Why travel to the Faroe Islands?
Across just 1,399 km², the Faroe Islands offer one of Europe's most dramatic coastal landscapes: waterfalls like Múlafossur plunge straight from cliffs into the sea, villages with grass roofs sit in narrow fjords, and 18 islands are linked into a network by subsea tunnels, bridges and ferries. Only about two to three flight hours from continental Europe, the archipelago nonetheless feels like a continent of its own, set apart from the rest of the world.
The weather defines the experience: fog, wind and sun often alternate within a single hour, which draws photographers just as much as it complicates planning. Hikes to viewpoints such as Drangarnir or along the lighthouse ridge of Kalsoy are today among the most iconic images of the Faroe Islands.
Culinarily, the Faroe Islands stand for fermentation: ræst kjøt, lamb aged for months in an open-air drying shed, is the signature ingredient of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Koks (near Leynavatn), which has been on hiatus since 2024; in Tórshavn, its sister restaurant Roks, holder of one Michelin star, now carries the tradition forward.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands · Michelin Guide
What kind of destination are the Faroe Islands?
The Faroe Islands are rugged, green and sparsely populated: around 56,000 people live across 18 islands, nearly half of them in and around Tórshavn. There are hardly any trees, but plenty of steep coastlines, fjords and pastures with more sheep than residents.
Politically, the Faroe Islands have been an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark since the Home Rule Act of 1948, with their own parliament, the Løgting, which served as a meeting place as far back as the medieval era. Foreign policy, defense and currency matters rest with Copenhagen; the Faroe Islands decide almost everything else themselves.
Traffic drives on the right, many coastal roads are narrow and winding, and several subsea tunnels charge a toll. The official language is Faroese, a North Germanic language related to Icelandic; most islanders also speak Danish and English.
Sources: Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic Co-operation · Wikipedia · Visit Faroe Islands
What does belonging to Denmark mean for travelers?
The Faroe Islands have been an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948, but lie outside the EU and the Schengen Area: in 1973 they deliberately opted out when Denmark joined the EU, largely because of their independent fisheries policy. For travelers this means a regular Schengen visa does not automatically cover the Faroe Islands, and a valid passport or national ID card must be carried, even by EU citizens traveling on from mainland Denmark.
Anyone from a visa-required country needs a visa explicitly issued for the Faroe Islands by a Danish diplomatic mission abroad; an ordinary Schengen visa is not sufficient, though it can be applied for together in the same application. Swiss, German and Austrian citizens, as EU, EEA or equivalent nationals, on the other hand enter without a visa, carrying a travel document valid for the length of their stay.
Payment in the Faroe Islands is made with the Faroese króna, a local issue of the Danish krone at a 1:1 value; Danish notes and coins are likewise accepted everywhere on the islands. Anyone traveling via Copenhagen first regularly enters the Schengen territory of Denmark and needs to meet the usual Schengen entry conditions for that leg.
Sources: Wikipedia · Visit Faroe Islands · Wikipedia
Which places and islands are worth visiting in the Faroe Islands?
Tórshavn is the capital, with its old town Tinganes; the village of Gásadalur with its Múlafossur waterfall is considered the islands' most photographed sight; and Saksun, with its tidal lagoon, lies in one of the most striking valleys on Streymoy. Kalsoy in the north and the bird island of Mykines offer the most spectacular but also the most demanding hikes.
Tórshavn
The capital sits on Streymoy and, with around 22,700 residents including its surrounding area, is the smallest capital in Northern Europe. Tinganes, the peninsula with the seat of government and grass-roofed wooden houses from the 17th century, already served as the meeting place of the Løgting in Viking times.
Gásadalur and Múlafossur
Until a tunnel opened in 2004, Gásadalur on Vágar was only reachable via a steep mountain path or by boat. Today a short, easy walk leads from the village to the viewpoint over the Múlafossur waterfall, which plunges straight from a cliff into the sea; from May to August, puffins nest there.
Saksun
The small village sits by a lagoon that at low tide opens into a tidal flat path leading to a black-sand beach. The grass-roofed church and the surrounding steep mountainsides make Saksun one of the most-visited destinations on Streymoy.
Drangarnir and Tindhólmur
The two freestanding sea stacks known as Drangarnir and the five-peaked island of Tindhólmur off the southwest coast of Vágar are among the most photographed rock formations in the Faroe Islands, best seen on a boat tour or a multi-hour hike from Bøur.
Kalsoy
The narrow, mountainous island in the north is reached by ferry from Klaksvík; the Kallur lighthouse at the northern tip sits at the end of a roughly one-hour, partly exposed hike along a narrow ridge with views of neighboring islands.
Mykines
The westernmost inhabited island is known from May to August among birdwatchers for its puffin colony; the ferry only runs seasonally and in calm seas, so trips there should be planned flexibly.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands
When is the best time to visit the Faroe Islands?
The main season runs from May to September, when daily highs in Tórshavn range between 9 and 13 °C and seabirds such as puffins breed on the cliffs. July and August are the mildest months, while May and June often offer clearer visibility and less fog.
