A guide to the Faroe Islands is always helpful, especially if it’s your first visit. Nestled in between the tip of Scotland and Iceland, this tiny island nation is one of Europe’s most picturesque countries to explore.
The Faroe Islands may well look a million miles away, but it’s a lot closer (and more accessible) than you might think. 🏔
This small archipelago feels like one of Europe’s most untouched and isolated nations (which, If I’m honest, just adds to its incredible charm).
Only a few hours by air from cities like Copenhagen and Edinburgh, there’s every reason why you should consider the Faroe Islands for your next European adventure!
You might remember some of our posts where we detail the incredible sights, islands, and of course – delicious food that you have to try, and I we wanted to share our guide to the Faroe Islands itinerary, too.
As with all of our posts, if you need any pointers, tips, or advice on visiting – just message or leave a comment. We’re always happy to help and hope you have an incredible time as we did!
Take a look at the key things to see, do and eat on your 4-day itinerary to visit the Faroe Islands, below.
Guide to the Faroe Islands: What to pack
First things first, any guide to the Faroe Islands needs to include packing tips!
Packing for the Faroe Islands can be a relatively daunting prospect… okay, in the grand scheme of life, it’s no moving house scenario – but it can be a quite unnerving to know what you need to take.
If you’re unsure, make sure to check out our complete packing list for all the things you need for a Faroe Islands adventure.
See full list of packing essentials in our post, here.
Guide to the Faroe Islands: How to get there
There’s a number of ways to arrive at the Faroe Islands, each with their own benefit.
1.) Flying: It’s the fastest and most efficient way to arrive, Atlantic Airways offers direct flights from cities like Edinburgh, Scotland and Copenhagen, Denmark. It’s likely that if you are flying you’ll be connecting in one of these cities if that’s the case I’d definitely recommend a few days to visit Edinburgh or Copenhagen too. It’s a great way to plan a city and nature holiday that allows you to make the most of your time in a departing city.
See more of our posts on visiting, Edinburgh and Copenhagen, right here:
Our complete Edinburgh guides | Our complete Copenhagen guides
2.) Boat: You can also arrive in the Faroe Islands by boat (this can be accompanied as part of a longer cruise of Nordic countries or a trip to Iceland. The only thing to be aware of is that under rough seas the ferry may not be able to dock.
Guide to the Faroe Islands: How to get around
There isn’t a train service in the Faroe Islands, so if you can drive, or can at least convince a lovely friend to, rent a car! It’s the easiest and most economical way to explore the islands. Car rental can be picked up from the airport and the roads are in perfect condition (with some pretty epic sea tunnels connecting the islands too).
If you can’t drive, you can consider things like private excursions, taxi – but these can be costly, especially if you’re wanting to explore lots of the Faroe Islands.
Guide to the Faroe Islands: What you should see
Take a look at our Youtube video of 14 of the most amazing sights you’ve got to include on your trip, right here.
Also, if you’re looking to book tours and experiences in the Faroe Islands, pop over to Guide To Faroe Islands that have a whole heap of excursions that are all bookable online. ✨
Guide to the Faroe Islands: 5 – day itinerary
Day 1:
Up until 18:00 Enjoy the beautiful city of Copenhagen or Edinburgh before your departure to the Faroe Islands.
20:00 hours (approx): Arrive at Vágar Airport with Atlantic Airways in the early evening (this time is from Edinburgh, with flight arrivals being slightly different from Copenhagen).
21:00 There are a number of car rental companies within the small airport terminal. We picked up our car at 62N who were helpful and supplied us with lots of maps too 🙂
21:15 Drive to Tórshavn and check in at Hotel Føroyar (approximately 45-minute drive from the airport). The hotel is located on the hillside overlooking Tórshavn, the capital city of the Faroe Islands.
23:00 If you’ve arrived in Summer, the sky will be still bright for you to enjoy your first sights of this amazing country.
00:00 Catch some well-deserved zzzzzz’s!
Day 2:
09:00 I’m not a fan of super early breakfasts, so take a little chill time and head to breakfast around 9am, there’s no need to rush, it’s your holiday and no one wants to be tired when exploring all day. Make sure to enjoy lots of the smoked salmon here, it’s delicious with poached or scrambled eggs!
