After my brief excursion to the majestic Copenhagen, I am heading to another area that belongs to Denmark—the Faroe Islands. The rugged landscape of the Faroe Islands comes at a high price. At least in my iteration.
Table of Contents
New letters
I already encountered the Nordic language in Copenhagen. But now I have a few new letters to learn, which will come up more often. I haven't quite mastered the correct intonation yet either...
Travel plans
The Faroe Islands are not particularly large, but I still had quite a bit of difficulty planning the route. Most of the islands are connected by tunnels, and four of these tunnels require a toll. This is described below.
I still want to save as much of my budget as possible, and these four tunnels became my chess pieces. But as already mentioned, there is nothing cheap in the Faroe Islands. I opted for a small rental car and the price for 10 days was pure pain...
Let's stick to the point, I wanted to give myself enough time and therefore decided on 10 days; in retrospect, I could have easily managed with 8 days (potential savings).
I spent the first 2.5 days on the island of Vágar. For two activities, I had to book a fixed day with a meeting point.
After a short hike on the third day, I headed to the capital of the Faroe Islands, Tórshavn. In addition to the main island of Streymoy, I also explored Sandoy.
I dedicated the sixth and seventh days to the island of Eysturoy. This island probably has the most beautiful hikes.
On the eighth and ninth days, I headed north and as a final treat, visited the island of Kalsoy.
On the tenth day I returned to the airport and continued on to the land of fire and ice – Iceland. Formerly also part of the Danish Kingdom.
Toll tunnels in the Faroe Islands
Here is a brief overview of the toll tunnels.
100 DKK ~ 13,40€ (August 2025)
250 DKK ~ 33,40€ (August 2025)
That's why I wanted to drive through these tunnels only once, ideally.
Vágar
Anyone flying to the Faroe Islands starts their journey on the island of Vágar. It's probably the smallest airport I've ever visited. There's just one runway and a total of three gates – gates, not terminals! So, everything is pretty straightforward. That's why everything went quickly. A little tip: although the Faroe Islands belong to Denmark, they are not part of the EU roaming area, so if your cell phone is not eSIM compatible, be sure to buy a prepaid card from the information desk (starter package 197 DKK - Føroya Tele).
Once everything is done, you can turn left immediately after leaving the airport and walk a short distance to the rental cars. Check-ins for all providers are in the building. I got my rental car from Carrent, which is a subsidiary of Sixt With Sixt you pay more, but you get a German contract – irrelevant for me. Besides, I didn't rent the car directly from Carrent but booked it through Guide to Faroe Islands. I was short on time and they had a smaller and cheaper car available.
I wanted to save as much money as possible, that's why I didn't take any insurance whatsoever. The roads are good in the Faroe Islands, so everything turned out fine for me. Nevertheless, you should be aware of the risk. I also got an almost brand-new car with around 6,000 km on the clock. I took my time inspecting it and photographed every little scratch and dent. Of course, the new car immediately had a display error – “Check Electric System” was the warning. This Renault Capture needs to be reset by the manufacturer. But everything was known in advance and the car ran without any problems, it was just cosmetics.
Now that the procedure is complete, let's briefly talk about the weather. Apparently, I take the weather with me wherever I go. In New Zealand I got out in rain, in Copenhagen it was the same, and in the Faroe Islands I was greeted with sleet. August is generally one of the most stable months in terms of weather, but in the first two days I experienced all four seasons. A good sign right from the start.
Let's finally get to the first photo. The first destination was Gásadalur, or more precisely, Múlafossur Waterfall. The rain made it even more magnificent. Unfortunately, this magnificence was marred by a technical defect; more on that below. In addition, the many steps on asphalt in Copenhagen were not ideal for my left knee... But anyway, if you are in Gásadalur in the morning or evening, you may be lucky enough to see puffins at Sunset Point. The clown among birds, which unfortunately are becoming increasingly rare to see. Puffins can be found in northern countries from late May to mid-August. From the rugged Orkney Islands to the Faroe Islands and Iceland. During the day, however, they are mainly in the water, so you are more likely to see them in the morning or evening; better weather is also an advantage.
With a broken camera and wet clothes, I head to my first accommodation – Hostel GiljanesThere you can find many like-minded people. For a mere ~€13.50, you can get a place to pitch your tent. €13.50 is the absolute lowest price for a legally compliant night on the Faroe Islands. In New Zealand, the average price for a night in a tent was around €5 to €8. This price difference can also be seen in food prices, which are about 20-50% more expensive. I pitched my new tent on wet ground – more about my equipment here.I spent a lot of money on the tent and the price paid off on the first two nights. There was always plenty of rain and strong wind.
