Faroe Islands Travel Forum

a couple of days ago, just by accident, and absolutely unexpectantly I came across some pictures of the faroe islands - and I FELL IN LOVE IMMEDIATELY!!!

since then I have done a lot of research concerning culture, language, history, geography etc. (the wikipedia article was a good way to start. very informative and appeared to me to be very profound)

I also began research on how to get there cheaply from berlin/germany. unfortunately I need to travel on very restricted budget :=((

I found out that I could fly to bergen and take the ferry to torshavn. the dates that seem most suitable for me would get me to torshavn on monday, sept. 1, very early in the morning, departure would have to be saturday sept. 6, late afternoon.

my questions:
is this a good time to travel to faroe islands? or would late spring (may) be better?

I am looking for cheap accommodation: need a dry roof over my head, a bed would be nice, can bring my own sleeping bag, access to a bathroom and preferrably a coffee machine or else some place near to get hot coffee in the morning :=. anything else would be optional.

would like to meet local people, get to know the faroyan way of life (and language) well, I know, in less than a week I will hardly get a glimps.

how would I get around on the islands? could I rent a scooter or small motorbike?

I am an experienced and enthusiastic horseback-rider. Is there anyway to take say day-trips on horseback on the islands? maybe even the possibility to get accommodation on a farm? (I do not mind picking up a shovel or a pitch-fork and do a good share of work)

hoping for answers

christina

thorshavn has a youth hostel where you can stay cheaply.

i would think twice about driving a scooter or a motorbike on the faroe islands as it's a very windy and wet place and you could easily be blown off the road by the heavy winds.

Hi, Christina!

My wife and I went to the Faroes last June. Early September should be OK, but whenever you go, be prepared for it to be cold, windy, and wet. Here are a few helpful links:

- The ferry from Bergen: http://www.smyril-line.com . Couchettes and private cabins are available from what I understand.

- You can also fly to the Faroes on Atlantic Airways from Norway, Denmark, the UK, and Iceland. Tickets are sometimes rather expensive, but you can sometimes get a good deal if you book well in advance. Check out www.atlantic.fo for details.

- As Claus mentioned, there is a hostel in Tórshavn, the Kerjalon Hostel (website: http://www.hotelforoyar.com/index.asp?pID=%7bAC6BDB24-3E4A-4123-99BE-A52EA6BD05CC%7d). We stayed there and it was just fine. The only drawback is it's a rather long uphill climb from the town. Beautiful views, though. A sleeping bag will save you on sheet rental (Kr 65). As for coffee... there is a kitchen for guest use. Maybe this could work if you bring/buy your own coffee and a French Press. If all else fails, there's a good coffee shop that opens at 7AM weekdays across from the bus station (about a 20-30 minute walk from the hostel).

- Another budget option is the Bládýpi Hostel, which is more centrally located. Check out http://www.bladypi.fo/Default.aspx?ID=83 . Note that both of these hostels forbid alcohol and tobacco.

- With all of the wind and rain, I wouldn't recommend a motorbike or scooter. There is a decent bus and ferry system that will get you most places in the Faroes without too much difficulty. Take a look at http://www.ssl.fo for details.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!

Mark

Hi!

I lived on the Faroe Islands for 20 years. You just have to see it. The landscape is fantastic.

I travel to the faroes again this year. may-june I think is the best time to go there. In the late summer its often very wet and foggy, but late spring/early summer (nay-june) is a very good time to see it.

You can fly to the faroes every day. The Ferry to the islands sails once every week from denmark/norway/Iceland/scotland.

Flight time 2 hours.
Sailing: 36 hours.
(From denmark)

Maybe look at www.thefaroeislands.info. This site guides you to everything a traveller needs.
To get cheap acommodation, look at /acommodation/holiday homes/ apratments. Maybe you can stay at a faroese family, and get to know them? Faroese people are very friendly and love to show you the islands.

Horseback riding i popular on the islands. Find info on the site.

Flight prices are almost the same all year. About 600$ both ways
Ferry tickets vary from
120$ one way (lowest/winter sept-may);
180$ one way may-june, aug; and
240$ summer one way (summer june-aug)

ksolberg

Hello!

If you can, I highly recommend buying a tent, and camping in the Faroes.. Faroese people are very friendly, and it's ok to just set up your tent (provided it's not in the center of town or anything haha.. and this is the opinion of several locals I met + my experience) anywhere for a night, and explore.

Buses are pretty cheap in the Faroes, but my advice to you is to hitch-hike. This is probably the easiest and safest place to hitch-hike, even if you are a woman and might not want to because of that. Faroese people are welcoming, friendly and helpful. Hitch-hiking is also a great way to meet local people =)

Certain towns have cheap places to stay, but in many places there is NO WHERE to stay, except your tent, if you're a tourist..

Feel free to send me any message if you have any other questions - I could talk about this magical place for hours =)

Joseph

THANKS A LOT FOR ALL THE HELPFUL INFO I GOT.
I have decided to travel in early june.
I will take the bus ("berlinienbus") from berlin to copenhagen and back (only 44 euros roundtrip) and fly from there to the faroes (atlantic airways, about 240 euros roundtrip)
I will stay at the youthhostel near the airport (about 20 euros/night) and have arranged for a horsebackriding trip near torshavn.
Will pack a warm sweater and rainjacket.
I'm confident, that it will be a great experience.
THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR INPUT:
christina