Top 10 Lighthouses in the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands rise from the North Atlantic at the meeting point of the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea, and the waters north of Scotland. Eighteen volcanic islands — seventeen inhabited — sit on a ridge swept by some of the world's most powerful tidal streams and subjected to fog, storm and rapidly shifting visibility for much of the year. Mariners transiting between northern Europe and Iceland, or fishing the rich Grand Banks-influenced waters around the islands, have always needed reliable marks on these steep black basalt shores. The Danish lighthouse authority, Farvandsvæsenet (now part of the Danish Maritime Authority), established a systematic network of lights on the Faroes during the nineteenth century, and their installations — white painted towers set against dramatic cliff scenery — remain among the most photographed maritime structures in the North Atlantic. Open the map to see every Faroese light plotted on the island chain.
1. Akraberg Lighthouse, Suðuroy
Akraberg stands at the southernmost point of Suðuroy, the southernmost of the Faroe Islands, and therefore marks the most southerly navigation point in the entire archipelago. Built in 1909, the white cylindrical tower rises 15 metres from the cliff top and sits at an elevation that gives its light a range of 16 nautical miles. The light character is a flashing white pattern that seafarers approaching from the Norwegian Sea or rounding the Faroes from the south can pick up well offshore. Akraberg is exposed to the full fury of Atlantic storms — the concrete and masonry of the station have required periodic repair after wave events that throw spray well above the cliff edge. The station was automated in the second half of the twentieth century. The headland is reachable by road from the village of Sumba, and the walk from the road end passes through moorland where great skuas and fulmars breed.
2. Kallur Lighthouse, Kalsoy
Kallur is arguably the most dramatically sited lighthouse in the North Atlantic, and certainly among the most photographed. It stands on the northern tip of Kalsoy, a narrow island sometimes called the Flute because of its elongated shape pierced by single-lane tunnels. The white painted concrete tower, built in 1927, rises from a clifftop above sheer drops into the ocean; the surrounding landscape of green grass, black basalt stacks and swirling seabirds makes it a destination in its own right. The light character is a flashing white signal visible 13 nautical miles, marking the northern entrance to the sound between Kalsoy and Kunoy. Access requires a ferry from Klaksvík on Borðoy to the village of Syðradalur, followed by a hike of around 90 minutes each way over the hill to the lighthouse. The route involves some elevation gain and can be slippery in wet weather; good footwear is essential.
3. Mykines Lighthouse, Mykines
Mykines is the westernmost of the Faroe Islands, a place where Atlantic gales arrive unimpeded from North America. The lighthouse, built in 1909 on the extreme western tip of Mykineshólmur — a small islet connected to the main island by a footbridge — rises 14 metres and has a range of about 17 nautical miles. The light character is a group flashing white sequence marking the western approaches to the Faroes, a critical waypoint for vessels running the North Atlantic. The station was one of the last in the Faroes to be demanned; keepers lived on the isolated holmur in conditions of considerable hardship. Today the holmur is famous among ornithologists as one of Europe's densest Atlantic puffin colonies, with tens of thousands of birds nesting in the clifftop turf around the lighthouse each summer. Access is by ferry from Sørvágur, and the holmur footbridge closes in bad weather — visitors should check conditions carefully.
4. Nólsoy Lighthouse, Nólsoy
Nólsoy island lies just east of Tórshavn, the Faroese capital, making its lighthouse one of the most visible maritime marks to residents of the capital region. The light was established in 1893 on the southern tip of the island, and the present white tower stands 12 metres tall on a low headland with a range of 14 nautical miles. The character is flashing white, identifying the safe channel between Nólsoy and the southern approaches to Tórshavn Harbour. Nólsoy village, a community of around 250 people, lies at the northern end of the island; a road of sorts runs the length of the island to the lighthouse. The island is a short ferry ride from Tórshavn and popular with walkers who come for its storm petrel colony — one of the world's largest, estimated at around 150,000 pairs. The combination of easy access from the capital, scenic coastal walking, and a working lighthouse makes Nólsoy a practical first stop on any Faroese lighthouse itinerary.
