Trip notes
If you are going yourself
Everything practical for Faroe Islands in one place — where it actually is, where to sleep, how to move, what to eat, what the weather does, and what to put in the bag. The story itself follows.
Travelled
With friends — Three of us in one hire car, taking turns to be the one who checks the forecast.
The route
7 stops · 2 slept in · 6 nights · 158 km by road
Drag to pan, use +/− to zoom, tap a pin for detail.
Vágar airport
Passed through · arrival
Reached 14 Jun, 13:05Good with kidsNo dogs
Collect the hire car here. Everything else depends on having one.
Good signal — Fast 4G and free airport wifi. The place to buy a local SIM.
Sørvágsvatn
Passed through · needs clear sky
Reached 15 Jun, 15:20Good with kidsDogs welcome
The lake that appears to hang above the ocean. Pointless in fog.
Patchy signal — Signal on the ridge, none in the gully. Download the map before you set off.
By road · 3.8 km · 12 min driving
Gásadalur
Passed through · fine in fog
Reached 15 Jun, 11:00Good with kidsDogs welcome
Waterfall straight into the Atlantic. Works in almost any weather.
Good signal — Surprisingly good 4G for a village of sixteen people.
By road · 10.3 km · 16 min driving
Tórshavn
4 nights · base
Reached 14 Jun, 17:30Good with kidsDogs welcome
Central to everything thanks to the sub-sea tunnels. Turf roofs, good food.
Good signal — 5G, and open wifi in most cafés. Coverage is better than the landscape suggests.
By road · 56.1 km · 58 min driving
Saksun
Passed through · fine in fog
Reached 18 Jun, 10:40Good with kidsDogs welcome
A tidal lagoon, a church and three farms. Park only where signed.
Patchy signal — One bar by the church, none down at the lagoon.
By road · 48.7 km · 52 min driving
Gjógv
2 nights
Reached 18 Jun, 14:15Good with kidsDogs welcome
Two nights in a village of forty people and one natural harbour gorge.
Patchy signal — 4G at the guesthouse, gone the moment you walk out along the gorge.
By road · 39.2 km · 40 min driving
Kallur, Kalsoy
Passed through · needs clear sky
Reached 19 Jun, 12:10Not one for kidsNo dogs
Ferry, tunnels, then a walk to the lighthouse on the ridge. Weather-dependent.
No signal — Nothing on the ridge, and nothing in the tunnels. Leave your plan with someone.
By boat
Tórshavn — the base for driving the eighteen islands62.0079° N, 6.7908° W
Open route in Google MapsOpen in OpenStreetMapDay by day
7 days, start to finish · 14–20 June 2025
Day 114 Jun
Vágar airportBy road toTórshavnSaw: The sub-sea tunnelStaying Tórshavn
- Drizzle, 13°/10° · 2.9 mm
Days 2–415–17 Jun
Starting from TórshavnBy road toSørvágsvatnBy road toGásadalurSaw: SaksunStaying Tórshavn
- Drizzle, 12°/9° · 2.2 mm
- Drizzle, 12°/8° · 3.6 mm
- Drizzle, 12°/9° · 6.8 mm
Day 518 Jun
Starting from TórshavnBy road toSaksunBy road toGjógvSaw: The gorge harbour at GjógvStaying Gjógv
- Rain, 11°/8° · 5.9 mm
Day 619 Jun
Starting from GjógvBy boat toKallur, KalsoySaw: The Kalsoy tunnelsSaw: Kallur lighthouseStaying Gjógv
- Drizzle, 12°/7° · 1.2 mm
Day 720 Jun
Starting from GjógvBy road toSørvágsvatnSaw: Sørvágsvatn, second attemptBy road toVágar airportTravelling home
- Rain, 11°/8° · 6.1 mm
What to pack
Four seasons in an afternoon, driven by wind
- Clothing
- Waterproofs
- Shoes
- Waterproof boots
- Money
- Cards only
- Medicine
- Sea sickness
Where to stay
Tórshavn
Hotel or apartmentGood with kidsDogs welcomeVegan options
Central to everything thanks to the tunnels. Most of the country is within 90 minutes.
Gjógv or Saksun
GuesthouseGood with kidsDogs welcomeLittle for vegans
Tiny villages with turf roofs and no shops. Extraordinary, and you must bring dinner or eat where you sleep.
Vágar, near the airport
GuesthouseGood with kidsDogs welcomeLittle for vegans
Handy for early flights and closest to Sørvágsvatn and Gásadalur.
Getting around
Hire carGood with kidsDogs welcome
Essential. Public transport exists and is good, but this is a country where you must be able to change plans at 09:00.
Tunnels
Sub-sea tunnels link the main islands; two are tolled and billed to the rental. Single-lane mountain tunnels have passing bays and right-of-way rules — read them.
Ferries and helicopterGood with kidsNo dogs
Small ferries reach Kalsoy and Mykines. The subsidised helicopter service is astonishingly cheap and books out instantly.
Sheep
Eighty thousand of them, with right of way and no road sense. Slow down through every tunnel and blind crest.
Food stops
Tórshavn restaurants
Modern FaroeseGood with kidsNo dogsLittle for vegans
A serious food scene for a town of 22,000 — fermented lamb, langoustine, rhubarb. Book well ahead.
Heimablídni
Home hospitalityGood with kidsNo dogsLittle for vegans
Dinner in someone's house, arranged in advance. The single best way to eat here and to understand the place.
Village hot dogs
Petrol stationGood with kidsDogs welcomeLittle for vegans
Genuinely the backup plan across most of the islands after 18:00. Better than it sounds.
Supermarket in Tórshavn
ProvisionsGood with kidsNo dogsVegan options
Stock the car with lunch, water and coffee. Outside the capital there is often nowhere at all.
Main attractions
9 in 7 days
Tórshavn
Day 1
The sub-sea tunnel
Day 1
Sørvágsvatn
Days 2–4
Gásadalur
Days 2–4
Saksun
Days 2–4
The gorge harbour at Gjógv
Day 5
The Kalsoy tunnels
Day 6
Kallur lighthouse
Day 6
Sørvágsvatn, second attempt
Day 7
The story
Gulf Stream water, Arctic air. Fog that clears in nine minutes and then returns. The forecast is not wrong, just briefly true.
Plan by list, not by day
- Rank what you want to see by how much sky it needs, then pick each morning from the window.
- Needs clear sky: Sørvágsvatn, Kallur on Kalsoy, Slættaratindur.
- Fine in fog: Gásadalur, Saksun, Tjørnuvík, the Mykines boat if it sails.
- Fine in anything: the sub-sea tunnels, Tórshavn's turf roofs, a knitwear shop.
- Rent a car. Public transport exists; spontaneity does not.
On the sheep
- Eighty thousand sheep, fifty-four thousand people.
- Right of way, opinions, and a habit of standing in single-lane tunnels.
If you do not like the weather, wait. If you like the weather, hurry.
— Local advice, offered twice in one day
Four seasons in an afternoon, eighteen islands, and a scheduling strategy built entirely on flexibility.
- #north atlantic
- #hiking
- #planning
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