Driving the Faroe Islands End to End

The Faroe Islands are compact enough to cross in an afternoon and changeable enough that no one sensibly tries. Eighteen islands sit in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway, and most of the population is now linked by a road network of subsea tunnels, causeways and short ferry hops.

That network is the reason a driving trip works here. This guide covers how to arrive, which islands connect by road and which by boat, a seven-day route, the hiking fees that now apply on private land, and the weather logic that should shape every day.

Best time to visit

May to early September gives the longest daylight, the most reliable ferry and helicopter schedules, and access to Mykines, whose puffin season runs roughly from May to late August under a permit and guide system. June and July bring near-endless evening light.

Late September and October are quieter, cheaper and still driveable, with stronger winds and shorter days. Winter is dark and frequently stormy; roads are generally kept open, but hiking routes and boat trips are not dependable. In every season the weather is local and fast-moving — sun in Tórshavn and fog on Vágar is an ordinary morning.

How to arrive

Vágar Airport is the only airport, served year-round by Atlantic Airways from Copenhagen and seasonally from a rotating set of European cities, with SAS also operating on the Copenhagen route. The other option is the Smyril Line ferry from Hirtshals in Denmark, which takes roughly a day and a half and allows a private car to be brought over.

Hire cars are collected at the airport and are the practical basis of the trip. Book ahead: the fleet on the islands is small and sells out in summer. Vágar is connected to the main island of Streymoy by the Vágar subsea tunnel, so the drive to Tórshavn takes under an hour.

How the road network works

Three subsea tunnels carry most traffic: Vágatunnilin between Vágar and Streymoy, Norðoyatunnilin to the northern islands around Klaksvík, and Eysturoyartunnilin, opened in 2020, which links Streymoy and Eysturoy and contains a roundabout under the sea. A fourth tunnel to Sandoy opened at the end of 2023, replacing the previous car ferry. These tunnels are tolled; charges are usually settled automatically through the hire company.

Beyond the tunnels, causeways connect Streymoy and Eysturoy in the north, and government ferries run to Suðuroy, Kalsoy, Mykines and other outer islands. Several older mountain tunnels — including those on Kalsoy — are single lane with passing bays and unlit sections; oncoming traffic has priority depending on the marked layby side, and the rule is posted at each entrance.

How long to stay

Seven days is the useful length. It allows two bases, one full weather-contingency day, and a day trip to an outer island without a rushed return ferry.

Four or five days is workable if the itinerary stays on the tunnel-linked islands. Anything shorter tends to be spent looking at cloud, because a single bad-weather day removes a disproportionate share of the trip.

A seven-day route

Days one and two, based on Vágar or Tórshavn: the Múlafossur waterfall at Gásadalur, a village that had no road access until a tunnel was bored through the mountain in 2004, and the Sørvágsvatn walk, where the lake appears to sit far above the ocean. The Sørvágsvatn path crosses private land and a landowner fee applies.

Day three: Tórshavn itself — the turf-roofed Tinganes peninsula, the harbour, and the national museum — plus Kirkjubøur, the medieval church site a short drive south.

Days four and five, based in Klaksvík: the northern islands. Viðareiði at the top of Viðoy, the village of Gjógv with its natural gorge harbour, and the Kalsoy ferry for the walk to Kallur lighthouse, which now runs under a paid access and guiding arrangement.

Day six: Saksun and Tjørnuvík on north-west Streymoy, both of which also charge for access to the walking routes across private farmland, plus the Vestmanna bird cliffs by boat if the sea allows.

Day seven: reserve it. Either Mykines, if the ferry or helicopter is running and permits are held, or a repeat of whichever landscape was lost to fog earlier in the week.

Where to base and where to stay

Two bases cover the country comfortably: Tórshavn for the south and centre, and Klaksvík for the north. Both put most of the road network within about an hour.

Accommodation is limited and mostly small: a handful of hotels in Tórshavn, guesthouses, hostels, and a growing number of private houses and apartments in villages. Booking six months ahead is normal for summer. Eating out is expensive and kitchens close early outside the capital; several villages have no restaurant at all.

Practical notes and mistakes to avoid

Check the forecast each morning and reorder the day accordingly — planning a fixed island-by-island schedule is the single most common error. Sheep are on the road everywhere and drivers are liable for them; speed limits are generally 80 km/h outside settlements and 50 within, lower in tunnels.

Much of the most photographed land is privately farmed. Access fees at Sørvágsvatn, Saksun, Tjørnuvík and Kalsoy are legitimate, and walking off marked routes damages ground that is someone's livelihood. Waterproof outer layers and boots with grip are not optional, and drone use is restricted in several areas.

Related Atlas reading

This drive belongs to the Scenic Road Trips in Europe hub and the Road Trips catalogue. For the North Atlantic in slower form, see Remote Islands in Europe for Slow Travellers; for a longer mainland driving route in comparable weather, see A Road Trip Through the Scottish Highlands.