Fancy somewhere with more rainfall than the UK? No, we’re not joking. Wet days in the out-on-a-limb Faroe Islands are ten a penny, but then so are soaring fjords, Viking-horned mountains, mist-cloaked islands and dragon-scale ridges straight from the pages of a fantasy novel.
That’s all to say this is a destination that really wows at every turn. The same is equally true of its capital, Torshavn, where narrow cobblestoned streets, black-tarred houses and sod roofs conjure up a backdrop for the most magical Nordic city break you’ve never had. New flights from Gatwick this summer will make getting there a whole lot easier and, if you need any more persuasion, there are attention-grabbing restaurants and bars as memorable as anywhere. Truly, this is a city that gets into your senses. Just don’t forget your raincoat.
48 hours in Torshavn — at a glance
Day 1
• Morning: Visit Tinganes
• Lunch: Bitin
• Afternoon: Faroe Islands National Museum
• Drink at: Paname Café
• Evening: Torshavn Cathedral and harbour stroll
• Dinner: Katrina Christiansen
Day 2
• Morning: Kirkjubour
• Lunch: at a private home
• Afternoon: Mulafossur waterfall
• Drink at: OY Brewing
• Evening: Live music at the Nordic House
• Dinner: Roks
What to do
● Used since Viking times, Tinganes is the location of one of the oldest parliaments in the world — it looks a bit like the House of Commons, if designed by Noddy and Big Ears, with bright red walls and a turf-green roof. Politicians and locals still live and work in the surrounding warren of Reyn, the oldest district of the city, so snoop respectfully. Just south, on the shore, is an ancient Viking sundial etched into stone (free; government.fo).
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● Tjodsavnid, also known as the Faroe Islands National Museum, is a repository of Nordic culture. Inside there are whale bones, boats, Viking trinkets and Vogue-worthy traditional outfits and flowery gowns. And that isn’t the best of it — a short walk outside is Hoyviksgardur, an open-air farm that tumbles you back through time. Likewise, up the coast, Vid Air is a former whaling station and part of the museum’s wider, nation-defining story (entry to all three £10; tjodsavnid.fo).
● When the sun is out a harbour stroll along the marina is the answer. Here you can soak up plenty of sights — fishing warehouses repurposed as galleries, a flotilla of yachts and trawlers, Torshavn Cathedral and a bronze of the national hero and poet Nolsoyar Pall — in less than half an hour.
● You need a rental car to see the Faroes at its most memorable, so start today on the sky-reaching road west, past hunched mountains and fortress-like islands, to Magnus Cathedral in Kirkjubour. It’s only a 15-minute drive, but the exposed walls and arches of the medieval ruin feel suspended in time. Legend has it that dinky St Olav’s Church opposite was built in Norway then hauled here by boat (free).
● Incredible waterfalls are so frequent in the Faroes that they quickly lose novelty their value. But not Mulafossur in Gasadalur, an hour’s drive from the city centre (or 15 minutes from the airport before you leave). With eyes transfixed by the silvery curtain you will feel sharpened by the spray and wind, and can count numerous bird species, including angel-winged gannets.
● Trolls and fairies are mainstay Nordic stereotypes, but Faroese architects have done little to dispel those myths at the Nordic House — with a rolling grass roof and cave-like interiors, it could almost be a hideout for elves. Regular concerts and folkloric shows are held here, while the café has views across the lawns all the way to the island of Nolsoy (free; nlh.fo).
Where to eat and drink
Bitin
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The pitch at this pretty-as-pie downtown café is new-style Nordic smorrebrod, or “butter bread”. But what that actually means is half-dressed sandwiches layered with all sorts of expensive toppings, including seasoned mutton, hand-peeled shrimp or sherry-cured herring (from £6; bbitin.fo).
Paname Café
This is a city with more brewers and start-up distilleries than you might expect, and it’d be rude not to join in. Sample a few drinks at this popular hangout beautifully brought to life with paintings, posters and old books — perhaps, a Foroya Bjor, brewed with seaweed, or a dry gin made with eight types of marine algae (drinks from £3; paname.fo).
Katrina Christiansen
The Faroese go for restaurants that wouldn’t have looked out of place 200 years ago — all stone walls, wooden floors, granny furniture and candlelight. There’s Aarstova for lamb, Raest for fermentation and this Faroese-Spanish mash-up in a former general store that’s bursting with character. Ready to pounce on bluefin tuna sliders or chimichurri steak? Book in advance as you won’t be the only one (five courses for £57; en.katrina.fo).
Heimablidni
This isn’t a restaurant or café, but a community-supporting “come dine with me” experience, with the action centring on a home-cooked meal with strangers at one of about 20 different locations (heimablidni translates as “home hospitality”). In true Faroese tradition there will likely be fermented lamb, maybe also garden veg or foraged seaweed, and it’ll be served in a cosy living room over musings on music, dance and more (from £40; visitfaroeislands.com).
OY Brewing
Back in Torshavn, walk uphill past the Torsvollur national stadium to OY Brewing, a tap room and craft beer warehouse that is refreshingly on trend. It serves kimchi burgers and pulled pork (from £8), but you’re here for the beer, the tourist-free tables, the ad hoc gigs and the Faroes at its most fashion-forward (drinks about £7; oy.fo).
Roks
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Lock up your pilot whales and puffins — the Faroese still enjoy eating both (best cured and roasted, apparently), but you won’t find either on the menu at this seafood bistro slap-bang in the middle of town. It’s the little sister of two-Michelin-starred Koks (temporarily relocated to Greenland; reopening next year), but the fishy dishes — such as crispy cod skin, snow crab with onion butter and razor clam tartare — keep the place rolling. And, frankly, what a place to finish (six courses for £75; roks.fo).
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Where to stay
Hotel Hafnia
In the heart of the city
There’s no problems with location here — most guests shuttle between the restaurants that bookend the same street and, unlike at the other hotels here, it has a palpable city-centre buzz. Rooms come with the right amount of cool, with wardrobes, murals and Smeg minibars, and there’s a nightly wine hour for those fond of a free snifter (B&B doubles from £92; hotelhafnia.com).
Hotel Foroyar
Edge-of-town resort
Up here — way up here, overlooking the whole city, in fact — Hotel Foroyar is an outlier in terms of location and feel. It’s the closest that Torshavn has to a full-scale resort, with a restaurant, bar and spa, plus each of its 100-odd rooms have sea-to-sky views. It’s also far enough from the centre (it’s a 20-minute downhill yomp into town) that sheep roam the grounds (B&B doubles from £120; hotelforoyar.com).
Havgrim Seaside Hotel 1948
Boutique charm on the seafront
“I do like to be beside the Faroese seaside,” sang no one ever. But that’s the USP of this quaint boutique hotel, with a grand-spanking view of the moshing North Atlantic (feel its blast when opening your window). It once housed Royal Danish Navy commodores, hence the nautical theme, and there’s a garden hot tub and daily afternoon tea, while a morning dip off the rocks is always on the menu (B&B doubles from £235; havgrim.fo).
Getting there
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Fly to Vagar airport with Atlantic Airways from Gatwick (June to August) or Edinburgh (April to October; from £137 one way; atlanticairways.com).
Getting around
Torshavn is a 45-minute drive or bus trip from Vagar airport. The city is compact, but hire a car to venture beyond the centre (from £45 a day; justdrive.fo).
Mike MacEacheran was a guest of Visit Faroe Islands (visitfaroeislands.com) and Regent Holidays, which has three nights’ B&B in Torshavn from £720 (regent-holidays.co.uk)
Are you a fan of the Faroes? Let us know in the comments below
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