5 Days in the Faroe Islands

Start where the country started. Tinganes, the "parliament point", is the little peninsula in the middle of the harbor where Norse settlers held their ting, their assembly, from the 9th century: sources date it between 825 and around 900. It is one of the oldest parliamentary meeting places in the world, and the government still has offices in the old buildings on the point.

Walk the alleys, then continue to Reyni, the old-town lanes beside it with black-tarred wooden houses, white windows and grass roofs. People live in them, so keep to the paths, don't peer through windows and don't treat it as a film set. The cobbles are uneven, and it is best in the early morning when it is empty.

Two minutes from Tinganes is Havnar Kirkja, the white cathedral with a clock tower, first built in 1788 and partly rebuilt in 1865. It has been the seat of the Faroese bishop since 1990. It's small and plain compared with the cathedrals you know, and that is the point: this is a church built by a fishing and farming community, not a king.

The Nordic House (Norðurlandahúsið), opened in 1983 and designed by a Norwegian and an Icelandic architect who won a Nordic competition, is built to look like a hill of elves, with a turf roof of about 2,000 square meters held up against the storms by steel struts. It's the main cultural institution on the islands, with art shows, concerts and a café.

The building is worth ten minutes even if the exhibition isn't. If you want more art, the national gallery, Listasavn Føroya, is a short drive away and open daily 11-17 from May to October (90 DKK, about 12 EUR).

The National Museum, Tjóðsavnið, tells the natural and cultural history of the islands in one building: geology, birds, archaeology, folklore and recent history. Go for the context: why the settlers put their farms where they did, why sheep and fish have run the economy for a thousand years, and why the Faroese care so much about their language.

One ticket also covers the open-air museum at Hoyvíksgarður, a farm in Hoyvík with old houses, open daily in summer, and the whaling station at við Áir on the main road north, which opens weekends in summer. The whaling station is the museum's honest attempt to explain the pilot whale drive, the grindadráp; there's more on that in the tips.

Skansin is the fort at the east end of the harbor, built in 1580 by Magnus Heinason against pirate and slave raids, expanded in 1780 and rebuilt several times since. The British used it as a base after they occupied the Faroes in April 1940, and two 5.5 inch guns from that time stand beside much older Danish cannon.

Come in the evening, when the harbor turns gold; it's a short walk back to Tinganes along the water.

Ræst, on Gongin in the old town, is a restaurant built on fermentation and drying, the old Faroese ways to keep food through a winter with no refrigerators. Ræst means matured, and the technique is why this country has fermented fish, fermented mutton and wind-dried mutton on its tables. The restaurant is in the Michelin Guide, and its site lists a Skerpi Experience if you want to go straight to the strong stuff.

This is not food for everyone. It is sour, funky and very good if you give it a chance. If that sounds like too much, Visit Faroe Islands lists several other places in Tórshavn, including Barbara Fish House for seafood and Áarstova for Faroese lamb.

Sørvágsvatn, also called Leitisvatn, is the largest lake in the Faroes, about 3.4 square kilometers, with its surface only around 32 meters above the sea. From the right angle it looks as if it hovers high above the ocean, and that photo is why people come. The walk runs about 3.5 km each way to Trælanípa, the "slave cliff" at the far end, and to Bøsdalafossur, the waterfall where the lake spills into the Atlantic. It's relatively easy.

The land is private and the landowner charges: 200 DKK per person to walk it yourself, paid by card or cash at the coffee shop at the start with no booking, or 600 DKK for a guided hike (booked two days ahead, groups under five priced as five). The tourist board still lists an older 450 DKK guided price, so trust the landowner's site.

One catch: the landowner's page says the path along the lake is currently closed for bird protection, without saying which stretch or until when, and the cliff and waterfall are at the far end of it. Call the coffee shop (+298 207800) the day before and ask what the 200 DKK covers; the guided hike mentions less-used alternative routes, so ask whether it still reaches the cliff. If neither does, drop the walk: today still works as Sørvágur, Bøur and Gásadalur, with the whole morning free.

The coffee shop where you pay for the walk is also where you warm up after it. Parking and toilets are free. A packed lunch can be added to the guided hike.

Sørvágur is the village on the way to everything on western Vágar: the ferry to Mykines leaves from its harbor, and the airfield just east of it was built by the British during the Second World War.

Stop for a look at the harbor. If you plan the Mykines day in summer, this is the place to check the sailings and the weather, because the ferry runs only on set times and must be booked ahead.

Bøur, about 4 km west of Sørvágur, has about 75 residents and one of the classic views in the islands: Tindhólmur, a jagged island with five peaks, rising straight out of the sea in front of the village. Park where the road allows and walk to the edge of the village rather than stopping in the road.

Gásadalur is the village the Faroese roads reached last. Until the tunnel was blasted through the mountain in 2004, its people had to cross mountains over 400 meters high to reach another village, and today only about a dozen people live there. The tunnel is the reason you can arrive in minutes instead of hours.

