Faroe Islands

Getting to Faroe Islands

Although part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union or the Schengen Area. If you do not need a visa for Denmark, you can generally visit the Faroe Islands visa-free for up to 90 days, provided your passport is valid for at least 3 months beyond your intended departure date.

1. 01
   Vágar Airport

   The Faroe Islands are served by one airport.

Worth seeing

Slættaratindur on Eysturoy: at 880 m, is the highest mountain in the Faroe Islands. It is well worth climbing. The only downside is that the summit is often wrapped in fog. Beinisvord (Beinisvørð) is the highest sea cliff in Suðuroy and the second-highest in the Faroe Islands at 470 m. The views down to the sea and towards north to the west coast of Suðuroy are breathtaking.

Things to do

Sea kayaking. Kayaks are widely available for rent. Birdwatching. Football: the Faeroe Islands national team plays at Tórsvøllur in Tórshavn. 10 clubs play in Premier League. It is possible to hike in Faroe Islands, however, you must stick to prepared trails, and it is not permitted to put up tents outside designated areas. Most famous hikes are accessible only by paying a fee (e.g.

Where to eat

Most traditional Faroese cuisine involves either lamb or fish. The traditional Faroese kitchen mainly owes its food traditions to the archipelago's harsh climate, similar to the cuisine of Iceland. This is because in earlier days the food culture on the islands was not very extensive. It is hard to find a Faroese dish on the menu of a restaurant, but it is possible at certain restaurants and hotels.

Getting around Faroe Islands the local way

One national operator, Strandfaraskip Landsins, runs every scheduled bus and every island ferry in the country on one zone-fare system, and the same body sells the seats on Atlantic Airways' government-subsidised helicopter, which islanders use the way other people use a bus. Tórshavn's own red city buses are free. Almost all visitors still hire a car, because the road network is continuous through bridges, causeways and sub-sea tunnels and only three places – Mykines, Suðuroy and the small northern islands – need a boat or a helicopter. The tunnels are tolled by number-plate camera with no barrier, and a hire car's tolls are billed by the rental company, not by you. Weather cancels ferries and helicopters at short notice all winter, and fog closes the single airport in summer.

1. 01
   Bygdaleiðir – the blue national busesminibus

   A single network reaching every settlement: route 300 Tórshavn – Vágar Airport – Sørvágur, 400/401 Tórshavn – Klaksvík, 100 Tórshavn – Vestmanna, 450 Tórshavn – Eysturoy through the tunnel, 700/701 around Suðuroy, plus around twenty local feeders

   Where

   Everything starts from Farstøðin, the combined bus and ferry terminal on Eystara Bryggja in Tórshavn harbour. Buses are blue and numbered; the ferries share the same building and the same timetable book. Buy the ticket from the driver on board – cash and card both work on every route. Full timetables per route number are at ssl.fo/en/timetable; the live position of each bus is on the operator's own map at sona.fo/bussar/SSL. Tell the driver if you are connecting to another route and he will radio ahead so the second bus waits.

   When

   Varies by route. Route 300 to the airport: 10 departures each way Monday to Friday, 5 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday, first from Tórshavn 05:40, last from Sørvágur 20:30. Klaksvík, Vestmanna and Eysturoy routes run roughly hourly on weekdays. The smallest village routes run once or twice a day but every settlement is served every day

   Fare (2026)

   Zone fares, adult / child 7–15 and pensioner: 25/15 DKK inside one zone, 55/30 DKK Suður-Streymoy to Norður-Streymoy, 95/50 DKK Tórshavn (Suður-Streymoy) to Vágar, which covers the airport, and 105/55 DKK for the longest pairs such as Vágar to Norðoyggjar. Children 0–6 travel free with an adult. A tourist Travel Card covering all buses and ferries except routes 36 and 90 cost 500 DKK adult / 250 DKK child for four days and 700/350 DKK for seven days as of March 2026

   Takes

   Tórshavn Terminal to Vágar Airport 50 minutes (05:40–06:30); Tórshavn to Sørvágur 1h 05m

   Season

   Year-round. Reduced holiday timetables – Good Friday and Easter Day have no service at all on route 300, Christmas Day none, and most other holidays run to the Sunday timetable

   Booking

   None. Pay the driver on boarding

   Sources: ssl.fo (2026-09) · ssl.fo (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-03) · confidence high

2. 02
   Bussleiðin – Tórshavn's free red city busesminibus

   Seven routes covering the whole of Tórshavn including the harbour, SMS shopping centre, Hoyvík and the hospital

   Where

   The city buses are red, to distinguish them from the blue national buses. They call at the same harbour terminal as the long-distance buses. Route maps are carried on board, at Kiosk Steinatún in the town centre, and at Kunningarstovan, the Tórshavn tourist information office. You simply board – there is no ticket and no validator.

