We took the Smyril Line from Denmark to the Faroe Islands as part of a longer North Atlantic loop that also included Iceland. It was one of the best decisions we made on that trip — and also one of the most logistically tricky ones to plan, largely because the ferry does not run every day, and the schedule has some quirks that aren’t obvious from the website at first glance.

If you’re trying to figure out how often the Faroe Islands ferry actually runs, whether there’s a seasonal difference, and when you need to book to get the sailing you want, this guide covers everything we learned firsthand.

How often the ferry runs to the Faroe Islands

There is exactly one ferry operator serving the Faroe Islands by sea: Smyril Line, a Faroese shipping company that has been running the route since 1983. No other company operates a passenger car ferry on this crossing. If you want to bring a vehicle or travel by ship, Smyril Line is your only option.

The baseline schedule (all year)

Year-round, the Norröna — Smyril Line’s single ship — departs Hirtshals, Denmark every Thursday at around 19:00 local time. The sailing to Tórshavn takes approximately 34 hours, arriving in the Faroe Islands on Saturday morning. The ship does not stop at the Faroe Islands on the return leg the same week — it continues to Iceland and comes back through the Faroes on the way back to Denmark.

• Departure port: Hirtshals, northern Denmark (not Copenhagen — this surprises a lot of people)
• Arrival port: Tórshavn, Streymoy, Faroe Islands
• Journey time Hirtshals → Tórshavn: approximately 34–36 hours
• Year-round frequency: once per week (Thursday departures)
• Ship: MS Norröna — a large cruise-ferry with cabins, restaurants, car decks, and a pool

Why Hirtshals and not Copenhagen?

Many travelers assume the ferry leaves from Copenhagen, which is where most people fly into Denmark. It doesn’t. Hirtshals is a small port town at the very northern tip of Jutland — about a 3.5-hour drive or 5-hour train journey north of Copenhagen. You’ll need to factor in that transfer, or fly directly into Aalborg (the closest airport, roughly 80 km south of Hirtshals) if you’re building your itinerary around the ferry.

Summer vs winter frequency: what actually changes

The frequency increases noticeably in summer. This is the main scheduling nuance that catches travelers off guard when they book in January for an August trip and find more options than the winter timetable suggests.

The summer schedule (approximately May–September)

During the summer season, Smyril Line typically adds a second weekly departure, usually on Wednesdays, in addition to the regular Thursday sailing. This gives you two windows per week to reach the Faroe Islands by sea. The exact start and end dates of the summer schedule shift slightly year to year, so always verify on the Smyril Line website for your specific travel year.

• Winter (October–April): one sailing per week, Thursday departure from Hirtshals
• Summer (approx. May–September): two sailings per week — Wednesday and Thursday departures from Hirtshals
• Note: the Wednesday sailing in summer often follows a slightly different route timing, which can affect your Iceland connection if you’re continuing onward
• School holiday peaks: July and early August sailings sell out fastest — especially cabins and vehicle spots

The practical effect of summer frequency is that you have twice the flexibility — but also twice the demand. If you’re planning a summer crossing, the additional sailing does not mean you can book last-minute. It just means there are two sold-out ships instead of one.

Off-season considerations

If you’re traveling between October and April, the once-a-week schedule means your entire trip timing revolves around Thursday. You arrive in the Faroes on Saturday, and your return options from the Faroes back to Denmark are also limited by the ship’s weekly loop. Most travelers on a 5–7 day Faroe Islands trip in winter end up spending either one week or two weeks, because the schedule doesn’t easily support anything shorter on the way back.

The full Smyril Line route: Hirtshals, Tórshavn, Seyðisfjörður

The Norröna doesn’t just serve the Faroe Islands. It operates a loop that also connects Denmark to Iceland — which is exactly how we used it. Here is the route in full so you can plan around it:

Key points from the route structure:

• If you’re going only to the Faroes (not Iceland), you board in Hirtshals on Thursday and disembark in Tórshavn on Saturday
• If you’re continuing to Iceland, you stay on the ship through Saturday in Tórshavn and arrive in Seyðisfjörður on Sunday
• Tórshavn stopover time is roughly 6–8 hours — long enough for a taste of the city but not a real visit
• The return to Denmark also passes through Tórshavn — so your departure from the Faroes back to Denmark is on a Tuesday, arriving in Hirtshals Wednesday morning
• Winter schedule cuts the loop shorter and may not include a mid-week Iceland departure — always verify the timetable for your travel dates
• The entire weekly loop takes approximately 9 days from Hirtshals and back
• Port of arrival in Iceland is Seyðisfjörður in the east fjords — not Reykjavik, which also surprises many first-time Iceland travelers
• Seyðisfjörður is roughly 700 km from Reykjavik, so factor in a ring road drive or a domestic flight westward

How far in advance you need to book the Faroe Islands ferry

This is the question we get asked most often by people planning a North Atlantic loop. The answer depends heavily on which month you’re traveling and whether you’re bringing a vehicle.

