Choose Flybus for the simplest Keflavik Airport to Reykjavik transfer, especially after a flight delay or with luggage. Public bus 55 can suit a flexible daytime arrival, but check the exact departure: some journeys end in Hafnarfjörður instead of central Reykjavík. Keep your hotel address and ticket saved offline; co:sim mobile data is a useful backup for the final walk.
Flybus is an airport coach, while route 55 belongs to Strætó, the public bus operator. They solve different problems. The coach is designed around arriving passengers; the public bus follows its own route and timetable. Your landing time is therefore only the beginning of the decision. Add baggage collection, the destination printed on the ticket, and the journey from that destination to your accommodation.
| Choice | Best fit | What to check before paying |
|---|---|---|
| Flybus to BSÍ | A straightforward airport coach journey | Whether your booking ends at the terminal |
| Flybus with hotel transfer | Heavy bags or accommodation away from BSÍ | The named hotel or designated city bus stop |
| Public bus 55 | A flexible arrival that matches the timetable | Whether that departure reaches BSÍ or ends at Fjörður |
| Taxi or private transfer | Door-to-door travel or a group sharing a vehicle | A current quote, vehicle size and luggage capacity |
| co:sim data-only eSIM | Maps and messages during any of these journeys | Device compatibility and the selected Iceland plan |
The connectivity option does not replace a transport ticket. An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a digital mobile subscription; a data-only version supplies internet access rather than a local telephone number. Compare Iceland data plans if you need maps after leaving the coach, but decide the actual transfer first.
The current Flybus booking page distinguishes BSÍ Bus Terminal from hotel and city-stop destinations. BSÍ is not interchangeable with your hotel lobby. If you choose a terminal-only booking, plan the onward leg yourself. If you select hotel transfer, the operator explains that passengers transfer to a smaller shuttle for the hotel part of the journey.
Read the drop-off label carefully. Some hotel listings explicitly say “Go To” a numbered bus stop, rather than naming the hotel's front door. Save both the hotel address and that stop's name. A map showing the hotel alone will not tell you where the shuttle intends to leave you, and similarly named accommodation can make a tired arrival unnecessarily confusing.
Flybus advertises a 45-minute airport-to-city journey, but treat that as the main coach leg, not a promise from aircraft door to hotel room. Waiting for bags, the next available departure, a shuttle change and the last walk all sit outside that simple headline. Keep your first evening flexible rather than booking an immediate restaurant or tour commitment.
Photo: APK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; cropped and resized.
No. Strætó's airport page explicitly warns that some route 55 trips run only to or from Fjörður in Hafnarfjörður; others serve BSÍ in Reykjavík. “The bus goes to the capital area” is not enough information to select a departure. Read the destination and any change in the planner for your actual travel date.
If your chosen service ends at Fjörður, plan the remaining journey before boarding. Compare the whole arrival, including a connection, walking with luggage and any additional ticket, against the coach alternative. A lower first-leg fare is not automatically the better choice if a late arrival leaves you waiting outside with bags or looking for transport you had not budgeted for.
Strætó currently lists adult airport fares of ISK 1,800 to Fjörður and ISK 2,400 to Garðabær or Reykjavík. It also lists card and cash payment options. These are route-specific fares, not a claim that a city-bus ticket covers the airport journey. Check the operator again before travel, particularly if you qualify for a different age or concession category.
For arriving passengers, the current Strætó page identifies the stop as the Bus B pickup area on the arrivals side. Follow that page's location information and current airport signs. Older airport summaries can contain different stop descriptions or fares, so use the bus operator for the public-bus details instead of combining incompatible instructions from several guides.
Flybus says its seat guarantee applies to the next available departure when flights are delayed. That is useful for an uncertain arrival, but it does not make the onward hotel leg instantaneous. Keep the booking confirmation accessible and confirm the pickup arrangement after collecting baggage if your original arrival plan has changed.
For route 55, check whether a suitable trip remains after baggage collection. Do not choose the last listed departure by assuming you will be outside the terminal as soon as the aircraft lands. If the timing is close, choose an alternative you can actually use. Flight-linked coach service and a fixed public timetable should not be treated as the same kind of availability.
The airport's transport overview also identifies taxis and car rental as alternatives. Its dated example prices are not a current quote. For a taxi, ask about the complete fare to your address; for a rental car, verify the desk's arrival arrangements. Choose neither simply because an old blog supplies an attractive headline price.
Build a small arrival folder: transfer confirmation, hotel address, drop-off stop, an offline map and the accommodation's check-in instructions. Save the return transfer separately so that the two directions are not mixed up. Keep a power bank accessible, rather than buried in checked baggage, if your phone is also your ticket wallet.
co:sim delivers the eSIM QR code by email after checkout, so keep the relevant message alongside your travel documents. Read the selected plan's connection instructions before changing phone settings. Mobile data helps with a live route search or a message to reception; it cannot guarantee reception everywhere or turn a data-only subscription into ordinary voice calls and SMS.
Photo: Reykjavík, City Center 01, on Wikimedia Commons, under CC BY-SA 4.0; cropped and resized. Photographer: Hornstrandir1.
The new-customer offer requires sign-in and a valid payment card for verification; the card is not charged. Check current eligibility before relying on the offer.
Flybus is usually the simpler first-visit choice when the priority is getting from Keflavík Airport to Reykjavík without coordinating a public-bus connection. Its booking page distinguishes BSÍ terminal tickets from hotel-transfer destinations, so choose the endpoint deliberately. Bus 55 remains a reasonable alternative when its timetable fits your arrival and you know where that particular journey ends. Strætó warns that some departures terminate at Fjörður in Hafnarfjörður, not BSÍ. Compare that complete journey with the coach rather than comparing only the first ticket. Save the accommodation address, designated stop and confirmation offline before boarding. A co:sim Iceland data-only eSIM can help with maps and messages on the final leg, but it is a separate purchase and has no effect on transport eligibility, departure times or the hotel-transfer conditions.
Mobile data is useful for an Iceland arrival, but arrange your transfer documents so that checking a booking does not depend on finding a signal. Save the ticket or confirmation according to the operator's instructions, along with the hotel address and a map of the last walking segment. Keep a copy accessible if the phone loses charge. A co:sim data-only plan supplies internet access for map updates and internet messaging on a compatible device; it does not supply a local number for ordinary calls or SMS. If you need to telephone the accommodation, keep an appropriate alternative available. Confirm the selected transfer's actual boarding requirements before travel. Offline preparation and mobile connectivity work together: one preserves essential information, while the other helps when a delay or changed stop requires a new route search.
Whether walking from BSÍ is sensible depends on the specific Reykjavík address, the bags you carry and the conditions when you arrive. A “central” hotel description does not prove that the walk is short or comfortable. Check the route from the bus terminal, including slopes, crossings and the entrance the accommodation actually uses. If walking looks awkward, compare a hotel-transfer ticket or arrange an onward vehicle before departure. A Flybus listing that names a numbered stop may still leave a final walk, so it is not automatically a front-door service. Keep the reception instructions available for an arrival outside normal check-in arrangements. For the return trip, use the operator's pickup instructions instead of assuming that the arrival stop or terminal procedure works unchanged in the opposite direction.
Once the transfer is settled, compare co:sim's current Iceland options for maps beyond the terminal.
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co:sim Team