Faroe Islands
I had been itching to go to the Faroe Islands for a couple of years after seeing photos of it on Instagram. It’s fairly remote still, but when we were there we could tell that in the next few years tourism will probably start booming.
When I went:
July 2019
Itinerary:
Tórshavn, Vágar, Eysturoy, and Kalsoy
How long:
3.5 days
Notes (things you should know before going):
1) Going to the Faroe Islands is not cheap!
2) There is only one airport, Vágar.
3) Faroe Islands is a self-governing archipelago part of Denmark. On the islands, they speak Faroese, Danish, and everyone we encountered spoke great English.
4) Their currency is the Danish krone. Many places (if not all) places accepted credit card.
How I got there:
We flew from Edinburgh to Vágar airport, which is the only airport on the Faroe Islands. We flew via Atlantic Airways and they fly direct from a few countries like Denmark, Scotland, Norway, Iceland, and Spain (odd?). The flight was around $390 USD / 2,600 DKK and we went Edinburgh —> Vágar —> Reykjavík.
Copenhagen is the only location where flights go in and out of the Faroe Islands every day. You will have to plan accordingly if you are flying from any of the other locations. We had to plan our first leg of the trip according to when flights were leaving.
Transportation:
We rented a car from Sixt (in partner with 62°N) for $744 USD / 4,963 DKK for 3.5 days. I recommend getting a car so you can drive to all the different islands. If you go during the busier summer months, you have to rent in advance! We heard one guy in line at the airport in Edinburgh say there were no more cars available so he was just going to try to hitch hike!
The rental car area is located to the left when you exit the airport. Driving in Faroe is really easy, but the fog is no joke! It gets really hard to see. You must have your lights on at all times, but I believe there is an exception if you’re pulling over to the side while inside a tunnel.
Accommodations:
We stayed at a nice Airbnb in Hoyvík, which is 10 minutes away from the center of Tórshavn. We noticed that there were a decent amount of homes being built in this area and around Faroe Islands in general. The Airbnb we stayed at was walking distance to Bónus supermarket. It was cozy, simple, modern, and new.
Activities/Sights To See:
Gasadalur
Gasadalur is a small town with the iconic Múlafossur waterfall. If you’ve looked up pictures of Faroe Islands, you’ve definitely seen this one.
There is a small parking lot with toilets and a nearby cafe. The walk to the viewpoint is not far from the lot, about 5-7 minutes. There are a couple of view points and plenty of sheep around!
Trælanípa & Bøsdalafossur
Time: 2-3 hours
Distance: 3km / 1.86m round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Traelanípa translates to Slave Cliff and is a large rock wall next to the ocean and Lake Sørvágsvatn. On the trail, you can also see the waterfall, Bøsdalafossur.
We read a blog that was a couple years old and they told us to try to find this hidden spot on the road, but when we got there, there was a sign that said it was off limits and there was a new trail start. If you enter Miðvágurt to Bøsdalafossur Trail Head on Google Maps, it will take you to a small parking lot.
There is a fee of 200 DK ($30 USD) per person to access the hiking trail. It’s quite steep, but…it was a beautiful day and we were in the Faroe Islands so we paid it of course. You can come back for some hot cocoa or coffee after your walk, and there’s also a WC.
This is not quite a hike, but an easy walking trail. There is a fork in the road around 1 hour in. One goes uphill about 10 minutes and the other goes closer to along the lake for 5-10 minutes and is a flat walk. The split in the trail happens at the same point when you look to the left and see a gap looking out to gorgeous cliffs and the ocean.
On the uphill part, wooden stairs were still being built. When you get up there, it gives you a great view of the lake and waterfall. You can also see some of the other islands. The lower route will give you a closer view of the ocean, Bøsdalafossur, and Vágar island.
This was one of the highlights on the trip. The weather was absolutely perfect, the views were amazing, and it was easy!
Slættaratindur
Time: 2-2.5 hours
Distance: 5-6km / 3.10-3.70 miles round trip
Difficulty: Strenuous
This is the tallest mountain in the Faroe Islands on Eysturoy island. It translates to “flat summit”.
We were feeling really ambitious and excited about the beautiful weather and amount of daylight so we decided to take this on in the late afternoon/early evening. Follow your GPS, then once you hit a roundabout, keep driving up for about 10-15 minutes. Before you cross a metal mini bridge/grate, there is parking on the left.
You’ll see a little wooden bridge with a ladder that you have to climb over to get to the trail. According the the website I linked to above, there are a couple of starts to the hike and I believe we picked Eiðisskarð, the shorter one.
The trail is straight uphill most of the way. You are climbing the highest mountain in the whole island after all! The halfway point is when you feel like you’ve been climbing for a long time and then see a large pile of rocks you can't see over. You think it’s the end…but it’s not. Keep going! The trail flattens out more though luckily.
Once you’re almost there, the direction won’t be as clear and then you’ll just have to pick a spot and climb five minutes uphill. It’s super windy up there, so be prepared. There are gorgeous views of the different islands.
