Follow Along our Travels!

When I say we’ve been to the Faroe Islands, the questions start coming:

• Where in the world are the Faroe Islands?
• Why would you want to go to the middle of no where?
• How do you get there?
• Was it worth the trek?

Through the post, I’ll answer those questions but most importantly, are the Faroe Islands worth the trek? ABSOLUTELY. This super remote island chain is special in so many ways but I think what makes it the most special is its remoteness. This is not your typical tourist location. In fact, it’s not even a typical living location (the islands have more sheep than people). These facts make the islands uniquely untouched. Untouched by humans, untouched by tourism and this makes visiting them feel unlike any place I’ve visited. Let’s start with some logistics…

Faroe Islands – Where and How to Get Here

The Faroe Islands are a group of 18 islands that are considered a part of the kingdom of Denmark. The island chain is located pretty much in the middle of the ocean between Iceland and Norway. The island chain was formed approximately 60 million years ago. To put that in context, Iceland is younger by 40 million geological years and Kauai is younger by approximately 55 million years. To me, this is one of the cooler things about the Faroe Islands. They’ve been battered by sea storms, ice ages, volcanos for so long which makes the landscape diverse and unique. It also is awe-inspiring to look up at a cliff towering above you and know it has been around for eons.

So how did we get here? We did this as part of a bigger trip to Norway (that blog will be next) and Copenhagen. Because of this, we used Copenhagen as our home base and flew into Copenhagen from LAX. We then took a flight from Copenhagen to Vagar and started our trip from there. We actually stayed at a perfect little airport adjacent hotel in Vagar that I would recommend if you do this itinerary.

A couple things to know about the Faroe Islands that we didn’t realize. Instagram, Youtube vlogs and the internet did not prepare us for the weather. It turns out it rains every 3 out of 4 days in the Faroe Islands and the cloud deck remains pretty low even if it isn’t actively raining. There was definitely a moment about 1.5 days in where we were a little discouraged because you couldn’t see about half of the mountain tops around us.

But, this leads me to my first tip of the trip which is make sure you book enough time here. On a 6 day trip, we ended up with about 2.5 full sunny days and 2 partly cloudy days which is pretty lucky! And wow, the views were insane when the sun came out and you could see the green blanket that is the Faroe Islands in all its glory.

Tourism on the islands is primarily centered around the capital city of Torshavn. Outside of Torshavn, cafes, restaurants, and coffee shops are very limited. If one of the smaller cities had such amenities, it was most likely closed. Note: we also went during “shoulder season” aka early September, so during high season (summer), you may have more luck with this. On a positive note, their gas stations were well stocked and had some fun snacks so definitely load up when you stop there!

Getting around the Faroe Islands

So this island chain isn’t large, but it is kind of spread out. A distinctive part about getting around here is that there are tunnels under the ocean. They allow you to travel from island to island. Besides being an incredible engineering feat for such a small country, it makes it entirely possible to get to most islands with renting a car. There are a few islands where you need to book a ferry though (car ferries = my favorite!).

What to do in the Faroe Islands?

For activity, we mostly hiked when the weather was good. The two highlights for me for hiking:

• Kallur Lighthouse trail: We scored this on a bluebird day so I’m sure that helped, but basically you hike up someone’s private property to the edge of these sea cliffs. At the top of one there is a lighthouse that is probably the most famous photograph in all of Faroe Islands. This hike is not strenuous but it is uphill and would be slippery if it was wet. I loved it because it shows off the ruggedness of this area but also the jutting sea cliffs that make this island chain famous.
• Lake Sørvágsvatn: this is a trail to a dramatic waterfall that hits the sea. On the other side there is a lake that creates an optical illusion at certain angles that it is on top of the ocean. The hike shows off the stunning juxtaposition of the sea cliffs and land and is easy/moderate.

We also did a boat tour to go out to some of the sea cliffs. It was pouring rain this day and the water was choppy (definitely not for those that get seasick easily) but the boat took us basically right under the cliffs so you could see how tall they really are from the sea. And the sheep that call this place home are wild (I mean this in the literal and figurative sense). They graze and meander at the top of these crazy steep cliffs and somehow don’t fall off.

We also did a lot of driving around and checking out the towns. There are some really quaint areas that we just drove through and soaking up the relaxing vibes and getting to know the local areas.

Highlights:

• Our AirBnB in Klaskvik was phenomenal. It had the most beautiful view from the deck and was a perfect central spot for two days. We loved the kitchen, spaciousness but mostly the view. I loved having a home base that gave us some space and honestly wasn’t that expensive compared to some of the hotels in Torshvan.
• The Kallur Lighthouse trail and Mikladalur were the highlights of my whole trip. I already mentioned the lighthouse trail (10/10 recommend) but Mikladalur on the way there or back is worth the stop too. There is a Seal Woman statue that is impressive and you learn a little bit about the culture and myths of the people that established the villages out there.
• Our dinner in Torshavn at Aarstova was phenomenal. The multi-course meal was delicious. The vibes of the restaurant are immaculate and it is in the old part of the town so walking around it after dinner was great too. I would recommend it!
• Driving around and enjoying the relaxing charm of the tiny villages. There are so many small villages and towns to drive through. It really was a great perspective and reminder that life doesn’t have to be pedal to the metal at all times.

Tips/Tricks and Things to Remember:

• Book at least a 5 day stay. For one reason, you came all the way out here so why not? But also because the longer you book, the more likely you will be to see sunshine and clear days! Also, this place screams bucolic relaxation. Take in the vibes!
• As I mentioned, this is not a country that caters to tourism (except in Torshavn where the cruise ships come into). Because of this, the restaurants/food/cafe options are extremely limited! Even if a city lists an option (or the itinerary does), we found that a lot of places just weren’t open, closed very early or had extremely limited hours. Definitely keep snacks on you in case of emergencies!
• There is some talk of this online, but most of the hikes are on private property — not public land. This means they all charge what they feel is fair. I didn’t think any price was too outlandish considering the views that we were gifted, but it is more expensive than hiking in the US or Europe.
• Speaking of weather, it dictated what we did on each day. The itinerary lists a lot of options, but we weren’t able to do all of them. This was usually due to a mountain hike being in the clouds or too muddy. The only must do in rain/snow is Kallur Lighthouse but other than that, flexibility is the name of the game in this country!
• Invest in good rain gear. When it rained, it rained and I was very grateful for my waterproof pants and jacket! For that matter, make sure you bring lots of options for clothes. The weather shifted frequently — even on good days!
• I mentioned the AirBnB in highlights, but in general I think this is a great country for an AirBnB stay or two. It was so nice to have a full kitchen to cook since food options were limited and space to hang out in when then weather turned ugly.