The Faroe Islands are breathtakingly beautiful. They reminded me of Alaska, Iceland, and Wales – but as I imagine them to be 50 years ago. I would definitely recommend it for a hiking or driving holiday, but it is a fragile destination, and I hope tourism continues to be responsible in order to preserve these beautiful and unique islands.
To be clear up front – this is not a fast-paced trip. The scenery is the “thing”. It is best to see on foot, car or boat — the journey is the destination. It is unbelievably green with ocean and waterfalls everywhere you look.
It is just over a 2 hour flight from Copenhagen. You can also fly direct from Iceland. You will fly into Vagar airport (ironically located on the island of Vagar) which is a 45-minute drive to Torshavn the capitol. There is also a bus from the airport to Torshavn. While the roads are outstanding, they are not lit and I would recommend beating the sunset and not driving in the dark. We were tempted to change locations each night but despite the number of islands, distances are small and we decided we wanted to have a single home base in Torshavn. However, I might consider staying in Vagar the first night or two in order to explore Vagar and Mykines and avoid the extra backtracking and tolls.
Tip: If flying domestic from Copenhagen, you don’t need more than an hour in the airport for either flight.
The islands have a bus system, but I would highly recommend a car in order to maximize your time and allow you some flexibility.
We stayed at the Torshavn Hilton Garden Inn. I don’t usually stay in hotel chains while traveling but I was glad we did. In general, we found food in the islands to be expensive and not to our tastes. The Hilton had an expensive but wonderful breakfast buffet. This was our only meal most days. Additionally, they had a nice bar to hang out in the evenings.
If staying in any of the small villages, beware there may be very limited options for food. There are many small villages with no restaurants or cafes.
During our visit we saw all six of the drivable islands. We did not take a ferry or fly to any of the other four islands. Driving was very easy. The roads are well marked but not lit after dark.
I’ve outlined our itinerary here for your consideration when planning a trip.
Day 1: Vagar & West
Mulafossur Waterfall and Gasadalur Village – Mulafossur waterfall is one of the most photographed spots in the country and is a very easy walk. From the main road heading into the village, you will see a sign on the left. You can park there or in the village just up the hill. The overlook to the waterfall is 300m from the road. Go straight at the gate (don’t turn right up the coast). The village of Gasadalur is very small but is nice to walk through. There is a café that opens at 1100. And while it cost us the equivalent of $15 USD for a cup of hot water, a cup of tea, and a single chocolate chip cookie, it was fun to stop in such a picturesque spot.
Bour – Gasadalur is at the end of the road. Heading back, we stopped in Bour. While it was very pretty and we enjoyed the view but there is nothing to do there.
There is a WW2 museum near the airport that I wanted to see but it is only open on weekends from 2-5. It is also fairly expensive, but I would have done it if it had been open. The islands have their own unique history from the War. When Germany invaded Denmark, the British occupied the islands to protect this strategic location.
We didn’t do the Basdalafossur waterfall due to the weather but we did a small detour in Sandavagur and there is a beautiful waterfall along the road. Sandavagur also has a beautiful church, a café, and a legend of the Giant’s Cape. This was one of my favorite towns of our trip.
Kikjubour was our last stop of the day. This is a must do. It has a church from the Middle Ages and a farmhouse that has been in the same family for 17 generations! Remember to be respectful of the people that live there.
We didn’t go to Mykines but this is a highlight for most travelers. I lived in Alaska for almost a decade, so the puffins were not a high priority. Additionally, we didn’t have long enough of a trip to dedicate so much time to a single activity.
Day 2: Eysturoy, Kunoy, Bordoy & East
We headed through Eysturoy to the Klakkur view point outside of Klaksvik. This is a lovely hike with 360 views of Klaksvik and the water. The hike is less than an hour but can be dangerous when raining. And while I would not classify it as difficult, the mud can make it very slippery. Klaksvik also boasts a lovely church and a superb café – Frida’s – which had some of the best lemon cake I’ve ever had.
We then simply drove around Kunoy and Vidoy. Vidoy was my mom’s favorite island. The scenery was breathtaking. I would definitely recommend making your way as far east as the road takes you.
I found a tour for a boat trip around Kalsoy but it was cancelled and I couldn’t find another operator. This was the most disappointing part of the trip as I really wanted to see the lighthouse and the seal woman statue from the sea. Driving on Kalsoy first requires a ferry and we didn’t have enough time.
We then headed back west and took the one lane road to Gjogv. This was my second favorite village and I was disappointed we didn’t have more time to explore but I needed to get back to our hotel before the sun set.
Day 3: Streymoy & Central
We started the day by driving north to Tjornuvik. Nestled between the mountains and the ocean – it is now on a short list of locations to retreat from the world and settle in to write a book or work on a PhD.
We then headed to Saksun. This was the most commercialized of the spots visited and has a small museum and historical village you can walk through. There is a beautiful church on the shores of the lake. The drive here is one of the few interior drives and follows a river.
We then drove south to Sandoy. This tunnel was only finished in 2023 and 2024 was the first summer it was used by tourists. Talking to a local shop owner she mentioned it significantly increased the number of tourists to the island. In Sandoy we visited the charming café at the Skalavik Hotel. The nearby town of Sanur also has a lovely church and art museum. If looking to stay outside the capitol, I would consider Sandoy and the Skalavik hotel.
Day 4: Torshavn and Nolsoy
Nolsoy is a small town with a church from 1863 and a short 20-minute sail from Torshavn. While we enjoyed it, there was a tour on the same ferry which completely overwhelmed the small hamlet. We ended up leaving on the same ferry we came in on and didn’t spend much time there.
If advising a friend, I would plan a full day / most of a day in Torshavn. I ignored my own advice and didn’t spend enough time in the capitol. There is a national museum that we didn’t have time to see, a hidden Viking sundial carved into the rock near the parliament, walking through the parliament and old section of town. There were two charming looking hotels right downtown – Hotel Hafnia and Hotel Djurhuus and while I wish we had stayed somewhere local and more central, I would stay at the Hilton Garden Inn again for their breakfast buffet.
Other considerations:
The islands use the Danish kroner.
English is spoken everywhere and interesting enough, Danish is the 3rd (not the 2nd) most used language.
The Islands are famous for their underwater tunnels. While these are a marvel, I will point out that some are only one lane and that they each have a hefty toll. Your rental car will have an electronic toll tag and the fees will be added to your bill. Each of the tunnels is unique. My favorite was to Sandoy which had art displays on the walls.
Both gas and food are exorbitantly expensive.
Consider rain pants and boots. The rain combined with the fierce winds can leave you soaked.
There are just countless waterfalls everywhere you look and it is unbelievably green.
Ask the rental car company about the speed limit. I saw no speed limit signs and when I asked my hotel clerk I was told 80km but I would double check.
You can get to the airport one hour prior and the airport had the best souvenir shopping that we saw.
The Faroe Islands have a unique and fascinating history. Its geography has given it, its own language, history, and culture. Even though it is classified as an autonomous region of Denmark, it has its own flag, parliament, diplomatic relations, and even self-representation in some instances within the UN. In fact, the Faroe Islands boast having the oldest Parliament in the world.
If interested in traveling to the Faroe Islands, I think tourism is going to explode in the next several years. And I worry that the culture, environment and infrastructure won’t be able to accommodate the increase.
Life Kinetic Travel Research 