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Faroese ferries

Which islands need a ferry, and how often does it cancel?

Which crossings exist, which take cars, which sell out, and why you should never plan one on your last day.

7 min read Reviewed 30 August 2026
The short version
  • Several islands are ferry-only: Mykines, Kalsoy, Nólsoy, Hestur, Skúvoy, Fugloy.
  • Capacity, not schedule, is the usual problem — the Kalsoy ferry fills in summer.
  • Cancellation in wind is routine. Never make a ferry the last leg before a flight.

Tunnels have replaced some crossings but the ferry is still how you reach several of the most rewarding islands. Treat every sailing as provisional.

The crossings that matter

  • Tórshavn – Suðuroy: about two hours, takes cars, book ahead in summer.
  • Klaksvík – Kalsoy: short, takes cars, and the capacity constraint that ruins the most days.
  • Sørvágur – Mykines: summer season only, foot passengers, cancels frequently in wind.
  • Tórshavn – Nólsoy: short and reliable, a good half-day without a car.
  • Gamlarætt – Hestur, Sandur – Skúvoy, Hvannasund – Svínoy/Fugloy: small and infrequent.

The Kalsoy ferry takes a limited number of cars. In July and August the queue can exceed capacity and you will wait for the next sailing or be turned away. Going as a foot passenger avoids the problem entirely.

We do not know: Whether a specific sailing will run

SSL publishes timetables as web pages, not as a machine-readable feed. BEST cannot see live sailings, cancellations or remaining capacity, and does not pretend to.

The practical rule: build ferries in early, keep a spare day, and if a crossing is central to your trip, do it on the first clear morning rather than the day you planned.

Trip shapes that use this

Seven days

Enough time to include either Mykines or Suðuroy, and to lose a day to weather without losing the trip.

7 nights Car needed

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