It's hard to drive five minutes in the Faroe Islands without uttering an ‘ooh’ or an ‘ahh.’ Like something out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, the splendour of this small island nation is felt from every picturesque corner. Filled with more sheep than people, and a slew of painter’s palette villages, life in the Faroe Islands is as wild and rugged as it is beautiful.
‘One thing that really makes the Faroe Islands stand out is its isolation from the rest of the world through the centuries,’ says Høgni Reistrup, founder of Guide To Faroe Islands. ‘This has preserved our unique culture in a way that is found in very few other places in Europe.’
Accessible by car, boat, tunnel, bridge and helicopter, its 18 islands dot the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway like elongated drippings from a Sámal Joensen-Mikines painting. Its natural beauty is otherworldly, a place where a deep breath of salty ocean air clears the mind and boosts the spirit.
Vágar
This is where travellers will first set foot on the Faroes. Emerging from the airport built by the British during WWII, it’s the ideal spot to pick up a rental car from Unicar and head to what is arguably the Faroe Islands' most alluring attraction. While you’ll probably pass posters of it in the airport, there’s nothing like the real thing. A 15-minute drive west to the village of Gásadalur is Múlafossur Waterfall. A quaint village and a towering peak frame this massive waterfall tumbling into the ocean.
This touristy village recently welcomed a slew of brand-new apartments and cottages, making it a dreamy place to spend the night. The island’s best restaurant is Fiskastykkið. Open for lunch, it highlights the island’s history of salting and drying cod to send to Portugal. Try the bacalao salad, their signature fish soup and homemade rhubarb soda.
Streymoy
The largest and most populated of the islands, Streymoy is home to the country’s capital, Tórshavn. With the top hotels and restaurants dotted throughout one of the world’s smallest capitals, it’s the best place to base yourself.
Hotel Brandan and Hilton Garden Inn Faroe Islands provide four-star service in minimalist Scandi-chic rooms under a grass roof. But the country’s premier hotel is Hotel Føroyar, perched high above the capital city. It recently debuted the country’s first Scandinavian spa house, Ress Spa. Decked out in Scandi-design, this multi-level spa includes multiple hot pools, saunas and steam rooms while sheep graze nearby.
After a day of hiking, get your seafood fill at the new ROKS, serving a multi-course seafood menu picked from the fjords that morning. The latest restaurant from famed local chef Paul Andrias Ziska is Paz. The new two-Michelin-star restaurant is an ode to the Faroe Islands' fresh seafood and homegrown sheep. ‘PAZ will let you taste all the centuries of our culinary heritage,’ says Reistrup. ‘You really get a variety of what the food culture is all about: sweet sea urchins, horse mussels, langoustines, fermented lamb, and cod from around the archipelago.’ Its prix fixe menu includes flavours you’ve likely never had before in a sleek dining room designed by Ziska himself.
In Tórshavn’s old town, Áarstova sits inside a homey historic building. The chefs here have perfected the lamb saddle, cooking it for hours in local beer. To try more local pints, the island’s brewery, OY, has island-made beers and barbecue on the outskirts of town.
Further outside the capital, Streymoy has some of the most beautiful villages in the Faroes. The most southern village is Kirkjubøur, the site of the Faroes' most historically important cathedral ruins. Next to them, Roykstovan, a 900-year-old home still occupied today, has a museum wing open to the public.
And all the way to the north is Tjørnuvík. Its long stretch of black sand is the spot to watch cold water surfing courtesy of Faroe Islands Surf Guide. And when the wind gets too frenzied, follow the sign into the charming village for waffles and coffee inside the ‘Waffle Man’s’ home.
Sandoy
Sandoy is the latest island to be connected via a new subsea tunnel, Sandoyartunnilin. Instead of taking a ferry, travellers can now drive through a 10.8-kilometre tunnel decorated with art projected onto the illuminated rock walls. Just be aware that a round trip through the tunnel costs 350 DKK (£41).
When you emerge from the tunnel, Sandoy’s flat landscape and black sand beaches come into view. Guide to Faroe Islands can plan your trip to this often unexplored island. Hike with a local guide to Líraberg Cliff, take a photo of the yarn-covered rock or go kayaking on Lake Sandsvatn. Stay overnight at Mølin Guesthouse, with new modern accommodation and an upscale restaurant serving a three-course meal using local Faroese ingredients, like lamb slathered in gravy.
Mykines
Like a posse of puffins, visitors gather on this northwestern island from April to August when more than 500,000 of these sea parrots come to nest. Designed for day trips via boat, local guide Oda Andreasen opened up her late-1800s guesthouse for small groups to stay overnight as part of her sustainable tourism company, Go Local. After a traditional Faroese meal, Andreasen leads her guests on a hike to spot puffins, far away from where guide-free visitors walk on top of puffin nests. New apartments called Mykineslon have also opened on the island, allowing more overnight visitors to experience the slow life on this birding haven.
Kalsoy
Here lies the body of *spoiler alert* James Bond, or at least his tombstone. Reaching international recognition in James Bond’s ‘No Time To Die,’ Kalsoy has long attracted hikers and, more recently, Instagrammers looking to capture its jagged rocks and deep green peaks. Daily ferries from Klaksvík take cars and passengers here for a day trip to hike to the famed lighthouse on the island's northern edge.
Although it's not a blockbuster, Kalsoy is also famous for another tale. The legend of the selkie is believed to have taken place in the village of Mikladalur, and today a powerful half-woman-half-seal statue sits in its harbour.
Nólsoy
Visible from Tórshavn, Nólsoy is so close to the capital that dozens of people take the short 20-minute ferry ride back and forth for work. This close-knit village is known for its lone alpaca and its top music venue, Maggies. On the weekends, this small bar serves up some of the country’s best burgers alongside live music.
But if you’re more into birds than hearing ‘Free Bird,’ walk to the yellow house at the edge of town. Nolsoy’s ‘birdman’ welcomes amateur ornithologists into his house-turned-museum to see taxidermied species and to delight in the island’s reputation as the world’s largest European Storm Petrel colony.