Tórshavn: average daily high and low temperatures (°C) and monthly rainfall (mm)
| Tórshavn | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Low °C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Rainfall mm | 123 | 95 | 95 | 76 | 73 | 68 | 82 | 95 | 110 | 118 | 117 | 130 |
Average daily highs and lows, and monthly rainfall. Temperaturen: Mittel der täglichen Höchst- und Tiefstwerte 2010–2024 der Station TORSHAVN (1 km, 61 m). Niederschlag: NASA POWER, Monatsmittel 2001–2020.
The climate is subpolar oceanic: mild for the latitude, but windy, wet and changeable throughout the year; rain and fog can be expected on more than half of all days, even in summer. Station data shows hardly any frost in winter and rarely more than 15 °C in summer.
Ferry connections to smaller islands such as Mykines only run between May and August and are canceled in strong wind; anyone traveling in the winter half of the year should keep plans flexible and expect short daylight hours, only around five hours in December. Between November and February, many restaurants and smaller museums outside Tórshavn open only a few days a week, but accommodation prices drop noticeably.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands
What do you need to enter the Faroe Islands?
Swiss, German and Austrian citizens do not need a visa, but they enter outside the regular Schengen framework: an ordinary Schengen visa does not automatically authorize entry to the Faroe Islands, and a valid passport or national ID card must be carried. Different rules apply to nationalities other than CH/DE/AT.
Anyone from a visa-required third country must explicitly apply for a visa for the Faroe Islands (or Greenland) at a Danish diplomatic mission abroad; the procedure matches that of a Schengen visa and can be combined into a single application if both territories are being visited.
When entering via Copenhagen, the usual Schengen rules apply to the Danish leg of the journey; on the Faroe Islands themselves, Faroese or Danish border authorities carry out checks independently of which Schengen or non-Schengen country the flight originated from.
Authoritative sources are the Danish Immigration Service's guidance on visas for the Faroe Islands as well as the Swiss FDFA, German Federal Foreign Office and Austrian BMEIA before departure.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands · New in Denmark, Danish Immigration Service · Auswärtiges Amt
What vaccinations and precautions do you need for the Faroe Islands?
No vaccination is mandatory. For Denmark and comparable Northern European destinations, the CDC recommends being up to date on routine vaccines; healthytravel.ch generally advises early travel-medicine consultation and travel insurance with repatriation cover for trips to more remote parts of Denmark.
Tórshavn has a central hospital, the Landssjúkrahúsið; medical care on the smaller islands is limited, and emergencies are evacuated by helicopter or boat. As EU citizens, Germans and Austrians are entitled to basic care within the EU via the European Health Insurance Card, but this does not apply to the Faroe Islands, since they lie outside the EU; private travel insurance is therefore important.
Hiking and clifftop paths are often narrow, wet and without railings; sturdy footwear, weatherproof clothing and checking the current forecast are essential for every hike, since fog can restrict visibility and orientation quickly.
Sources: CDC Travelers' Health · HealthyTravel, Schweizerisches Expertenkomitee für Reisemedizin · Visit Faroe Islands
How safe are the Faroe Islands?
Crime plays practically no role in the Faroe Islands; the German Federal Foreign Office issues no separate security warning for Denmark and the Faroe Islands. The real risks lie in the terrain and weather: steep, unsecured clifftop paths, sudden fog and strong wind that can cancel ferries and helicopter flights at short notice.
Viewpoints such as the Kallur lighthouse on Kalsoy or the ridge near Drangarnir have no railings in places; grass and rock become slippery when wet. Self-drivers should plan for narrow coastal roads and the toll charged by some subsea tunnels, and take fog banks seriously, since they can reduce visibility to just a few meters.
The emergency number 112 reaches police, fire brigade and ambulance service on the Faroe Islands.
Sources: Auswärtiges Amt · Visit Faroe Islands
How do you get to the Faroe Islands?
Vágar Airport (FAE) is served by Atlantic Airways, Icelandair, SAS and Widerøe, with at least two daily flights year-round from Copenhagen as well as seasonal connections from Iceland, Norway, Scotland and other European cities. Alternatively, the ferry Norröna, operated by Smyril Line, sails from Hirtshals in Denmark and from Seyðisfjörður in Iceland.
| Route | Airline | Flight time |
|---|---|---|
| Copenhagen – Vágar | Atlantic Airways / SAS | about 2 hrs |
| Reykjavík – Vágar | Icelandair / Atlantic Airways | about 1 hr 40 min |
| Bergen – Vágar | Widerøe | seasonal, about 1 hr 30 min |
| Edinburgh – Vágar | Atlantic Airways | seasonal, about 1 hr 40 min |
Atlantic Airways, the Faroe Islands' national carrier, also flies seasonal direct routes to destinations in France, Spain and Croatia. Vágar Airport lies about 45 minutes by car from Tórshavn; a subsea tunnel has connected the island of Vágar with Streymoy and the capital since 2020.
The ferry Norröna takes about 36 hours from Hirtshals in northern Denmark to Tórshavn, with cabins on board; from Seyðisfjörður in Iceland, the crossing takes about 19 hours. For most travelers, flying via Copenhagen is the fastest and cheapest option.
