When we finally decided to go to the Faroe Islands, we didn’t fly. We took the ferry. The Norröna — Smyril Line’s giant ship — departs from Hirtshals in northern Denmark, and in peak season she also stops at Seyðisfjörður in Iceland. From Rovaniemi, getting to Hirtshals takes some planning. But the crossing itself, two days of open North Atlantic water with the Faroes rising out of fog on the horizon, is the kind of thing you don’t forget in a hurry.

This guide is for anyone considering the ferry over a flight. It covers the route, the booking process, what life is like on board, cabin options, costs, and the honest practical details that most ferry guides gloss over.

The Smyril Line route — how it actually works

Smyril Line operates a single ship — the Norröna — on a circular weekly route that connects Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland. There is no other passenger ferry to the Faroes; Smyril Line is the only option. That matters to know upfront: this isn’t a route with multiple operators competing on price. There is one ship, one schedule, and one booking system.

The core route: Hirtshals → Tórshavn

The main route runs from Hirtshals, a small port town at the northern tip of Denmark, to Tórshavn, the Faroese capital. Sailing time is approximately 34–36 hours depending on sea conditions and the season. The ship departs Hirtshals weekly — usually on a Tuesday evening — and arrives in Tórshavn the following Thursday morning. Return sailings depart Tórshavn and arrive back in Hirtshals roughly 34 hours later.

The Iceland extension

In summer (roughly late March through late October), the route extends to Iceland. The schedule looks like this in a typical week: Hirtshals → Tórshavn (stop) → Seyðisfjörður, Iceland (end of outbound). Return: Seyðisfjörður → Tórshavn (stop) → Hirtshals. The Iceland extension adds roughly 16–18 more hours of sailing each way. If you want to do both the Faroes and Iceland in one trip, this schedule makes it genuinely possible to bring your car to Iceland via the Faroes — which is exactly what many Scandinavian road trippers do in summer.

Getting to Hirtshals

Hirtshals is not a major hub, but it’s reachable. From Copenhagen, a direct train runs to Hjørring (about 5 hours), and from there a regional train or taxi covers the final 20 minutes to Hirtshals. By car, it’s straightforward from Hamburg or Copenhagen. There is a small supermarket near the terminal — useful for stocking up before you board.

Booking the ferry — what to know before you pay

Booking happens through the Smyril Line website (smyril-line.com). The process is relatively straightforward for passengers without a vehicle. If you’re bringing a car, a motorhome, or a bicycle, read the fine print carefully before you confirm — vehicle dimensions matter and certain cabin combinations are only available with specific ticket classes.

When to book

Book as early as possible for summer crossings, particularly if you want a cabin with a window or a specific deck. The Norröna is a large ship — capacity is roughly 1,500 passengers — but the best cabins sell out months in advance during July and August. We booked about three months ahead and still found ourselves in an inner cabin (no window) for one direction. Not a catastrophe, but we would have preferred a porthole.

Winter crossings are considerably less busy and prices drop noticeably. If you’re not tied to school holiday timing, late September through October is an interesting shoulder season: the Faroes are quieter, the light is dramatic, and the ferry is nowhere near full.

Ticket classes explained simply

Smyril Line sells passage in a few tiers. The basic structure: you pay for your seat or cabin category, and the vehicle if you’re bringing one. Meals are not always included — check at booking whether your ticket class includes the buffet or whether you’re paying à la carte. On our crossing the buffet was included with the cabin, which we were glad of given the onboard restaurant prices.

Cabin types and what we actually recommend

You can technically cross without a cabin — there are reclining seat sections and common lounges — but for a 34-hour crossing, we’d strongly recommend a cabin. The North Atlantic is not always gentle, and being able to lie down flat is worth a lot when the ship is rolling.

Cabin categories on the Norröna

• Interior cabins (no window): cheapest cabin option, perfectly functional. Two-berth configuration is the most common. Gets dark quickly, which is actually useful for sleeping on the daytime crossing sections. The ventilation is decent. Our second crossing was in one of these and we slept fine.
• Porthole cabins (small round window): the middle tier. You get light and can see when you’re near land. Worth the modest upgrade over interior in our view.
• Outside cabins with full window: the most expensive standard option. On the approach to Tórshavn — when the Faroese peaks appear out of the fog — having a real window makes a significant difference. If the budget allows, book this for the Hirtshals → Tórshavn direction.
• Commodore Class cabins: private balcony, larger space. Genuinely luxurious for a ferry, genuinely expensive. For a one-night crossing, most travelers find the standard outside cabin perfectly sufficient.
• Reclining seats: budget option. Fine for young, flexible travelers on calm sea. Not recommended if you’ve ever been seasick or if there’s any chance of rough weather.

What to pack and do: a quick-reference checklist for the crossing

This is the section we wish someone had given us before our first Smyril Line crossing. Eight things that made the difference:

• Seasickness medication: take it before you board, not after you feel ill. The North Atlantic is not a sheltered fjord. Dramamine or equivalent taken 30–60 minutes before departure is the standard approach. Even if you’ve never been seasick on a boat, the open Atlantic in autumn weather is a different environment.
• Food for the cabin: the onboard buffet is good but expensive. Stock up at the Hirtshals supermarket with snacks, sandwich supplies, and drinks. The ship has a microwave in the common areas.
• Layers for the deck: the Norröna has outdoor deck space and watching the North Atlantic from open deck is one of the best parts of the crossing. Even in July, the wind is cold. A proper windproof layer is essential — this is not a Mediterranean cruise.
• Something to read or watch offline: onboard WiFi exists but is slow and expensive. Download your series, audiobooks, or podcasts before you board.
• A good pillow: cabin pillows are standard hotel quality. If you sleep badly without your own pillow, bring it.
• Earplugs: engines are audible in some cabin configurations. Not disruptive, but if you’re a light sleeper, earplugs make the difference between a good night and a broken one.
• Cash or card for extras: the ship operates card payments for everything, but have a backup. Internet connectivity for payment processing occasionally hiccups in mid-ocean.
• Binoculars: the approach to the Faroe Islands — when the black basalt cliffs materialize out of the North Atlantic — is genuinely dramatic. Binoculars turn a beautiful arrival into something exceptional.

