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Faroe Islands
  • Nathaniel Stott
  • Anne Archambault
  • Nathaniel Stott
  • Anne Archambault

Faroe Islands

A trip to the rugged Faroe Islands. We're also taking some time in Copenhagen and around Denmark and Sweden. Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 9, 2026
    Faroe Islands

    Welcome to Copenhagen!

    March 10 in Denmark ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Landed at the airport in Copenhagen after a short hop from Amsterdam. Already we’re seeing characteristic Scandinavian design and beloved hot dog stands!

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    A walk around Nyhavn

    March 10 in Denmark ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    It was a beautiful sunny day in Copenhagen today, with a bit of fog. The weather was cool, which was perfect for shaking off the afternoon jet lag with a walk around Nyhavn and the opera house. Honestly, it’s already pretty hard not to fall in love with the vibe of this city.Read more

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    Sankt Peders Bageri

    March 11 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Cardamom buns are the happening pastry in Copenhagen and we had to try one. This place happened to be asking our morning walk and the cardamom buns were out of this world incredible.

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    Smørrebrød

    March 11 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    In Copenhagen, smørrebrød (literally "butter bread") is more than just a sandwich—it’s a national icon and a culinary art form. While its origins are humble, it has evolved into a sophisticated dining experience that defines the Danish lunch.

    What is Smørrebrød?
    At its core, smørrebrød consists of a single slice of dense, dark rugbrød (sourdough rye bread) slathered with a thick layer of butter or animal fat. This sturdy base is then piled high with various toppings (pålæg). Unlike a standard sandwich, smørrebrød is always eaten with a knife and fork, as the elaborate construction makes it impossible to pick up by hand.

    Endless Variety
    The variety is nearly endless, but the "architecture" of a piece follows traditional rules of balance between fat, acid, and texture. Popular variations include:

     Fish: Pickled herring (in curry, mustard, or plain), fried plaice with remoulade, or gravlax with mustard sauce.

    Meat: Dyrlægens natmad ("the veterinarian's midnight snack") featuring liver pâté, salt beef, and onion rings, or roast beef with crispy onions and horseradish.

    Vegetarian: Potato slices with chives and radishes, or deep-fried breaded mushrooms.
    The "Star": Stjerneskud (Shooting Star), a lavish pile of both fried and steamed fish, shrimp, and caviar.

    Why It’s Popular in Copenhagen
    Smørrebrød remains the heartbeat of the city's food scene for several reasons:

    Cultural Heritage: It’s a direct link to Denmark’s agricultural past, where farmers needed a hearty, portable lunch.

    The "Hygge" Factor: Traditional lunch restaurants (frokostrestauranter) offer a cozy, timeless atmosphere where meals are lingered over with a cold beer and a shot of snaps (Akvavit).

    Modern Revival: Copenhagen’s "New Nordic" movement has revitalized smørrebrød. High-end spots like Schønnemann or Aumanns use seasonal, local ingredients to turn these open-faced sandwiches into gourmet masterpieces.    Read more

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    Frederiks Kirke

    March 11 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Commonly known as Marmorkirken (The Marble Church), this massive copper-domed landmark sits directly on the axis of Amalienborg. While it looks like an ancient Roman monument, its history is defined by financial ruin and a century of abandonment.

    King Frederik V laid the foundation stone in 1749 as part of his grand plan for the Frederiksstaden district. The original architect, Nicolai Eigtved, envisioned a structure made entirely of Norwegian marble. It was meant to be the crown jewel of the city—a soaring Baroque monument to the Oldenburg dynasty.

    The project was a financial disaster almost immediately. Within 20 years, the skyrocketing costs of imported marble and the death of the King led the government to halt construction in 1770. For the next 124 years, the church sat as a hollow, weed-grown "Marble Ruin" in the middle of Copenhagen. It became such an eyesore that several plans were proposed to demolish it or turn it into a gasworks.

    The church was only finished in 1894, thanks to C.F. Tietgen, a powerful Danish industrialist and financier. He bought the ruins from the state on the condition that he would finish the church at his own expense.

    However, marble was still too expensive. To save money, the upper sections were completed using Danish limestone and painted to look like marble. The massive dome, inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, was clad in copper, which has since developed its signature green patina.    Read more

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    Amalienborg Palace

    March 11 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    In 1748, King Frederik V launched the development of Frederiksstaden, a new district intended to showcase the Enlightenment ideals of symmetry and elegance. The center of this district was the octagonal square of the Amalienborg Palace.

    The four palaces surrounding the square were originally built for four high-ranking noble families (Moltke, Levetzau, Brockdorff, and Schack). The Crown only moved in after the primary royal residence, Christiansborg Palace, burned to the ground in 1794. The King liked the "temporary" arrangement so much that the monarchy never truly left.

