Complete Faroe Islands Tunnels Guide (+ Map & Essential Tips)

Why do the Faroe Islands have so many tunnels? Are you able to drive through all Faroe Islands tunnels in a car? Continue reading and get the full list of tunnels in the island group and much more.

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Nestled in the wild North Atlantic Ocean, the Faroe Islands are a mountainous archipelago with unimaginable beauty. The 18 islands are separated by deep fjords and many villages hidden behind steep mountains. These conditions have made tunnels essential for connecting the islanders together.

While travellers visit the Faroe Islands to disconnect from the fast pace of life elsewhere, the islands themselves are very well connected. Join us as we embark on a journey to explore the enchanting tunnels of the Faroe Islands. From wide illuminated tubes to narrow dark ones.

This guide includes the full list of the 23 tunnels in the Faroe Islands made for two way car traffic. As a traveller, you are welcome to drive through them all.

Why do the Faroe Islands have so many tunnels?

Tunnels make it so much easier to get around in the Faroe Islands. Most mountain tunnels have been made in terrain where it is impossible to build roads from one point to another simply due to the steep landscape. Other tunnels have been constructed in order to secure a safe journey in both winter and summer.

With 18 separated islands known for challenging weather conditions, underwater tunnels have replaced ferries to four different islands. This has reduced travel time significantly as people can now drive effortlessly to seven out of 18 islands. Now more than 90% of people in the Faroe Islands are linked together thanks to tunnels and a couple of causeways.

Underwater Tunnels

Inter-island travel has become so much easier thanks to a total of four sub-sea tunnels in the Faroe Islands. All these tunnels are spacious and two-laned with a single tube. The speed limit in all four underwater tunnels is 80 km/h (50 mph). All sub-sea tunnels link islands together where straits and fjords separate one island from another. These are the underwater tunnels in the archipelago:

• Eysturoyartunnilin
• Sandoyartunnilin
• Norðoyatunnilin
• Vágatunnilin

When the length of all four underwater tunnels is added together, they are 33,3 km (20.7 miles) in total. Make sure to try all four undersea road tunnels when in the Faroe Islands.

How much does it cost to go through the Faroe Islands tunnels?

The underwater tunnels are the only toll road tunnels in the Faroe Islands. Both travellers and locals pay for driving through the sub-sea tunnels.

While the locals pay their passages on the tunnel website, tourists pay for the toll tunnels at their car rental agency. Simply drive through the tunnels without stopping as a photo is taken of the license plate at the tunnel’s mouth and that way the passage is registered.

The price for driving through the underwater tunnels depends on which tunnel you use. This is the current price for driving through the underwater tunnels.

• Eysturoyartunnilin – 175 DKK (one-way)
• Sandoyartunnilin – 350 DKK (two-way)
• Norðoyatunnilin – 100 DKK (two-way)
• Vágatunnilin – 100 DKK (two-way)

You will always go through all tunnels twice except the Eysturoyartunnnilin as there is a bridge option connecting Eysturoy Island to Streymoy Island. The bridge is free of charge and is located at the Sundini Strait.

Eysturoyartunnilin reduces travel time when going from Tórshavn to the southern part of Eysturoy Island and further to the Northern Isles. If you explore the northernmost part of Eysturoy Island, taking the bridge between Eysturoy Island to Streymoy Island is a good alternative.

Arriving by Ferry and How to Pay the Tunnels

Travelling to the Faroe Islands by car aboard Norröna — the only passenger ferry serving the archipelago? Save yourself any tunnel hassle by registering your number plate before you arrive.

You will need to create an automated payment on the tunnel website. Once you have entered your licence plate, choose the dates you would like the payment plan to run. So select the dates you will be in the Faroe Islands. Each underwater tunnel passage will then be charged to your card automatically, with no manual steps required.

Eysturoyartunnilin

Eysturoyartunnilin is the longest underwater road network in the Faroe Islands. With a total of 11.4 km (7.1 miles), Eysturoyartunnilin links Streymoy Island to Eysturoy Island. This tunnel makes it easy to get to and from the capital Tórshavn from Eysturoy Island and the islands further north.