Múlafossur is the waterfall you came for: a stream that drops straight off the cliff into the sea, with the village and the mountains behind. Walk to the viewpoint at the edge of the village and take the photo; it's short and almost always worth it. From here you can also see Tindhólmur and the sea stacks beyond.

Drive back through the Vágatunnilin and finish at Barbara Fish House in Tórshavn. Visit Faroe Islands lists it as a seafood restaurant in a rock-cut setting, at Gongin 4-6 in the old town, and the fish here is the right meal after a day of wind. Opening days and prices aren't published on the tourist board's site, and one 2026 listing suggests evening service on only some days, so call before you plan a Tuesday evening around it.

If Barbara is full, ask your hotel for a fish place with a table: Faroese seafood is the best argument against the idea that this is only a lamb country.

Saksun is a tiny village at the end of a long road, by a tidal lagoon that fills and empties with the tide. The church was moved to Saksun in 1858 from Tjørnuvík, carried over the mountains and rebuilt. There is also a heritage farm and museum, Dúvugarðar, an old farmhouse.

The walk to the lagoon and the beach crosses the farmer's land. A fee for the lagoon was introduced in 2023, and the figure most often quoted for it is 75 DKK a head, but no official source gives this year's price, so treat the amount as unknown, carry a card and some cash, and read the sign at the gate. The village and the church are free to visit. Respect the fence, whatever you decide.

Tjørnuvík is a village of under a hundred people on the north tip of Streymoy, on a black sand beach, with the sea stacks of Eysturoy visible across the Sundini strait. The road in is steep, narrow and it feels like the end of the world, which is the point.

Look across the strait for Risin og Kellingin, the Giant and the Witch, which you will see from the other side in a couple of hours. Bus 202 serves the village.

Cross the Sundini strait to Eysturoy and drive to Eiði, a village of about 700 on the north-west tip of the island. Walk north out of the village and east along the low cliffs to the viewpoint for the two sea stacks. Risin, the Giant, is 71 meters tall and stands farther out, and Kellingin, the Witch, at 68 meters, is closer to land.

The legend says giants in Iceland wanted the Faroes, so a giant and a witch came to tow them away. At the mountain Eiðiskollur she tried to tie the islands with a rope and pull; the sun came up and turned them to stone, and they are still looking towards Iceland.

Slættaratindur, at 880 meters, is the highest mountain in the Faroes, between Eiði, Gjógv and Funningur. It's a steep walk but needs no climbing skills, and on a clear day you can see the whole archipelago. The usual start is the pass near the road between Eiði and Funningur, Eiðisskarð, where a small parking lot marks the start of the trail. Sources disagree on timing, from roughly 1.5-2.5 hours return from the pass to about four from Gjógv, so plan half the afternoon.

Be honest with yourself about the weather. In fog there is no clear path at first, and people get lost. If the top is in cloud, or in the short days of winter, skip it and spend the time in Gjógv.

Gjógv, "the gorge", is a tiny village on the north-east tip of Eysturoy with a hotel, a post office and a coffee shop. Gjáarkaffi, right by the gorge, serves coffee, waffles and drinks daily from May to August, 11:00-18:00. The hotel, Gjáargarður, serves dinner at 18:00-19:30 (book ahead) but lists no lunch, so eat before or after.

The gorge is about 200 meters long and works as the natural harbor, with boats hauled up a ramp to keep them safe from the surf. It's the sort of village where you finish a coffee and notice there is nowhere else to go. The coffee shop's listed season is May to August, so out of season bring a thermos and eat before you drive out.

Walk the path down to the gorge. The sea fills a narrow cut in the cliffs, and the harbor wall sits inside it.

The church dates from 1929 and the school, built of boulders, from 1884. Across the road from the church, a memorial sculpture bears the names of fishermen lost at sea, from the late 19th century to the mid 20th. Gjógv is also the base for the longer Slættaratindur route, if you want to start from sea level and are happy to give it four hours.

Klaksvík, on Borðoy, is the second-largest town in the Faroes, with roughly 5,000 people. It only became one town in 1938, when four villages merged, and it lives off the harbor and the fishing fleet. The subsea Norðoyatunnilin, opened in 2006, tied it to the rest of the mainland; the toll is 50 DKK, paid once when you drive out of Klaksvík and covering both ways.

Christianskirkjan, from 1963, uses Norse-style roof construction and honors the sailors lost in World War II. It's a good place to understand a town built around the sea.

Föroya Bjór, founded in 1888, is the family brewery behind most Faroese beer, and has been the only one making beer and soft drinks since 2007. Its beers include Black Sheep, a dark all-malt lager, and Green Islands Stout, and it bought the Okkara brewery at Velbastaður in 2020. You'll see its labels on every shelf in the islands.

No visitor offer is published that can be checked, so ask at the brewery or the tourist office whether tours are running. If not, buy a few in a shop and try them at the next stop.

