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Driving Etiquette When Exploring Faroe Islands with Car
By Poul / 14 Apr, 2024 / Share This Post
What is the driving etiquette on the Faroe Islands? We tell you what side to drive on, how fast to go, what to do when a sheep is blocking your way and more!
You’ve landed in the Faroe Islands... Now what?
How are you going to get around? Can you rent a car? Is it even safe to drive in this mesmerizing paradise?
Allows us to guide you. While you can rent a car to navigate the Faroe Islands, there is some basic driving etiquette you should understand before getting behind the wheel.
Here’s what you need to know before you put the key in the ignition.
What Do I Need to Know When Driving in the Faroe Islands?
First things first, you drive on the right-hand side in the Faroe Islands. Now that’s out of the way, here are the other vital driving criteria you need to know before you take off.
- The speed limit along main roads is 80 km/h, which is around 50 miles per hour. When you reach a village, slow it down to 50 km/h.
- Every passenger in the car must be wearing a seatbelt.
- It’s a good idea always to keep your headlights on, as you’ll pass through many tunnels on your journey.
- Speaking of tunnels, choose a safe traveling speed when passing through.
- Like many countries, drinking and driving is prohibited.
- Driving off-road is also off-limits.
- Some roads are one-way, particularly near villages like Saksun and Sandvik. Slow down in these areas to let other drivers pass by.
- Do not park your car along wide sections of road. Use only designated spaces.You’ll no doubt run into some sheep during your travels. If they block the road, honk the horn, and they’ll move along.
Where Can I Drive in the Faroe Islands?
The Faroe Islands boast an exceptional infrastructure that makes it a dream for visitors to access all larger islands via car.
Starting from Vágar Island, which is where the airport is, you can venture to Streymoy Island before heading to Suðuroy Island via the ferry. From there, travel to Eysturoy Island and then on to Borðoy Island, which will allow you to access Kunoy Osland and Viðoy Island. Along the way will be a series of tunnels of ferries, depending on how you prefer to get around.
How Old Do You Need to Be to Rent a Car in the Faroe Islands?
While 18-year-olds can drive cars in the Faroe Islands, we require drivers to be at least 20 before they can get behind the wheel in our cars. While others require renters to be atleast 21-years-old.
Where Can I Rent a Car in the Faroe Islands?
Feel better? There’s not too much to remember when driving around the Faroe Islands. Stay on the right-hand side of the road, keep your speed under 80 km/h, except in villages where it’s 50 km/h, and beep the horn if the sheep are in your way.
Now, you can rent a car and create your own adventure in the gorgeous surroundings of the Faroe Islands.
At PHD Car Rent, we won’t even hold you up with paperwork. We help you get on the road faster, so you’ve got more time to enjoy your visit.
Book Now to find out why we're drowning in five-star reviews, and don't miss out on the opportunity to explore the Faroe Islands at your own pace with the best car rental company in the Faroe Islands!
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What to know about car rentals in the Faroe Islands
1: Book Early
The first big thing to know about renting a car here is that there is a relative scarcity of rental cars (around 1,400 rental cars only across all the islands!), which means that prices will get steep, especially during the peak of summer holidays. If you’re planning your visit to the Faroe Islands sometime within the year, do your best to always book in advance. Winter is a good time to snatch up deals—and if you’re smart about which car rental company you choose, you can do so without any worry about cancellation fees.
2: Not just from big companies
Google “car rentals in Faroe Islands” and you'll likely find listings for the big car rental companies (Sixt, Kayak, etc). But that’s not all there is. With some locals being too aware of how high car rental prices put off some travelers from visiting their homeland, they’ve set up shop to offer more affordable prices (i.e. our mission in a nutshell!). But it’s not just a matter of pricing. With a local, small team you can expect much more personal support and all the attention that small businesses are known for: ensuring you’re satisfied and sharing with you recommendations.
3: Find out *all* fees
If you haven’t been lucky enough to nab a car rental winter deal, this is a must-do. Because for many car rental companies (especially the big ones), apart from the rental price of your vehicle, other costs can include cancellation fees and security deposits. The latter can be especially annoying when they charge your credit card immediately for a high deposit, before releasing it with the cost of your bank’s currency exchange fee. Our favorite alternative? Go with a car rental company that doesn’t charge you for cancellations & security deposits.
4: Confirm *all* logistics
Thought the rocky Faroe Islands would require 4-wheel drives? Not all. Off-road driving is actually banned from the islands, and thanks to a fantastic road network, just a standard car type would do you well for your adventures (even in winter!)
5: No need for a special car type
If you haven’t been lucky enough to nab a car rental winter deal, this is a must-do. Because for many car rental companies (especially the big ones), apart from the rental price of your vehicle, other costs can include cancellation fees and security deposits. The latter can be especially annoying when they charge your credit card immediately for a high deposit, before releasing it with the cost of your bank’s currency exchange fee. Our favorite alternative? Go with a car rental company that doesn’t charge you for cancellations & security deposits.
What to know about car rentals in the Faroe Islands
1. Sea Tunnels
One of the unique things you’ll quickly find out about the Faroe Islands is its many tunnels connecting you all across the archipelago. There are around 20 of them—and they can go either under the seabed itself (sub-sea tunnels) or right through a mighty mountain.
2. Parking fees
Whether it’s because of the sparsity of the population or the immensity of space around, the Faroe Islands have no parking fees whatsoever…with one exception. If you’re planning to park at the airport, you can expect to pay a fee there—otherwise, park as long as you want, free of charge.
3. No off-road driving
Perhaps a little disappointing to the 4-wheeler adventurers: the Faroe Islands doesn’t permit any off-road driving (officially: it’s prohibited by law). This is to protect the pristine nature all around, much of which is actually private property. So do enjoy your road trips—but on the ample roads, bridges, and tunnels.
5. Sheep on the road
Quintessentially Faroese, when you’re driving around here you’ll very soon be greeted with our most common habitant: wooly sheep. You’ll see them across fields and by roadsides, but just be mindful that some can galavant across the roads (often when in a panic). So when sheep are around, do slow down.
Speed limits (and other rules)
For a quick runthrough of local driving rules: if you’re in town areas, the speed limit is 50 km/h (31 mph)—otherwise, it’s 80 km/h (50 mph). You drive on the right-hand side. It’s illegal to hold a mobile device (or drink alcohol) while driving. And while the legal driving age in the Faroe Islands is 18, most car rental companies will require you to be at least 20-21 years of age.
What Car Rental options do you have?
We’re keeping this part short—only because we’ll be breaking things down for you fully in a separate
blog. But the quick sum of it is: if you’re looking to rent a car for your adventures in the Faroe
Islands, you can either rent from the regular big companies or opt for a local car rental company.
Why we’re biased for the latter? Because, well, that’s what we do—but in our PHD Car Rent way. We make
reservations a breeze, never tie up your money in security deposits, don’t charge cancellation fees
(unless you cancel 24 hours before your pick-up time), and make sure your money goes the furthest for
you.
Our mission has always been to provide the best value car rentals that you can rely on for quality and
friendly, local service. But don’t take our word for it—check out our 134, 5-star Google reviews!