Please sign in to post.

Icelandair and KEF layover

Hi !
Icelandair have good price and allows a 1 to 7 nights layover in Reikjavik. Anyone have experiences with that and with them ?

Anyone have stayed 3-5 nights in Reikjavik is there plenty to do ?

I would Fly Yul-Kef-CDG and return CDG-KEF-YUl

Is a 70 minutes s layover on return is enough to catch a flight ? How big is the airport ? Icelandair told me it's enough since I ''only'' have to go thru security for USA/Canada

Thanks !

Posted by
6429 posts

I haven't done a stopover in Iceland but I'd like to one of these years. Icelandair makes that easy, and I'd recommend it if you have time. Here's what our host recommends to see and do in Iceland -- much more than Reykjavik.

I have flown several times via KEF, and it's easy. See this current thread on the subject. The layover is short but should be adequate, they do it every day. And the terminal is small and easy to navigate. As posters on the other thread note, you should have time to visit a bathroom but likely not enough time to get a sit-down meal. On your Europe-bound flight, you'll clear the Schengen area passport control at KEF, so have a much easier time at CDG. Since CDG sometimes has long waits to clear passport control, that difference alone could justify the short KEF layover.

Posted by
7049 posts

Yes, the stopover is a fantastic program that's sponsored by the Icelandic Tourism Board through Icelandair. I've used it twice and it made for a wonderful side-trip. Reykjavik is only one interesting site in Iceland, there is also plenty ot see outside on day trips. Just be prepared for how expensive Iceland is - it will offset any savings on the flight but you'll get to see a new country as a bonus. The airport is super efficient and a 70 minute layover is fine - they have the timing down to ensure people get to their connections.

Posted by
14804 posts

There is plenty to do in Reykjavik and the surrounding areas. I've been three times and I'll probably go back.

Returning to Canada, you will go through exit immigration (leaving Schengen) at KEF. But as stated before, the airport is extremely efficient.

Iceland is a beautiful country and I would highly recommend doing a layover.

Posted by
2375 posts

I’ve done the stopover 3 times, twice staying 3 nights. Plenty to do if you do tours such as Golden Circle. Iceland has a very robust tourist infrastructure.

Plenty of time between your return flights. They do this every day, several times a day. No problem

Posted by
1968 posts

We did the stopover in 2015 and it worked great. We have been back two more times as we just fell in love with the country!

There is plenty to do, more than you will have time for even if you did 7 days, so no worries on that:)

On that first trip, we had 3 days. It went by too fast! We did a one day tour of the Golden Circle and spent the rest of the time in Reykjavik.

On our second trip, last summer, we rented a car and did the ring road for 12 days. Then our last trip was just last month and we had 6 days. Since that was winter, we rented a car for just one day when the weather was good, and then did a tour another day and then spent the rest of the time in town. We are already planning our 4th and 5th trips.

Right in Reykjavik we have done the Citywalk "free" walking tour, a food tour, Flyover Iceland (felt it was overrated though), wandered many side streets looking at the beautiful murals, shopped and just wandered, visited Harpa, checked out the Sun Voyager, went to Sundhollin a local pool, and then went to Sky Lagoon which is only about 15 minutes from downtown. We did a lot of walking, and really enjoyed wandering down along the wharf.

I do not remember how much time we had on our return layover on that first trip, but we made our flight without rushing. The airport is not very big, so it is very easy to navigate.

Posted by
4495 posts

Noting that your other post is about a trip to the UK. If you go with Icelandair and the UK, there's the ability to fly into Glasgow and rent a car there, much easier than starting in London as in that post, then fly home from London.

If doing the Iceland stopover, do it on the way back and rent a car at the airport. Drive to a rural Airbnb to stay at and explore the country and you will save a lot of money over taking a shuttle into Reykjavik and staying there. You don't have to worry about jet lag flying from the east, will leave London about 2 pm and arrive in Iceland about 4 pm.

Careful, just because there is no charge for the stopover does not mean the flights are the same price every day of the week, it could cost money to stop over.

Posted by
15 posts

There’s plenty to do in the capital. I did not bother to Rent-A-Car because I only stayed four nights but I’ve saw three or four small museums such as the northern lights museum, the whale museum and a huge museum about the history of Iceland and another museum I forgot the name. And there’s also several small art museums that I should’ve gone to but I ran out of time. This was in 2019.
I walked or took the bus everywhere and I think I only needed to take the bus one time because the larger museum about Icelandic history was further and across a busy highway. I felt safe the whole time night or day.

. And I like how if I’m in a restaurant and unlike in mainland Europe they put a pitcher of fresh good tasting excellent water at your table for free even if you’re only one person and if you buy a normal coffee besides a cappuccino you can have a refill in at least a few restaurants did the coffee free refill in you can usually hardly find that in mainland Europe. I didn’t take any tours with the bus but I would’ve liked to if I come back and I also didn’t take a whale tour by a little ship in the Harbor which I could have. Yes there’s plenty to do for several days. I even went in one of the cities pools and they have several small pools with the hot Spring water with a decent price because it’s all included with the card that includes the buses in some of the museums and entrance into the city pools.

Posted by
15 posts

The airport is very small especially if you consider that it’s the capital of a country. I think it’s only two floors and I’m not sure of the upper floor is even for the flights and might be for restaurants, I forgot. And I forgot how many terminals but there’s not very many.

Posted by
357 posts

Thanks to everyone who have taken the time to answer on this thread. It was a fun idea but it will not happen. Food and lodging are ridiculously expensive and the the 1200$ we save on our airfare will be spend in double with 3-4 nights in the capital !

Posted by
4495 posts
Posted by
357 posts

We would be in Iceland only 3-4 night getting to and from Selfoss to the Airport for such a short stay seems like a lot of hassle.

Posted by
4495 posts

Rent a car at the airport, it is only 100 km drive, easy. About US $750 for 4 days for a Kia Xceed, large enough for 4.

Posted by
357 posts

750 Us for 4 days.....Almost 1000$ In Canadian $. Plus lodging (around 300$ per night) plus gaz, plus food..... more than 3000$ for 4 days. We still have a month travel after that.