Getting to Stykkishólmur: Driving from Keflavík Airport and Reykjavík

How far is Stykkishólmur from Reykjavík?

Stykkishólmur sits on the north coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, about 170-175 km from Reykjavík by road. The drive takes roughly 2 to 2.5 hours non-stop, depending on traffic through Borgarnes and how much you slow down for the fjord views along the way. The standard route follows Ring Road 1 north out of the capital, crosses the causeway bridge over Borgarfjörður, then turns west onto Route 54 for the final stretch onto the peninsula and into town.

From Keflavík Airport

If you’re landing at Keflavík Airport (KEF) and driving straight to Stykkishólmur without stopping in Reykjavík, plan on roughly 3 to 3.5 hours of driving, covering around 210 km. That figure includes the extra leg from the airport down on the Reykjanes peninsula up and around the capital area before you even reach Ring Road 1. Picking up a rental car at the airport and driving directly saves you a trip into the city, but build in a fuel and coffee stop in Borgarnes — it’s roughly the midpoint and the last full-service town before Route 54 turns off toward Snæfellsnes.

Scenic vs. fast, and do you need a car?

The Ring Road 1 to Route 54 combination is the fast option and is fully paved the entire way, suitable for any rental car in summer conditions. There isn’t really a faster alternative — the “scenic” version of this trip is simply taking your time on Route 54 once you’re on the peninsula, since the road runs close to the Breiðafjörður shoreline with views of the bay’s islands for the last 20-30 minutes into town.

A rental car is the practical way to do this trip and to explore the rest of Snæfellsnes once you’re based in Stykkishólmur — sights like Kirkjufell, Djúpalónssandur, and the peninsula’s other stops are spread out and not realistically reachable without one. Public transport exists but is limited, so treat the bus and ferry options below as fallbacks rather than the main plan.

Bus and ferry alternatives

• Driving time from Reykjavík: about 2-2.5 hours (roughly 170-175 km)
• Driving time from Keflavík Airport: about 3-3.5 hours (roughly 210 km)
• Route: Ring Road 1 north via Borgarnes, then Route 54 onto Snæfellsnes and into Stykkishólmur
• Public bus: Strætó route 58 connects Reykjavík to Stykkishólmur via Borgarnes, but departures are infrequent — check the timetable in advance and don’t expect same-day flexibility
• Ferry onward: the Baldur car ferry sails from Stykkishólmur across Breiðafjörður to Brjánslækur in the Westfjords, via a stop at Flatey island, in about 2.5 hours — useful if you’re continuing north rather than backtracking by road
• What to bring: a full tank before leaving Borgarnes, since fuel stops thin out once you’re on Route 54

Where to Stay

Once you’ve made the drive, the Stykkishólmur Inn puts you in the walkable old town within a few minutes of the harbour — so after 2-3 hours behind the wheel, you can park the car and cover the rest of the town on foot, including the ferry terminal if you’re catching the Baldur onward to the Westfjords. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Patrick Nouhailler via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.