Streymoy is the largest of the Faroe Islands and the one most people use as a base. Torshavn, the island group's small, spirited capital, sits on its southeastern tip. From there, good roads fan out across dramatic terrain — sea cliffs, narrow fjords, waterfall-streaked hillsides, and villages that look like they've barely changed in centuries.
The island rewards a day or two of driving. Kirkjubour to the south is the old episcopal centre of the Faroes, with a roofless medieval cathedral and a church that has stood since the 12th century. Up in the north, Saksun is one of the most quietly beautiful villages in the islands — a handful of grass-roofed houses around a tidal lagoon, with the open Atlantic just beyond. On the west coast, Vestmanna is the departure point for boat trips into towering bird cliffs, sea caves, and natural arches that make for an unforgettable few hours on the water.
The landscape is typical Faroese: green and treeless, swept by Atlantic winds, with mountains that drop steeply into narrow sounds. Light changes constantly. Even on a grey day, the colours — deep water, bright grass, black rock — are striking.
