Is “Travel the Faroe Islands” at the top of your Bucketlist? Well, I can only encourage you to do this project. I myself left in January 2020 to discover this Danish archipelago and I have only one desire, it is to return there.

In order to help you prepare your trip to this beautiful country, I wanted to share my experience and also give you some advice.

The Faroe Islands

Unknown to many, the Faroe Islands are located in the north of Europe, between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe archipelago is an autonomous territory of Denmark and therefore has its own institutions and especially its own language. Of course the Faroese also speak Danish very well. A large part of the inhabitants that we met spoke English easily. We did not encounter any communication problems once we were there.

How long to visit the Faroe Islands?

We spent a week exploring the different islands of the archipelago, but I don’t think I could have stayed there in just a few days, because there are so many things to discover! I would advise you to spend at least 5 days there if you want to see only the most famous spots.

Best time to travel to the Faroe Islands

Winter

We chose this period to travel to the Faroe Islands. I have to admit that it is not the best month of the year for the weather, but we had a magical stay. The weather being very changeable, we sometimes found ourselves with the sun, then a few minutes later with rain and again with rain. I must also admit that having already traveled to Iceland during the winter, I was more than motivated to go back to a Scandinavian country during the winter period, for the beauty of the snowy landscapes and especially for the tranquility that travel out of season brings. You are almost always alone with nature and these moments are priceless!

Spring & Summer

After discussions with the locals, for them, the best season to discover the Faroe Islands remains the end of spring until the end of summer, beginning of autumn. It is during this season that the sun is the most present and especially that the precipitations remain a little less frequent than during the rest of the year. But, it is also the time of the high tourist season! During this period, the chances to observe shearwaters reach their maximum, especially on the island of Mykines.

Paid hikes

This is one of the aspects I find quite sad about the Faroe Islands. It is these paid hikes. There are dozens of them. To explain you roughly, some of these natural wonders are located on private lands. So the owners have decided to charge a fee to go there. They are sometimes very exaggerated as for example for the lake of Leitisvatn, 200 DKK or 30 CHF/USD (2020) per person. But often, they remain quite correct.

I put you in link the official site of tourism in the Faroe Islands which gathers all these paying hikes. On this site, you will also find a lot of useful information about the Faroe Islands.

Accommodation in the Faroe Islands

This point is not very complicated during the low season, but it can be a little more difficult during the tourist season. The accommodation is very fast especially if you travel during the summer season in the Faroe Islands.

Hotel & Hostel

There is still a wide range of accommodation available, but if you are looking for low/medium budget establishments, the choice narrows down quite quickly and even more quickly in summer. You will find a large number of accommodations around the capital Torshavn. Prices vary from 15 CHF/USD for the cheapest to more than 200 CHF/USD depending on the category you choose.

During our stay, we only stayed once in a hostel on Vagar Island. We were the only guests, so we didn’t step on it!

Airbnb

The other solution we tried was Airbnb. There are a lot of them everywhere on the different islands. Besides, it is, I think, the most economical solution after camping if you travel during the right period. We had chosen two establishments, one in Torshavn which was a private room in a house. The second one in Klaksvik was a cute little studio! I will gladly share my addresses if you wish! Don’t hesitate to ask me.

Camping

The preferred option for budget travelers is camping. There are a few designated camping spots throughout the country. It is advisable to set up in these places, as wild camping is not allowed in the country! I think that if you want to camp, consider investing in a tent that is wind and rain resistant.

How to get around the Faroe Islands?

There are two main ways to get around the different islands, renting a car or using public transportation.

Public transportation

It is important to know that the different islands are very well connected by buses serving even some destinations several times a day. As the distances between the main cities of the country are not big, you can easily get from the airport to Klaklsvik, the main city of the northern islands, in one morning. This seems to be the best solution if you want to discover the Faroe Islands without spending too much money. Not to mention that some trips can be made by helicopter for a small fee, a normal means of transportation in the Faroe Islands, which will also give you an unforgettable experience.

The only negative point for me would be the fact that some places in the middle of the nature are not necessarily served by buses.

Rental car

This is the solution we chose for our stay. We wanted to have a maximum of freedom to discover the country. It is true that it remains a budget more consequent than the use of the public transport, but we gain in freedom. We went through the Alamo agency from this site. We were very happy with the car and the service of Alamo in general. I can only recommend them.

Driving in the Faroe Islands is very easy. The roads and tunnels are generally very well maintained. You’ll find that on some of the smaller islands the tunnels are a bit antiquated, but they make for some nice adventures. An important point of driving on the archipelago is the strong presence of sheep on the roadside. They sometimes appear unexpectedly. So watch out for sheep when you drive!

Parking lots are almost all free, you just have to put your arrival time on the parking disc.

To cross the two main tunnels (between the islands of Vagar and Stremoy, and between Estuoy and Klaksvik), a fee of 100 DKK (14.5 USD/CHF, 13.3 EURO) will be charged. This price includes a round trip. If you rent a car this fee will normally be charged directly to your credit card. Ask your rental company for more information.

My travel essentials

Rain jacket

I think it’s the must-have for a trip to the Faroe Islands, even more so than walking shoes! The weather changes so fast and is so unpredictable that the rain jacket becomes your best friend. Mine was also a windbreaker because of its goretex material!

Good hiking shoes

When going to the Faroe Islands, you will most likely do some nature walks. Considering the very changeable weather, I strongly advise you to take good walking shoes and not only simple sneakers without profile! When I left Switzerland, I had hesitated between trail shoes or my mountain shoes. Well, I can tell you that I was happy to have opted for my walking shoes. The trails were often wet and slippery. I think that with my other shoes, falls would have been more inevitable and my feet would have often ended up wet.

Camera

The landscapes are so beautiful that we always want to stop to immortalize these magical moments. If you have several lenses, I advise you to take a wide angle lens with you! You’ll see once you’re there, you’ll want to capture even more of the landscape!

A thermos/water bottle

Considering the rather cold and windy weather we faced, we were quite happy to have taken our isothermal water bottles with us so that we always had a hot drink available! I think that even if you don’t want to drink tea, a water bottle can still serve as a basic container, knowing that tap water is drinkable! This will save you from buying plastic bottles and also save a few crowns.

I hope you will enjoy my article and that it will help you organize your travel to the Faroe Islands!

Want to support me while preparing your trip ?

Planning your next trip? Here are the sites I use to book my flights, hotels and tours! These affiliate links make it easy for you to make your reservations while supporting my work. And the best part is that it won’t cost you anything extra 🙂 Thank you

Booking – allows me to find great deals on accommodations
Skyscanner – The one that allows me to find the best deals for my air tickets
Get your guide – If I need a tour to book online, this site is a nugget
Rentalcar – the platform I use for all my car rentals abroad

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