Foot passengers vs vehicle bookings

Foot passenger spots are significantly easier to get than vehicle spaces. The car deck fills up fast, especially in summer, because the Norröna attracts a lot of road-trippers who are doing the Faroe Islands, Iceland, or both by car. If you’re bringing a campervan, motorhome, or large vehicle, you should book as early as the timetable opens — typically 12 months in advance for summer dates.

• June, July, August sailings: book 3–6 months in advance minimum for cabins; vehicle spots can sell out 6–12 months out
• May and September: 2–4 months in advance is usually sufficient
• October–April: 4–8 weeks is often enough, but popular holiday windows (Christmas, Easter) sell out earlier
• Cabin type matters: the Norröna has several cabin categories — the cheapest inside cabins go first; outside cabins with windows book later but still sell out in peak summer
• Reclining seats (no cabin): almost always available, but 34+ hours in a recliner is a long crossing — we’ve done it and wouldn’t repeat it

We booked our July crossing about four months in advance and secured the last outside 2-bed cabin available on that sailing. Don’t leave it too late.

Tips for getting the sailing you want

After traveling the route once ourselves and talking to a lot of fellow North Atlantic travelers, here are the practical things that make a difference:

• Book directly on smyrilline.com: third-party booking sites exist but often show outdated availability — the official site is the most accurate and usually the same price
• Set up a date alert: Smyril Line releases the following year’s timetable in autumn — sign up for their newsletter to catch it early
• Check cancellations: if your preferred date is sold out, check back periodically — cancellations do appear, especially in the 4–6 week window before sailing as travelers adjust plans
• Be flexible by one day: Thursday and Wednesday sailings in summer have different demand profiles — sometimes the Wednesday sailing has cabin availability when Thursday is sold out
• Pack for a sea voyage: the North Atlantic crossing from Denmark to the Faroes passes through open ocean — even the Norröna rolls in heavy weather; seasickness medication is not optional, it’s insurance
• The restaurants and bar close at midnight: bring snacks for early morning hours if you’re a night owl
• Arrive at Hirtshals port early: car check-in closes roughly 2.5 hours before departure; even as a foot passenger, arriving 90 minutes early is wise — the port is small and the pre-departure process can be slow when a full ship boards

Mistakes we made planning the Faroe Islands ferry

• Assuming the ferry left from Copenhagen. We nearly booked flights into Copenhagen and didn’t notice for several days that the port is in Hirtshals. Always double-check the departure port before booking your flights.
• Not accounting for the Tórshavn layover on the return. On the return journey the ship passes through Tórshavn on Tuesday morning. We had planned to be somewhere on the other side of the islands that day and had to scramble to rearrange. Factor the ship’s schedule into your Faroe Islands itinerary — not just the outbound sailing.
• Underestimating the seasickness risk. The stretch between Norway and the Faroes is open North Atlantic — we had moderate swell and Alla was unwell for several hours. We now always bring cinnarizine regardless of forecast.
• Booking seats instead of a cabin on the outbound leg. Thirty-four hours is a very long time to sleep in a recliner, especially when the ship moves. Spend the extra money on a cabin — even a small inside one makes a huge difference.
• Not checking the timetable for the return before building the Faroe Islands itinerary. Because the ship only calls at Tórshavn on specific days, your entire trip length is somewhat dictated by the schedule. We had to cut one planned hiking day because we hadn’t realized how rigid the return window was.
• Missing that Seyðisfjörður is not near Reykjavik. If you’re continuing to Iceland as we did, arriving in Seyðisfjörður in the east and needing to get to Reykjavik means a 6–7 hour drive along the Ring Road or a domestic flight. We built in the drive time — it was actually spectacular — but if you’re not expecting it, it can throw a whole itinerary off.

Frequently asked questions about Faroe Islands ferry frequency

A final word from Rovaniemi

The limited frequency of the Faroe Islands ferry is not a flaw — it’s part of the character of traveling to a remote archipelago in the middle of the North Atlantic. There’s something genuinely exciting about planning a trip around a single weekly sailing, about knowing that you’re on one of only a handful of vessels that makes this crossing each year.

When we sailed the Norröna out of Hirtshals on a Thursday evening, watched Denmark disappear behind us, and woke up the next morning to nothing but grey Atlantic in every direction — it was one of those travel moments that’s hard to manufacture. The slowness was the point.

The frequency question has a simple answer: once a week in winter, twice in summer, always on a schedule that requires planning. Build your Faroe Islands trip around the ferry timetable first, then fill in everything else. That’s the approach that works.

From our home in Rovaniemi — about as far north as you can live in Finland — the Faroes feel like a natural extension of the Arctic world we inhabit. Different culture, different language, different landscape — but the same relationship with weather, with the sea, and with the kind of slowness that remote places enforce. We think you’ll love it.