Air China Connects China and Iceland
Air China is scheduled to begin a new Beijing–Keflavík service on 26 October, creating an exciting new travel link between China and Iceland. For visitors arriving from China, it is a fresh reason to put Iceland’s waterfalls, black-sand beaches, hot springs and big northern skies on the itinerary.
The route is about more than a flight number on an airport board. It is a new bridge for tourism, cultural exchange and the kind of journeys that turn “I have seen Iceland online” into “I have just stood beside a glacier lagoon.”
A new link between Beijing and Keflavík
In its announcement, the Chinese Embassy in Iceland described the inaugural Air China service as a milestone for travel, trade, culture and people-to-people links. The route arrives as Iceland and China mark 55 years of diplomatic relations.
Chinese National Flag in Beijing — public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
That matters to travellers as much as to timetables. Iceland is wonderfully compact on a map but gloriously expansive once you are here: Reykjavík’s design and food scene, the Golden Circle’s geysers, the South Coast’s waterfalls and Snæfellsnes’ volcanic coastline can each fill a memorable day.
Iceland is ready for a remarkable first trip
For first-time visitors, Iceland rewards an unhurried plan. Begin with a couple of nights in Reykjavík, then choose the landscapes that sound most like you: waterfalls and glaciers on the South Coast, lava fields and tectonic stories on the Golden Circle, or sea cliffs and a glacier-capped volcano on Snæfellsnes.
There is no need to collect every famous stop in one heroic day. A good Iceland trip leaves room for a warm soup, a weather detour, an unexpected rainbow and the very real possibility that a horse, seal or waterfall will interrupt your schedule.
Explore Iceland with Chinese-speaking guides
For guests who prefer to explore in Chinese, these six guided options cover Iceland’s most popular landscapes—from a Reykjavík evening under the northern lights to full days on the South Coast, the Golden Circle and Snæfellsnes.
A full Chinese-guided day around West Iceland’s volcanic peninsula, coastal villages and big Atlantic scenery.
Waterfalls, black sand and South Iceland’s cinematic coastline, with guiding in Chinese.
A long South Coast day to glittering icebergs, Diamond Beach and the glacier lagoon, guided in Chinese.
See Iceland’s classic route of waterfalls, geothermal energy and rift-valley scenery with a Chinese-speaking guide.
Explore Kirkjufell, lava coastlines and the glacier-volcano landscape of Snæfellsnes in Chinese.
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Leave Reykjavík after dark to search for the aurora with Chinese-speaking guidance.
Visa-free travel makes China more tempting for Icelanders, too
The connection is not only an invitation east-to-west. Icelandic nationals travelling on ordinary passports can currently enter China visa-free for eligible tourism and other listed purposes for stays of up to 30 days, through 31 December 2026. Before booking, always check the latest official conditions and make sure your passport meets current travel requirements.
China Passport — Cfls, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Two destinations built for curiosity
Beijing offers an entirely different kind of adventure: historic palaces and neighbourhoods, food culture, museums and the energy of one of the world’s great capitals.
Peking Hutong courtyard — Tonkie, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Iceland offers the opposite kind of scale—places where a waterfall can be the loudest thing for kilometres.
That contrast is precisely what makes the Air China connection exciting. It gives Chinese travellers a smoother path to the North Atlantic and gives Icelanders a new reason to look east. In both directions, the best journeys begin with curiosity.
Air China Boeing 777-300ER photo by B747131, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.