Transportation

1. Air

Transportation facilities are excellent for your travel via ICELANDAIR to Iceland. Since, Iceland is an island, the only transportation that can take you there is either air or sea. Daily scheduled flights fly from mainland Europe and the USA to Iceland. The country's location in the middle of the North Atlantic makes sea transport less feasible in winter, as the ocean can be very rough. Hence, tourists usually prefer travel by sea mainly in summer.

There are non-stop flights to Reykjavik (Keflavik International Airport) from Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Minneapolis, and Orlando.

Icelandair — North America

Tel: 800-223-5500-

E-mail: america@icelandair.is

Website: www.icelandair.com and www.icelandairholidays.com

Air Iceland

Reykjavik Airport

101 Reykjavik

Tel: (+354) 570-3030

Fax: (+354) 570-3001

E-mail: websales@airiceland.is

Website: www.airiceland.is

Icebird Airlines (Islandsflug)

Hlidarsmari 15

201 Kopavogur

Tel: (+354) 570-8030

Fax: (+354) 570-8031

E-mail: islandsflug@islandsflug.is

Website: www.islandsflug.is

- The airline, Greenland Air, maintains regular and scheduled services to Iceland from Nuuk and Kulusuk and from Narssarssuaq Greenland.

- LTU upholds programmed services to Iceland from Germany during the summer.

- During the summers British Airways provide flights to Iceland.

Approximate flying times from various cities:

London - Reykjavík 3 hours 5 min

Copenhagen - Reykjavík 3 hours 20 min

Frankfurt - Reykjavík 3 hours 45 min

Luxembourg - Reykjavík 3 hours 30 min

Paris - Reykjavík 3 hours 25 min

Narsarsuaq - Reykjavík 2 hours 30 min

Orlando - Reykjavík 7 hours 10 min

Zürich - Akureyri 3 hours

Amsterdam - Reykjavík 3 hours 15 min

Hamburg - Reykjavík 3 hours 15 min

New York - Reykjavík 5 hours 30 min

Glasgow - Reykjavík 2 hours 30 min

Charter Service: Several air carriers offer charter service and sightseeing flights:

Air Iceland

Reykjavik Airport

101 Reykjavik

Tel: (+354) 570-3030

Fax: (+354) 570-3001

E-mail: websales@airiceland.is

Website: www.airiceland.is

Icebird Airlines (Islandsflug)

Hlidarsmari 15

201 Kopavogur

Tel: (+354) 570-8030

Fax: (+354) 570-8031

E-mail: islandsflug@islandsflug.is

Website: www.islandsflug.is

2. Bus

Bus fare to Reykjavík from Leif Ericsson Airport is about US $8.

Airport Buses:

Their services are operated between Reykjavik and Keflavik International Airport. Buses usually leave Reykjavik from the BSI Bus Terminal, 2 hours prior to the flight departure. The drive takes about 40-50 minutes with connections to all major hotels.

There is a broad bus service that runs to most parts of the country. The Reykjavík Excursions (RE), founded in 1968 is amongst the biggest armada of buses undertaking tours around the islands. The Municipal Bus Service Company in Iceland also furthers tourists with bus services to travel around the city with ease. The municipal buses start functioning from seven in the morning till midnight on weekdays and from 10am to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The night buses though, run till 4:00am to facilitate the late night travelers. The bus fare for majors is around ISK 150 and travelers would require carrying exact change since the bus drivers cannot provide them with the change.

3. Car

The best way to drive around and get to know a country at the same time is by renting a car. The traveling conditions are also pretty good from April to November.

There are a lot of car rental agencies available to choose from alongside local services, which may offer cheaper rates. Even so, many prefer to rely on the well-known brands. Numerous types of cars are available ranging from small family cars to powerful 4-wheel-drive vehicles.

To rent a car in Iceland you need to be of 20 years and above and have held a license since a year at least. If under the age of 25, the drivers may be charged with a young driver surcharge, which is less compared to the regular surcharge. The city speed limits to be followed while in Iceland are 31mph, on open roads it is 49mph and on highways it is 55mph. Iceland has a right hand drive and the gas stations usually work from 7:30am to 8pm barring some exceptions, which are open till 11pm. The stations outside the city limits are open till 10pm.