Between the islands
17 of the 18 islands are connected by bridges, subsea tunnels or fixed ferry routes; only the remote island of Mykines is reached exclusively by seasonal ferry or helicopter. A state-subsidized helicopter service also links more remote islands at low prices, but must be booked weeks in advance.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands
What currency applies, and how do you pay in the Faroe Islands?
Payment is made with the Faroese króna, a local issue of the Danish krone at a 1:1 value; Danish notes and coins are likewise accepted everywhere on the islands. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, and cash is rarely needed outside Tórshavn.
Outside the Faroe Islands and Denmark, hardly any bank recognizes the Faroese króna; anyone left with notes is best off exchanging them before departure or spending them on the islands. The subsea tunnel between Streymoy and Eysturoy, along with several other tunnels, charges a toll, usually billed automatically via license plate recognition against a registered account.
Where do you stay in the Faroe Islands?
The largest selection of hotels is in Tórshavn, along with guesthouses, holiday homes and a growing supply of private rooms in villages such as Gjógv or Bøur. Because capacity is limited, booking ahead is advisable, especially in high summer.
Visit Faroe Islands lists, alongside classic hotels, converted farmhouses and a handful of design accommodations; travelers covering several islands often change location every two to three nights, since travel times via tunnels and ferries take time despite the short distances.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands
What do you eat in the Faroe Islands?
Traditional cuisine is built on fermentation: ræst kjøt, lamb aged for months in an open-air drying shed (hjallur), and ræstur fiskur, fermented fish, are the best-known dishes. In Tórshavn, the restaurants Roks and Ræst show how this tradition is interpreted in fine dining today; the original Koks near Leynavatn has been on hiatus since 2024.
Koks holds two Michelin stars and puts fermented lamb with onions, along with Faroese scallops and halibut, on the menu; the restaurant Ræst, in a centuries-old wooden house, is dedicated entirely to fermentation. Outside fine dining, fish, lamb and potatoes form the base of most dishes.
Sources: Michelin Guide · Visit Faroe Islands
How do people live in the Faroe Islands?
Around 56,000 people live in the Faroe Islands, more than 40% of them in and around Tórshavn. The official language is Faroese, a North Germanic language close to Icelandic; most islanders also speak fluent Danish and good English.
Ólavsøka on July 28/29 is the most important national holiday, with rowing regattas, parades in Tórshavn and the opening of the Løgting's parliamentary year. Football, handball and rowing in traditional wooden boats hold a high status; the national football team has drawn international attention when it beat much larger footballing nations.
Sources: Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordic Co-operation · Wikipedia
What can you experience in the Faroe Islands?
The focus is on hikes to cliffs, waterfalls and viewpoints such as Drangarnir, Kallur or Mykines, plus boat tours to seabird colonies and kayaking in fjords. Photographers often set aside several days just for Gásadalur, Saksun and the drive through the Eysturoyartunnilin with its undersea roundabout.
The Eysturoyartunnilin, operating since 2020, connects Streymoy and Eysturoy over 11.24 km and contains the world's first roundabout below sea level, artistically decorated with light installations. Boat tours from Vestmanna pass bird cliffs up to 600 m high, and guided hikes open up more remote ridges such as the one on Kalsoy.
- Gásadalur / Múlafossur: a short, easy walk to the islands' most photographed waterfall.
- Kallur lighthouse on Kalsoy: a roughly one-hour ridge hike with views of neighboring islands.
- Vestmanna cliffs: a boat tour past seabird colonies, bookable from Tórshavn.
- Mykines: a puffin colony, reachable by ferry only from May to August.
Sources: Wikipedia · Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands
How do you travel responsibly in the Faroe Islands?
Many popular destinations lie on private pastureland; hikes to places like Drangarnir or Trælanípa require a fee and prior online booking, to protect sheep pastures and prevent erosion. Straying off marked paths often causes lasting damage to the thin grass cover.
At several especially heavily visited sites, the Faroese tourism authority limits visitor numbers through time-slot bookings; Visit Faroe Islands publishes the current rules. Dogs should be kept on a leash because of free-roaming sheep, and wild camping outside designated sites is banned on private land.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands
What can the Faroe Islands be combined with?
The most obvious combination is with Iceland or Denmark, since direct flight and ferry connections exist. Taking the ferry Norröna lets you link Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Iceland on a single route.
Copenhagen, as the largest hub, combines well with a Nordic tour; from Bergen or Edinburgh, seasonal direct flights make for an easy combination with Norway or Scotland.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands · Visit Faroe Islands
Who are the Faroe Islands suited for, and who should look elsewhere?
The Faroe Islands suit hikers, photographers and nature lovers who prefer dramatic coastal landscapes to a warm climate. They are less suited to travelers seeking guaranteed sunshine, beaches or a wide choice of nightlife and shopping.
- Good fit: hikers and photographers, food lovers interested in fermented cuisine, travelers who prefer remote natural destinations to mass tourism.
- Less of a fit: sun-seekers, travelers on a very tight schedule due to weather-dependent ferries and helicopter flights, and anyone with no interest in hiking or driving narrow roads.
Sources: Visit Faroe Islands