Evening flight from KEF Reyjavik....what to do

[fishman620]

We (5 people) have a flight leaving @ 7:45 p.m. the evening that we leave the ship.  We will have already done the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon the day before.  Was needing suggestions for things to do in Reyjavik....we will take the Reyjavik excursion bus to BSI bus terminal from Skarfabbaki cruise terminal and store our luggage there.  Then want to walk around Reyjavik and maybe get some fish and chips before taking the Flybus to KEF airport.  So would appreciate ideas to fill our day up, Thanks.

[ljandgb]

You should arrive at the airport 2 1/2 to 3 hours prior to your flight.  It's a 45 minute drive to the airport, to 7:45 flight means leave Reykjavik at 4:30.

 

There are plenty of small museums in Reykjavik.  The Perlan and FlyOver Iceland both get good reviews.

 

You could also get up early and explore the surrounding area with a rental car.  Do the hot river hike, or explore the Reykjanes peninsula.

[Ladybug18]

On 6/8/2023 at 12:38 AM, fishman620 said:

We (5 people) have a flight leaving @ 7:45 p.m. the evening that we leave the ship.  We will have already done the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon the day before.  Was needing suggestions for things to do in Reyjavik....we will take the Reyjavik excursion bus to BSI bus terminal from Skarfabbaki cruise terminal and store our luggage there.  Then want to walk around Reyjavik and maybe get some fish and chips before taking the Flybus to KEF airport.  So would appreciate ideas to fill our day up, Thanks.

@fishman620

We are in a similar situation....our flight departs KEF at 5:10PM the day we leave the ship and we are looking to kill some time in downtown Reykjavik before we have to be at the airport. We'd rather walk around town than sit at the airport for 8 hours!

 

We are hoping to find available luggage storage at the BSI terminal...hopefully all the lockers aren't full when we get there.

 

Were you able to book a Reykjavik Excursion bus that will pick you up at the cruise terminal in Reykjavik and take you to BSI? Or did you have to book the Flybus cruise terminal pickup but not take the bus to the airport? If so how did you go about doing that? I would love to find a transfer to the BSI bus terminal from the SKarfabbaki cruise terminal to BSI. I know there will be Taxi's at the port but I'm sure there will be long lines to get one that will take us to the bus terminal.

 

I've heard good things about the Perlan, FlyOver Iceland, and the Lava Show. There is also the Hallgrimskirkja Church...you can purchase tickets and go to the top to look out over the city. The Sun Voyager and Harpa, a concert hall are also places you may want to see. The main Street, Laugavegur and Rainbow road are both on my list. The hotdog stand, Baejarins Best Pylsur, is a must try for us!! 

Edited June 10, 2023 by Ladybug18

[erikzen]

Being in a similar situation with an early disembarkation  and 5 PM flight, I researched this quite a bit. My original plan was to take the bus the terminal and store the luggage there, but I didn't like the uncertainty of it, especially since there are 6 in our group. We didn't want to take an organized tour after being on a cruise ship for 10 days but we did want to have some time to explore the city without suitcases in tow. I ended up contacting a couple of tour companies and asked for a quote for a private tour. I was able to find a company that was willing to pick us up at the cruise terminal, supply a guide and give us the use of a vehicle for 5 hours. It worked out to about $120 per person. It would be too pricey if we had fewer people, but by the same token if it was just me, or my spouse and me, we would wing it.

[janetcbl]

I always recommend The National Museum if you like history. It is a fascinating museum of the history of Iceland, great exhibits, some hands on and has a good small cafe. I have spent hours there and I am not a huge fan of history museums.😁

[fishman620]

On 6/10/2023 at 8:19 AM, Ladybug18 said:

@fishman620

We are in a similar situation....our flight departs KEF at 5:10PM the day we leave the ship and we are looking to kill some time in downtown Reykjavik before we have to be at the airport. We'd rather walk around town than sit at the airport for 8 hours!

 

We are hoping to find available luggage storage at the BSI terminal...hopefully all the lockers aren't full when we get there.

