We took a helicopter in the Faroe Islands from Svinoy to Torshavn for just $95 each. And while it was a little complicated, it was totally worth it. Who doesn’t want to see the stunning Faroe Islands from the sky?! And the best part is that it costs a fraction of the price of a typical scenic helicopter ride.
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Did you know you can catch a public transport helicopter in the Faroe Islands?
How tf is a helicopter in the Faroe Islands considered public transport, you ask?
Well, as you likely know, the Faroe Islands are quite remote. While most of the 18 islands are connected by bridge, tunnel, or ferry, the government subsidizes the cost of helicopters for residents to use as public transport.
Yeah, imagine being able to catch the bus, a ferry, orrrrrrr a helicopter to visit your friends on a neighbouring island. Usually that kind of thing would be hundreds of dollars, but locals can fly for as little as $12 USD.
Wild, I know.
This is just me playing with AI
But the keyword there is locals. It used to be the same price for visitors as well, but they made some significant changes in 2022 and now you need proof of address to get the local’s discount on a helicopter in the Faroe Islands. This is a very fair change considering how popular the islands are becoming among travellers.
So while you’ve missed the $12 helicopter window, it’s not too late to catch the nearly-as-good $40-$160 rides. Still a steal, if you ask me.
255 DKK = $40 USD | 1080 DKK = $160 USD
Conditions for foreigners
So it’s not as easy as hailing a taxi or hopping on the bus. But it’s definitely possible to include in your itinerary! Here are some conditions you’ll need to abide by to take a subsidized helicopter in the Faroe Islands:
- You can only go one way
- You can only carry up to 20kgs of luggage
- You can only book up to 7 days in advance
You can only go one way
While this is a bit inconvenient, it makes for more of an adventure! You’ll need to take a boat, bus, taxi — or likely some combination of those three — to get back.
You can only carry up to 20kgs of luggage
This means you’ll have to pack light or find a place to store your larger bags when you take a helicopter in the Faroe Islands. Your journey will likely keep you away from your home base (probs Torshavn) for at least one night, so you need to do a bit of logistical planning. However, everyone here is super friendly and your hotel might be happy to hold your bags for you for free or a small fee!
Alternatively, you can make your helicopter adventure a day trip, like I did.
You can only book up to 7 days in advance
This is the biggest challenge. If you’re someone who likes to have their whole trip planned before you go, this might make you want to throw up. You won’t know if you can get a seat on the helicopter until 7 days out, which means you need a bit of a plan A and plan B.
Destinations you can get to via helicopter in the Faroe Islands
Only accessible by boat or helicopter: Mykines, Hattarvik, Svinoy, Kirkja, Frodba, Dimun, Koltur, and Skuvoy.
Accessible from the mainland by vehicle, boat, and helicopter: Vagar, Torshavn, and Klaksvik.
Vagar (international airport), Torshavn (capital), and Klaksvik (second largest town) are great places to start or end your helicopter trip because you’ll be well-connected from there.
I literally made this map for you
Based on my experience and what I learned when visiting the Faroe Islands, here are some good destinations to consider when planning how to catch a helicopter in the Faroe Islands. I went to Svinoy, and I’ll save those details for last.
Here is the current timetable and routes so you can check out what works for your itinerary.
Mykines
Mykines is a popular destination for puffin watching. It’s also one of the more remote islands, so taking the helicopter makes tons of sense.
However, the scheduling for boats and helicopters is few and far between, especially when it’s not peak summer season. They only leave once per day or on certain days of the week, and you need to account for possible cancellations due to bad weather.
So you’ll need to do some digging to figure out the best dates/times to travel. Fortunately, the Mykines website also has some great recommendations for how to book your trip there and back.
Hattarvik/Kirkja (Fugloy)
Hattarvik and Kirkja are the two main villages on the island of Fugloy, in the most northeastern part of the region. There’s a 3km trail that connects them which isn’t too challenging and only takes about an hour and a half. In some ways this is the easiest option because both Kirkja and Hattarvik are accessible via the same ferry, and the same helicopter route.
