Keflavík, Iceland
Keflavík is a regional capital of 15,930 people in Southern Peninsula, Iceland.
Why visit Keflavík
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 26 places to eat, 21 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Vatnsnes, Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll and Duus Museum.
Weather in Keflavík
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Keflavík
Keflavík (pronounced [ˈcʰɛplaˌviːk] , meaning Driftwood Bay) is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129.
From the Wikipedia article Keflavík (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Keflavík on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks7
Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll
Museum · 1.8 km
2 Hjallavegur, Reykjanesbær
Mo-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa,Su 10:00-17:00
The Icelandic Museum of Rock 'n' Roll
Museum · 1.8 km
Music museum in Reykjanesbær, Iceland
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Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes26
Pólskur matur
Restaurant · Polish
Mo-We 11:30-15:00; Th-Fr 09:00-15:00; Sa 09:00-17:00
14 more on the map.
History
Keflavík was founded by Scottish entrepreneurs and engineers in the 16th century, and developed on account of its fishing and fish processing industry.
In the 1940s an airport was built next to the town by the United States military, which served as an important refueling stop for trans-Atlantic flights, especially during World War II.
During the Cold War, Naval Air Station Keflavik played an important role in monitoring marine and submarine traffic from the Norwegian and Greenland seas into the Atlantic Ocean. Forces from the United States Air Force were added to provide radar monitoring, fighter intercept, in-flight refueling, and aerial/marine rescue. With increasing ranges for aircraft and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the base became less important, and the last U.S. personnel were withdrawn in 2006.
Within Iceland, Keflavík was renowned as a rich source of musicians during the 1960s and 1970s, and came to be known as bítlabærinn [ˈpihtlaˌpaiːrɪn] or "The Beatle Town".
From the History section of Keflavík on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay21
Churches and places of worship6
Shopping7
Gas and EV charging11
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Healthcare6
Map of Keflavík
98 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Keflavík International Airport (KEF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 km away.
- Reykjanesbær 1 km south, about 1 min by car
- Grindavík 19 km south, about 19 min by car
- Hafnarfjörður 31 km east, about 31 min by car
- Garðabær 32 km east, about 32 min by car
- Seltjarnarnes 32 km northeast, about 32 min by car
- Kópavogur 34 km east, about 34 min by car
- Reykjavík 36 km northeast, about 36 min by car
- Akranes 42 km northeast, about 42 min by car
- Þorlákshöfn 60 km east, about 1 h by car
- Borgarnes 67 km northeast, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Openverse (see each image): photos
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- 20190621 CPH-KEF 7364 (48453776572), Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Keflavík church (2), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík church (3), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík church (1), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík (1), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík (2), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík (3), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík harbor (1), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík (5), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík statues, Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík (4), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík harbor (2), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Keflavík harbor (3), Chmee2 / Valtameri, CC BY 3.0
- Viking world museum, Leon Petrosyan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Vatnsnes lighthouse, Bjorn.thorvaldsson.is, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kirkja heilags Jóhannesar Páls II ferming, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Church Of Keflavik, Pierre Selim Huard, CC BY 3.0
- Church Of Keflavik, Pierre Selim Huard, CC BY 3.0
- Tré ársins 2011 Greniteigi 9 0929, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Tré ársins 2011 Greniteigi 9 0071, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Keflavik - Iceland - panoramio, diego_cue, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bókasafn Reykjanesbæjar innandyra, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Iceland (20038444642), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0
- Duus hús museum 02, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Keflavik, Pierre Selim Huard, CC BY 3.0
- Duus hús museum 01, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Baldur Boat in Keflavik (42426270355), Jesús Pérez, CC BY 2.0
- Baldur Boat in Keflavik (43280336072), Jesús Pérez, CC BY 2.0
- Iceland (19423614624), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0
- Duus hús museum 05, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Duus hús museum 06, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Duus hús museum 04, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Duus hús museum 03, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Iceland (19423604474), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0
- Iceland (20046244255), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0
- Baldur Boat in Keflavik (43329863241), Jesús Pérez, CC BY 2.0
- Baldur Boat in Keflavik (28461254367), Jesús Pérez, CC BY 2.0
- Iceland (19858272000), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0
- Duus hús museum 07, Steinninn, CC BY 4.0
- Iceland (20046286775), Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0
- Duus Museum, D-Stanley, CC BY 2.0
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