Ferries to the Faroe Islands
Ferries to the Faroe Islands
There is only one ferry company operating routes to the Faroe Islands: the Faroese Smyril Line. This company provides services connecting Iceland and Denmark to the Faroe Islands, with a stopover in Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands.
Routes:
- From Hirtshals (Denmark) to Torshavn (Faroe Islands) and Seydisfjordur (Iceland)
The MS Norröna ferry, operated by Smyril Line, travels this route in both directions.
Map: crossings to Faroe Islands
Ferry Travel to the Faroe Islands
If you’re planning to travel by ferry to the Faroe Islands, you’ll sail on the MS Norröna, the largest ferry serving the region. This cruise ferry operates between Hirtshals (Denmark), Torshavn (Faroe Islands), and Seydisfjordur (Iceland).
Ferries from Denmark to the Faroe Islands
- This route is the most logical option for travellers from mainland Europe or the UK.
- The ferry from Hirtshals to Tórshavn takes about 31 hours on the summer timetable (June to early September) and about 42 hours in spring, autumn and winter, when the ship sails a slower schedule.
- Tórshavn is served all year: one sailing a week, plus a second Hirtshals to Tórshavn sailing on Saturdays in summer. The Iceland leg only runs from mid-March to late November, and the ship is out of service for about three weeks in late January and February.
- The ferry can accommodate approximately 800 vehicles and 1,500 passengers.
- This option allows you to bring your car, making it convenient for extended trips.
- Note: It is not the most common way to travel to the Faroe Islands but is highly practical for those travelling with a vehicle.
From the UK
No ferry has sailed from Britain to the Faroes since Smyril Line dropped its Shetland and Scottish calls in 2008. By ferry it is a two-leg trip: a North Sea crossing from Newcastle, Hull or Harwich, then about ten hours’ drive to Hirtshals at the top of Denmark. The full Norröna timetable by season, and what the ship is like on board, is in our ferry to Iceland guide, which covers the same sailing.
Ferries from Iceland to the Faroe Islands
- If you’re travelling from Iceland, you can board the MS Norröna in Seydisfjordur, located on Iceland’s east coast.
- The journey to Tórshavn takes about 16 hours in summer and 20 hours in spring and autumn, always overnight. There are no sailings from Iceland between late November and mid-March.
- The ferry provides a variety of onboard activities to keep you entertained during the trip.
Our take
The Norröna only makes sense if you have a car, at least two weeks, and ideally Iceland on the same trip: from Britain you are looking at two nights at sea and a day and a half of driving before you reach Tórshavn. For a week on the Faroes without a car, fly. If you do take the ship, book the summer sailings early, because the cabins sell out long before the car deck does, and plan the Danish leg so you sleep in or near Hirtshals the night before; check-in is early and the drive from the Dutch ports is longer than it looks on the map. We have not sailed the Norröna ourselves yet. The times above are Smyril Line’s, and the Iceland guide is where we keep the full timetable updated.
On board
About the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands, also known as the ‘Faroes’ is a Northern Atlantic Island group located between Iceland and Scotland. The Faroes are an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. You can travel by plane or by ferry to the Faroe Islands. The MS Norröna is the ship that brings you from either Denmark or Iceland to the Faroes, to Tórshavn to be specific. On the website of the Faroese company Smyril Line, the owner of the MS Norrona you can book various vacation or combi packages (package tours) to the Faroe Islands.
You can take your car, camper or motorbike to the Faroes by ferry and see the islands at your own pace. The Faroe Islands offer endless beauty with staggering wonders like the dramatic steep mountains, large green valleys, the small picturesque villages, distant churches and of course the cutest bird on the planet: puffins.
The Faroes are 18 volcanic islands, most of them linked by road tunnels and bridges, so a car gets you almost everywhere.
Useful for travellers to Iceland
Tips for ferry travellers
If you want to travel to the Faroe Island there are also alternatives, maybe not regular connections but I know many people that want to visit the Faroe Island jump on the ferries/cruises from Hurtigruten. You do have to make some kind of deal though as you don’t want the full cruise experience for ~ $10.000.
https://www.hurtigruten.com/en-gb/expeditions/cruises/faroe-islands-iceland-spitsbergen-island-hopping-in-and-around-the-arctic-northbound-2022/
We only know about the port to port connections from Hurtigruten that you can book individually. (https://global.hurtigruten.com/port-to-port/) We are currently working out a plan to add them to the website but this won’t be easy at all as we don’t want to add routes without much bookings. Faroe Island is not in the Port to Port finder, did you actually make a booking to the Faroe Islands on a port to port basis? Would be super interesting!