Sleeping in Keflavik Airport is much easier after security than before it. Recent travellers describe several airside areas with armrest-free seating, padded benches and even couch-like seats, with the C Gates and A Gates standing out for overnight sleep. The terminal is open 24 hours, but the biggest recurring complaint is the temperature – bring warm layers even in summer.
Overnight security checks do happen, and travellers may be asked about their onward flight or to show a boarding pass. Before security, sleeping is less predictable: travellers have slept on benches and the floor, but others have been told to sit up or stop sleeping on the floor.
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Spent a calm night at one of the far ends of the (airside) C Gates area, behind gate C23.” (Traveller review, June 2026)
Can You Sleep in Keflavik Airport Overnight?
Yes. Travellers continue to sleep at Keflavik Airport overnight, and the airport terminal is open 24 hours.
If you can get through security, airside is generally the better option. Recent traveller reviews describe successful overnight stays around both the A and C Gates, with armrest-free seats, padded benches and quieter areas where travellers have been able to stretch out. Some travellers have slept through the night without being disturbed, while others were woken by security and asked about their morning flight or asked to show a boarding pass.
The A and C Gates serve Schengen flights, while the D Gates serve flights to and from destinations including the US, UK and Canada. Travellers have reported sleeping in all three gate areas, but overnight movement between the Schengen and non-Schengen areas may be restricted by passport control. If you have a choice, recent reviews favour the A and C Gates for sleeping.
Before security, conditions are more unpredictable. Travellers have managed to sleep on benches and occasionally on the floor, but enforcement of floor sleeping has varied. In July 2024, sleepers before security were repeatedly told to get off the floor or sit up, while other travellers have slept landside without being disturbed.
Sleepability Verdict
Sleepability: Good
Keflavik has improved considerably as a place to sleep if you can remain airside. Recent travellers consistently find armrest-free seating, and the A Gates have some couch-like padded benches while the C Gates offer several quieter areas with seats long enough to lie across. Overnight crowds can also be surprisingly light between flight waves.
The trade-offs are cold temperatures, bright lighting in some areas and the possibility of a security check. Landside sleepers have fewer dependable options and are more likely to encounter restrictions on lying on the floor.
Really, really cold… But otherwise one of the best airports to sleep in.” (Traveller review, July 2025)
Traveller Reality Check
Based on recent Sleeping in Airports traveller reviews, these are the most frequently reported advantages and drawbacks of sleeping at Keflavik Airport.
Sleep Advantages
- Armrest-free seating airside
- Couch-like seats near A Gates
- Quiet C Gate areas overnight
- Several places to stretch out
- Charging near some sleep spots
- Generally quiet between flight waves
Sleep Drawbacks
- Terminal can be very cold
- Possible overnight security checks
- Bright lighting in some areas
- Landside floor sleeping discouraged
- Early-morning crowds and noise
- D Gates can have late flights
Best Places to Sleep
This is one of the more promising areas if you want something softer than ordinary airport seating. Travellers in 2025 and 2026 described couch-like padded seating around the A Gates, although some older padded benches have reportedly been replaced with harder chairs with armrests. A traveller near A1-A4 also found charging outlets and USB ports close to the seating.
Near A5, another traveller found several soft leather couches and had a good sleep, although security woke them to check their boarding pass.
Seating: Padded couches, benches and standard chairs
Noise: Usually quiet overnight, busier toward morning
Lighting: Bright in some areas
Power: Outlets and USB charging reported
C Gates, Airside, near Gate C23
Gate C23 and the surrounding area have been mentioned repeatedly by travellers looking for a quieter overnight spot. Seating includes rows without armrests, and travellers have also reported softer lounge-style chairs farther along the concourse. A June 2026 traveller slept behind C23 with only a few other passengers nearby and was not interrupted by security.
Older reviews also describe several two-, three- and four-seat benches in this part of the terminal, making it possible to stretch out if you find an empty row.
Seating: Armrest-free rows and lounge chairs
Noise: Quiet overnight
Lighting: Can be bright
Temperature: Often cool or cold
C Gates, Airside, near Gates C31-C36
The far end of the C Gates is another recurring sleeper area. Travellers have found long armrest-free benches and rows of seats that allow you to lie down. Near C31-C33, a traveller on a 16-hour layover found the area quiet enough to sleep and saw other people sleeping nearby.
Near C34-C36, another traveller found padded armrest-free seating, although noise carried along the corridor and increased as flights resumed.
The far end beyond C35 may have softer seating, but a June 2026 traveller found late departing aircraft made that end less appealing until around 1:30 AM.
Seating: Armrest-free benches and padded seats
Noise: Usually quiet between flights
Temperature: Frequently cold
Power: Limited outlets reported in some areas
D Gates, Airside
The D Gates can work for transit passengers, particularly if your onward journey keeps you in the non-Schengen area. Travellers have reported padded benches and armrest-free seating around the lower-level gates.
