Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
pretty turf church here, dating from 1842, was carefully moved to its present location
from Skagafjörður on the north coast in 1960. Next to it, the farmhouse is dominated
by an Ásmundur Sveinsson sculpture,
Woman Churning Milk
, illustrating an all-but-
lost traditional way of life.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
REYKJAVÍK
Iceland and adjacent to Icelandair's
Hotel Natura
on the
edge of the city centre, this is served by all domestic flights
as well as international services from Greenland and the
Faroe Islands, and is essentially little more than a glorified
bus station.
Destinations
Akureyri (7 daily; 50min); Bíldudalur (1 daily;
40min); Egilsstaðir (4 daily; 1hr); Gjögur (2 weekly; 50min);
Höfn (1-2 daily; 1hr); Húsavík (2 daily Tues, Thurs & Fri);
Ísafjörður (2 daily; 40min); Westman Islands (2 daily; 30min).
BY PLANE
Keflavík airport
(airport code KEF;
T
425 6000,
W
kefairport.is) Much the larger of Reykjavík's two airports,
52km west of Reykjavík at the tip of the Reykjanes
peninsula, this is where most international flights arrive
and depart, and has currency exchange
o
ces and ATMs.
Taxi fares
into Reykjavík are 13-15,000kr, worth
considering if you're in a group. Flybus
coaches (
W
flybus
.is) depart 35-40min after each flight arrival from
immediately outside the terminal; journey time is around
45min to the terminus at the BSÍ bus station, around 1.5km
from the city centre. Tickets cost 1950kr one-way, 3500kr
return, and are best bought in advance online, though they
can also be purchased in the airport arrivals hall.
Alternatively, Flybus Plus tickets include transfer at the BSÍ
bus station to a shuttle bus (2500kr one-way, 4500kr
return) which runs to all the major hotels in the city, as well
as several guesthouses, the youth hostel and the campsite.
It's also possible to take taxis into the centre from the BSÍ
station (around 1200kr), while buses #1, #3 and #6 (350kr;
exact fare only) go directly into town via Lækjargata.
Failing that, it's around a thirty-minute walk, but bear in
mind that bad weather can make this impractical,
particularly if you're laden with heavy luggage.
Reykjavík city airport
(airport code RKV;
T
570 3030)
Built by the British during their World War II occupation of
BY BUS
BSÍ bus station
Around 1.5km south of the city centre
at Vatnsmýrarvegur 10, this is the terminus for long-
distance buses, with a ticket o
ce, café, an ATM, toilets and
public telephones. All timetables are available at
W
bsi.is.
The details given below are relevant for June-Aug; for
winter times, visit the website.
Destinations
Akureyri (2 daily; 6hr); Blönduós (2 daily;
4hr); Blue Lagoon (3 daily; 45min); Borgarnes (3 daily;
1hr 10min); Búðardalur (3 weekly; 2hr); Gullfoss/Geysir
(1 daily; 2hr 30min); Höfn (1 daily; 8hr); Hólmavík via
Bifröst (3 weekly; 3hr); Ísafjörður via Bifröst and Hólmavík
(3 weekly; 6hr 30min); Ólafsvík (1-2 daily; 3hr);
Sauðárkrókur (1 daily; 5hr 30min); Siglufjörður (1 daily;
7hr); Skaftafell (1 daily; 8hr); Stykkishólmur (1-2 daily; 2hr
30min); Þingvellir (1 daily; 1hr); Þorlákshöfn (2 daily; 1hr).
INFORMATION
Tourist information
Reykjavík's tourist o
ce is
at
Aðalstræti 2, close to the Parliament in the heart of the old
town (June to mid-Sept daily 8.30am-7pm; mid-Sept to
May Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 9am-2pm;
T
590 1550,
W
visitreykjavik.is or
W
icetourist.is). It's the
best source of up-to-date information on both Reykjavík
and the rest of the country, providing untold amounts of
brochures and maps. If travelling independently, you can
check your itinerary here with the staff before setting off
for the more remote regions; there's also internet access in
the complex (same times).
Listings information
The tourist o
ce stocks the useful
What's On
booklet with complete listings of events
throughout the capital. Look out also for
The Reykjavík
Grapevine
, a handy free newspaper in English with tons of
listings which is readily available in most bars and cafés or
search online at
W
grapevine.is.
Gay information
Reykjavík's limited gay scene is in a
constant state of flux. Bars and club nights disappear or
change seemingly as soon as they open, so for the most
up-to-date information it's best to check out
W
gayice.is,
or, in Reykjavík itself, drop into the gay community centre,
Samtökin, at Laugavegur 3 (Mon-Fri 1-5pm); there's also
a café-cum-bar here on Thursday evenings.
THE REYKJAVÍK WELCOME CARD
The
Reykjavík Welcome Card
gives you unlimited transport on buses within greater
Reykjavík, entry to the main museums and galleries, and all swimming pools in the capital,
and free
internet
access at the tourist o
ce. It's available at the tourist o
ce in Aðalstræti, the
youth hostel and campsite, the BSÍ bus terminal and the main city bus station at Hlemmur, and
costs 2400kr for 24hr, 3300kr for 48hr and 4000kr for 72hr.