 

Were you able to book a Reykjavik Excursion bus that will pick you up at the cruise terminal in Reykjavik and take you to BSI? Or did you have to book the Flybus cruise terminal pickup but not take the bus to the airport? If so how did you go about doing that? I would love to find a transfer to the BSI bus terminal from the SKarfabbaki cruise terminal to BSI. I know there will be Taxi's at the port but I'm sure there will be long lines to get one that will take us to the bus terminal.

 

I've heard good things about the Perlan, FlyOver Iceland, and the Lava Show. There is also the Hallgrimskirkja Church...you can purchase tickets and go to the top to look out over the city. The Sun Voyager and Harpa, a concert hall are also places you may want to see. The main Street, Laugavegur and Rainbow road are both on my list. The hotdog stand, Baejarins Best Pylsur, is a must try for us!! 

Sorry it has taken so long to reply back.....I wanted to get some information from Reykjavik Excursion before I answered.....here is the correspondence I have from them.......But for me, I too have concerns about available storage for luggage (there are 5 in our group)....and I have concerns and confusion about the open leg for the airport transfer..... We are still undecided on what we will do...

"We do offer pick up at Skarfabakki harbour (terminal 312). However, it is only possible when directly connected with a tour or transfer from the BSI bus terminal and occurs 30 minutes prior to the departure from the BSI bus terminal. If you would like to come to the BSI bus terminal and not take a transfer directly."

"I would recommend booking a Flybus Plus where you can be picked up from Skarfabakki Port to BSÍ Terminal, then take your BSÍ to Airport transfer at a later time.
You can leave your luggage at the luggage lockers at BSí Terminal, then take the Hop On Hop Off bus from the same terminal, and then come back later for your Airport departure."

"so do I just book the Fly Bus, Harbor- Skarfabakki to Keflavik Airport transfer and just get off at BSI bus terminal, then the HoHo bus leaves from there?  Then catch the Keflavik Airport transfer when I want to or do I have to purchase a certain time for the Keflavik airport portion of it.  It's confusing to me on how the transfer to the airport goes, is it an open time ticket?"

"You understood very well, all departures from BSI Bus Terminal are confirmed so you don't need to inform us in advance of those departures.  We only need to know the time for your pick-up at the harbor.  Then later during the day when you're ready to leave from BSI Bus Terminal, you can give us a call and let us know. Hope it is clearer, let us know.  "

 

[Ladybug18]

20 hours ago, fishman620 said:

Sorry it has taken so long to reply back.....I wanted to get some information from Reykjavik Excursion before I answered.....here is the correspondence I have from them.......But for me, I too have concerns about available storage for luggage (there are 5 in our group)....and I have concerns and confusion about the open leg for the airport transfer..... We are still undecided on what we will do...

"We do offer pick up at Skarfabakki harbour (terminal 312). However, it is only possible when directly connected with a tour or transfer from the BSI bus terminal and occurs 30 minutes prior to the departure from the BSI bus terminal. If you would like to come to the BSI bus terminal and not take a transfer directly."

"I would recommend booking a Flybus Plus where you can be picked up from Skarfabakki Port to BSÍ Terminal, then take your BSÍ to Airport transfer at a later time.
You can leave your luggage at the luggage lockers at BSí Terminal, then take the Hop On Hop Off bus from the same terminal, and then come back later for your Airport departure."

"so do I just book the Fly Bus, Harbor- Skarfabakki to Keflavik Airport transfer and just get off at BSI bus terminal, then the HoHo bus leaves from there?  Then catch the Keflavik Airport transfer when I want to or do I have to purchase a certain time for the Keflavik airport portion of it.  It's confusing to me on how the transfer to the airport goes, is it an open time ticket?"

"You understood very well, all departures from BSI Bus Terminal are confirmed so you don't need to inform us in advance of those departures.  We only need to know the time for your pick-up at the harbor.  Then later during the day when you're ready to leave from BSI Bus Terminal, you can give us a call and let us know. Hope it is clearer, let us know.  "

 

@fishman620 I am so confused by the correspondence you received from Reykjavik Excursions. So you book and pay for pick up at the Skarfabakki cruise terminal that will take you to the BSI bus terminal and then store your bags in lockers while you explore. Then you return to the bus terminal and get on a bus to the airport at a later time…can you prebook the bus to the airport for the later time? There are three of us, 2 adults and a child age 11. We will need to be at the airport 3 hours before our flight so we would need to be at the airport at 2:10. What time would you need to be at the airport? I was thinking maybe take a taxi to the bus terminal, store our bags, explore and then make our way back to the bus terminal for the bus but I’m really not sure what is the best option?

