Sandoy Faroe Islands: 1 Day Itinerary
Of all the days we spent in the Faroe Islands, our day spent visiting Sandoy was one of our favorites.
Sandoy is one of the southern islands in the Faroe Islands and is often overlooked by visitors. We must have been one of only a handful of tourists there when we visited the Faroes in July.
The view from the car window of the gorgeous green landscape strewn with boulders, sheep and sheep huts was just breathtaking.
Plus, we visited an absolute hidden gem that was a highlight of our entire trip (I’m talking about you, Spinnery by the Water 😍).
This is my short guide to spending one day on Sandoy Faroe Islands, including beautiful drives, wool spinning, a gorgeous walk, and a local cafe that will make you feel like you walked into a Faroese grandmother’s home.
*There may be affiliate links in this post. Read my privacy/disclosure policy to learn more.
🐑✨IN A RUSH? HERE ARE OUR FAROE ISLANDS FAVORITES🐑✨
WHERE WE STAYED:
😍 Mulafossur Cottages:Absolutely stunning cottages in a remote valley surrounded by epic mountains and a nearby stream for playing. Only a 15-minute walk to Mulafossur Waterfall.
😍 Colorful Boathouse with Hot Tub:Picturesque boathouse situated right on the harbour in Leirvik with a cute wooden hot tub with boat and waterfall views with viking ruins right across the street!
EXCURSIONS WE BOOKED:
🛥️ Vestmanna Sea Cliff Boat Tour with Puffins!:Absolutely lovely boat tour along massive cliffs with hundreds, if not thousands, of birds nesting. We saw puffins flying!
🐑 1-Hour Tour of Faroese Wool Spinnery: Tour the ONLY spinnery on the island creating yarn from Faroese wool! An amazing family-run operation where we learned how wool is cleaned, carded and spun. You can even buy Faroese yarn when you're done! I highly recommend. (Click on their 'contact' page to message them to schedule a time)
✨ SEARCH FOR ADDITIONAL EXCURSIONS AND TOURS IN THE FAROE ISLANDS AT GUIDETOFAROEISLANDS.COM
HOW WE SAVED MONEY ON OUR (EXPENSIVE) RENTAL CAR:
🚘 Economy Bookings Car Rental: Any bit you can save on your car rental in the Faroes is worth it because it's PRICEY. Our go-to is Economy Bookings.
OUR OTHER TRAVEL FAVORITES:
📸 Tours/Excursions: Viator & Get Your Guide
🚕 Airport Transfers with Car Seats: Welcome Pickups
👉 Travel Strollers: Zoe Traveler & Zoe Double
🍼 Baby Carriers: Tula Carriers, Wildride Hip Carriers
📱 International Data Phone eSIM: Airalo
🚗 Cheap Rental Cars: Economy Bookings
🏠 Accomodations: Booking, Expedia, VRBO, Airbnb
🌎 Travel Insurance: World Nomads
We receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using the above link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
Where to stay on Sandoy Island in the Faroe Islands
We chose to take a daytrip to Sandoy, so we didn’t spend the night on the island.
IN A RUSH? LINKS TO WHERE WE STAYED IN THE FAROE ISLANDS (not on Sandoy Island):
😍 Mulafossur Cottages:Absolutely stunning cottages in a remote valley surrounded by epic mountains and a nearby stream for playing. Only a 15-minute walk to Mulafossur Waterfall.
😍 Colorful Boathouse with Hot Tub:Picturesque boathouse situated right on the harbour in Leirvik with a cute wooden hot tub with boat and waterfall views with viking ruins right across the street!
Read this post: 4 Stunning Places To Stay in The Faroe Islands: We’ve Stayed at Two of Them!
However, we passed some really picturesque and new grass-roofed cottages that I looked up later, and it turns out you can book them!
I’ll list those grass-roofed cottages below, along with other accommodations that I’d love to stay at on the island:
- 💰 Mølin Guesthouse: Multiple rooms available, breakfast buffet, and hot tub! Connected to where we recommend going for lunch/dinner on Sandoy.
- 💰💰Grass-Roofed Captain’s Cottage: Picturesque cottage across the street from a beach and the yarn-bombed rock.
- 💰💰💰 Luxury Grass-Roofed Cottage with Hot Tub: Front row view of the water with hot tub!
How to get to Sandoy in the Faroe Islands?
Thanks to the extensive undersea tunnel system in the Faroe Islands, Sandoy is just a 45-minute drive from Torshavn via the Sandoyartunnilin (Sandoy Tunnel).
The toll for the Sandoy Tunnel is 350 DKK round trip (about $55).
There is one main road that takes you from the north to the south of Sandoy (highway 12 that then turns into highway 40).
It’s a beautiful route lined with green grass, ponds, streams, boulders, and sea views. It’s one of my favorite drives we took in the Faroes.
Sandoy Island Itinerary Mapped Out
*Use this interactive map to see the Sandoy Island 1-day route I suggest.Click on the full-screen icon in the top right corner to have this map open in your own Google Maps app*
One Day in Sandoy Faroe Islands at a Glance
- Tour The Spinnery by the River (Spinnaríið við ánna), a small, local wool micro-spinnery
- Hike the Líraberg Trail or walk along the picturesque path to the trailhead
- Admire the yarn-bombed rock
- Dinner at Café á Mølini (opening hours vary greatly by day and season)
Sandoy Faroe Islands Itinerary
1. Learn about Spinning Wool at Spinnaríið við ánna in Skopun
Every day in the Faroes, you encounter THOUSANDS of sheep, so being able to visit a spinnery and learn about the history of wool on the islands is such a unique and meaningful experience.