Some of the reliable services available are:

Alp Car Rental

Vatnsmyrarvegur 10,

Reykjavik Bus Terminal • 101 Reykjavik

Tel: (+354) 562-6060

Fax: (+354) 562-6061

E-mail: alp@alp.is

Website: www.alp.is

Avis Car Rental

Knarrarvogur 2

104 Reykjavik

Tel: (+354) 591-4000

Fax: (+354) 591-4040

E-mail: avis@avis.is

Website: www.avis.is

AG Car Rental

Kletthals 9

110 Reykjavik

Tel: (+354) 587-5544

Fax: (+354) 587-2729

E-mail: carrental@ag-car.is

Website: www.ag-car.is

Budget Car Rental

Dugguvogur 10

104 Reykjavik,

Tel: (+354) 567-8300

Fax: (+354) 567-8302

E-mail: budget@budget.is

Website: www.budget.is

National Car Rental

Bilaleiga Akureyrar

Tryggvabraut 12

600 Akureyri

Tel: (+354) 461-3000

Fax: (+354) 462-6476

E-mail: nationalcar@nationalcar.is

Website: www.nationalcar.is

Icelandair Hertz Car Rental

Reykjavik Airport

101 Reykjavik

Tel: (+354) 505-0600

Fax: (+354) 505-0650

E-mail: hertz@hertz.is

Website: www.hertz.is and www.hertz.com

RAS Car Rental

Vikurbraut 17

240 Grindavik

Tel: (+354) 426-7100

Fax: (+354) 426-8162

E-mail: ras@ras.com

Website: www.rascar.com

4. Ferry

A weekly passenger and car ferry service operates at fixed timings during the summer from Bergen in Norway and Hanstholm in Denmark to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Seydisfjordur in Iceland. The service is run by the Smyril Line.

Austfar

Fjardargata 8

710 Seydisfjordur

Iceland

Tel: (+354) 472-1111

Fax: (+354) 472-1105

E-mail: austfar@isholf.is

Website: www.smyril-line.is

Smyril Line Iceland

Saetun 8

105 Reykjavik

Iceland

Tel: (+354) 570-8600

Fax: (+354) 552-9450

E-mail: info@smyril-line.is

Website: www.smyril-line.is

Ferry Baldur

Smidjustigur 3

340 Stykkisholmur

Tel: (+354) 438-1120

Fax: (+354) 438-1093

E-mail: saeferdir@saeferdir.is

Website: www.saeferdir.is

Westman Islands Ferry

Herjolfur, Westman Islands

Basaskersbryggja

900 Westman Islands

Tel: (+354) 481-2800

Fax: (+354) 481-2991

E-mail: herjolfur@herjolfur.is

Website: www.herjolfur.is

5. Ship

There is no scheduled passenger sea-link between North America and Iceland. However, several cruise ships do make stops in Iceland in their itineraries. Cruise lines such as Holland America Line, Cunard, Seabourn Cruise Line, Crystal Cruise, Silversea Cruise, Princess Cruise, Royal Caribbean International, Orient Lines, Abercrombie & Kent, Lindblad Special, Expeditions and Euro Cruises. Cruises usually last for two to four weeks and offer quality entertainment, dining and recreational facilities.

6. Taxi

Taxis are widely accessible in Reykjavik and in the larger towns as well. However, keep in mind that there is a particular surcharge charged during the evenings and at weekends. All taxis have official mileage meters, and taxi fares are charged at regular rates.

There are at least about 600 taxicabs in Iceland, most of them in the greater Reykjavík area. They charge the same fares as the meter shows at the end of the trip.

It is advisable that before smoking you ask the taxicab driver for his consent. Most taxicabs have room for 4-8 passengers. The yellow-lighted sign on the roof of the cab indicates that there is room and it is vacant. You will come across many taxis that are standing in a queue outside the most popular and large hotels.

There are two taxi service companies operating in the Capital area:

BSI Tel: 561 0000

Hreyfill Tel: 588 5522

These are the main taxi companies and their phone numbers:

Hreyfill-Bæjarleiðir 588 5522 or 553 3500

B.S.R. taxis 561 0000

Borgarbílastöðin 552 2440

B.S.H. taxis 555 0888