How to get to Faroe Islands: airports, flights and border crossings

Vágar Airport (FAE) is the single airport serving the Faroe Islands, on the island of Vágar west of Streymoy. Almost everyone arrives here. The terminal is small: one baggage belt, a car rental desk and a bus stop outside.

From the airport it is roughly a 45-minute drive to Tórshavn, using the sub-sea tunnel from Vágar to Streymoy. A public bus meets many arrivals, and rental cars can be collected at the airport. If you are heading straight to the capital, allow an hour door to door.

The runway sits in a valley and fog and wind do close it; build a spare day into the trip if you have a fixed onward flight.

There are no long-haul flights to the Faroes. Everyone connects, usually through Copenhagen, and the final hop to Vágar is short. The table gives the flying time of that last leg plus a typical total journey from each region; the totals are estimates and depend on your connection.

Atlantic Airways is the main carrier into Vágar, with seasonal services from a handful of Nordic and UK airports. Schedules are thin outside summer, so book early for June to August and check whether your route operates on the day you need.

Smyril Line runs a car and passenger ferry to Tórshavn from Hirtshals in Denmark and from Seyðisfjörður in Iceland. It is the only scheduled international sea route and the practical way to bring your own car without shipping it.

Crossings are long — often a night or more — and sailings are not daily, so the ferry suits travellers with flexible dates rather than a fixed weekend. Cabins book out in summer. Check the current timetable and vehicle rules directly with the operator before you commit.

The Faroe Islands are not in the EU or the Schengen area, even though Denmark is. That means a Schengen visa or a Danish entry stamp does not automatically cover the Faroes, and the passport and visa rules are set separately. Check your own nationality's position before booking, and carry your passport for the flight or ferry even on an intra-Nordic route.

There is no land border to cross: the islands are in the North Atlantic and you arrive by air or sea only. On arrival you clear a normal passport check at Vágar or at Tórshavn harbour.

Cards are accepted almost everywhere, so you need little cash on day one; the Faroese króna is at par with the Danish krone. Pick up a local SIM or eSIM if you want data without roaming charges, and sort travel insurance that covers the activities you plan, since weather can cancel ferries and flights.

If you land late, staying the first night near Vágar or in Tórshavn is simpler than driving far in the dark. From Tórshavn, tunnels and ferries reach most of the islands, so the capital is the natural base for a first trip.