Getting around

Island hopping

How do I combine islands without wasting days in transit?

Which islands chain together naturally, and which combinations quietly cost you a whole day.

6 min read Reviewed 30 August 2026

The short version

Streymoy, Eysturoy, Vágar and the north are one connected road network.
Suðuroy and Mykines are separate commitments, not detours.
Two bases beat one — the country is small but not that small.

Because tunnels and bridges connect most of the population, "island hopping" in the Faroes usually means driving, not sailing. The exceptions are what need planning.

Connected by road

Vágar, Streymoy, Eysturoy and the northern islands as far as Viðoy form one network. You can cross the whole of it in under two hours without ever queuing for a boat.

Separate commitments

Suðuroy — four hours of ferry round trip. Stay a night; do not day-trip it.
Mykines — a whole day, weather permitting, and often not permitting.
Kalsoy — half a day from Klaksvík, longer if the ferry queue beats you.
Nólsoy — a genuine half-day from Tórshavn, and the easiest of the lot.

A sensible five-day shape is two nights in or near Tórshavn and two further north, rather than five nights in one place with long days out and back.

Trip shapes that use this

Five days

Two bases — Tórshavn and the north — which is the shape most first trips should take.

5 nights Car needed

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