   When

   Every 15–30 minutes during the day all week, every 30–60 minutes on weekday evenings, several routes hourly on Saturday and Sunday

   Fare (2026)

   Free to everyone, resident or visitor

   Takes

   10–25 minutes end to end depending on route

   Season

   Year-round

   Booking

   None

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-03) · confidence medium

3. 03
   Atlantic Airways scheduled helicopter – the subsidised island bushelicopter

   A rotation linking Vágar, Tórshavn, Mykines, Skúvoy, Stóra Dímun, Froðba (Suðuroy), Klaksvík, Svínoy, Kirkja and Hattarvík

   Where

   There is no counter to walk up to. Seats must be booked and paid online through the Strandfaraskip Landsins booking system linked from ssl.fo/en/timetable/helicopter/book-ticket, and you then present yourself at the heliport 30 minutes before departure. The Tórshavn heliport is at Bodanes by the harbour; the Vágar pad is at the airport; on the small islands it is a marked concrete pad above the village. Atlantic Airways publishes a fare calculator at atlanticairways.com/en/helicopter/fares-conditions where you first say whether you are registered as resident in the Faroe Islands.

   When

   Wednesday, Friday and Sunday all year, with a fourth Monday rotation added in June, July and August. Typically three or four legs a day, for example Friday: Vágar 10:30 – Mykines 10:41 – Vágar 10:52, then Vágar 11:10 – Tórshavn 11:22 – Klaksvík 11:34 – Svínoy 11:46 – Kirkja 11:50 – Hattarvík 11:53 – Klaksvík 12:11

   Fare (2025)

   Resident one-way fares are the base price and non-residents pay exactly three times that – the operator's own booking widget multiplies by 3 when you say you have no Faroese address. Base one-way fares seen in 2025: Skúvoy–Froðba 85 DKK, Klaksvík–Svínoy/Kirkja/Hattarvík 110 DKK, Tórshavn–Skúvoy or Stóra Dímun 130 DKK, Vágar–Mykines 145 DKK, Tórshavn–Klaksvík, Tórshavn–Froðba and Tórshavn–Vágar 215 DKK, the long hops 335–360 DKK. So a visitor pays 435 DKK for Vágar–Mykines and 645 DKK for Tórshavn–Klaksvík. Children 7–12 and seniors 67+ pay half; children 2–6 fly free with their own seat

   Takes

   Vágar to Mykines 11 minutes; Vágar to Tórshavn 12 minutes; Tórshavn to Klaksvík 12 minutes; Tórshavn to Froðba in Suðuroy 29 minutes

   Season

   Year-round. The Vágar–Mykines leg is the exception and is not flown in June, July and August, when the Mykines ferry is running; Monday flights exist only in those three months

   Booking

   Online only, and paid online. Bookings open seven days before departure, or only two days ahead for Froðba and Skúvoy. You cannot book a return on a scheduled rotation – only a one-way with departure on the day – so islanders and visitors alike fly one way and come back by ferry and bus. Round trips can be booked 90 days ahead on the Monday summer rotation. Book at latest 30 minutes before the first departure of the day. Maximum 20 kg of luggage, no prams, pets only in a carrier. Cancel or change up to 24 hours ahead for a refund

   Sources: ssl.fo (2026-09) · ssl.fo (2026-09) · web.archive.org (2025-08) · confidence high

4. 04
   Route 36 – the Mykines ferryboat

   Sørvágur harbour on Vágar to Mykines village, on M/F Jósup

   Where

   Sørvágur is 10 minutes past Vágar Airport on bus route 300. The ferry berth is at the head of the fjord in the village. This is the one route in the country where you must have a ticket before you turn up – buy it at booking.ssl.fo. Boarding and landing mean stepping or jumping between a moving boat and the quay, so this is not a step-free crossing.

