Faroe Islands in January | The Complete Guide

What is it like visiting the Faroe Islands in January? How is the weather? What can you do and where can you go? Continue reading for all there is to know about Faroe Islands in January.

• Discover the widest selection of Day Tours in the Faroe islands
• Learn about What to Pack for Faroe Islands
• Explore Faroe Islands by Renting a Car
• Read about Faroe Islands in December and Faroe Islands in February

January is the peak of low season in the Faroe Islands. There are very few if any tourist at all exploring the overwhelmningly beautiful sceneries and enjoying simple living for a while.

When visiting this time of year, you are taking a step back to feel the magic of epic landscapes and warm hospitality. The rough otherworldly mountains will make sure to give you one of those special memories for the decades to come.

What to do in the Faroe Islands in January

​Faroe Islands is dark and windy in January, and there are almost no guided day tours running in this off-season month. There is a whole world of beautiful attractions to be explored. So with almost no guided tours available, you will get the best experience when renting a car.

As the days are short, you want to make the most of the light hours. You will find yourself in the middle of exciting nature. Narrow streets in small villages are uncrowded and so are nature paths too.

One of the most amazing activities to do in January is to head to the most rural places accessible in winter. Here you will find yourself completely away from light pollution. Try stopping at Gjáarskarð and relax in complete darkness. Or find yourself in the valley between the villages Hvalvík and Saksun. You want it darker? Well, this is as dark as it gets when escape the urban hectic life.

New Year’s Eve

​Faroe Islanders are celebrating New Year’s Eve on 31 December, but the enormous fireworks display continues into the 1 January, which illuminates the sky. Everyone in the Faroe Islands is allowed to buy and let it off in all villages and cities.

If you are in the Faroe Islands on New Year’s Eve, make sure to be in one of the larger villages or in a town. The festive atmosphere is gorgeous when standing at a vantage point such as the Hotel Føroyar on the hillside in Tórshavn or from a rented apartment or house in the Tórshavn suburb Argir. The night sky is filled with colour.

One of the most authentic places to spend New Year’s Eve is in the village Vágar on Suðuroy island. Each year the villages gather just before midnight on 31 December.

The tradition in Vágar goes like this. People put up two gates, one for the old year and one for the new year.

Just before midnight, people gather around a Viking rowing boat on a small triangular square. Many villagers will have a torch while circle around the boat.

After singing the Faroese hymn »Tíðin rennur sum streymur í á« the wooden boat is set ablaze when all torches are thrown at it. Then the official fireworks starts. This ritual is a way for the villagers to celebrate passing time, burning away sorrows, and lighting up the path into the New Year.

Weather in the Faroe Islands in January

The weather in the Faroe Islands is notoriously unpredictable. The temperature throughout January averages between 2° and 5° Celsius (35 °F and 41° F). January is also the time of year when snow dress up the summits and hills around the country.

The temperature goes below 0 °C (32 °F) every now and then but usually not for more than a couple of days at a time. Mountain peaks are usually snowcapped throughout this month.

It will be cloudy on most days and when the sky is clear it will become colder and there will be less wind. But most days are windy and rainy.​

Faroe Islands in January is unlike any other place on the planet. The good thing about Faroe Islands this time of the year is the low number of tourists at the best sites. You will remember a January vacation in the Faroe Islands for years to come as nature is always immersive in the windswept North Atlantic archipelago.

Planning a trip to the Faroe Islands in January? Make sure to check out the best winter itinerary in the Faroe Islands and start preparing your vacation.