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Tips for the Faroe Islands: 8 things you need to know before traveling

The Faroe Islands - sheep, grass - travel
Here's what you need to know before traveling to the raw and idyllic islands of the North Atlantic.
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Tips for the Faroe Islands: 8 things you need to know before traveling is written by Jens Skovgaard Andersen.

Faroe Islands - Green Mountain, tips for the Faroe Islands - travel

What do you need to know when traveling to the Faroe Islands?

Every trip starts with good planning and when to travel to Faroe Islands, it pays to be well prepared. It is of course an advantage for us Danes that the vast majority in the northern part of the Commonwealth speak quite excellent Danish, and in that way there is always help to be found if something is teasing.

The Faroe Islands are to that extent a country where nature sets the agenda, and at the same time the islands are both quite isolated from the mainland and quite sparsely populated. These factors mean that there are some things you need to be aware of before and during the trip.

Here are the most important tips for you before your trip to the Faroe Islands.

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Faroe Islands - views, shadow, tips for the Faroe Islands - travel

Weather tips for the Faroe Islands: Take all your clothes on every day

- "Which month is the best weather in the Faroe Islands?"
- “It's February; it only has 28 days of bad weather. ”

This is a local joke in the Faroe Islands, and there is some truth in it. The Faroe Islands are known for summers without much sun and winters without much frost. Most of the year is instead characterized by the Gulf Stream's mild climate combined with the Atlantic's heavy rainfall. Therefore, it is a really good idea to pack the right clothes before you leave.

And what are the right clothes? It's actually a bit of it all. Good hiking boots or hiking shoes, comfortable long trousers, thermal underwear, hat, rainwear and in general many layers that you can take on and off as the weather changes.

As they themselves say in the Faroe Islands: If you are dissatisfied with the weather, just wait 5 minutes - then it will change to something else.

The Faroe Islands are rocky islands that rise dramatically from Atlantichavets dark blue deep, and the weather can be markedly different depending on whether you are up in the hills, down in a valley, out on the coast or on one side or the other of a mountain.

Therefore, it pays to take all your clothes with you when you go on an excursion. Or at least a little for any kind of weather.

The Faroe Islands - Klaksvik, church, cathedral - travel

The closing law is alive - check in advance what is open

Nature and the seasons set the agenda in the Faroe Islands, and it is also a Christian country where the day of rest is remembered, so you can very easily find that some of what you want to visit is closed. The restaurants are not necessarily open every day, some of them open late in the day and others close early. It's nice to know so you do not go in vain.

In Thorshavn - or Tórshavn, as it is also spelled - there is a slightly greater chance of finding a place to eat if you hit a slightly skewed time. In the SMS shopping center in Thorshavn you will find, for example, both Burger King and Sunset Boulevard, both of which are open on Sundays.

At the gas stations Effo and Magn you will usually also find a selection of fast food, as we know it from home, so it is worth keeping in mind, especially when you are around the islands away from Thorshavn.

Some of the country's sights are only open when tourists are there, so check in advance if what you want to see is open while you are there. And feel free to book in advance so they know you're coming.

Faroe Islands - Vágar, bod - travel

Explore the grocery store and build a small store

Uden food and drinks the journey is not suitable, and this is also the case in the Faroe Islands. Since it can be difficult to find a restaurant when hunger strikes, it is a really good idea to build up a small store and take a packed lunch on a trip when you have to experience the islands.

The supermarkets in Thorshavn, for example, have about the same as we are used to from home, and you can also easily find something for the packed lunch at the slightly smaller grocery stores. Start your vacation by taking a trip shopping so you know you can make it on that front.

Some items are surprisingly expensive compared to in Denmark, and others cost exactly the same. A tip is to go for what is on offer, and then otherwise supplement up with the delicacies that you absolutely can not do without - even if they cost twice what you are used to. Rye bread and chips, for example, cost significantly more than in the Danish supermarkets, while bananas may somewhat surprisingly cost the same. Go exploring on the shelves and also remember to get some local specialties in the basket.

Out in the countryside and in the small settlements you can come across small self-service stalls with the completely local specialties. It should definitely be tried, but it is not certain that there are enough goodies for a whole meal in the stall.

Faroe Islands - Aries - Travel

Bring alcohol from home

When you land at the Faroe Islands International Airport, you walk through the duty-free shop on your way to the baggage claim and exit. However, the vast majority do not just walk through the store; they shop alcohol on the road.

The sale of alcohol in the Faroe Islands takes place in the same way as in Sweden, where you have to go to special monopoly stores to buy alcoholic beverages above a certain alcohol percentage. It is relatively expensive and requires you to hit within the opening hours, so therefore most travelers have a load of drinks for their own consumption with from the airport or where they travel from. Remember to check the import rules before entering.

Of course, you can get alcohol in restaurants and bars, so it does not have to be the pure holiday if you forget to shop when you land.

In Thorshavn you can, for example, get a free bar in local beer and cider for up to four hours for 100 kroner at the bar Glitnir in the center. Ask the local young people - they usually know all the good deals.

