Faroe Islands in August 2026

Solar Eclipse 2026 in Iceland

We booked a flight from New York to Vágar in the Faroe Islands but used Icelandair's "Stopover" to give ourselves four days in Iceland ahead of the total solar eclipse. Upon our arrival, we picked up our camper van from Happy Campers and drove up to the Westfjords. We had previously reserved a camping spot at Rauðsdalur on the coast of Breiðafjörður. Because of the uncertainty around expected crowds for the solar eclipse, we arrived a few days early to secure our camping spot for the event. We spent two beautiful days relaxing, but on the third day low-hanging clouds and the occasional light rain rolled in. Although this prevented us from seeing totality with the solar corona and Baily's Beads, we still had a spectacular experience. 

Arrival in the Faroe Islands

The following morning we drove back to drop off our camper van and spent the evening in Keflavík before our flight to the Faroe Islands the following day. We arrived at Vágar Airport the following evening and headed straight to Tórshavn for our dinner reservation at Áarstova.

Vágar

We began our first full day in the Faroe Islands on Vágar, in the west. We drove from our place in Tórshavn to the Trælanípan Trailhead in the village of Miðvágur. The Trælanípan Trail is a two-and-a-half-hour hike that takes you down to lake Sørvágsvatn, then up to the scenic Trælanípa viewpoint famously known as "The Lake Above the Ocean". Trælanípa itself is a perpendicular cliff that drops straight down into the ocean. The lake also drops off into the ocean at Bøsdalafossur Waterfall, a short walk away.

At the conclusion of our hike, we drove a short distance to the village of Bøur. This picturesque town is known for its grass-roofed houses and views of Tindhólmur and Drangarnir.

Lastly, we drove up to the remote village of Gásadalur. It's home to the Múlafossur Waterfall, a famous 100-foot waterfall that drops straight into the ocean. During the summer, puffins and other seabirds nest in the surrounding cliffs. 

Streymoy

The next day, we explored the island of Streymoy, the largest and most populous of the country's eighteen islands. Our first stop was the sandy beaches in the village of Leynar. A short drive north, we stopped in the small village of Kvívík, which was settled by Vikings. Near the seaside, you'll find the excavations of an original Viking farm.

Our next stop was Tjørnuvík, the island's northernmost village. This picturesque village is situated deep in a valley. The drive to the village means driving along a three-mile, single-lane road. Timed stoplights manage traffic at both ends. When you arrive, you can see views of the Risin og Kellingin sea stacks from the beach, and the surrounding area is especially scenic. The village is full of quaint grass-roofed houses.

Afterward, we drove to Saksun. Along the way, we stopped at Fossá, one of the Faroe Islands' highest waterfalls. Saksun is another picturesque town surrounded by soaring mountains. In Saksun, we planned a four-mile hike that depended on the tide being low. At low tide, you can walk along the sea floor, through the inlet to the ocean and back. Along the way, you're surrounded by fabulous mountains and beautiful scenery.

Kalsoy

We woke early the next morning and drove from Tórshavn to Klaksvík to catch our 8:00am ferry to Kalsoy. A single-lane road from the port village of Syðradalur to the northernmost village of Trøllanes. We took the first bus after leaving the ferry and arrived in Trøllanes thirty minutes later. Trøllanes is the start of the Kallur Lighthouse Trail, a three-and-a-half-mile loop up to the Kallur Lighthouse and the In Memory of James Bond monument. The views are breathtaking, with your pick of sheer cliffs, rolling hills, or the vast North Atlantic Ocean. From the top of the trail, you can see sights from across the Faroe Islands, like the village of Gjógv and Risin og Kellingin on the island of Eysturoy, as well as Kunoy and Vidoy islands. The hike itself was about an hour and a half round trip. 

After a bit of a wait, we hopped back on the bus and stopped in the village of Mikladalur. In Mikladalur, a statue is dedicated to the Seal Women, a local legend of the Selkie. We finally hopped back on the bus, returned to the port village of Syðradalur, and caught the ferry back to Klaksvik. On both rounds of this drive, we drove around Jellyfish Roundabout, the world's first undersea roundabout.

Eysturoy

The following morning we started our day in Tórshavn and explored the downtown area for the first time. We started with a coffee and pastry breakfast at Paname Café before walking around the harbor and stopping at Tinganes. This historic location was where parliament met during the Viking age since around 825 AD. It is one of the world's oldest parliamentary meeting places. We also visited a few local shops and did a little shopping. 

In the afternoon, we explored Eysturoy island, driving up to the village of Eiði, where we started our hike of Eiðiskollur Cliff. This hike starts mostly flat and marshy but rises steadily until you reach the plateau, which flattens out. From atop Eiðiskollur, you can look down on the Risin og Kellingin rock formation on the far side and the village of Tjørnuvík, which we visited a few days earlier on the other side. Looking outward, you'll see the great expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean. This hike was around three and a quarter miles and took about one and a half hours round trip. 

After the hike, we drove to the village of Gjógv, with a quick photo stop for more shots of Risin og Kellingin. The drive to Gjógv climbs high above the fjords and then winds back down, revealing spectacular views. Gjógv is the northernmost village on Eysturoy Island. Its highlighting feature is a stunning 200-meter-long gorge. This is the same village we could see from the Kallur Lighthouse trail on Kalsoy the day before. From Gjógv, you can look up and across at the stunning cliffs and see both the Kallur Lighthouse and the James Bond monument, but the view as a whole really gives you a sense of the cliffs' scale. In town we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Gjaargardur Guesthouse before returning to Tórshavn.

Sandoy

Once again, we started mourning in downtown Tórshavn doing some final shopping and a quick lunch at Bitin, a Scandinavian sandwich shop. In the afternoon we drove south to Kirkjubøar on the southern tip of Streymoy. In Kirkjubøar are Kirkjubøar kirkja / Ólavskirkjan and Magnus Cathedral. Kirkjubøar kirkja, or Saint Olav's Church, is a medieval church built before 1200, making it the oldest church in the Faroe Islands. Magnus Cathedral is a ruined cathedral that began construction around 1300. It's unclear whether construction was ever completed or if it fell into disrepair over the years. The nearby farmhouse, Kirkjubøargarður, dates back to the 11th century.

Afterward, we drove over to the island of Sandoy and stopped in the towns of Húsavik in the south and Skopun in the north.

Borðoy & Viðoy

On the final day in the Faroe Islands, we drove around two of the last Islands you can access by car, Borðoy and Viðoy. In Borðoy we stopped by Múli, a virtual ghost town, for a short hike with a lookout over toward Viðareiði on Viðoy. In Viðareiði, we hoped to spend some time in the picturesque town, but light rain and low-hanging fog obscured many of the views. That evening in Tórshavn, we enjoyed some beers at Mikkeller before our final dinner at Michelin-recognized ROKS.