   When

   Summer, 1 May to 31 August: three round trips every day, leaving Sørvágur 09:30, 13:30 and 17:30 and Mykines 10:15, 14:15 and 18:15. Shoulder season (1–30 April and 1 September to 8 October): Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only, Sørvágur 10:45 and Mykines 11:30. Autumn (8–20 October): daily, Sørvágur 10:45 and Mykines 11:30. No sailings through the winter

   Fare (2026)

   One way, paid separately in each direction: adult 153 DKK at the pier or 123 DKK booked online; child or senior 88 DKK at the pier, 70 DKK online. Faroese residents pay 70 DKK adult online

   Takes

   45 minutes

   Season

   Roughly April to 20 October only, and the island is closed to visitors outside the season. In June, July and August this is the only public way to Mykines because the helicopter does not fly the Mykines leg in those months

   Booking

   Compulsory, online at booking.ssl.fo. This is the only Strandfaraskip route that requires advance booking for foot passengers, and summer sailings sell out

   Sources: ssl.fo (2026-09) · ssl.fo (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2025-06) · confidence high

5. 05
   Route 7 – the Suðuroy car ferry, and the other island ferriesboat

   Route 7: Tórshavn to Krambatangi, the ferry port for Tvøroyri on Suðuroy, on M/F Smyril. Also route 56 Klaksvík–Kalsoy, 58 Hvannasund–Svínoy and Fugloy, 61 Gamlarætt–Hestur, 66 Sandur–Skúvoy and 90 Tórshavn–Nólsoy

   Where

   Route 7 leaves from the ferry berth at Farstøðin in Tórshavn harbour, the same building as the bus terminal, and connects at the Suðuroy end with buses 700 and 701. Vehicles must be in the queue 15 minutes before departure; foot-passenger boarding closes 5 minutes before. Cars can be booked at booking.ssl.fo; foot passengers can simply walk on and pay. Cargo has priority on several departures, so car space on those is tight.

   When

   Route 7: two to three sailings each way a day, for example Monday from Tvøroyri 06:00, 11:30 and 18:45 and from Tórshavn 08:45, 16:00 and 21:15; Saturday and Sunday thinner. Route 90 to Nólsoy 5–7 a day; route 56 to Kalsoy up to 7 a day; route 61 to Hestur a few sailings on request only; route 66 to Skúvoy one scheduled sailing a day and the rest by telephone request hours ahead

   Fare (2026)

   Route 7, each direction paid separately: adult 109 DKK at the terminal, 88 DKK online, 50 DKK for a Faroese resident online; a car under 5.5 m 229 DKK at the terminal, 183 DKK online. Routes 56, 58 and 90 are priced as a return with payment on the outward leg only: adult 131 DKK standard, 105 DKK online; a car under 5.5 m 336 DKK standard, 269 DKK online

   Takes

   Route 7: 2 hours 5 minutes

   Season

   Year-round. Winter gales cancel sailings at a few hours' notice – the operator posts them on the ssl.fo front page and by free SMS alert on 740 740

   Booking

   Not needed for foot passengers on any route except 36. Vehicles on routes 7 and 60/61 should be booked at booking.ssl.fo; on other car ferries you queue and take your chance

   Sources: ssl.fo (2026-09) · ssl.fo (2026-09) · ssl.fo (2026-09) · confidence high

6. 06
   Hire car, and the sub-sea tunnel tolls that come with itprivate hire

   The whole road network: Streymoy, Eysturoy, the Norðoyar, Vágar and, since the Sandoyartunnilin opened, Sandoy, all joined by bridge, causeway and tunnel

   Where

   Rent.fo, 62N (the former Hertz) and Avis have desks at Vágar Airport, and Rent.fo and 62N also have Tórshavn offices; Unicar is in Miðvágur. Book ahead – the national fleet is small. Tunnels have no barrier and no booth: you drive through and a camera reads the plate.

   When

   On demand

   Fare (2026)

   Tolls, one way, for a vehicle under 3,500 kg as of 2026: Vágatunnilin 50 DKK and Norðoyatunnilin 50 DKK, each charged for both directions when you drive out from Vágar or from Klaksvík; Sandoyartunnilin 175 DKK; Eysturoyartunnilin 175 DKK Streymoy–Eysturoy and 125 DKK Strendur–Runavík, charged every time. Motorcycles are free in the two older tunnels. Pay within 6 days at tunnil.fo or any petrol station or a 50 DKK penalty is added. Hire cars are billed by the rental company instead, at rates the tunnel operator lists as 100 DKK return for the Vágar and Norðoyar tunnels and 175 DKK one way for the Eysturoy and Sandoy tunnels – some companies charge more, and a flat package is common. A private car can take out a tunnil.fo subscription for a 200 DKK annual fee plus prepayment, which cuts a Vágatunnilin return to 20 DKK; hire cars cannot

   Takes

   Vágar Airport to Tórshavn 45 minutes; Tórshavn to Klaksvík about 1 hour

   Season

   Year-round. Off-road driving is illegal. Sheep wander onto the road and shelter just inside tunnel mouths, which causes collisions every year

   Booking

   Reserve the car well ahead in summer. Tell the rental desk explicitly if you intend to pay your own tolls, otherwise they pay and bill you – and if both of you pay, you pay twice

   Sources: tunnil.fo (2026-09) · tunnil.fo (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-03) · confidence high

7. 07
   Smyril Line – the car ferry from Denmark and Icelandboat

   Hirtshals in north Jutland to Tórshavn and on to Seyðisfjörður in east Iceland, on M/S Norröna

   Where

   The Tórshavn berth is the international terminal in the east harbour, walking distance from the bus and ferry terminal. Hirtshals has rail and coach links from Aalborg. Book direct at smyrilline.com.

