Getting around
Getting Around the Faroe Islands: Tunnels, Buses, Boats
The eighteen Faroe Islands behave, for a traveller, like two groups. The main islands are joined by roads, bridges and subsea tunnels into one network that can be driven or travelled by bus; the outer islands are reached by ferry and, for the people who live there, by helicopter. Knowing which island falls into which group is most of what there is to planning transport here.
Updated 2026-09-19
Arriving: the airport on Vágar and the ferry from Denmark
The islands' airport is on Vágar, about 45 kilometres west of Tórshavn and linked to the capital by a subsea tunnel. Non-stop flights run all year from Copenhagen, which has the most frequent departures, and further routes connect other European cities, some of them only in summer.
The alternative is the sea. A car ferry from Hirtshals in northern Denmark calls at Tórshavn all year round, which makes it possible to bring your own car, and outside the winter months it continues to Seyðisfjörður in eastern Iceland. The crossing from Denmark takes well over a day, so it is a trip in itself rather than a quick connection.
Driving: subsea tunnels and the undersea roundabout
Four subsea tunnels carry the road network between islands: from Vágar to Streymoy, from Streymoy to Eysturoy, from Eysturoy to Borðoy and Klaksvík, and from Streymoy to Sandoy, which also brings the ferry to Skúvoy within reach. All four charge a toll. With a Faroese rental car, the tolls are settled through the rental company; with your own car, they are paid online, and the payment window and prices are set by the tunnel company, so check them when you arrive.
The Eysturoy tunnel is a sight in its own right. Its three tubes meet under the sea at the world's first undersea roundabout, built around a natural basalt column that was left standing when the tunnel was dug and ringed with a steel artwork of life-size human figures and changing light by the Faroese artist Tróndur Patursson. The two branches on the Eysturoy side surface on either side of the fjord, towards Strendur and towards Rókin near Runavík, which is why the tunnel joins two islands rather than three.
The rules are simple: 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on rural roads, headlights on at all times, and seatbelts for everyone. Outside the main routes, many roads and some tunnels are single-lane with passing places, and sheep roam freely beside and sometimes on the road, so speeds are lower than the limits suggest. In winter the main roads are cleared of snow, but check the road authority Landsverk's driving conditions before crossing the mountain roads.
Buses and ferries without a car
The national transport company runs large blue buses between the airport, Tórshavn and the larger towns, with smaller buses and ferries on the quieter routes. A multi-day travel card covers bus and ferry travel across the network except the Mykines boat, and the operator publishes suggested day trips by bus and ferry from Tórshavn. Services on the quieter routes run infrequently, so a car gives more freedom over when you reach a trailhead, but a trip based on the public network is entirely possible.
In Tórshavn itself, the red city buses of Bussleiðin are free for residents and visitors alike, on five routes that all meet at Steinatún square. Ferries serve the islands the road network does not reach, among them Kalsoy, where a small car ferry crosses from Klaksvík to Syðradalur and a local bus timed to the boat runs up the island, and Mykines, whose boat leaves from Sørvágur on Vágar.
Helicopters: islanders first
The helicopter service is subsidised so that people can go on living on the more remote islands, and it is mainly reserved for residents and their supplies. Visitors can book a standard flight one way only, never a round trip. In the peak season, Atlantic Airways also runs dedicated sightseeing tours, which are the way to see the islands from the air.