    Architectural Symbiosis
    The square is considered one of the finest examples of Rococo architecture in Europe. If you look closely at the facades, they are identical, creating a sense of total uniformity. This was a deliberate move to project stability and order.
    The equestrian statue of Frederik V in the center is equally significant. Modeled by the French sculptor Jacques Saly, it cost more than the construction of one of the palaces themselves. It depicts the King as a Roman emperor, positioning the Danish monarchy within a long lineage of European power.

    Unlike the sterile museums of Versailles or the Hofburg, Amalienborg is a functioning residence.

    Some fun facts:

     The Colonnade: Notice the wooden Ionic colonnade connecting the Moltke and Schack palaces. It was built as a "temporary" bridge in 1794 so the King could cross between his guest rooms and his offices without getting his feet wet. It remains a permanent fixture of the square today.

    The Guard's Uniform: The blue trousers and bearskin hats of the Royal Life Guard date back to the 1600s. While the "Changing of the Guard" is a spectacle, the guards are active-duty soldiers with live ammunition; the ceremony is secondary to the actual security of the monarch.

     The Chimneys: You can often tell which palaces are occupied by the smoke rising from the chimneys, a low-tech signal that the Royal family is "in" during the winter months.    Read more

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    The Little Mermaid…

    March 11 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    It’s a tourist favorite. Yes, we went to see the statue of the little mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen’s books.

    But Copenhagen has a bunch of fun, and unexpected, sculptures around.

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    Nyboder

    March 11 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Constructed by King Christian IV in 1631, Nyboder was one of the world’s first examples of large-scale social housing. It was a strategic military project designed to house the sailors of the Royal Danish Navy and their families in a permanent, disciplined community close to the Holmen naval base. By offering free housing, the King ensured a loyal, hereditary class of sailors who were literally "on call" the moment a war broke out.

    The district functioned as a self-contained "state within a state," complete with its own hospital, schools, and police force. While the iconic "Nyboder Yellow" facades we see today were adopted in the late 1700s, the rigid, grid-like layout remains a testament to 17th-century military order.

    Today, these cramped, low-slung cottages are a preserved time capsule of maritime life, still largely reserved for those connected to the Danish Ministry of Defence. Indeed, we were sitting in front of a member of the Danish Air Force on the plane to Copenhagen who is currently living in one of the Nyboder cottages.    Read more

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    Bøur

    March 12 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Bøur is one of the oldest settlements in the Faroe Islands, with written records dating back to the 1300s. Its historical significance lies in its role as a strategic vantage point overlooking the dramatic islet of Tindhólmur and the sea stacks of Drangarnir. The village is a rare, intact example of traditional Faroese spatial planning, where the cluster of black-tarred, grass-roofed houses (býlingar) remains squeezed between the steep mountainside and the rocky shoreline.Read more

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    Trøllkonufingur

    March 13 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Trøllkonufingur (witch's finger or troll woman's finger) is a 313 m (1026 feet) tall monolith on the southeast side of Sandavágur.

    Legend has it that Trøllkonufingur is the finger of a witch that came to throw Vágar island to Iceland. When she went to the sea south of Vágar, the sun rose, and she was turned into stone and fell into the ocean. The back of her head is Koltur island.

    Only 11 people are known to have reached the top. The latest successful climb was in 2016.    Read more

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    Bøur, take 2

    March 13 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Better weather, nicer light, and learning from our visit yesterday impelled us to return to Bøur for some more photography.

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    Múlafossur

    March 13 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Múlafossur is perhaps the most famous image of the Faroe Islands; a 30-meter plume of freshwater dropping directly into the North Atlantic. For travelers, however, its most compelling history isn't the view, but the fact that until very recently, it was one of the most isolated spots in Europe.

    The village of Gásadalur, which sits just behind the falls, was historically unreachable by road. Hemmed in by two mountains exceeding 700 meters, residents had only two options for contact with the outside world: a treacherous boat landing at the base of the cliffs or a grueling hike over the 400-meter-high mountain pass to the town of Bøur.

    This mountain trail was the official Postman’s Route. Until the tunnel was blasted in 2004, the village postman would make the trek over the peaks three times a week, carrying mail and supplies on his back. By the early 2000s, this extreme isolation had nearly turned Gásadalur into a ghost town, with the population dwindling to just over a dozen residents as younger generations left for easier lives.

    Economically, building a multi-million dollar mountain tunnel for 16 people is almost impossible to justify. However, Múlafossur had become the international face of the Faroe Islands. Its image was being used globally to promote tourism, yet it was one of the most difficult places in the country to actually reach. The waterfall's fame provided the political and economic leverage needed to justify building a tunnel, providing access to three waterfall and saving the town.    Read more

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    Bøur, take 3

    March 14 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    What can we say, the weather changes often so sometimes you just want another photo of the same thing.

