Here's some background info on Faroe Island. It is a territory of Denmark. It has its own currency which is pegged to Denmark's at 1:1, so they can be used interchangeably.
Faroe Island also has its airline, Atlantic Airways, with 3 narrowbody aircrafts that operate on few routes out of Faroe Island. On the way back to Copenhagen, I had a chance to try out this little airline and shall post a review then.
As expected, Faroe Island has a small airport terminal building, similar to Longyearbyen. I believe only Atlantic Airways and SAS fly here. Surprisingly, it actually has a rather big sized duty free shop selling alcohols and such. On both arrival and departure, all passengers are routed through the shop, presumably to encourage sales.
Being small, there are limited seating areas in the arrival or departure areas, so it's best not to arrive too early.
Faroe Island, though a small territory, is well served by an extensive network of buses between and within the islands. Bus 300 serves the airport and Torshavn, the main city on Faroe Island. It's schedule is published on a stand at the Visitor centre at the arrivals area. Unfortunately, it is timed to meet, not all flights, but only Atlantic Airways flights. Having arrived on an SAS flight from Copenhagen, I had to wait over an hour for the next bus.
I can't remember whether there is wifi at the airport though. The cons of delaying my trip review. Haha! Anyway, I simply had a seat by the airport door and just people-watch. Throughout that time and in fact for the days I'm there, I'm one of the very few Asian tourists. Something that I'm getting used to it by now, having been places such as Easter Island, Chile, the Baltic States and Macedonia.
Finally, the bus 300 arrived punctually. The bus ticket is purchased directly from the driver upon boarding, either cash or credit card. And it's a scenic, 45 minute trip to Torshavn.
After alighting at the bus terminal, my guesthouse is a 10 minute walk away. I shall review this accommodation in a subsequent post.
The bus terminal is also where the ferry terminal and the harbour is, right in the middle of Torshavn city.
I was on the island for three days. I arranged for tours through the helpful receptionist in the guesthouse.
The first day was a free day for me to simply wander around Torshavn.
On the second day, I visited VÁGOY on a half day tour.
On the third day, I explored the Vestmanna Birdcliffs on a sightseeing boat. This required me to make my own way to Vestmanna to board the boat. Fortunately, the bus network is extensive and it simply involves a change of buses 100 and 300 at a petrol station bus stop.
When the big bus 300 reaches the stop, the minibus 100 is already waiting. No less than 5 seconds after I alighted bus 300, I was already on bus 100. The bus drivers had ensured that the bus doors are aligned to minimize exposure to the cold elements. Haha!
This shopping mall also has a supermarket, good for stocking up snacks at affordable prices. There are convenient stores around Torshavn too.
With that, I walked back to my guesthouse, collected my luggage from inside the receptionist office and rested an hour or two in the empty communal area. There are toilets and showers conveniently accessible even after checking out for the day. Soon, I made my way to the bus terminal to board bus 300 back to the airport for my flight to Copenhagen to continue on my tour.
In conclusion, a very, very satisfying trip to the exotic Faroe Islands!
Faroe Island also has its airline, Atlantic Airways, with 3 narrowbody aircrafts that operate on few routes out of Faroe Island. On the way back to Copenhagen, I had a chance to try out this little airline and shall post a review then.
As expected, Faroe Island has a small airport terminal building, similar to Longyearbyen. I believe only Atlantic Airways and SAS fly here. Surprisingly, it actually has a rather big sized duty free shop selling alcohols and such. On both arrival and departure, all passengers are routed through the shop, presumably to encourage sales.
Being small, there are limited seating areas in the arrival or departure areas, so it's best not to arrive too early.
Faroe Island, though a small territory, is well served by an extensive network of buses between and within the islands. Bus 300 serves the airport and Torshavn, the main city on Faroe Island. It's schedule is published on a stand at the Visitor centre at the arrivals area. Unfortunately, it is timed to meet, not all flights, but only Atlantic Airways flights. Having arrived on an SAS flight from Copenhagen, I had to wait over an hour for the next bus.
Faroe Island airport bus timing
I can't remember whether there is wifi at the airport though. The cons of delaying my trip review. Haha! Anyway, I simply had a seat by the airport door and just people-watch. Throughout that time and in fact for the days I'm there, I'm one of the very few Asian tourists. Something that I'm getting used to it by now, having been places such as Easter Island, Chile, the Baltic States and Macedonia.
Finally, the bus 300 arrived punctually. The bus ticket is purchased directly from the driver upon boarding, either cash or credit card. And it's a scenic, 45 minute trip to Torshavn.
After alighting at the bus terminal, my guesthouse is a 10 minute walk away. I shall review this accommodation in a subsequent post.
The bus terminal is also where the ferry terminal and the harbour is, right in the middle of Torshavn city.
I was on the island for three days. I arranged for tours through the helpful receptionist in the guesthouse.
The first day was a free day for me to simply wander around Torshavn.
On the second day, I visited VÁGOY on a half day tour.
On Faroe Island, sheep outnumber people. Much like on Svalbard, whether polar bears outnumber people.
The waterfall
Unique grass-roof houses
A church
And of course, beautiful views at every turn. It's often raining on the Faroe Island, so this is the usual weather.
On the third day, I explored the Vestmanna Birdcliffs on a sightseeing boat. This required me to make my own way to Vestmanna to board the boat. Fortunately, the bus network is extensive and it simply involves a change of buses 100 and 300 at a petrol station bus stop.
When the big bus 300 reaches the stop, the minibus 100 is already waiting. No less than 5 seconds after I alighted bus 300, I was already on bus 100. The bus drivers had ensured that the bus doors are aligned to minimize exposure to the cold elements. Haha!
Vestmanna harbour
A museum in the ferry building. I didn't go in as the ticket price is over my budget.
Having a reasonably priced coffee while waiting for the boat.
I'm the only customer at the cafe
About the sightseeing boat. I felt that it is simply too small for the number of tourists. I'm not even sure if it had exceeded capacity on that day. There is not enough seats for everyone and I had to stand the entire time on the boat. I would have preferred a seat though, having paid for the boat trip just like everyone else. So hopefully they could upgrade to a bigger boat or limit the number of passengers. This is perhaps the only negative I encountered on Faroe Island. Not enough to dampen my mood though, as the scenery more than made up for it😉
There were many puffins spotted on this boat trip. Of course, the majestic cliffs are great too. This is the reason why a small boat is used on this trip, so it can traverse through the tiniest holes among the cliffs.
On the return, bus 100 has a stop near the harbour. Fortunately, it's a short wait in the cold. There is no bus shelter here, though they could consider building one since I presume there might be many tourists going for the boat trip.
At certain times of the day, bus 100 actually goes all the way back to Torshavn, so there's no need for a bus transfer.
I alighted at the sms shopping mall, the only one on Faroe Island. Within walking distance of the Torshavn bus terminal and the harbour.
I was surprised to find burger king doing business here. Probably the only fast food on Faroe Island. In comparison, there are none in Svalbard. The menu features the usual for any burger king outlet. Anyway, I gladly paid the high price for a meal here. This is Europe after all.
This shopping mall also has a supermarket, good for stocking up snacks at affordable prices. There are convenient stores around Torshavn too.
With that, I walked back to my guesthouse, collected my luggage from inside the receptionist office and rested an hour or two in the empty communal area. There are toilets and showers conveniently accessible even after checking out for the day. Soon, I made my way to the bus terminal to board bus 300 back to the airport for my flight to Copenhagen to continue on my tour.
In conclusion, a very, very satisfying trip to the exotic Faroe Islands!
