Should You Book a Faroe Islands Holiday Package or Plan Everything Yourself?

I’ve been to the Faroe Islands multiple times now, and it’s still one of my favorite places to visit. While it’s pretty small on a map, there’s actually quite a lot to see and do when you arrive. The landscapes are also some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, which says a lot considering I’ve visited places like Norway 10+ times. 

When booking a trip to the Faroes, you can decide to either plan everything yourself or join a package trip. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and I’ve done both in different places. While I quite like the freedom of planning my own itineraries (I mean, it’s literally my job), it’s also sometimes nice to let someone else organize everything and just show up. 

I wouldn’t say that there’s a general right or wrong answer, but the choice you make should serve your needs. Planning your first trip to the Faroe Islands does require a lot of work, as things will probably be different from what you’re used to. My aim with this guide is to help you choose whether you should organize everything yourself or book a package trip to the Faroes instead. 

Why You Might Want to Consider Booking a Faroe Islands Holiday Package Instead of Organizing Everything Yourself

I will talk more about the specific packages you can book later; if you want to get here already, you can skip to this section. However, I will first discuss why you may want to consider booking a tour package instead of organizing everything yourself. Then, I will later discuss when you may want to just do the organizing on your own (you can skip to this section if you’d prefer to read that). 

1. You Want Someone Else to Do the Planning for You

Even though the Faroe Islands are very small (and only home to around 55,000 people), I’ve put more effort into planning my trips here than most other countries. There’s a lot to know when you first visit the archipelago, and trying to organize every day can quickly become overwhelming. 

The biggest argument for booking a tour package is that you at least don’t need to do any of the thinking about what you should do each day. Everything is organized for you, meaning that the most work you have to do is pack your suitcases and show up where you’re asked to. 

When you book a package holiday, you’ll still get to see the main sights on the Faroe Islands. Since driving around can get quite tiring, booking a package where someone else does that for you means that you can enjoy each of these sights fully. 

2. You Don’t Have a Driving License

This was actually one of the biggest reasons for me joining tours when I visited the Faroe Islands for the first time. While you will find a solid network of long-distance buses and ferries, I only had four nights and therefore didn’t have the time to play by these schedules. I also visited during the off-season, and conveniently, right in the middle of a storm. 

To fully enjoy the Faroe Islands, you really need a car. But if you don’t have a license, you will naturally need to find alternatives. I’d only recommend using public transport to get around if you have *at least* 10 days, since not every town is served by buses and whatnot each day. You can take taxis, but these can become quite expensive.

As much as I enjoy visiting Tórshavn, I didn’t want to stay there for the entire trip. Going to the Faroe Islands on vacation without seeing at least some of its nature made no sense to me. If you’re feeling the same, booking a package—especially a tour package—makes a lot of sense. 

3. If You’re Visiting the Faroe Islands in the Winter

While winter on the Faroe Islands is usually mild, visiting at this time of the year comes with several challenges for driving. Firstly, the daylight hours are very short. So, you’ll need to pack a lot into your days—and get your timings right—if you’re planning to do all the driving yourself. 

Secondly, though, the weather can get pretty treacherous. There are certain roads that I would not feel comfortable driving on during the winter, especially in foul weather. Many will also be closed for the season, too. 

4. You Want to Feel More Comfortable Hiking

I’m a *very* outdoorsy person, and it’s one of the main reasons I actually moved to the Nordics in the first place. After living in London for most of my life, I was craving more closeness to nature. Copenhagen is definitely better in this respect, but I also really enjoy hiking in mountains… which typically requires going somewhere else.

Many of my favorite things to do on the Faroe Islands unsurprisingly involve hiking. I’ve done numerous hikes on the archipelago, but if you’re a first-time visitor, trying to plan all of these yourself can be a bit daunting. There are also a number of hikes I absolutely would not do without a local guide. 

If hiking is your main reason for visiting the Faroes, and you want to feel more comfortable, you can book a hiking package. For example, this seven-day hiking package with a private guide is possible to join year-round.

You can also book hiking experiences that are more seasonal, such as this one, which runs from March to October. And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can book a hiking package that summits several mountains on the Faroe Islands.

5. You Want to Get the Most Out of Photography on the Faroes

If you’ve read this far, you can probably tell that I love photography. Capturing the landscapes of the Faroe Islands is always fun, even if the weather sometimes makes you question whether your camera will actually come home in one piece.

While I enjoy freely roaming to find my own cool photo spots, I also like to sometimes get the help of locals. Going with others makes it much easier for me to capture unique angles sometimes, since a) they can give me tips, and b) I can focus fully on the scene in front of me. If you’re into photography (and especially if you don’t drive), joining a photography tour package on the Faroe Islands might make sense for you. 