The Faroe Islands Torshavn travels

Share both the experiences and the expenses - saving tips for the Faroe Islands

To make the most of your time Faroe Islands, then it is a good idea to rent a car and take advantage of the freedom a car provides. As you know, the weather does not always play a part, and it is nice to be able to experience some of the islands road trip with a roof over your head and with the flexibility that a car provides.

The roads are really good, the signage is good, and at the same time the Faroe Islands are famous for the impressive tunnels that boats pierce through the mountains and take you dry-shod underwater from island to island. Some of the tunnels cost money, which is collected digitally, and in one of the new underwater tunnels there is even a roundabout 73 meters below havet. Just take an extra trip around if traffic permits; the roundabout itself and the decoration is an attraction in itself.

The easiest way is to rent a car at the airport when you land. Then you can get running right away. The prices of car rental are a bit high, so a tip is to find someone to share the expense with from home, if possible.

When you are at the airport on the island anyway Vágar, so consider taking a trip around the island immediately if the weather is good. Some of the important sights - the almost flying lake Sørvágsvatn and the waterfall Múlafossur - located right near the airport. The tunnel over to Streymoy, where Thorshavn is located, costs money to drive through, so it pays to go around Vágar when you are there anyway.

To visit the westernmost island Mykines on the journey, then Vágar is also the obvious starting point for this. The ferry to Mykines sails from Sørvágur a few kilometers from the airport.

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Faroe Islands - Saksun, houses - travel

Living together - small things are good in the Faroe Islands

Sharing the cost of car rental also makes good sense when you need to find a place to stay in the Faroe Islands. The competition between accommodation is not so great, and there is good money to be saved if there are several of you living together. And then of course it's nice too.

That the Faroe Islands are a small community is also reflected in the way you live. If you book accommodation privately through eg Airbnb, you will often find that the space can get a little cramped. Especially if you go for the cheaper alternatives. You might as well get used to it and take it as part of the experience. The great experiences take place outdoors, and then you can settle for a little less when you are indoors.

A tip from here is to check out the small cabins and rooms you can rent out in the villages and on some of the smaller islands. It is a very special experience to wake up far from other people and - apart from the ubiquitous sheep - have the idyllic surroundings all to yourself.

Right by the waterfall Múlafossur For example, you can live in small cabins with grass on the roof, which will be quite affordable if you have more to share.

Here is a good offer on flights from Copenhagen to the Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands - Saksun, panorama - travel

Much is free and everything is beautiful

Large parts of the Faroe Islands' beautiful wild nature can be found on privately owned land. This means that the owner makes sure to keep the area neat, clean and accessible, and they sometimes take a little for that. In many places, the owner has also built toilets and set up tables and benches so you can enjoy the packed lunch in a civilized setting.

Thus, some of the most popular hiking areas and sights cost admission, and it pays to have some cash on you. Do not be intimidated by the fact that something costs money. It goes to keep the place beautiful for both you and those who come after. Nature experiences such as those offered by the Faroe Islands, you can still not put a price tag on.

If you want to avoid having to pay admission, then there are plenty of other places to go. The big plus in the Faroe Islands is that it is beautiful all over. Whichever way you go driving, wandering or bicycles, then it is a feast for a nature-loving soul. Follow one of the country roads to where it ends and you will be greeted by idyll, which is simply hard to describe in words.

From Thorshavn there are some of the obvious and popular routes to the settlements Gógv, Tjørnuvik og Saksun at the end of each country road, but just let the curiosity lead you out the end of the road.

Find a great deal for accommodation in Thorshavn here

The Faroe Islands - Thorshavn, Tórshavn, Thingsnes - travel

Top tips for the Faroe Islands: Be spontaneous and be flexible

Planning is the alpha and omega when traveling to a country like the Faroe Islands. But the most important thing is that plan to be spontaneous and to plan with elastic in the form. Check the weather and conditions and experience what makes the most sense on the day.

If it pours down when you wake up, take a trip to the swimming pool, museum or anything else that does not require outdoor activity. And when the weather, in turn, stays dry, then it's just about getting going and experiencing what requires dry weather. You never know how long it will last, and you never know if it will also be dry weather tomorrow.

The tip is therefore: Make a gross list of what you would like to experience on the islands, and take it in the order the weather allows. It is nature, which decides on the Faroe Islands, and that is what does Faroe Islands to such an amazing travel country.

Get many more travel tips for the Faroe Islands here - even about traveling in a wheelchair

About the author

Jens Skovgaard Andersen, editor

Jens is a happy travel nerd who has traveled in over 60 countries from Kyrgyzstan and China to Australia and Albania. Jens is educated in China Studies, has lived in China for 1½ years and is a member of the Travel Club. He has extensive experience with the travel world as a tour guide, lecturer, advisor, author and photographer. And of course most important of all: As a traveler. Jens often goes to places where it is also possible to watch a good football match in the company of other incarnated fans and has a special fondness for Boldklubben FREM, where he sits on the board. For most people it is obvious to look up to Jens (he is barely two meters tall), and then he is a 14-time champion in the TV quiz Jeopardy and still single, so if you can not find him out in the world or on a football stadium, you can probably find him out touring in the Copenhagen quiz environment.

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