated 31 miles (50km) southwest of Reykjavik.
Time: GMT.
Contacts: Tel: +354 425 6010.
Transfer to the city: The inexpensive Flybus service leaves Keflavík Airport 35-40 minutes after the arrival of each flight. The Flybus terminal in Reykjavík is at Hotel Loftleiðir and the bus stops at Hafnarfjörður and Garðabær en route to the city. Its first stop in Reykjavik is the BSÍ Bus Terminal. Free onwards transfers are available to all major hotels, the Youth Hostel, Laugardalur camping area and the domestic airport. For these transfers the driver will ask you to board smaller busses. Two taxi companies also operate from a rank outside the arrivals hall.
Taxis: There are two authorised taxi companies operating directly outside the Arrivals hall: A-Stöðin (Tel: +354 420 1212) and Hreyfill Bæjarleiðir (Tel: +354 421 4141).
Car rental: Hertz, Budget, Europcar and Avis are represented at the airport. Most other major car hire companies have offices in Reykjavik.
Facilities: The small but well-equipped Leifur Eiriksson terminal was refurbished in 2007 to mark its 20th anniversary. The terminal offers a 24-hour exchange bureau; an executive lounge with phone, fax and internet connections; restaurants; a children's playground; duty free store; coin and card operated telephones; baby-changing facilities; and an information desk. The terminal is designed for easy access for the disabled.
Parking: Secure, guarded long- and short-term parking is available.
Departure tax:
Website: www.keflavikairport.com
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Reykjavik
Back in the first century AD, legendary Viking Ingolfur Arnarson named the settlement he founded on a northerly Atlantic peninsula Reykjavik, meaning 'Smokey Bay'. The smoke he found wafting over the area, however, had nothing to do with pollution, but rather the bubbling, boiling natural geysers and geothermal springs that now underlie the modern capital of Iceland. This source of heat and water has ensured that Reykjavik has no need to burn fuels to warm its heart, and the crisp, clean air is as beguiling as its clear blue skies.
The sky is not always blue, however: the city receives more than its fair share of rainy weather blown in from the sea, and during the long, bleak winter its northern latitude ensures that the sun makes no more than a brief appearance every day.
Despite this, the capital of Iceland is definitely a hot spot, renowned for its lively pubs and clubs, which draw hundreds of merry-making visitors, particularly during the long, light, bright summer nights. Its growing reputation as a fun tourist destination is enhanced by its fiery, friendly inhabitants, relaxed pace of life, many cultural attractions and dozens of opportunities for fascinating day trips, not to mention the novelty of bathing in one of the steamy public geothermal swimming baths.
Reykjavik's setting on the southwest corner of Iceland on Faxaflói Bay is another draw card. All around are panoramic views of the majestic Mount Esja, which rises up behind the bay, and vistas across the Atlantic as far, on a sunny day, as the crystalline Snaefellsjokull glacier to the west.
The city has a small-town atmosphere, its centre easily explored on foot, the quaint whitewashed wooden buildings and colourful houses interspersed with plenty of open space.
Even those who come to indulge mainly in the hedonistic nightlife cannot fail to leave Reykjavik feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