That’s why visiting Spinnaríið við ánna (The Spinnery by the River) was one of our favorite things we did in the Faroe Islands!
The Spinnery by the River is a locally run microspinnery dedicated to keeping the tradition of spinning Faroese wool alive.
We learned that most of the sheared sheep wool across the islands is just burned each year because there are so few people spinning with Faroese wool these days😮.
They want to change that and continue the craft of spinning with the unique colors and texture of pure Faroese wool.
It’s run by a father/daughter duo whose parents/grandparents used to spin wool and knit fisherman sweaters back in the late 1800s/early 1900s when wool exports from the Faroe Islands were huge.
At the Spinnery by the River, you can take a lovely 1-hour (private) guided tour of their spinnery and learn about every single step in the spinning process along the way (and there are a lot of steps!).
You can even purchase wool that has been spun right there in their factory. We visited with our three young kids, and they were so good at keeping them engaged and answering their questions.
I think our visit here was the highlight of the trip for our yarn-obsessed 6-year-old.
Skopun, the tiny village that the spinnery is located in, is also picturesque in its own right.
🧶🐑 Click here to learn more about visiting The Spinnery by the River 🧶🐑
*Want more wool/knitting experiences in the Faroe Islands? Check out this 3-hour Knitting Club Experience, where you get to knit with locals and learn about the history of knitting in the Faroes. Click here to learn more.
2. Take a Beautiful Nature Walk or Hike Líraberg Trail
After our tour of the spinnery, we asked the owners for any walk recommendations in the area and their response did NOT disappoint.
They pulled up a map and said, ‘Hmm, I think you would like to walk up on this road here. We think it’s quite lovely. And there are some small ponds nearby that you can walk down to.’
What they were pointing to was a road, just a 2-minute drive from the spinnery. The road leads to the Liraberg Hike Trailhead.
You can drive up the road to the Liraberg Hike trailhead, where from there it’s only a 1-mile round-trip hike out to beautiful views of a sea stack (we totally would have done that had the kids not needed to get food in their bellies asap).
Rather, we did what they suggested, and instead of driving up the road to the trailhead, we simply walked along the (not-busy-at-all) road and took in the gorgeous scenic views from there instead (the only cars allowed on the road are those going to the trailhead).
There were multiple little ponds surrounded by gorgeous green grass, strewn boulders, wooden and stone sheep huts, and grazing sheep and geese in all directions. I felt like we’d landed in a storybook. It was beautiful.
We did as they suggested and walked down to a pond (being very careful not to cross any fences into private property). And just enjoyed the beauty surrounding us.
I highly recommend taking the walk to Liraberg Trailhead (and even hiking Liraberg Trail as well if you have time!).
This is the Google Maps pin to the Liraberg Trailhead parking lot and this is the pin to the general area where you can leave your car and walk.
Alternatively, you could easily leave your car at the Skopun harbor and enjoy a walk through the tiny village on your way.
🥾 Click here to check out the Líraberg hike on All Trails 🥾
3. Admire the Yarn-Bombed Rock
The yarn-bombed rock is a large boulder covered in many different knitted creations, all knitted together, created by local women.
The yarn-bombed rock is situated in a beautiful spot by the sea overlooking the cliffs and a beach. This could be a quick stop to snap a pic, or you could stay awhile and enjoy lunch on the picnic table right next to the rock.
You can see the yarn-covered rock from about mid-May to mid-August.
Take note that on Google Maps, the yarn-bombed rock is called ‘Symbol of Collaboration’… it was a bit tricky for me to find at first.
Also, if you want views of this beach from where you’re staying, be sure to check out this grass-covered cottage right across the street: Grass-Roofed Captain’s Cottage.
4. Feel Like a Local at Cafein a Mølini
Cafein a Mølini is a local cafe that, when you step into it, you feel like you’ve stepped into your Faroese grandmother’s home.
Restaurants can be difficult to find outside of Tórshavn, so it’s nice to take advantage of a local spot when you can!
The seating at Cafein a Mølini is a variety of couches and coffee tables, bar stools, and dining tables with things like vintage record players and radios as decoration.
Plus, they have board games and books you can use while you wait!
The menu is simple, but the chicken soup was warm and delicious and hit the spot after a day out exploring.
Possibly even better than their entrees was their ever-changing dessert menu. We tried three different treats, and all of them were absolutely amazing.
And those are my recommendations for taking a day trip to Sandoy Faroe Islands! We really enjoyed our time on the island, and I hope you do too. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions.
🐑 LOOKING FOR MORE ABOUT THE FAROE ISLANDS?
CHECK OUT MY OTHER FAROE ISLAND GUIDES:
🛏️ 4 Stunning Places To Stay in The Faroe Islands: We’ve Stayed at Two of Them!
❓15 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting the Faroe Islands
🐑 The ONLY Guide You Need to Visit The Faroe Islands with Kids
⛰️ 5-Day Faroe Islands Itinerary with Hidden Gems
📆 Is July The Best Time to Visit The Faroe Islands?
💰 Faroe Islands Trip Cost Breakdown: Is it as Expensive as They Say?
Like it? Pin it!