6. You Want a Local to Show You Around

I’ve been lucky enough to meet lots of people from the Faroe Islands; each of them has been very nice and incredibly eager to talk more about their beautiful homeland. In my opinion, meeting locals is also one of the best ways to have more of a fulfilling trip anywhere. 

When booking a Faroe Islands tour package, many of them will have local guides show you around. Besides driving you to each location, you’ll learn a lot more about the places you visit. As I wrote after doing the “See-It-All” Faroe Islands day tour, I felt more knowledgeable about the archipelago in general. Moreover, I had some of my most pressing questions answered.

If you’re looking for a local to show you around rather than just to sightsee, booking a tour package can be a good idea. 

7. You Want to Self-Drive, but for Someone to Plan the Itinerary for You

It was much easier to return to the Faroe Islands and plan my own itinerary because I already knew the lay of the land. Having access to your own car is also nice, since you can have the full freedom to drive wherever you want.

At the same time, planning an itinerary for a place you’ve never been to can be quite exhausting. And while I personally enjoy planning trips, I also know that some people can’t think of anything worse than putting together an itinerary. 

One solid year-round choice is this seven-day self-drive package, which includes both a rental car and accommodation. By letting someone else plan the trip for you, you can focus solely on enjoying the Faroe Islands. Another benefit is that the subsea tunnel fees are already included, so you don’t need to pay these yourself.

8. You Don’t Want to Worry About Paying Everything Separately

When planning your own trip to the Faroe Islands, you’ll need to think about paying for your rental car, the tunnel fees, accommodation, and so on. Although doing so isn’t such a big challenge, it isn’t particularly convenient from an administrative perspective. 

If you’d rather limit how many things you need to track, booking a vacation package makes a lot of sense. Tours are generally included, while many (though not all) will have accommodation as part of the price. And if you do choose a self-guided tour, you won’t need to worry about separately paying for a rental car. 

When Should You Consider Self-Organizing for Your Faroe Islands Trip?

Although vacation packages are a good idea for some people, they won’t be the best choice for everyone. Below, I’ll identify when I think you should plan your own trips instead. 

1. You Want Complete Freedom to Spend as Long as You Want in Each Place

This is always the biggest trade-off between planning your own trips and joining tours or packages. Over my visits to the Faroe Islands, I’ve noticed that I quite like spending longer in some places but would happily skip over others. For example, I would happily spend hours (or days) photographing the viewpoint at Gásadalur. 

2. You Want to Make Your Own Plans

I go through stages of travel where sometimes, I want to be super interactive and talk to others. On other trips, however, I’m quite happy to be either on my own or just with my girlfriend. I also, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes like having others do the planning—but often, I actually enjoy organizing everything myself. 

If you want to make your own plans, or you’d rather visit the Faroe Islands on your own, organizing everything instead of booking a vacation package makes a lot of sense. And if you’d still like some help in figuring out how to structure your days, you can always read my Faroe Islands itinerary article. 🙂

3. You Plan to Camp on the Faroe Islands

After doing a camping trip in nearby Iceland, I’m fully on board with that lifestyle now. I still enjoy staying in hotels, but being out in nature on other occasions is super fun. Since the Faroe Islands are also very expensive, camping is also a good way to keep your costs down. 

If you’re planning to camp on the Faroe Islands, you’re better off booking everything yourself. I’d also recommend visiting the camping.fo website, which gives you a full rundown of the different campsites on the archipelago. 

“I Can’t Drive and Don’t Want to Book a Package”

If you sit in that middle ground where you neither want to drive nor book a package, you still have a couple of options. I would, for the most part, recommend basing yourself in Tórshavn and booking a handful of guided tours. I’ve written a full guide on where I recommend staying in the Faroese capital if that applies to you.

As for specific tours, I recommend the “See-It-All” tour—which I did on my first visit to the Faroes—as a starting point. This tour covers much of Vágar, Streymoy, and Eysturoy; if you also want to see the Northern Isles, I suggest booking both that and the day tour to the Northern Islands.

If you have a lot of time, or you’re only visiting places close to Tórshavn (like Kirkjubøur), you could also use public transport. For most people, though, I suggest staying in Tórshavn and booking guided tours if you want to see more of the Faroes. 

Since you’re also going to be in Tórshavn, I suggest allocating some time to exploring the Faroe Islands’ tiny capital. I have a full guide that features things to do and more useful information.

TL;DR: Who Should Do What?

Make Sure You Choose the Right Option for Your Faroe Islands Trip

Planning your trip to the Faroe Islands can be quite daunting, especially if you’ve never been before. The archipelago has a lot to see and do, and you may want to visit for several reasons. What works for someone else may not be the best choice for you, which is why it’s worth thinking about whether a package or planning everything yourself is a better option.

There isn’t a right or wrong general choice, but each trip type serves different needs. Having read this guide, you should have a better idea of which one is a better option for you. 

If you have any further questions, you’re more than welcome to leave a comment, and I’ll help you out.