A July 2024 traveller found padded benches in an isolated area near D22b and slept without security interference, although the area became busier around 4:00 AM. Another traveller near D32 managed about five hours of uninterrupted sleep on armrest-free seating.
If you have access to the A or C Gates, however, recent reviews generally describe more sleeping choices there.
Seating: Padded and armrest-free benches in some areas
Noise: Quiet between flight waves
Temperature: Often chilly
Arrivals Corridor, Airside
A May 2026 traveller arriving at Keflavik found benches along the long corridor immediately after leaving the arrival gates. Some were long enough to lie across, and the traveller found this area less cold than leaving the arrivals area. There were not many suitable benches, so this is more of a backup spot than somewhere to count on.
Seating: Limited armrest-free benches
Temperature: Cool
If you cannot get airside, look for an armrest-free bench rather than planning to sleep on the floor. Travellers have slept around the departures/check-in and arrivals areas, including on metal benches and circular wooden benches.
Floor sleeping is much less dependable. Some travellers have been left alone, while others have been woken and told to sit up. Sleeping bags and camping mats may also attract staff attention. If you do use the floor, be prepared to move.
Areas close to exterior doors can also be particularly cold or draughty.
Seating: Mixed benches and chairs
Noise: Variable
Lighting: Generally bright
Temperature: Often cold near doors and windows
Airport Sleeper Essentials
Cots
Keflavik Airport is not known to provide cots to stranded travellers.
Food Available Overnight
Do not count on staffed restaurants remaining open all night. Airport restaurants and cafés generally operate around flight schedules rather than staying open 24 hours. The useful change for overnight sleepers is the addition of Point vending machines throughout the terminal, providing 24-hour access to food, drinks and travel essentials. If you want a proper meal rather than vending-machine food, buy something before the staffed outlets close.
Luggage Storage
Luggage lockers are available outside the terminal’s Arrivals Hall on the ground level. The airport lists short- and long-term storage, different locker sizes and rates starting at ISK 2,490 per 24 hours. Because the lockers are outside the terminal, they are most useful if you are landside or leaving the airport during a long layover. Airside sleepers would have to exit the secure area to use them.
Showers
The most dependable shower option is inside the Icelandair Saga Lounge, which provides showers with soap and towels. The lounge is airside and currently operates from 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM, so it is not an overnight shower option.
Travellers have also reported a shower in a family restroom in the D Gates area, but current airport information does not clearly confirm this as a public shower facility. Check locally before relying on it.
Airport Lounges with Sleep Facilities
Icelandair Saga Lounge
Location: Airside
Hours: 5:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily
Sleep Facilities: Recliners
Showers: Yes
The Saga Lounge has recliners and showers, making it useful for a daytime layover or some rest before a flight, but its hours rule it out for overnight sleeping. Access is restricted to eligible passengers rather than being available as a general pay-per-use lounge.
Airport Hotels, Sleep Pods & Cabins
If sleeping in the terminal doesn’t sound appealing, there are no sleep pods, sleep cabins or transit hotels inside Keflavik Airport.
Aurora Hotel
The Aurora Hotel is directly across from the airport, approximately 100 metres from the terminal. This is the closest option if you want a proper bed without arranging transportation.
Location: On airport grounds, about 100 metres from the terminal
Access: Short walk outside
24-hour reception: Yes
Several other hotels and guesthouses are located around Keflavik and the airport area.
For daytime sleep after an early-morning arrival, some nearby accommodations participate in the Nap and Go program, offering part-day stays for travellers who want a few hours of sleep before continuing their journey. These stays are intended for morning arrivals rather than overnight accommodation or early-morning departures.
See the Keflavik Airport Guide for additional nearby airport hotels.
Safety & Security
Recent traveller reviews frequently describe feeling safe while sleeping at Keflavik Airport, but security staff may check sleepers overnight.
Airside travellers have reported several different experiences: some slept without interruption, while others were woken and asked about their onward flight or asked to show a boarding pass. A boarding pass for a departing flight is therefore worth keeping easy to reach rather than buried inside your luggage.
Before security, staff have sometimes stopped travellers from sleeping on the floor even when sleeping in chairs or on benches was tolerated.
Keep your passport, phone and other valuables secured while you sleep rather than leaving them unattended when you go to the restroom.
Got woken up by a security guard asking to check our boarding pass, was a good sleep.” (Traveller review, April 2025)
Frequently Asked Questions
A Quick Note
Airport conditions change regularly. This guide is based on airport information and traveller reviews, but seating, terminal access, operating hours, security procedures and sleeping conditions can change. Use this guide as a starting point and be prepared for conditions to differ when you arrive.
Help Keep This Guide Current
Have you slept at Keflavik Airport recently? Tell us where you slept, whether you were able to remain airside overnight, whether security checked your boarding pass and whether the A and C Gate sleeping spots are still available. Photos of current seating are especially helpful.