The next day I visited a well-known optical illusion in the morning. Trælanípan or better known as Lake above the Ocean. There, you must pay a hiking fee of 200 DKK at the café. I arrived shortly before the official opening time and was thus able to avoid the crowds. Most people visit between 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., so it's best to avoid these times. But be careful to always check the opening hours, as most places don't open until 9:00 a.m. and everything is open from 10:00 a.m. onwards. To get back to the subject, you have to walk for about 45 minutes on an easy path. With high hopes, I haven’t changed the lens yet. At the location, I tried for half an hour and had a brief moment when the data transfer worked and I was able to take this picture. Of course, it rained again...
Back at the car, I finally changed the lens and set off for the first tour. The Drangarnir Sea Arch is probably the most photographed motif in the Faroe Islands, and you must dig deep into your pockets for this view. My boat trip followed by a hike on your own, cost over 960 DKK, or about €130!!! For a 2-hour program. But since the Faroe Islands have been overrun in recent years, the residents should also benefit from it. Nevertheless, these are painful sums for me. The night was, of course, absolutely awful, and the weather was as bad as it was on my Kepler Track Great Walk in New Zealand. Only this time was the whole tent dry, except for outside.
The next morning, I was greeted by the sun and dried my tent as best I could before storing it. Then I headed to the Dunnesdrangar Sea Stacks.The next hike, which can only be done with a guide, costs 450 DKK, approx. €60.
After this sunny excursion, I'm off to the largest island – Streymoy. But first, a quick word about my camera problem.
Camera Problem
Unfortunately, my Sony Alpha 6400 has a contact problem and of course, has now started to malfunction in the Faroe Islands. When the data transfer from the lens to the camera doesn't work, I can no longer adjust my zoom and aperture. This renders the telephoto lens useless and I can only work with a fixed focal length. Fortunately, I have two of these lenses. However, my focal lengths are 12mm and 20mm wide-angle lenses. If I stand further away, it becomes difficult.
Without a reference, it may not be easy to understand, so here's a small example: Zoom in far with your cell phone camera and you should have a brief moment where the image is blurry. I have this blurriness throughout my zoom lens...
This is a big problem which happened at an unfortunate time during my trip. There is no dedicated camera shop on the Faroe Islands, at least I haven't found one and I won't be in Reykjavik for another 10 days, where I can buy a new camera for Iceland's wage level...
I am in a better financial position than I was in New Zealand and it is always my goal to only spend my own money when traveling. But I did not budget for this €1,250.
Streymoy
I spent the next three nights in a tent again, this time in the capital of the Faroe Islands. A night in a tent costs 120 DKK, or about €16. Be sure to book in advance at Tórshavn Camping! The office hours are an absolute joke, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.! But if you've booked in advance, you can pitch your tent without any problems. That's what I did, and luckily the inside of the tent stayed dry when I folded it up. But of course, all three nights were wet...
I spent the rest of the day exploring Tórshavn – a very unusual capital city. The next rainy morning, I first explored the historic town of Saksun, then headed to Tjørnuvik.
Sandoy
On the fifth consecutive day of rain, I head to a small neighboring island, which only became accessible by road in 2023; before that, the only way to get there was by ferry. Sandoy is somewhat different from the typical landscape of the Faroe Islands. The rugged cliffs and steep valleys are now much flatter and dotted with small lakes. As it was raining again and my knee was still hurting, this trip was relatively short and I explored Kirkjubøur in the early afternoon. There, the ruins of Magnus Cathedral attract everyone's attention.
Eysturoy
Unfortunately, the next morning I was greeted not by sunshine, but by the familiar rain. So I had to pack up a wet tent. On the plus side, I plan to spend the last four nights under a roof. Prices for a night's accommodation start at over €100... But before that, I'm heading to Oyndarfjørður to hike to Elduvik from there.
It's a beautiful trail along the cliffs, but you have to be very careful because of all the rain. There are a few places where you have to walk on very slippery rocks. When I arrived in Elduvik, it had stopped raining. This made the return trip much more pleasant after a short sightseeing trip. Once I reached the car, I headed back to Tórshavn, this time to The Bird Guesthouse.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything central on the island of Eysturoy, and Tórshavn isn't ideally located. I avoided the toll tunnel, which meant the routes were relatively long. I checked in and immediately hung up my tent in my room to dry.
On the seventh day, I set out for the top of Faroe – Slættaratindur. To my great gratitude, I woke up early in the morning to bright sunshine. What's more, my knee pain finally subsided. Everything was bound to go perfectly. And that's exactly what happened: the weather was beautiful all day and walking more than 20,000 steps was no problem at all. There is no hiking fee for climbing Slættaratindur.
