Tórshavn Shore Excursions

Kirkjubour and National Museum
Duration: Approx. 3.25 hours

You join your coach opposite Tinganes, the site of Viking council meetings, and drive through the centre of Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroes, whose origins date back more than a thousand years. You can compare old and new as you pass tarred wooden houses contrasting with the clean lines of modern public buildings. Unlike many Nordic towns of similar age, Torshavn has never been touched by all-embracing fire, so the old quarter of the town is remarkably well preserved.

Leaving Tórshavn, you continue westward to the village of Velbastaour, with fine views of the nearby islands of Koltur and Hestur, and then southwards to the historic village of Kirkjubour. It is here that Irish monks, presumed to be the earliest settlers in the Faroes, made their home in the 8th century. In about 1100 Kirkjubour was made the episcopal seat of the islands and you can see the 12th-century St. Olav's Church - the only medieval church still in use in the Faroes - the Magnus Cathedral, started in the 13th century but never completed, and a farmhouse standing on the remains of the episcopal palace dating from around the year 900.

The National Historical Museum at Hoyvik, situated on the northern outskirts of Tórshavn, is a splendid facility, with well-documented displays depicting life in the Faroes through the centuries. You will see items of medieval daily life excavated at the Viking settlement at Kvivik on the west of the island, such as cooking and spinning utensils, and an 800-year-old leather shoe. Of special interest is the extensive collection of Faroese boats and fishing equipment dating back hundreds of years.

By coach, subject to a minimum of 40/maximum of 900. Please note: This tour may operate in a different order so as to avoid congestion.