5. Enniberg Lighthouse, Viðareiði
The village of Viðareiði sits on a narrow isthmus at the northern tip of Viðoy, and the cliffs nearby rise to some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe — Enniberg reaches 754 metres above the water. The lighthouse at this dramatic location marks the northeastern approaches to the Faroes and the passage between Viðoy and Borðoy. The white tower, built in the early twentieth century, is modest in height but gains enormous range from its elevated position. The light character is flashing white with a range around 15 nautical miles. Reaching Viðareiði requires driving through the northern islands' network of subsea and mountain tunnels, an infrastructure achievement that transformed the accessibility of the northern Faroes in the 1980s and 1990s. The village church contains a silver cross of great antiquity, and the views from the lighthouse area over the northern ocean are genuinely vertiginous.
6. Sornfelli Lighthouse, Streymoy
Interior Faroe has few navigation aids, but Sornfelli, near the summit of the highest point of Streymoy, carries a maritime light that mariners approaching from the north can pick up above the sea fog that often fills the lower valleys and fjords. The tower serves as a landfall light for vessels coming from Iceland or Norway and attempting to identify their position relative to the main island. The white painted structure dates from the mid-twentieth century and incorporates a meteorological station alongside the navigation light. The road to Sornfelli is one of the highest in the Faroes, and the summit plateau is often in cloud even when the coastal villages are clear; this atmospheric isolation made the keeper's life here particularly demanding before automation.
7. Borðan Lighthouse, Sandoy
Sandoy, in the central Faroes, is one of the more accessible islands by ferry from Gamlarætt on Streymoy. The Borðan lighthouse marks the southern tip of Sandoy, guiding vessels through the sound between Sandoy and Skúvoy and warning of the outlying rocks. The white cylindrical tower carries a flashing white light with sectors covering particular hazards, visible about 13 nautical miles. The southern coast of Sandoy is relatively low compared with the dramatic northern islands, and the lighthouse landscape here — green headland, white tower, distant island silhouettes — conforms to the classic image of Faroese maritime geography. The tower is automated, but the station buildings have been preserved and can be viewed from outside.
8. Skúvoy Lighthouse, Skúvoy
Small and sparsely populated, Skúvoy is a seabird island of the first order — its cliffs hold Manx shearwaters, puffins, and storm petrels in abundance. The lighthouse marks the southeastern point of the island, warning of the rocks and tidal races between Skúvoy and the Faroese mainland. The white tower, of modest height, carries a flashing light visible around 11 nautical miles. Skúvoy is served by ferry from Sandoy, and the island's small community of around thirty inhabitants maintains the ferry connection. The lighthouse is reachable on foot from the village; the walk passes breeding colonies and offers views over the Faroese south. The tidal races here can be severe, and the lighthouse has historically been important for the local fishing fleet working the Sandoy south coast grounds.
9. Stóri Dímun Lighthouse, Stóri Dímun
Stóri Dímun is one of the smallest inhabited islands in the Faroes, a steep-sided basalt stack between Sandoy and Suðuroy. The lighthouse marks this isolated outpost and the turbulent waters surrounding it, where converging tidal streams create unpredictable conditions for small vessels. The station is among the most isolated in the Faroese network; access to the island requires landing by boat in conditions that must be carefully judged — there is no harbour, only a concrete slipway on the least exposed shore. The farming family that lives on the island is one of the last examples of the isolated island-farm communities that once characterised the Faroes. The lighthouse tower is small, serving more as a sector light for the channel approaches than a major landfall marker, but its position gives it considerable significance for inter-island traffic.
10. Hvannasund Lighthouse, Viðoy / Borðoy
The Hvannasund strait between Viðoy and Borðoy is one of several narrow channels threading through the northern islands, and the lighthouse here marks the passage for the small-craft and ferry traffic that uses it as a short cut. The white structure dates from the twentieth century and carries a directional light that identifies the safe line through the channel. Hvannasund town on Viðoy is connected to Borðoy by a causeway, and the lighthouse can be combined with visits to the northern islands — Klaksvík on Borðoy is the Faroes' second largest town, with a brewing tradition and a notable Nordic church.
Visiting the Faroese Lighthouses
Getting between Faroese lighthouses means using the archipelago's remarkable infrastructure of subsea tunnels, mountain tunnels, causeways, and ferries. Several of the most dramatic lights — Kallur on Kalsoy, Mykines — require ferry crossings and substantial walks; summer offers the best combination of long daylight hours, calmer ferry conditions, and accessible footpaths. Fog is possible year-round, and the weather can change within an hour, so carrying layers and waterproofs is non-negotiable even on clear mornings. The period from late May to early August gives the best light quality and access to puffin colonies near several of the towers. Use Open the map to plan the most efficient route between these extraordinary Atlantic outposts.