The first half of the trail is very steep and also the most strenuous part. Shortly before the summit plateau, there is no clear path anymore and there are many possible trails, some more suitable than others. Watch out for loose rocks and strong winds. After this feat of strength, I quickly completed the Hvithamar Trailhead and later continued to Eiði. Of course, I took advantage of the weather and climbed the local mountain there.
The North
There is not too much left and now I head north to the Faroe Islands. The weather was perfect again, and I took the Klakkur Trail in Klaksvík to warm up. I wanted to stay at Hotel Norð, one night for 900 DKK, approx. 120€. Before flying to Copenhagen, I sent an email inquiry because there was no other way to book. Unfortunately, I never received a reply.
Therefore, I walked in wearing my dirty hiking clothes and didn't fit in. The other guests were all dressed up and holding glasses of champagne. Shortly afterwards, a waitress asked me why I was there and I explained my situation. As I had already guessed when I entered, a wedding was being celebrated and all the beds were fully booked. With my inappropriate clothing, I quickly left the hotel and unfortunately had nowhere to sleep.
That's why I had to skip Cape Enningberg. It would have been one of the most difficult hikes in the Faroe Islands. Cape Enningberg is a relatively vertical wall on the seaside and at 754 meters, is one of the highest vertical cliffs in the world. On the valley side, there is a beautiful S-curve and with the strong wind, it is a hike only for experienced hikers. But without a fixed place to sleep, it is definitely not possible.
Kalsoy
I saved a highlight for the last day of my exploration: the island of Kalsoy. The 25th James Bond film, No Time To Die, made it must-see. The charming lighthouse on the edge of the steep cliffs, the Seal Woman, and a good spot to watch the colorful puffins, as I said, a highlight of the Faroe Islands.
To get to this charming island, you have to take the ferry from Klaksvík. Apparently, cars are no longer transported by ferry, but this is absolutely no problem as the local bus service runs very frequently. It is best to book your ferry ticket in advance! I was traveling on a Sunday and the first ferry leaves at 10 a.m. After about 15 minutes, you arrive on the other side, where a bus is already waiting and you can buy a day ticket for 50 DKK.
From there, you can head to Trøllanes to set off for Kallur Lighthouse. You have to pay a hiking fee of 200 DKK (approx. €26.81) for this hike. Because a whole busload of people wanted to do this hike, I set a good pace and was the first to reach the lighthouse. Just as I unpacked my camera, thick fog rolled in, which didn't lift until noon... That's why I tried something new during post-processing.
But it's not just the solitude lighthouse that's a popular photo motif, but also the 007 memorial. This is where the James Bond I grew up with died. Daniel Craig was certainly not the best 007, but I still enjoyed the films and it's special to stand in front of this gravestone. Back in Trøllanes, I had to wait a little longer for the bus.
My next stop is Mikladalur and The Seal Woman. There is also a hiking trail from Trøllanes to Mikladalur, which was also an option. However, my left knee was a little sore from the day before yesterday. There is also a map showing the elevation profile, and on the last 475m of the trail, there is an elevation difference of 400m; just a casual gradient of 85% or >38°!!! (A 100% incline is 45° – arctan(45) = 1) Yeah, I don't think I would have taken this route even with a pain-free knee. For comparison, on the Grossglockner, there are sections with a 40° incline on our chosen route... After a relaxing bus ride, I walked down to the majestic statue. The Seal Woman a story of desire, ignorance and manslaughter, presented in oxidized bronze.
Since I had to wait a little longer, I strolled along the rocky beach and noticed some rapid wing beats in the distance. I saw the outlines of three puffins and watched them closely. During the day they are mainly in the water and this time the wind was really on my side. One puffin, which was simply floating on the surface of the water, was driven closer and closer to the shore and at a reasonably acceptable distance, I was able to take a moderately sharp picture. Unfortunately, due to my camera problem, I can't show you a better-quality image...
These were puffins spending their last days, perhaps their last day at their summer residence.
Back on the mainland I had to refuel my rental car, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that gasoline was only about €1.52 per liter (as of August 2025). A small measure of peace.
Conclusion & Expenses
What can I say, the Faroe Islands are a truly special destination. If you're lucky with the weather and book everything early, it's also a country that's worth seeing. It's just extremely expensive. My rental car for 10 days (smallest vehicle class) cost €1,171! And my total expenses came to over €2,656!!! I simply don't see enough value for this price. With this money, I could have lived in New Zealand for about 1.5 months. But if you have enough financial resources and want to visit a truly extraordinary country, the Faroe Islands will welcome you with open arms.
Here are my expenses. Information provided without guarantee.
As always, you can view more pictures in the gallery.
