Kirkjubøur, Faroe Islands: Experience History on Streymoy

ByMegan Starr Updated on

One place that you simply can’t leave off of your Faroe Islands itinerary is the historic village of Kirkjubøur on the island of Streymoy. 

Planning your trip to the Faroe Islands last minute?

Below are some of the top tours, hotels, etc to help plan your Faroe Islands trip!

Getting around the Faroe Islands:

  1. Cheapest car rental options (and with most availability!)
  2. Vagar airport to Torshavn (a quick transfer service!)

Top Experiences and Tours in the Faroes:

  1. Outstanding Faroe Islands ʻSee it allʻ tour (7-hour bestseller!)
  2. 1.5 hour Vestmanna sea cliffs boat trip (great value)
  3. Mykines 7-hour tour (with puffin guarantee!)
  4. Kalsoy and Kallur lighthouse 8-hour guided tour (my favorite place!)
  5. Classic 4-hour tour of Vagar

Top Lodging and Hotels in the Faroes:

  1. The View (Vagar island near the airport)
  2. Hotel Hafnia (Torshavn)
  3. Hotel Føroyar (Torshavn)
  4. Panorama Boathouse (Klaksvik – perfect for visiting Kalsoy)
  5. Hotel Nord (Viðareiði)

This gorgeous spot in the Faroes holds the key to the islands’ history and it is as beautiful as it is fascinating.

Traveling to Kirkjubøur – A Practical Guide

My initial plans for the Faroe Islands included spending a few hours hiking to Kirkjubøur, hanging around the historic village for a bit, and then hiking back to Tórshavn.  

As the days went on, I became keener on checking out some of the lesser talked about islands such as Nólsoy and Skúvoy, and the desire to hike to Kirkjubøur kind of fizzled out.

What to know before You Visit Kirkjubour Faroe Islands

Well, due to the Faroes working her magic (my way of saying providing us with less than desirable weather), we skipped out on Skúvoy and axed the long day trip to Nólsoy.  

This left us with an entire day in Tórshavn and we ended up throwing Kirkjubøur back onto our itinerary.  We didn’t do this trip by foot as the weather truly was horrendous, but rather by car.  

Our last adventure in the Faroe Islands, and one that I am so happy we got to experience.  Visiting Kirkjubøur is an absolute must for anyone visiting the islands.

Kirkjubour Faroe Islands sheep

About Kirkjubøur

Kirkjubøur is about a twenty-minute drive from the Faroese capital city of Tórshavn.  It is the southernmost village on the island of Streymoy and really does sit at the end of the road.

What makes Kirkjubøur so notable is that it is the historical and cultural hub for Faroese history.  You can find three of the most historical sights in the Faroe Islands located within this village.  

The three key sights are the St. Magnus Cathedral, St. Olav’s Church, and the old farmhouse Kirkjubøargarður.

St. Magnus Cathedral

The ruins of this never-finished cathedral are situated by the sea in Kirkjubøur.  Its initial construction began around 1300 by Bishop Erlendur and was never actually completed because it was never roofed.  

Nevertheless, the St. Magnus Cathedral still remains the largest medieval building in the Faroe Islands.

Kirkjubour Faroe Islands Streymoy island St. Magnus Cathedral

Conservation efforts have been taking place since 1997 on the Cathedral, but have not been completely ongoing.

In 2010, however, efforts picked up a bit and protecting it has become a priority as it slowly wanes as a result of seawater, the wind, and the environment.

St. Olav’s Church

This charming white church dates all the way back to the 12th century and is still in use today, making it the oldest church in the Faroe Islands that is still being used.

Kirkjubour Faroe Islands St. Olav's Church
Kirkjubour Faroe Islands St. Olav's Church Graveyard

Kirkjubøargarður

Literally meaning “King’s Farm”, Kirkjubøargarður is one of, if not the oldest, still inhabited wooden houses in the world.  Dating back to the 11th century, it was initially used as the episcopal residence and seminary of the Diocese of the Faroe Islands.

There are many legends that surround Kirkjubøargarður, and one of the most noteworthy ones is that the wood for the houses came as driftwood from Norway and was collected, sorted, and arranged to be used as building material.

If you know the Faroe Islands, you’ll know that there are no natural trees or forests on the islands, therefore making wood a very valuable and sought-after material.

History in the Faroe Islands at Kirkjubour

The oldest part of the farmhouse is the smoke room, or roykstova.  It doesn’t quite fit with its foundation in its present state which has given an indication that it was moved from its original state.  

It is also said that Bishop Erlendur wrote the “Sheep Letter” inside of Kirkjubøargarður in 1298, which gave us the earliest documentation of the Faroe Islands we know today.

Interestingly, the Patursson family, which has been the house’s occupants since 1550, is still living residing there (the 17th generation!)  

Today, the house has been turned into a museum.  The farm also is home to sheep, cattle, and some horses and it is possible to purchase a coffee here and buy fresh mutton directly from the farmer himself.

What to know before Visiting Kirkjubour Faroe Islands
Visiting Kirkjubour Faroe Islands

My Time Visiting Kirkjubøur

We headed out to Kirkjubøur in the middle of the afternoon and it was sunny as we arrived and started raining and became super windy within a matter of minutes.  Welcome to the Faroe Islands, basically.  I took the shades off and put my rainjacket’s hood up and soldiered on to explore this historic Faroese village.

After checking out the sites mentioned above, we decided to walk down closer to the water for some better views of Kirkjubøhólmur, an islet that sits in between Kirkjubøur and the island of Hestur in the background and is home to an eider duck community.

