Car Rental at Skarfabakki Cruise Terminal, Reykjavik
Pick your dates, choose the car, add terminal delivery at checkout.
You can rent a car at Skarfabakki and start driving within minutes of walking off the ship. We bring the car to the cruise terminal, hand you the keys at the pier, and take it back before you sail. No taxi into town, no queue at a rental desk, no hours lost from a day you only get once.
Skarfabakki (Sundahöfn) sits about 4 km from central Reykjavik. From the pier you are 45 minutes from Thingvellir National Park, 50 minutes from the Blue Lagoon and under two hours from the first waterfalls of the South Coast.
* If the selected vehicle is unavailable at the pickup location, we will
provide an alternative car with the same specifications. Thanks for your understanding.
How it works
1. Your ship docks. Walk off at Skarfabakki. Your car is parked at the terminal with the keys ready. We agree the exact meeting point and time when you book, so there is nothing to figure out on the day.
2. You drive. Golden Circle, Blue Lagoon, South Coast, or just the city and the coast road. The car is yours for the day, not for a fixed tour route and not shared with 40 other passengers.
3. You hand it back before departure. Return the car to the terminal ahead of your all-aboard time. We recommend building in one hour of buffer — Icelandic weather changes fast and the road home is the one place you don't want to be rushing.
What it costs and how far you can get
Terminal delivery: €50. [PATVIRTINTI: ar €50 dengia ir pristatymą, ir paėmimą, ar tik vieną pusę] The rental price itself is the same as at our Reykjavik office. Delivery is the only extra, and we state it up front rather than hiding it in the total at the last step.
Distances from Skarfabakki:
| Destination | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Reykjavik city centre | 4 km | 10 min |
| Blue Lagoon | 55 km | 50 min |
| Thingvellir National Park | 50 km | 45 min |
| Geysir | 110 km | 1 h 30 |
| Gullfoss | 125 km | 1 h 45 |
| Seljalandsfoss (South Coast) | 130 km | 1 h 45 |
| Keflavik International Airport | 50 km | 45 min |
How much time you actually need:
- 5–6 hours ashore: Reykjavik, the Reykjanes peninsula, or the Blue Lagoon with time to spare.
- 7–8 hours ashore: the full Golden Circle (Thingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss) at a normal pace. Around 250 km, roughly 3.5 hours of driving plus stops.
- 9–12 hours ashore: the Golden Circle without watching the clock, or the South Coast as far as Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss.
If your ship is in port for less than five hours, skip the Golden Circle. Reykjanes and the coastline south of the city give you more per hour and keep you close to the pier.
Cruise starting or ending in Reykjavik?
If Reykjavik is your turn-around port, you are flying in or out of Keflavik and you probably have a night or two on either side of the sailing. That changes what makes sense.
- Pick up at Keflavik airport the moment you land, drive the 45 minutes into Reykjavik yourself, and keep the car for the days before you board.
- Return at Skarfabakki on embarkation day, or the reverse if your cruise ends here.
- Multi-day rates apply from day two, so three days often costs less per day than a single day.
- 4x4 or campervan is worth considering for pre- and post-cruise days, when you have time to reach the South Coast, Snaefellsnes or the highland edge.
Tell us your flight and sailing times in the booking notes and we will match the pickup and drop-off to them.
Which car to choose
City and economy cars are enough for the Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon and the paved Ring Road in summer. Lowest price, easiest parking in Reykjavik.
SUV and 4x4 make sense for gravel side roads, the South Coast in shoulder season, and any month with wind and rain in the forecast. This is the most common choice among our cruise guests.
Campervans are for turn-around passengers with several days, not for a single day ashore.
⚠️ F-roads (highland mountain roads) require a 4x4 by law and are closed for most of the year. They are not realistic on a day call from a cruise ship.
Ships we've served
Skarfabakki is the main cruise berth in Reykjavik. Ships calling here include Celebrity, Viking, Holland America, AIDA and Mein Schiff, and we have handed over cars at the pier to more than 60 cruise passengers so far. [PATVIRTINTI: 60 = Vik confirmed užsakymai iš Cruise Terminal 2026-01→06]
On peak days more than 8,000 passengers come ashore in Reykjavik. Tour buses sell out early and taxi queues build up at the terminal, so a car booked in advance is the one thing that is waiting for you rather than the other way round.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
Your ship docks. Your car is waiting. Book your dates above and add Skarfabakki delivery at checkout. Questions about timing or which car fits your hours ashore? Email us and we'll answer before you book.
[BOOK NOW → forma / #booking anchor]