Edited June 13, 2023 by Ladybug18

[Ladybug18]

On 6/10/2023 at 12:02 PM, erikzen said:

Being in a similar situation with an early disembarkation  and 5 PM flight, I researched this quite a bit. My original plan was to take the bus the terminal and store the luggage there, but I didn't like the uncertainty of it, especially since there are 6 in our group. We didn't want to take an organized tour after being on a cruise ship for 10 days but we did want to have some time to explore the city without suitcases in tow. I ended up contacting a couple of tour companies and asked for a quote for a private tour. I was able to find a company that was willing to pick us up at the cruise terminal, supply a guide and give us the use of a vehicle for 5 hours. It worked out to about $120 per person. It would be too pricey if we had fewer people, but by the same token if it was just me, or my spouse and me, we would wing it.

@erikzen
 

Would you mind sharing the name of the company you used to book this ? Will the company drive you to the Keflavik airport and drop you off after the “tour”? There are 3 of us but maybe we could do something similar and see if we could get others to join us? Thanks 

[erikzen]

Sure:

https://www.rvkcars.com/

[Ladybug18]

@erikzen

Thank you. I am going to send them an email right now and see what they say. We definitely don't want to sit at the airport for hours but our luggage is a bit of an issue. I know they have the luggage lockers at the bus terminal but who knows if the size we need is/will be available. Thanks again! 

[fishman620]

1 hour ago, Ladybug18 said:

@fishman620 I am so confused by the correspondence you received from Reykjavik Excursions. So you book and pay for pick up at the Skarfabakki cruise terminal that will take you to the BSI bus terminal and then store your bags in lockers while you explore. Then you return to the bus terminal and get on a bus to the airport at a later time…can you prebook the bus to the airport for the later time? There are three of us, 2 adults and a child age 11. We will need to be at the airport 3 hours before our flight so we would need to be at the airport at 2:10. What time would you need to be at the airport? I was thinking maybe take a taxi to the bus terminal, store our bags, explore and then make our way back to the bus terminal for the bus but I’m really not sure what is the best option?

Ladybug18, from what I am understanding, is that they will offer a transfer from Skarfabakki only if you have an excursion with them (such as the HoHo or going to Sky Lagoon, etc)  They will not offer a pick up from Skarfabakki if you are just going to explore Reykjavik on your own, you would need to taxi to the BSI bus station, in that case.  But the part I am still confused about is, if you do take the HoHo bus through them, they say  "Then later during the day when you're ready to leave from BSI Bus Terminal, you can give us a call and let us know" ......I don't like the unknown, not sure I want to do this......

[Ladybug18]

@fishman620

That is very interesting that you need to book a "tour" with them in order to use their service for pick up at the cruise terminal. I also don't like the unknown of if/when we can get the bus to Keflavik Airport later if we book a tour with them. I wish there was an easier option but having our luggage on hand it makes it so much harder. If you find anything please let me know...you can always email me... arial_capri@hotmail.com if thats easier.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Ladybug18

[fishman620]

15 minutes ago, Ladybug18 said:

@fishman620

That is very interesting that you need to book a "tour" with them in order to use their service for pick up at the cruise terminal. I also don't like the unknown of if/when we can get the bus to Keflavik Airport later if we book a tour with them. I wish there was an easier option but having our luggage on hand it makes it so much harder. If you find anything please let me know...you can always email me... arial_capri@hotmail.com if thats easier.

I wanted an alternative instead of the taxi line at the port since I heard it could be up to a 2 hour wait.....and with 5 of us with luggage, not sure how that would work.....our flight doesn't leave until 7:45 p.m......Reykjavik has been a little more of a puzzle for debarkation day, for sure!

[janetcbl]

Another idea you might consider. There are companies that will take you from the ship to The Blue Lagoon for a few hours, then pick you up and take you to the airport. If interested, Google Viator or guidetoiceland.is.

