Faroe Islands- A Perfect Destination for Adventurers

By The Nomad RTW

The Faroe Islands are different from anything you might have seen before. And you can tell it from the moment you arrive.

The Faroes are composed of 18 rocky islands, where the contrast of the blue sea, the brown of the mountain, and green valleys blend perfectly together.

It’s a  real paradise for bird lovers, photographers, but overall– for adventurers.

And here we are, with our most technical clothes and our camera equipment really to adventure into the most stunning spots of this majestic island.

An adventure we have been waiting for too long.

Why Faroe

When we travel, we like to look for something different, challenging, and pretty. And then we found the Faroe Islands, which has it all.

Although tourism is increasing by 10% each year, you can still drive around some islands and not see a soul. This is something uncommon these days, where there are people everywhere.

On top of that, we love nature and adventure, and hiking the Faroe Islands is one of the best ways to combine both.

When you put all these factors together, the Faroe Islands become one of the best destinations for adventurers and also for those people who like places off the beaten track.

There is no bad weather, but bad clothes.

This is what Faroese say. And they are somehow right.

The weather in the Faroe Islands is totally unpredictable and it changes a lot. It can turn from sunny to stormy in just a few seconds.

In places like this where the weather changes continuously, the key is layering, and of course, a waterproof bag.

We were well aware of this, so we came prepared for the adventure. We took our technical clothes, dressed with layers, and we managed to enjoy every day while staying warm and dry.

Believe us, when you are trekking exposed to rain for hours, you want to take with you the most technical clothes you can for this occasion.

Getting there and moving around

Getting to the Faroe Islands is not as hard as it might seem. The most convenient way to get to the Faroe Islands is by plane.

There are direct flights from Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Reykjavik, and Bergen. Although if you have the time, you can also take a ferry from Denmark or Iceland.

In our case, we opted for the flight via Denmark. And if you are lucky enough to arrive in the Faroes with good weather, you’ll be gifted with one of the most impressive panoramic you can think about.

Once in the Faroe Islands, and if you really want to find the most unique spots, we recommend renting a car.

There is public transport on the island, but you will be subject to timetable and limited on reach.

We rented a small car to explore as much as we could, but also to stop wherever we wanted whenever we wanted. Which happened a lot.

Also, since we wanted to go to some places a bit off the beaten track, this was the best option. I have to say I did enjoy driving in the Faroes since most of the time there is no traffic and you always have a view.

Some other ways to move around the island are the ferries and even helicopter, which is subsidized by the government, therefore offering remarkably low fares.

Lastly, if the weather is good or you have time, walking and cycling could be some good options to explore these fascinating islands

Wild and unspoiled

Driving around the Faroe Islands is quite an experience itself.

We just left the airport and we are already excited about the landscape we have in front of us, unlike any place we have been before.

The only airport in the Faroe Islands is located in Vagar, which is one of the most visited islands.

And our accommodation is only a few kilometers away in Sandavagur.

On the way to our accommodation, we realized that the visits will take longer than expected because we already want to stop everywhere. What a wonderful sensation.

There is a photo opportunity at every turn: The typical Faroe houses with the grass-roof, Faroese sheep and cows that look like that are even posing for you, and the always imposing landscapes where mountain and see meets all the time.

It is a magnificent wild and unspoiled landscape.

A house with a view

Considering the size of the Faroes and the population, roughly 50,000 inhabitants, the accommodation offer is limited.

Booking.com and Airbnb are the most popular options for finding where to stay. Although in high season it is advisable to book well in advance.

We found ours via Airbnb and we could not be happier with the house we found. The best thing about it: the views.

Waking up to these views was something magical. To be honest, it made it even harder to leave the house.

Depending on how you organize your days, you might want to choose a central location as a base. Although if you plan on visiting places far from each other, it would be wise to split between a few areas.

Also, there are some tunnels with tolls, so you don’t want to go back and forth many times through the same spot because it will add up to your bill.

On route

We have 7 days to visit the island, and we want to spend quality time on each destination, so we need to choose wisely.

Distances in the Faroe Islands are quite manageable, but there are countless spots we would love to visit.

On average, people spend between 4-5 days to visit. But since we spend a lot of time shooting, we need a bit more.

We already came with a plan on how we wanted to visit and what to visit. This way we can make the most of our time and make sure we cover all we want.

Each night, before going to bed, we go over the plan to make sure it still makes sense.

There are a few places a bit more touristic than others, so we choose to visit the most touristy places early in the morning. By doing that, we managed to have the spots for ourselves.

When it comes to the most famous spots to visit in the Faroe Islands, these would be the lake of Sørvágsvatn, Múlafossur waterfall and Saksun.

These places are not far from each other and it is possible to visit the 3 of them on the same day.

Another popular spot is the island of Mykines. Where people go to see the beautiful puffins.

Mykines is indeed a beautiful island and is well worth the visit for the puffins and the trekking to the lighthouse, which we really enjoyed.

To get to Mykines, you’ll need to take a ferry from Sorvagur to Mykines island. You can check here the ferry schedules.

The truth is that the beauty of each of these places justify the visitors they receive.

And even though these might be the most known spots, we hardly crossed with people with the exception of Mykines. On the road, we took every opportunity we could find whenever we saw a photogenic spot, which is pretty much always.

Our daily plan normally includes a morning trekking, and the afternoons are more focused on shooting.

Some of the highlights of our itinerary are the trekking to Kallur lighthouse in Kalsoy with its stunning views, the colorful village of Gjógv in the north, and our day trip to the southern island of Suduroy.

Suduroy is maybe one of the less explored islands, but make no mistake, is as impressive as any other.

If we hardly crossed with tourists in the main islands, we pretty much had Suduroy for ourselves! The dream of any traveler

But there is also city life

Traveling to the Faroe Islands does not need to mean only nature. Despite its size, with around 13,000 residents, the lively city of Torshavn will provide you with all the amenities you need.

What we liked the most about Torshavn, is that feels relaxed and also has some pretty cool spots where to chill.

Our favorite part is Tinganes, the old city with beautiful wooden houses by the port. There some good cafes and restaurants perfect for a pit stop.

One of our favorites was the Mikkeller, which has a great selection of beers in a relaxed atmosphere. There are also a few shops if you feel like shopping or in case you need something, but we are more foody people.

So instead, we choose the Blábar. A stylish bar and music venue in the city center of Tórshavn featuring live music.

Because there is no better way to end up an amazing trip than with nice food and beer!

Find out more at Visit Faroe Islands

Sergio Garcia Sigler and Patricia Garcia Gutierrez are the people behind the travel blog Nomad RTW. They share their travel experiences in places of the beaten track with stunning photography and travel videos. You can find them on Nomads RTW