As you watch the pink sunrise through the mist, you realize thanks to a cheap Faroe Islands hotel deal, you’re standing on lands settled by Vikings over a thousand years ago. Exotic northern seabirds, including Puffin, Guillemot, and Oystercatcher, bob along the shoreline. Every morning, men fish from skiffs that remind you of Viking ships. Faroese sheep graze in the heather and mosey in unassuming groups through the center of town.
Some say that seafaring Gaelic monks took the first steps on the Faroe Islands, but the Vikings were the first to build flourishing colonies here. Unfortunately, the Færeyinga Saga, the sole written account of the earliest settlements, is largely lost. One can only wonder what the rest of the manuscript revealed about life in this wild, medieval archipelago. Despite significant modernization, today’s Faroe Islands preserve Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and Norse Gael culture and tradition.
Faroe’s nearest neighbors are Iceland and North Rona, an uninhabited island off the top of northern Scotland. If you are beginning to think that Faroe Islands hotel deals are hard to find without using Expedia, you are on track. However, despite their independence and Arctic proximity, the islands offer the traveler plenty to see and do, especially if you enjoy quaint waterfront villages.
Most travelers prefer to look for special discount rates on flights to the Faroe Islands between May and September when the mountains are their greenest and the sea its best blue. Excursions leave daily from hotels in the Faroe Islands, heading for the valleys by foot, horseback, and bus. The boat tours around the fjords and the basalt bird cliffs are magnificent.
The capitol, Tórshavn, is the best place to find cheap hotel deals in the Faroe Islands, but be sure to check prices and make your reservations early. Tórshavn, named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, features restaurants, cafés, bars, and intriguing shops. The Nordic House is the island’s cultural center. Although small, Tórshavn offers visitors cinemas, a concert hall, libraries, and museums, in addition to the most appealing Faroe Islands hotel packages.
Kirkjubøur is quite different from Torshavn, but just as important to understanding Faroe. Kirkjubøur features Saint Olav's Church, built in the 12th century. Nearby, you can see Kirkjubøargarður, which is even older. Kirkjubøargarður may be the oldest inhabited wood house in the world. Its tenants, the Paturssons, have resided there for over 460 years.