Sheep on Kirkjubour Faroe Islands

Sea views at Kirkjubour on Streymoy Faroe Islands

Kirkjubøhólmur actually contains remnants of the old Kirkjubøur which suffered from a fierce storm in the 16th century and destroyed most of the fifty homes that existed in the village at that time.  

As we walked down by the sea we saw possibly the worst thing I could have ever seen… a dead sheep.  The poor thing had its leg dismembered in rocks up from the shore a bit and it died on its way down to the water.  Talk about ruining someone’s afternoon.

That event really shook me up and we stood around, took in the views, and then sheltered our wind-blasted bodies in the heated bus shelter until we packed up the car and headed back to Tórshavn.

House in Kirkjubour Faroe Islands

Atlantic Ocean at Kirkjubour Faroe Islands

Black Sheep at Kirkjubour Faroes

Getting to Kirkjubøur from Torshavn

You can get to Kirkjubøur one of three ways really… by car, by foot, or by bus.  The bus is free, as are all buses in and around Tórshavn.  Just be sure to hop on the 101 to Kirkjubøur.

For directions on foot, you can check out these very detailed instructions from Make.fo.

If you have a rental car, the village is not far away from Tórshavn as noted above.  It is simply about a twenty-minute drive south of the capital city.  

Abandoned home in Kirkjubour Faroe Islands (a travel guide to Kirkjubour)

You’ll pass the Gamlarætt ferry port on the way and that will let you know that you’re about five minutes from Kirkjubøur.  

On a side note- Kirkjubøur would be an ideal pit-stop on your way to the ferry port if you’re looking to take the ferry to Sandoy for the day.  You really don’t need much time in Kirkjubøur to see it all.

Views of Kirkjubour Faroe Islands

Should You Visit Kirkjubøur?

In conclusion, you definitely need to plot some time to check out Kirkjubøur.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have made the effort to actually do the hike, but the weather wasn’t cooperating, so I am glad we did end up seeing it via car. 

It also helps to learn Faroese a bit before going to the islands as you can really immerse yourself in the history of the place.  But, you can certainly get by with English if not! 

If you have any tips for travelers or questions, please leave them below!  Thanks!

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Megan Starr

Megan is a travel blogger and writer with a background in digital marketing. Originally from Richmond, VA, she now lives in Finnish Lapland after previous stints in Norway, Germany, Armenia, and Kazakhstan. She has a passion for winter travel, as well as the Nordic countries, but you can also find her eating her way through Italy, perusing perfume stores in Paris, or taking road trips through the USA. Megan has written for or been featured by National Geographic, Forbes, Lonely Planet, the New York Times, and more. She co-authored Fodor's Travel 'Essential Norway' (2020) and has visited 45 US states and 100+ countries.

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12 Comments

  1. Looks so lonely and barren, but beautiful in it’s starkness. Love that log cabin, just brings the Vikings to mind. I can’t imagine, must have been a really rough life and I can just imagine how cold it must be in winter with the wind howling in from the North Atlantic.
    I remember many years ago visiting Sumatra. We pulled into the shoulder of a road to get a photo of the countryside. There was a dog in that shoulder and he was a bit nervous of foreigners and he slowly walked away from us into the road as we got out of the car…suddenly a car pulls around the corner and runs him over. I’ll never forget that and the guilt that I felt that our presence led to his death. Having said that, sheep aren’t too bright and hopefully someone made a good mutton stew out of it. Just kidding.

    Frank (bbqboy)

    Reply

    1. It was definitely an experience I will never forget :) I would love to take a roadtrip around Indonesia someday! Although I’d surely have a crying fit seeing a poor pup out there. Thanks for the comment, Frank!

  2. That they have no natural trees is something I wouldn’t have considered had you not said anything…it’s one of those things where you look at the landscape and can tell it’s so different and beautiful but aren’t sure what it is. It’s the lack of trees. The most obvious thing.
    I love that the descendants of the original family live in that home. I think that’s amazing.

    Reply

    1. I remember as a kid I was so drawn to the Faroes, Iceland, and parts of Norway and I never, ever could pinpoint why. And it took me like 20 years, but it was the treeless thing. It really isn’t so easy to spot in a photo but you know something is different. Much different than the tree situation where we hail from!

  3. Awww I would love love love to visit the Faroe Islands one day! They come definitely first on my Nordic bucket list and your photos just proof that I should make the trip sooner rather than later! And how amazing is it that you can find SO much history in what essentially looks like the middle of nowhere?! ;)

    Reply

    1. You will definitely fall in love with the Faroes! Since I know you can handle the cold (haha), I recommend going when the season isn’t high as I can’t imagine how these islands will be able to handle the tourism once it starts at a mass level (and it will- everyone is wanting to go there these days!) My next stop is hopefully Greenland- with much inspiration from you!

  4. I loved this one girl! Your pictures are getting me ready for my trip next month.

    I think my cousin mentioned she wants to do this hike as it’s only around 1.5 hours, am I right? Tell me, did you do a lot of the historical research before you went, were the landmarks signed with information or did you have to do the research after the trip? Just wondering how I can best collect and gather my information for the trip. Keep up the good work!

    Reply

    1. I’m not certain about hike’s length, but I have heard it was around 1.5 – 2 hours, so that should be about right. You can always try the hike there and then take a bus on the way back if it takes longer!

      In Kirkjubøur there was a bit of historical information on signs (I actually had a photo to put up on here but I didn’t for some reason…) but I already knew a bit of this prior to going as I’ve been reading up on the Faroes since I was a young girl. But I try to do a bit of research prior to traveling just to make sure I don’t miss out on something (which I often do) and because I usually make a Google map of the things I want to hit up in a destination. I am not a museum person, so I try to get my fix elsewhere and it requires a bit of research.

      Very stoked for your upcoming trip! You’re going to love the Islands!