   When

   Year-round, twice a week in summer

   Fare (2023)

   Single passage without a vehicle started at about EUR 92 in low season and EUR 112 in high season as of 2023; cabins and vehicles are extra

   Takes

   Roughly 36 hours Hirtshals to Tórshavn

   Season

   Year-round, with more sailings in summer

   Booking

   Book ahead, especially with a vehicle

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-03) · confidence medium

8. 08
   Hitchhikinghitchhiking

   Anywhere on the road network

   Where

   Stand at the edge of a village on the road out, or at a tunnel mouth where cars slow down. Almost everyone speaks English and traffic density is high for the population.

   When

   Constant on the Tórshavn–Klaksvík and Tórshavn–Vágar corridors, sparse on Suðuroy and the northern islands

   Fare (2026)

   Free

   Takes

   Legs are short – the whole country is about 120 km end to end

   Season

   Year-round, but standing outside in a Faroese winter gale is genuinely unpleasant

   Booking

   None

   Sources: en.wikivoyage.org (2026-03) · confidence medium

Not yet confirmed: Strandfaraskip Landsins does not appear to publish a GTFS feed. There is no /gtfs path, no GTFS link anywhere in its 884-URL sitemap, and the only API reference in its front-end bundle is /api/search. Its live vehicle map is an embedded third-party widget at https://www.sona.fo/bussar/SSL?route=<n> – that is the nearest thing to a machine-readable source and would be the operator to ask. Worth writing to ssl@ssl.fo or +298 34 30 30 to ask directly whether a GTFS export exists for a partner.; The English page ssl.fo/en/prices/prices-buses is empty of any fare table – the numbers only exist as two images on the Faroese page ssl.fo/fo/prisir/prisir-bygdaleidir, so the bus zone fares above were read off those images and are not machine-readable anywhere.; Correction to the brief and to Wikivoyage: the sub-sea tunnel tolls have changed. Vágatunnilin and Norðoyatunnilin are now 50 DKK, not 100 DKK, and the Sandoyartunnilin to Sandoy has opened and charges 175 DKK. Wikivoyage's table still shows the summer 2022 figures.; Correction: Wikivoyage says non-residents pay 'about thrice as much' on the helicopter. It is exactly three times – the operator's own price widget applies a hard multiplier of 3 when you declare no Faroese address. The base fares quoted are therefore resident fares.; The exact seasonal rule for the Monday helicopter rotation is inferred from the legend on the operator's timetable graphic (grey = not flown in June, July and August; navy = only in June, July and August) rather than from prose. Confirm with Atlantic Airways on +298 34 10 60 before relying on a Monday flight.; Route 90 Tórshavn–Nólsoy and route 36 Mykines are both excluded from the tourist Travel Card, per Wikivoyage; this was not re-confirmed on the operator's own Travel Card page, which renders empty.; Smyril Line's own site is behind Cloudflare and could not be fetched, so the sailing days, the crossing time and the 2023 fares all come from Wikivoyage and were not verified against the operator. Current fares and the 2026 sailing calendar need checking at smyrilline.com.; atlanticairways.com is behind Cloudflare. The helicopter fare table was read out of an Internet Archive snapshot dated 14 August 2025, so the fares are 2025 figures and may have moved.; Airport taxi: Wikivoyage quotes a fixed 220 DKK per passenger from Vágar Airport to Tórshavn, bookable at taxi.fo. That was not confirmed against taxi.fo and is left out of the options above.; The Mykines hiking rule – non-Faroese visitors must walk with a guided tour, around 400 DKK booked online and 500 DKK in person, tours only between 10:00 and 17:00 – comes from Wikivoyage. mykines.fo returned only a booking shell and the operator's own restrictions page was not reachable.; No source was found giving typical winter cancellation rates. The operator publishes cancellations as news items and by free SMS on 740 740, which is the practical way to track them..

The field note on Faroe Islands reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.