You could take the ferry to Kirkja, walk to Hattarvik, and then catch a helicopter back to Torshavn. Or take the ferry both ways if you don’t get lucky with a helicopter booking!
Skúvoy
You’d need to catch two different ferries and make your way across the island of Sandoy for the one-way leg of your journey to/from Torshavn. So it’s a bit of a mission, but on the bright side, it would allow you to see more of the country. And you could stop at the Biggest Blue Mailbox in the World in Sandoy, near Skopun where you’ll catch the ferry.
Despite it’s tiny population, there are a few accommodation options on Skúvoy. So you could stay a couple days if you want to immerse yourself in the quiet Faroese lifestyle. An adorable friendly couple also invite visitors to come in for a home cooked meal! I feel like this goes without saying, but please contact them in advance.
Note: The ferry to Sandur runs several times a day, every day. But you need to call the ferry let them know you’re ready to go. Otherwise, they may skip the stop if no one needs to hop on.
Klaksvik
Klaksvik is the bustling, second-largest village with a whopping 5,000 people.
We loved the hike here. It was insanely muddy and pretty relentlessly steep, but the views from the top are unparalleled. You can see the neighbouring islands of Kalsoy and Kunoy, as well as some satisfyingly circular salmon farms in the distance. It’s called the Klakkur trail and only took us about an hour, but make sure you park at the very end of the winding road in the official parking lot.
You can also visit the home of Föroya Bjór, the local brewery, back in the centre of Klaksvik. Pick up a mixed pack to try back at your hotel!
Everywhere else
There’s nothing wrong with the other islands, but there’s not a lot to do and you might find it more difficult getting back. For example, Koltur is uninhabited and while it’s beautiful, there’s no ferry to/from the island. So, a one-way helicopter ticket won’t do you much good unless you’re on the run from the law and looking to disappear.
My experience taking the subsidized helicopter in the Faroe Islands from Svinoy to Torshavn.
To be honest, I can’t even remember how we decided on Svinoy. I think it just made the most sense logistically and looked cute. And we got to take three different types of transport in one day!
Our total route: Torshavn 🚗 Hvannasund 🛥️ Svinoy 🚁 Torshavn
Torshavn to Hvannasund
We had a bit of an advantage because we were travelling as a family and my parents didn’t mind skipping the helicopter. So they drove me, Chesney, and my brother Sev to Hvannasund to catch the ferry. We spent the day in Svinoy, and they picked us up again in Torshavn when we returned.
If you’re travelling alone, it would be easier to stay in Klaksvik and take a taxi to Hvannasund.
Hvannasund to Svinoy
We called ahead to make sure they knew we were coming, and hopped on the cutest old boat for 40DKK, less than $6 each. It stopped in Svinoy, Kirkja, and Hattarvik, the reversed the same route.
It was such a scenic cruise and we were in no hurry, so we decided to go all the way to Hattarvik and back instead of getting off in Svinoy the first time around. I’m so happy we did, because we got to see the boat making deliveries to small towns — they were delivering giant spools of like, industrial phone wire. We could also sit inside or walk around on the deck to take in the spectacular views.
Hot tip: This would be a really fun and super affordable way to go on a boat tour in the Faroe Islands. Obviously it’s not a real tour, but it’s about 10x cheaper than the $60 Vestmanna Cliffs (which you should also still see though).
Svinoy to Torshavn (with a stop in Klaksvik)
After we explored the small island for a few hours the helicopter came to pick us up. We boarded with a few other locals and maybe a couple travellers who’d had a similar idea. The helicopter flew over Kirkja and picked up a couple more people in Hattarvik before going to Klaksvik.
What’s hilarious is that when made an hour-long stopover in Klaksvik. The government is really strict about making sure the pilots get adequate breaks. That’s great, but we had no idea that would be the case so we ended up walking into Klaksvik where we’d been just the day before to do the Klakkur Trail and getting a coffee to kill the time.
When the pilots finished their lunch we were back on the heli and flew about 20 minutes to Torshavn.
…I don’t need to tell you the views were insane, right?
Total cost of this trip: $6 ferry, $95 helicopter
(40 DKK and 645 DKK) Note: they offer 50% discounts for kids and seniors.