Faroe Islands, Denmark

Did you ever get any information on the Faroes from any other sources?

I have always been fascinated by these islands even since i saw them from 35,000 ft when flying from Europe to the US many years ago.

I am thinking of stopping by here next summer when traveling between Iceland and Edinburgh. My research indicates that Atlantic airways is the only one that serves the islands. Also, their flights to Edinburgh only go out to Dec. - hoping this will get extended - else will have to drop this since I don't want to backtrack.

Faroe Islands maybe under Norway or Danish. Not sure. I have been to the Shetland Islands (which is under Scottish rule). My ancestors (3rd great grandfather) came from the Shetlands. I found relatives and looked up genealogy in 2010. But back to the Faroes.... There is a cruise with Norwegian lines that sails in the month of September. I am seriously thinking about going on that cruise in 2017. It includes Copenhagen, Bergen, Shetland, Favroe, Iceland, Scotland and Dublin, then back to Copenhagen.

Happy travels
Kim

The Faroe Islands are indeed a part of Denmark, but are self governed. Denmark are only responsible for things such as defense, police and foreign policy.
you might want to check out the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum for more feedback on the Faroes: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-scandinavia-the-nordics/faroe-islands

Thank all
My initial curiosity was because you can fly there pretty cheap from Iceland, but the flight is only Monday to Monday. So I'd have to stay an entire week. They look like a week could be fun there, but maybe not.
;-)

Wanted to post a quick update. I did additional research yesterday after posting my question.

Atlantic Airways flies to/from Reykjavik on M, Tu, F and to/from Edinburgh on M, F - at least for the timeframe I was looking at (Jul-Aug 2016). Airfares seem to be ~$140-150 for each leg. I noticed it is slightly cheaper to book a multistop ticket (EDI-FAE-KEF) than to book the two legs separately.

I have also looked at the Thorntree forum. They have been my go to reference for off the beaten path destinations for many years. I only posted the question here to see if anyone on this forum had first hand experience. Surprisingly, the LP guidebooks (both Denmark, and the Scandinavia ones) don't have much on the Faroes. The Denmark one has no reference while the Scandinavia one has all of 1 page on the Faroes. I know that there is a Bradt guide dedicated to the Faroes but none of the local libraries in my area seem to have it.

I did find the official Faroe island tourist guides on the internert for all of the last few years. Here is the link to the 2016 guide
http://issuu.com/visitfaroeislands/docs/tg2016_uk

I was in Klaksvik on a cruise ship stop. There was enough to fill up the 7-8 hours I had on shore, mostly hiking. The sail in and out was scenic. From there we cruised to Reykjavik. We stopped at Lerwick in the Shetlands before the Faroes and there was much more to see and do there that one day would allow.

We spent nearly a week there around May 1. Absolutely spectacular and off the beaten path. We were there on business/leisure. A rental car is a necessity. From Torshavn it's an easy drive to various spectacular scenic spots. Torshavn is worth a couple of hours but as a small town it's quite easy to use as a base--it is also the capital and largest city. The Faroes are a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark. They have their own currency linked to the Danish kronor. However, they are not part of the E.U. If we had been there later we would have toured the bird cliffs on the western side of the islands. I would also like to take a helicopter tour to the outlying areas of the islands. This is exceptionally inexpensive. The biggest drawback is perhaps the weather which is highly unpredictable. Fortunately for us it was absolutely gorgeous the whole time we were there. I'm not sure I would call it a gourmet's destination but you should be able to get good seafood there.

Thanks everyone - sorry for the delayed response - I was in . . . . well . . . Europe. ;-)
Your input is all a great help.
I'll see if I can add the islands to my next trip - Iceland!
Thanks again!

Hi,

We went to the Faroe Islands summer 2014. Took a ferry from Denmark to Iceland with a stop over for 2 1/2 days on the Faroe Islands. Worth a trip!

We live in Germany and took our car to Iceland via the ferry. Last summer & this summer. Love both Iceland and the Faroe Islands! Both are worth your time.

Happy travels!

Christina

Spent a week in the Faroes with hubby and a friend in 2001 so my advice might be out of date. If you enjoy nature and spectacular scenery, then it is a fantastic destination.

We travelled around by public transit with a reasonably priced weekly pass that covered all buses, ferries and postal boats. The helicopter fares were extra but not expensive and highly recommended for the experience and amazing views! We visited cities of Torshavn and Klaksvik, as well as the islands of Vidoy, Kalsoy, Svinoy, Vagar and Mykines.

Aside from the helicopter rides, my favourite experiences included riding the postal boat to Kalsoy and walking through a 2.2 km long, perfectly straight tunnel without a flashlight, just aiming for the slowing growing speck of light at the far end. Also hiking to the lighthouse on Mykines (population 18!) and sitting for a long time watching the birds and the sea. I couldn't bear to eat the puffin on the menu at the guesthouse after that 🙂 We had the lucky misfortune of a delayed helicopter departure due to mechanical issues. The local woman who came out to the pad to inform us, invited us back to her home for tea with them family as we waited.

Christina and Maggie, Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies. Photos on the internet can often be deceptive and I love getting first hand accounts. Adding Faroe islands to my much growing list. Thanks again, Victoria