HIKING IN THE FAROE ISLANDS

With an abundance of majestic routes to choose from, it is simply up to each individual where the first step starts. You’ll find that once you get off the beaten path on foot, the mountains and valleys will open up for you in marvellous and unexpected ways.

The Faroe Islands feel like a haunting melody from another time, a myth whispered by the wind”

 Chloe Berge, Reader's Digest, 2022

Hiking

Find your hiking trail

Guide to safe hiking
Bird watching, over the green cliffs of the Faroe Islands. Tourists capturing images.

Birdwatching

Hiking Fees & Restrictions

Take a hike

A short hike into the Faroese mountains affords numerous vantage points, overlooking awe-inspiring peaks in one direction and the dishevelled surface of the ocean in the other. 

One of the many unique features of the Faroe Islands is that you don’t have to go far to experience magnificent and untouched nature. Look around you. Take a few steps. Take a deep breath and listen. It’s all right there! 

Whether you’re an avid hiker or just beginning, chances are you have already experienced some of the benefits hiking offers. 

But just in case you’re new to hiking, coming back from a hiatus, or need a little inspiration, we’ve compiled some of the best tips & trails the Faroe Islands have to offer. Hopefully, these will give you some extra motivation to hit the trail. 

WHY HIKE IN THE FAROE ISLANDS?

  • Enjoy a fresh breeze of salt water blended with cool and lush moss on the rocks. 
  • THE VIEW: Rugged, sheer, harrowing; at every sight, a vast cliff or crooked spire can be seen rising out and falling out of the ocean.
  • Rich birdlife, dramatic seas, and rolling green hills as far as the eye can see.
  • The landscape, albeit spectacular & ruling, is surprisingly also rather flexible - meaning no matter the skill, age, or form, one can always find a path suitable to one's needs & be equally stimulated.

The Hiking Guide

Read or download the ‘Hiking in the Faroe Islands’ guide (in English) or download the older version of the hiking guide (in Danish or German).

We have hiked all over the Faroe Islands, seeking the most beautiful trails and sightseeing spots. Please be sure you are fully prepared by reading the hiking guide, which includes 23 hiking routes and essential practical information. 

Further, our Hiking Routes page offers inspiration for fully accessible hiking routes nationwide. The page lets you filter hikes by location, difficulty, length, etc. Click the box below to see our hiking routes.

Always have a plan B

While hiking offers endless benefits, the route's full potential may be limited if you are not prepared. Thus, we recommend that you review our list of necessities before hiking. A local guide will enhance your experience by providing a deeper understanding of hiking in the Faroe Islands and sharing insightful stories from present-day and historical local communities.

Read Also: Faroese tourism providers

Prepare to experience all four seasons in one day

Fauna and Cultural History

There are birds on many islands: Curlew, Snipe, Plovers, Oystercatcher, Skua, Great Skua, Raven and Crow. Sheep, geese and hares are also ordinary. In the outfield, you also get an idea of how the ancestors of the Faroese people lived and got by. Stone outhouses, boat houses, Teigalendi (old arable strips), peat fields, and Kráir (stone stores for peat) tell us how close people have lived to nature. You see old infield walls, drovers, sheep pens, sheep shelters, sheep houses and Fransatoftir (Frenchman’s Ruins, which are ruins of tiny houses where people took refuge from pirates in the old days).

FACTS ABOUT THE 18 ISLANDS 

  • there are 340 mountain-peaks
  • there are 481 outfields
  • expect a “Hey" {Hello} and a head-nod when you meet a fellow local hiker
  • is inhabited by 52.792 people
  • Records 845 sunny hours per year 
  • Have the first global subsea roundabout
  • City buses are free of charge 
  • Have a total of five traffic lights
  • Have unofficially the highest number of singer-songwriters per capita
Read Also: Birdwatching

Safety Guidelines

Related Feature

Guide to safe hiking

Related Feature

Guide to safe hiking

We have produced a ‘safe travel’ leaflet providing essential information about travel in the Faroe Islands. On the back page, you can fill out the information about where you plan to hike and when you expect to return. Leave the leaflet under your car's windshield or at your accommodation. That way, someone can notify relevant authorities should you not have returned by the time you have stated. The leaflet can be downloaded or picked up at regional information centres, car hires, on the Smyril Line ferry, and at Vágar Airport, among other places.

Looking for a local guide?

A local guide will enhance your experience by providing a deeper understanding of hiking in the Faroe Islands and sharing insightful stories from present and historical local communities.

Guide to Faroe Islands

Guide to Faroe Islands

Book experiences in the Faroe Islands through Guide to Faroe Islands.

Tórshavn
Drangarnir Image by hiking.fo

Hiking.fo

Hiking.fo - sustainable tourism in the Faroese nature.

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Photography tour with Ditte

Veingir offers travellers photography tours in the Faroe Islands with a local professional photographer and enthusiastic outdoor explorer.

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MARKA

Join a tour led by the farmer's daughter

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Böndur

Discover the heart of Faroe Islands with BÖNDUR, offering unforgettable tours

Streymoy

Photography Tour by Andrija

Explore the Faroe Islands through my customised photography tours.

Streymoy

Faroe Trekking

organises hiking tours, storytelling tours and pilgrimages in the Faroe Islands

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Heimdal tours

Release your inner Viking!

Streymoy

North Atlantic Travel

A curated & custom-made travel journey with an experienced agent

Eysturoy

GO LOCAL

all year round with exceptional knowledge of Mykines and birdlife

Tórshavn

Faroe Tales

Your Perfect Romantic Getaway

Tórshavn

Final things to consider

Hiking Restrictions

A few hiking routes in the Faroe Islands have implemented restrictions regarding access to the area and now require payment for walking. Please check if the route you plan to hike requires you to book a local guide or pay a fee. An overview of these locations can be found here.

Hiking Guidance

Keep informed about seasonal farming and hunting activities by contacting regional information centres.

Hare-Hunting Season

Please note that the hare-hunting season runs annually from 2 Nov to 31 December.

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