Keflavík Airport (KEF)

Keflavík is where almost every Iceland journey begins and ends, and the first decision of the trip is made in its arrivals hall: collect a car here, or ride into Reykjavík and start driving tomorrow. The airport sits on the Reykjanes peninsula, well south-west of the capital, so a late-evening arrival plus the drive in means a first night that starts after midnight.

The practical line, confirmed on kefairport.is today: several car-hire agencies operate at the airport, most of them from a shuttle-served lot a few minutes from the terminal, so allow time for the transfer and the walk-round. Flybus coaches run from the airport to the BSÍ terminal in Reykjavík, leaving about 40 minutes after each landing and more often at peak times; tickets are sold at machines in arrivals and online, not on board. Strætó route 55 is the public-bus alternative.

Fuel is not a worry at the airport itself: the first stations are in Reykjanesbær minutes away (Olís at Njarðvík is on the operator's station list, checked today), and the Reykjanesbraut dual carriageway to Reykjavík is the easiest road in the country to start on.

If the plan is the Ring Road, think about direction here. Anticlockwise sends you along the South Coast on day one with short legs and plenty of fuel; clockwise gets the long, empty West out of the way first. Returning, give yourself two hours at the terminal and refuel in Reykjanesbær, as hire companies charge for a tank returned short.