Driving times and distances from Keflavík Airport

Distances and minimum driving times

The table gives the road distance from Keflavík Airport to 21 places, from the official distance calculator of Vegagerðin, the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (in Icelandic). Each distance links to its route there. The minimum time is that distance at 90 km/h, the highest speed limit in Iceland, without a single stop: a floor, not a plan.

• From Keflavík Airport means from the terminal, the airport's point in Vegagerðin's calculator. You collect your car at our office at Bogatröð 1 in Reykjanesbær, about 10 minutes from the terminal by our airport shuttle.
• Route: where Vegagerðin lists several, we show the shortest one that is paved all the way. It lists none for Egilsstaðir, so the table shows the shortest route open to all our cars there; for Landmannalaugar it shows the route our rental terms allow.
• Minimum time: the distance at 90 km/h, rounded down to 5 minutes.
• Main roads: the road numbers along the way, without short connecting roads and town streets.
• All: every category we rent: Everyday, Comfort, 4×4 Adventure, Highland 4×4 and Family & Space.

Routes worth a closer look

• Höfn: since the new Route 1 through Hornafjörður opened on 24 June 2026, the drive to Höfn is 14.6 km shorter, says Vegagerðin, so older guides give longer distances. The new road crosses Hornafjarðarfljót on a tolled bridge (see below).
• Egilsstaðir: the shortest route open to all our cars runs north via Akureyri and Mývatn, with 22 km of gravel on road 924. Visit Iceland puts the drive from Reykjavík at 7.5 to 8.5 hours, depending on the route: the northern route via Akureyri is slightly shorter but crosses mountain passes that winter weather can affect, and the southern route via Höfn is longer.
• Ísafjörður: the table shows the route that is paved all the way, over Steingrímsfjarðarheiði (roads 60 and 61); Visit Iceland also gives 455 km from Reykjavík on a paved road. Vegagerðin lists a shorter route over Dynjandisheiði (road 60, 457 km from the airport) with 17 km of gravel.
• Landmannalaugar is in the Highlands. Vegagerðin marks the way there as mountain roads, open only part of the summer and not passable for ordinary cars, and publishes when the mountain roads open. The table shows the route our rental terms allow: from road 26 at Sigalda along F208 and F224. Its last 33 km are gravel, so allow much longer than the minimum in the table.

How long the drive really takes

The minimum times assume 90 km/h from start to finish. Real drives take longer:

• Lower speed limits: 30–50 km/h in towns and 80 km/h on gravel roads (Ísland.is). In wind, rain or ice, the safe speed is lower still.
• Stops for fuel, food and sights. Stop only in parking areas and marked stops, never on the road.
• Single-lane bridges: the car that reaches the bridge first crosses first, so you may have to wait.
• Weather and winter: snow, ice and strong wind slow you down and can close roads for hours.
• Tiredness: after an overnight flight, rest before a long drive; Safetravel warns about drowsiness at the wheel.

Visit Iceland, the official travel guide to Iceland, gives these driving times from Reykjavík:

• Þingvellir: within a 40-minute drive
• Selfoss and Borgarnes: about an hour each
• Snæfellsnes: about two hours; Stykkishólmur about 2 hours 15 minutes
• North Iceland: about five hours
• Jökulsárlón: about five hours
• Egilsstaðir: 7.5 to 8.5 hours, depending on the route

From Keflavík Airport, it puts Reykjavík's domestic airport an hour's drive away. Plan your days with times like these, not with the minimum.

Tolls on the way

Iceland has two road tolls, both on Route 1, and neither has toll booths: cameras read the license plate, and you pay online.

• The Vaðlaheiði tunnel (Vaðlaheiðargöng), just east of Akureyri, on the way to Mývatn, Húsavík and, by the northern route, Egilsstaðir: pay at veggjald.is with the car's registration number, within 24 hours before or after you drive through.
• The Hornafjörður bridge over Hornafjarðarfljót, on the new Route 1 near Höfn, tolled since 1 September 2026: pay at spolur.is within 24 hours after you pass.
• The Hvalfjörður tunnel (Hvalfjarðargöng), on the way to Borgarnes, Snæfellsnes, the Westfjords and the north, has no toll.

Which of our cars may drive each route

All our cars may drive every route in the table except the one to Landmannalaugar:

• From roughly May to September, an Everyday car handles the paved routes; choose a bigger car for more people or luggage.
• From November to March, every car has winter tires (1 November to 14 April, at no extra charge), and we strongly recommend AWD or 4×4: Comfort, 4×4 Adventure or Highland 4×4.
• Six or more people: Family & Space has 9 seats including the driver, on a standard category B license.

Landmannalaugar is different. Only a four-wheel-drive car your booking confirms as F-road approved may drive there (on our website, Comfort, 4×4 Adventure or Highland 4×4), and only when the roads are officially open; the two 4×4 categories have more ground clearance for rougher F-roads. Driving into or across a river is entirely at your own risk, and no waiver covers it (rental terms 16 and 17). More in F-roads & the Highlands.

These distances in winter

Route 1 and the other main roads get winter service, but storms can close them for hours or days. From November to March:

• Daylight: around the December solstice, Reykjavík has only about four hours of daylight, and the minimum drive to Jökulsárlón alone is 4 h 40 min. Drive long stretches in the light hours and spend a night on the way.
• Exposed stretches: closures are most likely on high, open roads, such as Hellisheiði (Route 1 between Reykjavík and Hveragerði), Holtavörðuheiði (Route 1 north of Borgarnes), Öxnadalsheiði (Route 1 between Skagafjörður and Akureyri) and the north-east highlands (Möðrudalsöræfi) between Mývatn and Egilsstaðir.
• Winter service: Vegagerðin services about 5,000 of Iceland's 12,000 km of highways in winter and aims to finish clearing before morning traffic on service days. Not every road is cleared every day, and some smaller roads not at all.
• Before every leg, check the road map on umferdin.is (updated 07:00–22:00 from 1 October to 30 April) or call 1777 (06:30–22:00 every day), and the weather warnings on vedur.is.
• Landmannalaugar: the F-roads are closed in winter, so no rental car may drive there then.
• Closed means closed: never drive past a closure sign or onto a road marked Lokað.
• Buffer: keep a spare day before your flight home.

More: Ring Road in winter and Road conditions.

Questions about driving from Keflavík Airport