The way back was a bit scary for me cause there’s no distinct trail and it’s pretty steep, so just be careful. After or during rain would make this trail really difficult.
Kallur Lighthouse
Time: 2 hours
Distance: 3 miles / 4.8km miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
The most difficult thing about this hike is getting to it! It’s not really difficult, but you need to time it out properly. Kallur Lighthouse is on the island of Kalsoy, but you will need to catch a ferry from Klaksvík.
We were coming from the Tórshavn area so it was a little over one hour away. If you are going on a nice day, you need to allow yourself enough time to wait in line for the ferry cause it was already full when we got there. Each ferry can take around 15-17 cars, but depends on size of the cars. They really know how to pack the cars on there!
Look at the timetable here. You will need #56 - Klaksvík to Syðradalur. You will get on and off of the ferry at the same points at both locations. Here’s the website for ferry costs. You’ll have to pay for the vehicle + number of passengers. The ferry ride is about 20 minutes and there’s a small room below deck with free wifi.
We decided to try to catch the last ferry before the afternoon break, which was kind of risky. However, we got REALLY lucky. They saw all the cars waiting and they decide to add another ferry. If you get there for one of the first couple of ferries, you have some fallback in case it’s full. If you try for the last morning one, it’s either that or you have to wait until the afternoon.
While we’re talking about ferries, you need to allow yourself enough time to wait in line on the way back too. We wanted to go on the first one after the break and there was already a long line. We waited in line about an hour before the scheduled departure and we weren’t sure whether we’d make it or not. But AGAIN, it was our lucky day! The car in front of us was a larger van, and we had a smaller car so we were able to be the last car on!
Now let’s get to the hike! Once you get off the ferry at Syðradalur, it’s about a 10-15 minute drive to Trøllanes, a little town at the end of the island. There are some parking spots near the WC, but it’s very small.
You’re going to look for a red gate which marks the start of the trail. If you’re at the WC/parking lot and the ocean is on your right, the door will be straight ahead. You’ll start going right on the trail which then goes slightly uphill for 10-15 minutes. After you’re done going uphill, you’re pretty level for the next 30-35 minutes until you reach the lighthouse.
The lighthouse is really TINY compared to others out there, but the appeal is more about the views surrounding it. There are a few extended cliffs you can hike to the end to. There is one right near the lighthouse that is pretty steep down, so be careful. You’ll get a great view of the lighthouse and the dramatic cliff next to it. The great thing is you can see a bunch of the other islands on a clear day. All-in-all, loved this hike!
Tórshavn
Our third day was a rainy day so we had time to recover from our hikes the previous days and explore the capital city in the Faroe Islands.
It’s not a very large town so it doesn’t take too much time to explore the main parts of it.
We went to the marina a few times, twice when it was sunny and once when it was foggy. You can tell the difference in the pictures!
Tinganes - this is “one of the oldest parliamentary meeting places in the world”. They are located in the heart of the city and are cute little red building with grass rooftops.
Skansin - is an old fort with a lighthouse. We actually didn’t go right up to it, but we saw it across the street.
Öström - bit of a bougie store, but they had some clothing and handmade goods. I got some good collectible postcards there.
H. N. Jacobsens Bókahandil - we stopped by this bookstore which had some things in English, but there were also some good souvenirs if you’re looking for some.
Food
Eating in Faroe Islands is expensive! We only ate out for a few meals and cooked the rest. There was a market right next to our Airbnb which made it very convenient.
Gómagott - if you want hot chocolate, coffee, tea, and desserts, this is the spot for you. It’s small and cute and part of the visitor center. We got hot chocolate plus some chocolates.
The Tarv Grillhouse - this is right on the marina. It’s so cute and cozy inside. The food was delicious. The homemade bread and butter was an amazing way to start off. We got pork, tenderloin, and lamb with a variety of sauces. The vegetables and desserts were also delicious.
Áarstova - the place looks like an old cabin inside in the best way possible. The menu is tiny which means they should be good at what they do (hopefully). You can pick the number of courses you want (we picked three). The food was good, but I wouldn’t say mind-blowing. Menu was all very seafood focused. Also, ceilings are very low, so watch out tall people!
Paname Café - cozy and quaint inside. We didn’t actually have any drinks there, but the croissants there were yummy.
Joe Pizza - this is located on Streymoy on the way to Eysturoy. It saved us all from our hanger and was much needed because we did this before hiking Slættaratindur. They have shawarma, pizza, burgers, and fish and chips. Fast food type of restaurants are hard to come by in the country.
Bónus - this grocery store right next to our place in Hoyvík was where we got most of our food. Cooking will help you save money while you’re in the Faroe Islands.
Enough time?
Three and a half days was really nice, but we’re talking about a whole country so definitely not enough time! I think if you want a good taste of Faroe Islands then you should do at least four days. The potential lack of flights might also play into your decision of how long you stay.
I think weather has a huge part to play in it too. If it’s really rainy and foggy, hiking can be dangerous and you won’t see much. If we got bad weather the whole trip then my thoughts on Faroe would’ve been different. But luckily we got amazing weather and it was absolutely stunning!