    But I think the quality of the light makes this set the winner.

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    Trælanípa and Sørvágsvat

    March 14 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌬 6 °C

    The highlight of Vágar island is the hike to Trælanípa and the photograph of the “floating lake.” Sørvágsvatn, the largest lake in the archipelago, appears to "float" hundreds of meters directly above the North Atlantic.

    The lake itself is actually only about 30 meters above sea level. The "floating" effect is a massive optical illusion created by the sheer, 142-meter vertical wall of Trælanípa (the Slave Cliff). When viewed from the southern ridge, the steep elevation of the cliff hides the small gap between the lake's edge and the ocean, making the water look as though it’s perched precariously on a high plateau.

    The name Trælanípa translates literally to "Slave Cliff," and its history is as brutal as the landscape. It dates back to the Viking Age, when the Faroe Islands were a Norse settlement. Legend (and local oral history) maintains that this was the site of execution for "unserviceable" slaves—those who were too old, ill, or rebellious to work. They were purportedly pushed off the 142-meter precipice into the crashing surf below.

    At the end of the lake, the water exits via the Bøsdalafossur waterfall. This is a rare geological feature where a freshwater lake spills directly into the ocean.

    In proper Faroe Islands form, there was sun and several rain squalls while hiking, making for dynamic and dramatic conditions including several rainbows, driving rain, and 40mph wind gusts!    Read more

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    A little aurora…

    March 14 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ☁️ 5 °C

    The aurora came out to play last night. This photo is from the porch at our accommodation. When we drove out to try and get better photos the clouds rolled in and the aurora disappeared 🙁

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    Trøllkonufingur: Take 2

    March 15 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Another visit to the Witches finger later in the day to get better light. The threat of rain was ever present behind us but we were lucky to get a beautiful clearing in the weather.

    This is probably going to be a theme in the Faroe Islands, visiting the same spot multiple times to find the right weather and light combination.Read more

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    The Nix

    March 16 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    According to Feroese folklore, the Nix lives in water and has his dwelling down at the bottom of the lake, though frequently he comes up on land.

    However, beware the Nix! He lures people to pet him by appearing as a beautiful horse who is kind and tame. But once you touch his tail, you are permanently altached to him and he will drag you off to his home at the bottom of the lake.

    Legend has it, that one evening some children from the village of Servag were playing by the lake. Suddenly, the Nix approached them in the shape of a big horse and the excited children climbed onto his back. As soon as they were seated, the horse went for the lake.

    The youngest child who could not get up onto the horse, was frightened and called out for his brother Niklas, who sat stuck on the horse.

    The boy called out "Nika brother!" for he had not yet learned to properly say his brothers name yet. The Nix thaught his name had been called and immediately lost his magical grip on the children and disappeared; so the children were saved.

    So if the Nix tricks you into touching him, remember to call his name so he loses all his enchanting powers.    Read more

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    Sigmundur Brestisson Memorial

    Sandvik

    March 17 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌬 7 °C

    Located at the northern tip of Suðuroy, Sandvík is a place where Faroese history is written in blood and basalt. While it’s a quiet village of roughly 70 people today, it served as the backdrop for the most pivotal betrayal in the Viking-age Færeyinga Saga.

    The village’s most famous "resident" was actually a fugitive. In 1005, the Viking chieftain Sigmundur Brestisson—the man who forcibly introduced Christianity to the islands—swam from the island of Skúvoy to Sandvík to escape his rival, Tróndur í Gøtu.

    Exhausted and nearly dead, he washed ashore at a narrow gorge now called Sigmundargjógv. He expected sanctuary but found only greed; a local farmer named Tórgrímur Illi ("The Evil") discovered the weakened chieftain and decapitated him for the gold ring on his arm. A memorial to Sigmundur now stands in the village, marking the end of the man who fundamentally changed the archipelago's faith.

    Sandvík is also a study in resilience. In 1349, the Black Death reached the village and was so devastating that every single inhabitant was killed. The valley sat completely empty for nearly five centuries, used only for grazing, until it was finally resettled in 1816.

    Even its name has a restless history. For a time, it was called Hvalvík ("Whale Bay"), but the name was officially changed back to Sandvík in 1913. The reason was purely practical for a remote island: residents were tired of their mail being mistakenly sent to a different Hvalvík on the island of Streymoy.    Read more

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    Froðba

    March 17 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌬 7 °C

    An afternoon walk around Froðba to see a sea cave and the ever present sheep.