What makes this tunnel special is the roundabout found under the ocean floor. This is actually the world’s first underwater roundabout. There is an artwork in the roundabout made by the local artist Tróndur Patursson.

Sandoyartunnilin

Sandoyartunnilin links Streymoy Island to Sandoy Island. The tunnel is 10.8 km (6.7 miles) long. At its deepest point, the tunnel is 155 metres (508 feet) below the seafloor.

The tunnel portal is located on the western side of Streymoy Island at Gamlarætt Ferry Port. You will enter Sandoy Island near Lake Sandsvatn which is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Faroe islands.

Norðoyatunnilin

Norðoyatunnilin links Eysturoy Island to Borðoy Island. The sub-sea tunnel is 6.2 km (3.8 miles) long. You will drive 150 metres (492 feet) under the sea floor at the tunnel’s lowest point.

The tunnel starts in the village Leirvík on Eysturoy Island and finds its way to Klaksvík on Borðoy Island. The Leirvíksfjørður strait separates the islands that the Norðoyatunnilin connects.

Vágatunnilin

Vágatunnilin links Vágar Island to Streymoy Island. The tunnel is 4.9 (3 miles) long and its lowest elevation is 105 metres (344 feet) under the seabed.

All travellers coming to the Faroe Islands by flight will drive through this tunnel as the only airport in the Faroe Islands is located on Vágar Island. Once you get to the Streymoy Island side of the tunnel, you are super close to the lovely Lake Leynavatn.

Mountain Tunnels

There is a total of 19 mountain tunnels in the Faroe Islands. All mountain tunnels are free of charge.

While most of these tunnels are two-laned, some tunnels come with only a single track. There are several lay-bys in these tunnels in order for oncoming traffic to pass by.

Mountain tunnels connect villages together from small hamlets with only a handful of inhabitants to more populous areas. These are the mountain tunnels in the Faroe Islands listed by islands where they are found:

Viðoy Island

• Viðareiðistunnilin

Kunoy Island

• Kunoyartunnilin

Kalsoy Island

• Trøllanestunnilin
• Mikladalstunnilin
• Ritudalstunnilin
• Villingardalstunnilin

Borðoy Island

• Hvannasundstunnilin
• Árnafjarðartunnilin

Eysturoy Island

• Norðskálatunnilin
• Leirvíkstunnilin

Streymoy Island

• Leynartunnilin
• Kollafjarðartunnilin
• Húsareynstunnilin

Vágar Island

• Gásadalstunnilin

Suðuroy Island

• Sandvíkartunnilin
• Hvalbiartunnilin
• Hovstunnilin
• Sumbiartunnilin
• Fámjinstunnilin

Tunnel Opening Hours

All tunnels in the Faroe Islands are open 24 hours a day. Tunnels are very rarely closed and only when traffic is low during nighttime.

It might look a bit risky heading into the narrowest of tunnels. Nevertheless, driving in the Faroe Islands is easy and same goes when you traverse the tunnels.

Driving Single Lane Tunnels

When entering single lane mountain tunnels, you will notice that pullouts are always on one side. This might look a bit unnerving. Nevertheless, it comes very naturally when first inside the tunnels.

As you drive inside the tunnels, the responsibility for pulling out falls to the driver with the pullouts to their right. When pulling off to the lay-buys, turn the headlights to parking lights in order not to blind oncoming traffic. The blinding down is done automatically in most rental cars in the Faroe Islands.

Experiencing the Tunnels in Faroe Islands

Planning to visit the Faroe Islands? You will for sure enter some of the tunnels in the island group. Take a look at the widest selection of guided tours where local guides will take you through tunnels to explore the vast beauty found on all islands. Thanks to the many tunnels, you have easy access to the serenety found all over the archipelago, from settlements such as Skálavík to vantage point like Klakkur Mountain Ridge.

Another great way to explore the islands is in a rented car. Take a look here at the largest selection of rental cars in the Faroe Islands.