Salt Lake City to Reykjavík (SLC–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.

TRAX light rail Green Line runs from downtown Salt Lake City (Intermodal Hub / Temple Square) to the airport in 18 minutes ($2.50). Trains run every 15 minutes from 5am to 11pm daily. The airport station is inside the terminal building.Ride-shares from downtown cost $15–25 and take 10–20 minutes. I-80 connects directly to the airport from the east. The airport opened a new terminal in 2020; it is one facility now, replacing the old dual-terminal setup. Ski resort shuttles depart from Ground Transportation for Park City, Deer Valley, and Alta/Snowbird (60–90 min).