Iceland's Domestic Flights: When Flying Beats the Ring Road Drive

What the domestic network actually covers

Iceland's domestic flights are run mainly by Icelandair Connect between Reykjavík Airport at Vatnsmýri, a ten-minute drive from downtown, and a handful of regional strips: Akureyri in the north, Egilsstaðir in the east, Ísafjörður in the Westfjords, and Vestmannaeyjar in the islands south of the coast. The crucial point is that Reykjavík Airport is not Keflavík — they are around 50 km apart, so an early connection means budgeting an hour by car or the Flybus transfer between them.

Flight times are short: roughly 45 minutes to Akureyri, an hour to Egilsstaðir, 40 minutes to Ísafjörður. Compare that with driving Reykjavík to Egilsstaðir, which is around 650 km and seven to eight hours in good summer weather, longer in winter. Akureyri is about 390 km and four and a half hours by road on Route 1 through the Vaðlaheiði tunnel. If your itinerary includes both the north and the east, the flight is the difference between a relaxed week and a punishing one.

When a flight genuinely shortens the trip

The strongest case is a one-way loop. Fly Reykjavík to Akureyri on day two, collect a hire car at the airport, work east along Route 1 past Mývatn and Dettifoss to Egilsstaðir, then fly back from Egilsstaðir and skip the long western return. The same logic works in reverse for the Westfjords: fly to Ísafjörður, see Dynjandi and the Látrabjarg cliffs, and drive back through Hólmavík on Route 60 if you want the scenery, or fly out if you don't.

One-way car hire between Akureyri and Egilsstaðir is usually modest compared with the Keflavík drop-off fee, but confirm before booking. Book flights two to three months ahead in July and August, when the Akureyri route sells out first. May, June and September give you the best balance of daylight and availability. I would book the Akureyri–Egilsstaðir combination for any trip of nine days or less that wants both the north and the east.

When to skip the plane entirely

For a classic south-coast trip — Þingvellir, Geysir, Seljalandsfoss, Vík, Jökulsárlón — domestic flights save you nothing. The drive from Reykjavík to Vík is about 190 km, two and a half hours, and the whole south coast to Höfn is comfortably done in two relaxed days. Adding a flight means adding an airport transfer at both ends. The same applies to the Snæfellsnes peninsula: it is a three-hour drive from Reykjavík and not served by scheduled flights.

Weather is the other factor. Domestic flights are cancelled for wind and low visibility more often than most travellers expect, especially between November and March, and Ísafjörður and Vestmannaeyjar are the most exposed. Have a driving alternative in mind and never book a same-day international connection on a domestic flight. Also skip the flight if you are only going as far as Akureyri and back — the drive through Skagafjörður is one of the country's best, and you would miss it.

Where to base yourself around the flights

Near Reykjavík Airport, the 101 and 105 postcodes put you within walking distance of Laugavegur and the domestic terminal; Miðborg guesthouses and the larger hotels around Hverfisgata are convenient for an early departure. In Akureyri, stay in the centre around Hafnarstræti rather than out by the ring road — the town is compact and the airport is a short taxi ride. Egilsstaðir is small enough that any central accommodation works, and it makes a good base for Hallormsstaðaskógur forest and Seyðisfjörður, 27 km east.

In Ísafjörður, the old town around Silfurtorg is the place to be, with guesthouses in restored timber houses. For Vestmannaeyjar, book in Heimaey's harbour area and allow a full day for the puffins at Stórhöfði and the Eldfell walk. Search hotel availability for your exact dates before fixing flight times, since summer rooms in Akureyri and Ísafjörður go first.