10:00 Raring to go, it’s time to hop in your car and head drive straight onto Vága island to visit Sørvágsvatn – one of the most incredible lakes you have to see.
The lake itself is perched right on the edge of the cliffs, and with a little hike (about 75 minutes) you can reach the end of the lake to see the incredible views. You can read all about how to visit Sørvágsvatn in our blog post, here. Just remember to pack your hiking shoes!
14:30 After leaving Múlafossur waterfall, you’ll want to drive 45 minutes toVestmanna on Streymoy Island where you’ll join the breathtaking, Vestmanna Bird Cliffs tour. Be there about 20 minutes before departure… oh, also It’s best to book online before you go, this ensures your spot – no one wants to miss out on seeing this!
See our full post on the route we took in our post, right here.
17: 00 Afterward, drive back to Tórshavn for dinner – perhaps have dinner at your hotel and have a little rest and recuperation.
20:00 – 21:30: Hop on board your second boat of the day, as the evenings are light in the summer months, join a high-octane, boat tour with Rib62 to the island of Hestur. Meet at Gomlurætt (or Tórshavn, depending on the currents) and book to secure your place. Meeting times are usually at 19:45.
22:00 Grab some well-earned zzzz’s
Day 3:
08:30 Breakfast at the hotel.
9:45 Take a helicopter from Vágar Airport to the island of Mykines which has a rich bird life (you might even spot some puffins). The drive to the airport from Tórshavn takes about 45 minutes. Make sure you are at the airport 20 minutes before departure and check into the heliport desk inside the cosy terminal. Spend the day hiking on Mykines. Ohhhh, also make sure to bring a packed lunch as there are limited food options… it’s also a good idea to bring cash too.
17:05 Take the ferry back from Mykines to Sørvágur. You will then have to walk about 20 minutes from Sørvágur to the Airport to pick up your car. Unfortunately, Atlantic Airways do not allow return flights with the helicopter but it’s a great way to see more of the country.
NB. If you don’t fancy a helicopter journey, make sure to enjoy some of the buttercup roads and natural sights on an exploration drive. You can see one of the drives we did here. It was magical!
20:00 Drive back to Tórshavn and have dinner at Barbara, one of the most beautiful and delicious restaurants in the country! Set in the old grass-topped roofs of Tórshavn old town, this beautiful restaurant is the perfect place to gorge on some of the country’s delicious seafood recipes! It’s a must-eat place when visiting!
23:00 Time to rest your head. Zzzzzzz!
Day 4:
10:00 After such a busy two days, give yourself a little extra sleep and enjoy breakfast at the hotel at 10am.
12:00 Meet at Berg Hestar for an opportunity to horse-riding across the beautiful tundra and natural landscape of the Faroe Islands. Berg Hestar is in Tórshavn, on the hill right next to Hotel Føroyar, you can literally walk 5 minutes and you’re there!
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!
See more about how to horse-ride in the Faroe Islands, right here
14:30 Drive to the beautiful villages of Gjógv/Tjørnuvík/Saksun and spend the day exploring some more of this beautiful country and its impressive islands. Drive close to the town of Nesvík, where you’ll also find one of the country’s highest waterfalls.
After that, make sure to drive another 45 minutes to the tiny town of Gjógv, on the island of Eysturoy – it’s a beautiful little town!
See all the details of our trip to these towns here
19:00 Discover the small capital city of Tórshavn and explore its historic harbour area – which actually has one of the earliest governing meeting points in the world.
20:00 Dinner at Etika, the only Asian/Faroe Islands Fusion restaurant in the world.
23:00 Time for a sleep 💤
Day 5
This is really your departure day and with the Edinburgh flight leaving quite early in the morning.
8:00 Departure from Vágar Airport with Atlantic Airways. Drop car keys off at 62N/Information desk. Arrive at the airport by about 7:00 (drive from Tórshavn takes about 1 hour).
Say goodbye to the Faroe Islands! 😭
As with any of our posts, if you need any more advice (or tips on planning), just pop us a comment or a message and we’ll make sure to reply. We’re always happy to help a fellow traveller!
Read all our Faroes Islands posts, tips and advice, here
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