San Francisco to Reykjavík (SFO–KEF) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

US passport holders enter Iceland visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the entire Schengen area. No advance application is needed. Iceland is a Schengen member but not an EU member. Passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure from the Schengen area. At Keflavík International Airport (KEF), immigration stamps your passport. The process is quick and rarely takes more than a few minutes.

The 90-day Schengen clock runs across all 29 Schengen countries. Days spent in Europe's Schengen zone before or after Iceland count toward the same 90-day limit. KEF is located 50km southwest of Reykjavik. The Golden Circle (Thingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss), the South Coast waterfalls, and the Blue Lagoon are all within day-trip range of Reykjavik. The Ring Road (Route 1) circles the island in 1,322km and takes a minimum of 7 days to drive properly.

Direct flights from New York JFK to Keflavík run about 5 hours 30 minutes on Icelandair and PLAY. Boston runs about 5 hours. Direct service also operates from Washington Dulles, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis, and several other US cities. Icelandair offers free stopovers of up to 7 days on transatlantic flights. Iceland uses the Icelandic króna (ISK), trading at roughly 137 ISK per $1. Card payments work everywhere, including remote gas stations and small-town cafes. Cash is rarely needed. Flybus runs from KEF to Reykjavik BSÍ terminal in 45 minutes for ISK 3,499 ($25.50). Restaurant meals in Reykjavik cost ISK 3,000 to ISK 6,000 ($22 to $44). Hot dogs from Bæjarins Beztu cost ISK 590 ($4.30) and are an Icelandic institution.

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) runs from downtown San Francisco (Embarcadero, Powell St.) to the SFO station and then a free AirTrain shuttle to all terminals (30–40 min from Embarcadero, $10.45). BART also connects Oakland and Berkeley; useful for East Bay travelers. Trains run from ~4am to midnight.Taxis from downtown San Francisco cost $40–60. Ride-hails (Uber, Lyft) pick up in the designated area in the garage and are often $30–50 depending on surge pricing. SamTrans buses serve Peninsula cities. Highway 101 and I-280 are heavily congested during commute hours; BART is faster than driving at those times.