FO
Faroese Villages & Turf Houses
Grass roofs and remote hamlets
Grass roofs and remote hamlets
A postcard village of turf-roofed houses on Vágar, gazing out over the water to the dramatic sea stacks of Tindhólmur — and just down the road from Gásadalur.
💡 The waterfront view to the sea stacks is one of the finest in the Faroes.
The grass-roofed house is the emblem of the Faroes — living turf laid over birch bark, insulating homes and merging them into the green hillsides.
💡 Look for turf roofs on everything from tiny cottages to churches and museums.
Many villages cling to the shore beneath soaring cliffs, their grass roofs and colourful houses framed by fjord and ocean — endlessly photogenic.
💡 Golden evening light on the roofs and water is magical in summer.
Set along the deep sea-inlets that cut through the islands, these hamlets pair turf houses with mirror-calm water and steep green walls.
💡 Calm mornings give perfect reflections in the fjords.
Centuries-old stone houses topped with grass roofs show the ingenuity of Faroese building — using the land itself for shelter against a harsh climate.
💡 Some old farmhouses are now small museums you can visit.
Most Faroese villages are tiny and have few or no facilities, so plan meals around the larger towns. The capital Tórshavn has the country’s best and widest choice, from bakeries and cosy cafes to internationally acclaimed New Nordic restaurants built on Faroese lamb, seafood and foraged ingredients — and the famous, if challenging, fermented specialities like ræst meat and fish. A handful of villages have a single cafe, guesthouse dining room, or a heimablídni (home hospitality) supper hosted by locals — a wonderful, sociable way to taste real Faroese home cooking. Elsewhere, self-cater: villages such as those on Vágar and Streymoy are within easy reach of shops in the bigger towns.
A rental car is the key to the villages — the Faroes are superbly connected by roads, bridges and sub-sea tunnels linking the main islands, so you can reach most hamlets in under an hour or two from Tórshavn. The drives themselves are spectacular. Be ready for single-lane tunnels with passing bays (learn the etiquette: the car nearest a bay pulls in) and narrow mountain roads. Public buses and ferries (the SSL network) reach many villages but run infrequently, so a car gives far more freedom. For the remotest islands, small ferries and even a subsidised helicopter service connect the outlying communities — an adventure in itself.
Bøur and Gásadalur for turf houses and the Múlafossur waterfall, plus the Sørvágsvatn lake walk.
Saksun’s valley and the northern village of Tjørnuvík with its sea-stack views.
The gorge village of Gjógv and pretty Funningur, threaded by dramatic mountain roads.
The villages are best reached by car on the islands’ scenic, well-connected roads and tunnels.
Single-lane tunnels have passing bays — learn the etiquette, and note some sub-sea tunnels charge tolls.
These are lived-in villages — keep to paths and roads, close gates and don’t peer into homes.
A home-hosted Faroese supper is a highlight — book ahead through the tourist board.
Quick answers to the questions travellers most often ask about the Faroes’ villages and turf houses.
Turf roofs are a centuries-old Nordic tradition: living grass laid over birch bark insulates homes against cold and wind, is durable and cheap, and blends the buildings into the landscape. They remain common in the Faroes on old and new buildings alike.
Favourites include Bøur and Gásadalur on Vágar, Saksun and Tjørnuvík on Streymoy, and Gjógv, Funningur and Elduvík on Eysturoy — each with turf-roofed houses, dramatic settings and its own character.
A rental car is best — the islands are linked by good roads, bridges and sub-sea tunnels, putting most villages within one to two hours of Tórshavn. Buses and ferries reach many but run infrequently; a subsidised helicopter serves the remotest islands.
Most are private homes, so admire them from the road or path. Some historic farmhouses, such as those preserved as museums (for example at Kirkjubøur or various village heritage sites), can be visited to see traditional Faroese life inside.
The waterfall village of Gásadalur, the tranquil valley of Saksun, and the turf-roofed hamlets scattered across the islands — the essential Faroes.