Faroe Islands Travel Guide: 7 Days on Vágar, Streymoy, and Esturoy

​Faroe Islands had always been on our bucket list - it drew us in with its Iandscapes reminiscent of Iceland without the crowds. Rich in culture, salmon, and sheep, this country captured our hearts as we spent 7 days trekking through the rain and wind and mud to see the epic cliffs. If you enjoy quiet coffee shops, epic adventure, and off-beat adventures, check out our 7-day itinerary for the Faroe Islands!

Tips for Visiting the Faroe Islands

Planning Your Trip

• ​Plan your travel dates after checking flight dates. You can fly non-stop from Copenhagen, Paris, Reykjavik, Edinburgh, Oslo, and Bergen. We originally wanted to spend 5 days in the Faroe Islands, but the flights didn't pan out that way. One of our flights even got changed a month before our trip, so we had to extend our car rental and hotel in the Faroe Islands to accommodate as there weren't any other flights available. We found that 7 days was more than enough for what we wanted to do and would've been happy with 5 days, but the extra time did allow us to not be stressed out about pushing hikes back when it was too rainy or windy (which was often!)
• Research SIM cards ahead of time, especially if visiting other countries. We purchased the Orange Holiday Europe card, which was the only option we found that allowed us to use it in both Norway and Faroe Islands. As soon as we landed, we popped in the SIM card, turned on data roaming, and had access to data and calls within Europe. This card only lasts 14 days, so we purchased 2 cards to cover our full trip in Norway and the Faroe Islands.
• Decide on a town to base yourself in. Most people stay in Tórshavn, the capital. We decided to stay in Klaksvík because we found a cute Airbnb we loved, which meant we were oftentimes driving 2 hours and crossing the Norðoyareach tunnel each day (see tip below on paying for limitless tunnels). Personally we loved it for the experience - there's nothing like waking up to mountain views every morning!
• Check when restaurants and shops open. Most stores (including grocery stores) are closed on Sundays. Fiskastykkið, a restaurant in Sandavágur near the airport, and Breyðvirkið, a bakery on Tórshavn, were both closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

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What to Pack

• If you've read any blog about the Faroe Islands, you'll know that weather changes very quickly. Pack layers, thermals, and lots of waterproof gear - in particular, waterproof hiking boots and a rain jacket/windbreaker with a hood. Almost every hike we went on required trekking through mud, which was pretty slippery on rainy and windy days. The water from the grass easily soaked into both of our shoes, which were waterproof but still left our socks a little damp on some of the more rainy hikes.
• Bring binoculars to spot puffins in the summer. We didn't bring any, but were so glad that our Airbnb had a pair we could use! Mykines is the island most known for spotting puffins up close, but the ferry was sold out every day we were there, and was also cancelled multiple times due to weather. While we did manage to purchase ferry tickets for one of the days we were there, getting to see puffins at Gjogv relieved the pressure of worrying about our Mykines ferry getting cancelled. 
• If you're planning on bringing a drone, check the drone regulations. We bought a drone for this trip, but realized almost all of the locations we went to were either too close to the airport/town, or the conditions were too windy (in particular - Sørvágsvatn, Hvíthamar Mountain, and Kallur Lighthouse were so windy that we couldn't even keep our tripod stable).

Budget Saving Tips

• When converting currency to understand how much things cost, make sure you use Danish krone. This is shortened to either DKK or kr. We were travelling through Norway as well, which uses kr. (short for Norwegian krone), but they are different conversions! With that said, we used our credit cards for everything and never had to use any cash.
• Rent a car and pay for unlimited access to the Vágar and Norðoyar tunnels. These tunnels cost 100 DKK round trip. When planning our trip, we originally thought it would be more cost effective to pay for each tunnel, but we decided to pay for unlimited tunnels through our rental car company for 95 DKK/day after we realized that we would need more flexibility to change our plans based on the weather.
• Skip the Eysturoy tunnel and reroute through Brúgvin um Streymin. This will take you longer to drive around (1 hour 15 minutes from Tórshavn to Klaksvík instead of 45 minutes) but will likely be more cost effective as this tunnel costs 125-175 DKK one way (unlike the Vágar and Norðoyar tunnels which are round trip).
• Buy groceries at Bonus instead of eating out. We had learned about Bonus from our last trip to Iceland, so it was a relief to be able to plan our our meals and not worry about finding restaurants when we were in remote villages. We made breakfast burritos and coffee at our Airbnb, packed a cheeseboard for lunches (our Airbnb even had a handmade board we brought with us), and made beef bourguignon for dinners - a perfect meal to come back to after a long day exploring out in the cold.
• Prepare for hiking fees at popular locations (Drangarnir: Must be with guide - 550 DK, Mykines: 250 DKK, Sørvágsvatn: 200 DKK, Villingardalsfjall: 200 DKK, Saksun Lagoon: 75 DKK).
• If you're going shopping, you can get a 12-18% tax refund for purchases over 300 DKK by asking for a Tax Refund Cheque and validating the purchase at customs. Because taxes are already included in the price, it's a great bonus at the end of the trip!

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​Day 1: Vágar + Streymoy

• Arrive at the Vágar Faroe International Airport
• Drive to Mulafossur Waterfall, the famous waterfall that goes into the ocean
• Take a small detour to see the windy road at Norðradalur
• Get coffee, play board games, and check out the adjoining bookshop at Paname Café
• Get a reservation at the only sushi restaurant on the islands at Etika Sushi
• Walk around the historical government buildings at Tinganes

​Day 2: Vágar

• Hike to the famous Sørvágsvatn, the lake over the ocean (4.5 miles)
• Have lunch at Fiskastykkið
• Trek through the mud for a worthy sea cliff view at Dunnesdrangar (3.7 miles)

​Day 3:  Vágar

• Take to Mykines ferry from Port Sorvagur to see the puffins
• Hike to the Mykines Lighthouse to see the puffins up close (3.3 miles)

Note: We didn't actually get to go to Mykines due to our ferry getting cancelled, but we heard that this is one of the #1 things to do in the Faroe Islands! If you are planning to go to Mykines, be sure to buy your tickets early (we bought ours a month in advance, and only 1 day out of our entire trip had round trip tickets available). Luckily we got to see puffins at Gjogv, and since the Mykines Lighthouse Hiking Trail was also closed (2022), we weren't too disappointed.

Day 4: Streymoy

• Have some fresh baked sourdough bread at Breyðvirkið
• (Window) shop at Guðrun & Guðrun, a famous Faroese knitwear company (or head to Navia in Toftir for less expensive Faroese wool sweaters, yarn, and souvenirs)
• Ride the waves and explore sea caves with the Rib62 Hestur Boat Tour
• Explore the historical ruins of Kirkjubøur​
• Experience Heimablídni, a Faroese phrase meaning “home hospitality” at Anna and Óli's home and farm in Velbastaður

​Day 5: Streymoy

• Pull off the road to see one of the tallest waterfalls at Fossa (1 mile)
• Explore the village of Saksun, a sand filled lagoon with more waterfalls than houses

​Day 6: Eysturoy

• Hike up to Hvíthamar Mountain for an epic view overlooking Funningur (1 mile)
• Stop for lunch at the gorge at Gjogv, then walk up the hill to see the puffins

​Day 7: Eysturoy + Kalsoy

• Arrive an hour early to be sure to get a seat on the car ferry to Kalsoy
• Hike to Kallur Lighthouse (2.4 miles)
• Return to Klaksvík and have lunch at Fríða Kaffihús
• Hike to Klakkur, a short hike overlooking Klaksvík (1.7 miles)