Most people come to Vestmanna to take a Boat Trip to the rightfully famous Birdcliffs on the island’s west coast, but we found that there are actually a few more reasons to drop by the little village on Streymoy’s west coast.
These include the interesting Saga Museum and the cosy Fjørukrógvin Café. Apart from that, Vestmanna is also the trailhead for the picturesque cross-island hike to Hvalvík. Here’s everything to know about visiting one of Streymoy’s most interesting villages.
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The Best Things to Do in Vestmanna
Take a Boat Trip to the Vestmanna Birdcliffs
This is the most popular activity in Vestmanna and rightfully so – the boat trip along Streymoy’s northwestern coast leads past some dramatic landscapes, including sheer cliffs and some very tall rock spires climbing out from the sea.
As the name suggests, we saw quite a few birds around the cliffs, although not as many as we spotted in other parts of the Islands, especially around Gjógv and Mykines. Still, we saw plenty of puffins and fulmars flying around, as well as some guillemots and the occasional Skua.
When we did the trip, the sea got increasingly rougher after leaving the sheltered harbour surrounding Vestmanna. We were fine, but some people on the boat were struggling, so if you’re prone to sea sickness, you might want to schedule the trip for a calm day or take some medication beforehand.
The trips take about 1.5 hours and are quite pricey at around 400 DKK, but we were glad we took the tour, as it allowed us to see some of the Faroes’ impressive cliffs from a different perspective. You can get your tickets at the Vestmanna Tourist Centre in the harbour – the tours themselves start right around the corner.
During the summer, several tours per day are scheduled – you can check the times here. Alternatively, you can also book a longer tour of the area, which includes the boat ride, as well.
Visit the Vestmanna Saga Museum
The Vestmanna Tourist Centre is home to the village’s small Saga Museum. In a series of life-sized dioramas, important stages of the Faroe Islands’ history and mythologies are recreated. Similar to the early history and folklore, a lot of it is quite bloody and gruesome (expect lots of chopped-off body parts).
The context of the scenes is provided by a multi-language audio-guide, so make sure to get one, or you’ll likely have no idea what’s going on in the scenes. While we found the museum to be a bit campy, we also enjoyed our visit, and it certainly helped us to understand the Faroese culture and history a bit better.
The museum is pretty small, but I’d suggest you still allow about an hour to be able to listen to all the explanations. You can check the current opening times here.
Do the Hvalvík-Vestmanna Hike
While Vestmanna can easily be reached by public transport from Tórshavn, another great option to arrive in the village is by foot. If the weather is nice, I highly recommend you do the trans-insular Hvalvík-Vestmanna hike.
While you can also start the hike in Vestmanna, I suggest you do like us and start from Hvalvík, so you can top off your hike with a boat tour to the bird cliffs, a visit to the Saga Museum and a bowl of soup at Fjørukrógvin Café.
To get to the trailhead from Tórshavn, take the bus bound for Klaksvík and ask to be let out at Hvalvík. Check out the pretty grass-roofed church and small adjacent plantation (forest), before climbing up into the hilly centre of Streymoy.
The well-marked trail leads once across the island past some small lakes and reservoirs, before descending into Vestmanna. On a clear day, the views of both coasts are amazing. The hike is about 10km or 6mi. long and took us around 3.5 hours to complete.
Practicalities
How to Get to Vestmanna
Vestmanna lies in the north-western part of Streymoy, the Faroe’s biggest island. At the time of writing, the village was served by Bus 100 from Tórshavn. You can check the current connections and timetables here.
Guesthouses in Vestmanna
If you prefer to stay in Vestmanna overnight, there are a few possibilities. If you’re travelign during the summer months, you could try to get a room at the budget Krákureiðrið School Home. Otherwise, there are a few mid-range choices, like Budget Guesthouse Borgustova or Kassie & Gia’s Home. If you’re in a bigger group, you could also rent an entire cabin, like Pauli’s Boathouse.