Most big ships dock at Skarfabakki (new Vör terminal), about 4 km from downtown. No free public port shuttle is listed for 2026: the official Visit Reykjavík page lists only walking, Hopp e-scooters, taxi and city bus 16, so check whether your ship runs its own shuttle. The Golden Circle is a full-day trip best done by tour.
Where Reykjavík lies
Where your ship docks
Large ships dock at Skarfabakki (now called the Vör terminal), about 4 km east of downtown. Small ships dock at Miðbakki or Faxagarður in the Old Harbour, right downtown.
Shuttle. No free public shuttle for 2026: Visit Reykjavík lists only walking, Hopp scooters, taxi and bus 16. A tour operator reports the free Faxaflóahafnir shuttle (2023-2025) has ended and that any shuttle now depends on your cruise line. The port authority itself publishes no shuttle notice.
Getting to the sights
| The way | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ship shuttle, city bus 16, taxi, or walk to Downtown from Skarfabakki | About 7 minutes by car; 40-50 minutes on foot | City bus 16: 690 ISK adult single (tap card/phone). Taxi: about 5,000 ISK metered one way per a tour operator (not official). |
| Tour (pick-up at the port) to Golden Circle | not confirmed (estimate 6-8 hours) | not confirmed |
Ship shuttle, city bus 16, taxi, or walk to Downtown from Skarfabakki
- Check your ship's daily program for a shuttle.
- Or walk to the bus 16 stop near the terminal.
- Or take a taxi from the rank.
Bus fare from Strætó's official FAQ: 690 ISK adult single, same price by contactless card or phone; children 11 and under free. Visit Reykjavík (official tourism site) lists walking, Hopp e-scooters, taxi and bus 16 from Skarfabakki. Taxi price is from a tour operator, not an official source.
Tour (pick-up at the port) to Golden Circle
- Book a tour with port pick-up.
- Confirm return time vs all-aboard.
Tour prices vary by operator; no official price exists.
What to see
Hallgrímskirkja
Iconic church; tower view.
- How
- 15 minutes' walk from the Old Harbour.
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Tickets
- Church free; tower paid (unverified)
Harpa concert hall
Glass building on the harbor.
- How
- Walk downtown.
- Time
- 30 minutes
- Tickets
- Free to enter
Sun Voyager sculpture
Viking-ship sculpture by the sea.
- How
- Walk.
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Tickets
- Free
Golden Circle
Rift valley, geysers and a big waterfall.
- How
- Tour.
- Time
- Full day
- Tickets
- Unverified
Blue Lagoon
Famous geothermal spa.
- How
- Tour/transfer; about 45-60 minutes away (unverified).
- Time
- 4-5 hours
- Tickets
- Pre-booking required (unverified)
Your day, hour by hour
Planned for a typical call. Check your ship's all-aboard time and be back an hour early. The ship will not wait.
- Shuttle/bus/taxi downtown.
- Walk Harpa, Sun Voyager, Laugavegur street.
- Hallgrímskirkja tower.
- Lunch at Grandi food hall.
- Back to Skarfabakki 45-60 minutes early.
What goes wrong, and how to avoid it
Beware
- Wind and sudden rain; bring a warm waterproof jacket.
- Prices are very high.
Do this
- Pre-booked taxi from Skarfabakki about 12,600 ISK sedan (fixed, incl. 30-minute wait) per a local tour operator.
Fees, money and access
Rules & fees
- Iceland charges cruise passengers an infrastructure fee of ISK 1,600 per passenger for each started 24 hours the ship is in Iceland's waters (sea days as well as port days), per Iceland's tax office. Crew are exempt. Cruise lines usually add it to your fare or onboard bill. (It was ISK 2,500 when introduced on January 1, 2025.)
Accessibility
Downtown is compact; Hallgrímskirkja is uphill.
Money
Icelandic króna (ISK). Cards are accepted almost everywhere, even for tiny amounts. You do not need cash.
More of the Iceland
Sources & what we could not confirm · 9 sources · checked 2026-11
- Skatturinn (Iceland Revenue and Customs): Gjöld á skemmtiferðaskip, infrastructure fee 1,600 ISK
- Visit Reykjavík: Arriving by cruise ship
- Strætó: FAQ (fares: 690 ISK adult single)
- Faxaflóahafnir: Passenger terminal (new terminal opens spring 2026)
- Iceland Highlights: cruise ship terminals in Reykjavík 2026 (tour operator guide, not official)
- World Ports: Iceland infrastructure fee (2,500 ISK from 1 Jan 2025)
- Húsavík.com: lawmakers scale back cruise passenger fee to 1,600 ISK (Dec 2025)
- MSC Cruises, destination fees (Iceland)
- Skatturinn (Iceland tax office), cruise ship infrastructure fee
- Shuttle end is confirmed only by a tour operator; the official tourism page simply lists no shuttle
- Taxi prices (tour operator)
- Tour prices
- 2027 fee (proposed only)
- A tour-operator guide says the free port shuttle does not run in 2026 and a pre-booked taxi from the port is a fixed ISK 12,600. A metered fare of about ISK 5,000 applies from downtown back to the port. Not confirmed by an official source.