[Ladybug18]

1 hour ago, fishman620 said:

I wanted an alternative instead of the taxi line at the port since I heard it could be up to a 2 hour wait.....and with 5 of us with luggage, not sure how that would work.....our flight doesn't leave until 7:45 p.m......Reykjavik has been a little more of a puzzle for debarkation day, for sure!

YES, exactly!! We have the same concerns and what to do the day we debark in Reykjavik (we know we want to explore the city center). We have been struggling to find something that will work to get us to the city center from the cruise terminal that can accommodate us and our luggage (family of 3). 

[Ladybug18]

49 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

Another idea you might consider. There are companies that will take you from the ship to The Blue Lagoon for a few hours, then pick you up and take you to the airport. If interested, Google Viator or guidetoiceland.is.

Thank you for this suggestion 

[Nitemare]

22 hours ago, Ladybug18 said:

Thank you for this suggestion 

I wouldn't use either of those companies.  They are third parties and that just adds an extra layer in case of communication issues (and also usually extra cost).  Use them to do research, but also look to see if they mention the actual provider.  Always book with actual providers when possible, especially in a place like Iceland where weather can cancel, delay, or change plans in a hurry

[Ladybug18]

3 hours ago, Nitemare said:

I wouldn't use either of those companies.  They are third parties and that just adds an extra layer in case of communication issues (and also usually extra cost).  Use them to do research, but also look to see if they mention the actual provider.  Always book with actual providers when possible, especially in a place like Iceland where weather can cancel, delay, or change plans in a hurry

Thank you! I always try to book with the actual provider. We are not going to do the Blue Lagoon due to time constraints. 

[fstuff1]

On 6/8/2023 at 6:42 AM, ljandgb said:

You should arrive at the airport 2 1/2 to 3 hours prior to your flight.  It's a 45 minute drive to the airport, to 7:45 flight means leave Reykjavik at 4:30.

 

There are plenty of small museums in Reykjavik.  The Perlan and FlyOver Iceland both get good reviews.

 

You could also get up early and explore the surrounding area with a rental car.  Do the hot river hike, or explore the Reykjanes peninsula.

Flyover Iceland was fun but is $40 and only last 30min. 😞

 

[fstuff1]

On 6/12/2023 at 12:33 PM, fishman620 said:

"I would recommend booking a Flybus Plus where you can be picked up from Skarfabakki Port to BSÍ Terminal, then take your BSÍ to Airport transfer at a later time.
You can leave your luggage at the luggage lockers at BSí Terminal, then take the Hop On Hop Off bus from the same terminal, and then come back later for your Airport departure."

 

thx!

my cruise ship debarks 7am and my flight isnt till 5pm.

Was looking for an easy way to store my luggage to explore.

 

Would this work?

cruise pier xfer to bsi, store luggage, then take hoho from bsi.

do a loop, then hop off to explore then hop back on to bsi.

then take bus xfer to airport.

 

does the hoho have an app so you can track their buses to know how close one is to me while im exploring the city?

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by fstuff1

[Meander Ingwa]

I used Reykjavik Excursions for my needs.  Flybus is the company that takes you to and from the airport.  They with shuttle you to the central terminal and with your bags, whisk you to the international airport

 

As a general rule you can get a lot of info about getting to and from airports on that airports web site.  I found , overall , that the logistics of moving folks around was an A+++ experience in Iceland.  Whenever I visit somewhere new, the airport web site is one of my first look-up references

 

and for what to do...

Did you know there is a Penis Museum?  anyone interested in nature and biology might find that a quirky visit

Also my favorite shop, the Icelandic Handknit association for wonderful handknit items at, what I thought, excellent prices

 

[kaisatsu]

On 6/26/2023 at 5:12 PM, Meander Ingwa said:

Also my favorite shop, the Icelandic Handknit association for wonderful handknit items at, what I thought, excellent prices

I read your post yesterday, and in a completely unrelated conversation, I found out at today that one of my good friends used to work there (before she moved to Oslo)! She said she really enjoyed helping visitors find and try flattering sweaters. I shared with her that someone here had said it was their favorite shop in Reykjavík, and that brought her joy. 😊 

[Meander Ingwa]

I am a sweater junky.  My rule, for a while, was that I had to get rid of one if I got a new one.