What the crossing is actually like — day by day

We want to give you a realistic picture of the experience, not a brochure version. The crossing is a genuinely interesting way to travel. It is also, at times, a significant physical experience.

Boarding and departure from Hirtshals

The Norröna is large enough that boarding feels more like checking into a hotel than getting on a ferry. You drive your car aboard if you have one, park on the vehicle deck, and take your bags up to your cabin level. Departure from Hirtshals is typically in the evening — we left around 19:00 on our first crossing. The harbor exit is placid. The North Sea begins within a few hours.

The North Sea and North Atlantic crossing

By morning, you’re in the open North Sea. If conditions are calm, this is an extraordinary experience — the ship moves through gray-green water, sea birds appear from nowhere, and occasionally a container ship or fishing vessel appears on the horizon. If conditions are rough, the ship moves in a way that makes you grateful for that cabin bunk. We have done the crossing once in near-flat water and once in 3-4 meter swells. Both were memorable, in different ways.

The ship has a pool (often closed in rough conditions), a cinema, a bar, a duty-free shop, and multiple restaurant options. In practice we spent most of the crossing alternating between the cabin, the forward deck when weather allowed, and the main buffet restaurant. The buffet quality is good — better than we expected. Breakfast in particular, with the North Atlantic visible through the restaurant windows, is a genuine pleasure.

Arriving in Tórshavn

The approach to the Faroe Islands happens in the early morning, and on a clear day it is one of the more dramatic arrivals we’ve had anywhere. The islands appear as dark shapes on the horizon — black and green and completely vertical. The scale is wrong in the way that only genuinely dramatic landscapes are. By the time the ferry docks in Tórshavn it’s typically around 07:00–09:00, and the capital is quiet, cold, and already beautiful.

Ferry vs flight to the Faroe Islands — an honest comparison

Atlantic Airways flies to Vagar Airport from several European hubs. The question of whether to fly or ferry depends entirely on what you value and what you’re traveling with.

When the ferry makes more sense

• You’re bringing a car. Flying with a vehicle is not an option. If you want to road trip the Faroes — and you really should — the ferry is the only way to bring your own car. Rental cars in the Faroes are available but limited and expensive in peak season.
• You want to combine the Faroes and Iceland. The Norröna’s summer route through Seyðisfjörður makes a combined Faroes-Iceland trip by ferry genuinely feasible, especially if you’re doing a longer European road trip anyway.
• You want the journey to be part of the experience. Two days at sea changes something about how you arrive. You’ve crossed water; you’ve earned the place a little. That sounds romantic, and it is, but it’s also real.
• You’re traveling from Scandinavia and have time. From Denmark, Norway, or even Finland with a drive, the ferry is not dramatically slower when you account for airport time, check-in, and the fact that you’re sleeping on board.

When the flight makes more sense

• You have a week or less. The crossing takes two days of your trip in each direction. On a tight schedule, that’s a significant proportion of your time.
• You’re traveling from outside northern Europe. If you’re flying in from the US, Asia, or southern Europe, adding a ferry leg from Denmark extends the journey substantially.
• You get badly seasick. The North Atlantic is not a forgiving test environment for seasickness. Medication helps, but there is no guarantee of calm water, particularly in autumn and winter.
• You want the cheapest option. Atlantic Airways promotional fares can be competitive against a cabin crossing, particularly in off-peak months.

Mistakes we made — and what we’d do differently

These are honest notes from our crossing, not warnings designed to discourage you. The ferry is great. But we could have been better prepared.

• We didn’t take seasickness medication proactively. On the second day of our first crossing, conditions got rough enough that we both felt the effects. We had medication in the bag but hadn’t taken it. Lesson: take it before you leave port, not when you start feeling it. By then it’s too late for most medications to work quickly.
• We booked the interior cabin to save money. For one crossing it was fine. For both directions, we wished we’d spent the extra €50 per person for a porthole cabin. The approach to Tórshavn through a round window is much better than the approach through nothing.
• We assumed the onboard WiFi would be workable. It’s not, really. Mid-ocean satellite internet in 2026 is better than it used to be, but it’s still not reliable enough for calls or streaming. Treat it as occasional email access, not a working connection.
• We underestimated the cold on deck. Even in late June, the wind on the forward deck requires proper wind protection. We were in fleeces and still felt underdressed. Bring your actual cold-weather layer, not the one you think you’ll need for the Faroes — bring the one you’d wear in November in Finland.
• We didn’t eat breakfast in the restaurant the morning of arrival. We were too excited about the arrival and went straight to deck. In hindsight we should have done both: breakfast first (the buffet opens early), then deck for the final approach. We arrived in Tórshavn hungry and slightly cold, which is not the ideal first impression of any destination.
• We didn’t confirm disembarkation time in advance. The ship typically arrives in Tórshavn early in the morning, but exact times vary. Check the Smyril Line app (or the posted information at the purser’s desk) the evening before arrival so you know when to be in the vehicle queue if you have a car.

Frequently asked questions