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    Lopra and the "Floating" Ocean

    March 18 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌬 7 °C

    A dramatic viewpoint over the town of Lapro. It turns out Trælanípa isn't the only place on the Faroe Islands where you can create an optical illusion of a body of water floating hundreds of meters above the ocean. But both bodies of water in the first photo are the ocean.Read more

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    Akraberg Lighthouse

    March 18 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    The Akraberg Lighthouse stands at the southernmost tip of Suðuroy, marking the literal end of the Faroe Islands.

    While the current tower dates to 1899, the headland’s history is defined by ancient isolation and the violent geography of the North Atlantic.

    The lighthouse was commissioned in 1899 to navigate one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the North Atlantic. Just five kilometers south of the cliff lies the Munkurin (The Monk), a massive sea stack that serves as the graveyard for countless ships. The currents here are notoriously unpredictable, caused by the meeting of the Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea.

    The white cylindrical tower was a feat of late 19th-century engineering, built to withstand hurricane-force winds that frequently crest the 65-meter cliffs. Until the mid-20th century, the lighthouse was a staffed station. A lighthouse keeper and their family lived in the small houses on-site, effectively reviving the ancient "settlement" at the edge of the world.

    During World War II, the British military occupied the headland, recognizing its strategic importance for monitoring the North Atlantic. Later, during the Cold War, Akraberg became a key site for a high-powered LORAN-A (Long Range Navigation) station and a radio transmitter. The massive masts that once stood here were visible for miles, serving as a modern, invisible "lighthouse" for aircraft and submarines until they were eventually dismantled.    Read more

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    Hiking Rávan

    March 18 in Faroe Islands ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    An unexpected hike to the summit of Rávan. The views over the western cliffs of Suðuroy were magnificent, 1500 feet of sheer cliff to the water below with lots of nesting fulmars flying about. Sunny, windy, and rainy, we got a full taste of the rugged north Atlantic.Read more

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    Ásmundarstakkur

    March 19 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌬 7 °C

    Ásmundarstakkur is a 97-meter-high sea stack that serves as a monument to the extreme Atlantic erosion shaping the Faroe Islands. The stack is a sanctuary for thousands of puffins and fulmars, though March is too early for puffins we saw plenty of fulmers performing aerial acrobatics on the wild wind currents coming off the cliffs.

    There are plenty of great viewpoints to see the sea stack but the most impressive involves crossing one of the most vertigo-inducing structures in the archipelago.

    The bridge is a narrow, wooden-planked structure reinforced with steel cables, spanning a deep, vertical chasm that separates the main island from a smaller coastal plateau. Historically, this wasn't built for hikers or photographers; it was a utilitarian tool for Faroese farmers.

    For centuries, sheep were manually hauled across this gap or lowered down the cliffs to graze on the isolated, lush ledges of the sea stacks. The bridge allowed farmers to access these precarious "satellite" pastures without performing a full-scale climb every time they needed to check their livestock.

    The bridge is all about sheer exposure. It is only about a meter wide, with simple wire railings, suspended over a void where the ocean surges hundreds of feet below. In the Faroe Islands' unpredictable winds, the bridge can vibrate or sway and the wind can gusty suddenly and violently enough to push you around. This is "unfiltered" Faroese hiking.

    Crossing the bridge leads you to the Rituskor cliffs. From this vantage point, you get a profile view of Ásmundarstakkur and the surrounding basalt columns. The history here is tied to fleyging (traditional bird catching). Men would be lowered down these exact cliffs on ropes to catch seabirds with long-handled nets, a vital food source in the centuries before the islands were connected by modern supply chains.    Read more

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    Fámjin

    March 19 in Faroe Islands ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    Nestled in a natural amphitheater on the west coast of Suðuroy, Fámjin holds a sacred place in Faroese national identity. While the village is home to fewer than 100 residents, it serves as the permanent home of the original Faroese flag, known as Merkið ("The Mark").

    The flag was designed in 1919 by three Faroese students in Copenhagen: Jens Olivur Lisberg, Janus Øssursson, and Pauli Dahl. At the time, the Faroe Islands were under strict Danish administration, and the creation of a unique flag was a radical act of peaceful defiance. Lisberg brought the first hand-sewn prototype back to his home village of Fámjin, where it was first hoisted on June 22, 1919.

    For decades, the flag remained an unofficial symbol of Faroese independence. It wasn't until April 25, 1940, during the British occupation of the islands in WWII, that the British military officially recognized Merkið to distinguish Faroese fishing vessels from those of Nazi-occupied Denmark. Today, the original, weathered flag is preserved behind glass inside the Fámjin Church (built in 1875).

    Sadly, the church was locked while we visited 😕    Read more