Kalsoy, nicknamed "the recorder" (blokkfloytan) for its shape, has four settlements and fewer than 80 residents. The ferry Sam (SSL route 56) crosses from Klaksvík to Syðradalur in 20 minutes and takes cars. On a Thursday, day four of a Monday start, the summer boats (1 May to 14 September) leave Klaksvík at 6:40, 8:00, 9:00, 14:50, 16:10, 17:15, 18:30 and 22:15, with nothing between 9:00 and 14:50. This plan uses the 14:50. Foot passengers pay 131 DKK return (105 online) and a car 336 DKK return (269 online); both directions must be booked.

From 15 September to 30 April the winter timetable applies: on a Thursday the daytime boats are 6:40, 8:00 and then 15:30, which is too late for Kallur in short days. Do this day on a Friday then, with the 10:00 sailing, and swap with day five.

On the island, the road goes through four dark tunnels, so a torch helps. Bus 506 runs between Syðradalur and Trøllanes, but many departures are by request.

Mikladalur is the village with the legend of the Seal Woman, the Kópakonan: a man steals the skin of a seal that has come ashore to dance, and she has to live with him as his wife until she finds the skin and goes back to the sea. The statue of her, by Hans Pauli Olsen, stands on the rocks at the shore.

Ten minutes at the statue is enough. The lighthouse is the main event of the day.

The hike to Kallur starts at Trøllanes, at the end of the road on the northern end of Kalsoy. The lighthouse sits on the northern tip of the island, on a ridge between cliffs, and it is one of the most photographed spots in the Faroes. The island also stood in for the Kuril Islands in the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die.

The fee is mandatory and goes to the landowners. Visit Faroe Islands lists 200 DKK for adults, 100 DKK for ages 13 to 17 and free for under 13; no guide is included and you can pay by card on site. The walk is exposed in places and feels more serious in fog or rain than the distance suggests, so wear boots and stay behind the edge.

The ferry to Mykines, SSL's route 36, leaves from Sørvágur harbor on the small M/F Jósup. In summer (1 May to 31 August) it sails at 9:30, 13:30 and 17:30 and takes 45 minutes; the timetable page shows no return times, so get them when you book. Each direction is booked and paid separately, about 123 DKK online for adults (153 DKK standard).

Outside those months the page shows only a 10:45 sailing, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in April and from 1 September to 8 October, and daily from 8 to 18 October. It lists nothing after that, so from November to March assume no day trip. The other way in is the helicopter from Vágar, a subsidised public service run by Atlantic Airways for the government. Non-residents can book only from seven days before departure, and wind and fog decide whether either mode runs.

Mykines is the westernmost of the main Faroese islands, about 10 square kilometers, with a single village and only a handful of year-round residents, down from 170 in 1940. Of about 40 houses, only six are lived in all year. In summer the empty houses fill with visitors and the village has a very different rhythm.

Walk around the village first, then meet your guide. The route depends on the weather and on which paths are open, so ask before you set off.

Mykines is a seabird island with large colonies of Atlantic puffins and gannets. Between 1 May and 31 August everyone over 15 pays a hiking fee of 500 DKK (400 DKK if booked online before arrival), ferry ticket extra, and the fee includes the mandatory guide who stays with you on the island. No fee or guide rule is published for other months.

Here is the honest part. The famous walk is the one to the lighthouse on the islet of Mykineshólmur, across a footbridge, and the tourist board says that path is closed after a landslide, with a risk of more. Hikes to other parts of the island are still offered, but the puffins you see depend on the route your guide can use. If the lighthouse is why you came, wait until it reopens; if you go now, ask what the walk covers when you book.

Kirkjubøur, at the south end of Streymoy, was the medieval seat of the Faroese church, and it suits winter because most of it is outdoors. The roofless walls of the Magnus Cathedral date from around 1300. Beside them, St. Olav's Church, from the 12th century, is the oldest church in the islands still in use, and Kirkjubøargarður, the farm next door, is described as the oldest still-inhabited wooden house in the world, from the 11th century.

Park by the church and walk the ruins in the quiet. The farm's own site lists 9-17 Monday to Saturday and 14-17 on Sunday but doesn't say whether that holds in winter, and church interiors may be locked, so treat the ruins as the sure thing.

Back in Tórshavn, the National Museum is the winter anchor: from 1 October to 30 April it opens only Thursday to Sunday, 13-17, which is why it can't be done on a Monday start. Geology, birds, archaeology and folklore under one roof is the right shape for a short, dark afternoon.

Daylight is the constraint: about nine hours in late October, under seven in late November and about five around 21 December. For a day outside instead, the Nólsoy ferry runs all year (see extra time).

Back in Tórshavn, finish at Áarstova, a wooden-set restaurant listed by Visit Faroe Islands for Faroese lamb, wine and Scottish ales. After a day outdoors, a plate of lamb is the right last night.

For a home-cooked version of the same food, see heimablídni in the food section.