Weather and climate in the Faroe islands
Let’s be straight. If you expect the climate in the Faroe Islands to include 30-degrees sun every day, with sweat constantly dripping from your forehead, and a duvet-less sleep, you have been slightly misinformed. Not to say this this isn’t possible (we once recorded 26 degrees!). It’s just not quite the norm.
What surprises many, however, is the relative mildness of the Faroese seasons. Despite the islands’ northern latitude location, summers are cool with an average temperature of 13°C, and winters are mild, with an average temperature of 3°C. This climate, classed as Maritime Subarctic according to the Köppen climate classification, is influenced by the strong warming influence of the Atlantic Ocean, which produces the North Atlantic Current.
Summer days bring long hours of sunlight (19 hours, 45 minutes on the longest day, June 21). In contrast, days during the winter can be as short as 5 hours.
The islands are generally windy, cloudy and cool throughout the year. Variations in altitude, ocean currents, topography and wind mean the climate differs greatly, even though distances between locations is small. This makes for unpredictable and highly changeable weather. It is not uncommon for one location to experience rain, the next snow, and a third location sun. You can literally experience all four seasons in one day!
Pharmacies and hospitals in the Faroe Islands
Should you need assistance, dial 112 for any type of emergency. First aid is provided at the hospitals in Tórshavn, Klaksvík and Tvøroyri.
General Practitioners can also be contacted for non-emergency consultations over the telephone, usually between 08.00 and 09.00. If you need urgent medical treatment outside the GP”s opening hours, which is between 16.00 and 08.00, you should call the emergency medical service tel. 1870.
Emergency number is - 112
ELECTRICITY
220-230 volts AC (50 Hz) is the Faroese standard. The electric outlets take plugs common to most European countries but may differ from those in your home country. To be on the safe side, you should bring a two-pin continental adapter with you.
For further information, check out this useful guide.
POSTAL SERVICE
General hours of the national postal service (Posta) in Tórshavn are Mon-Fri from 8:00 – 17:00.
Post offices in smaller villages have shorter opening hours. All post offices are closed Saturdays and Sundays.
Visit Posta’s website for more information.
PHONE & INTERNET SERVICES IN THE FAROE ISLANDS
The country code for the Faroe Islands is +298 plus the six-digit number. Calls from the Faroe Islands abroad can be made by dialing 00, then the national code and the telephone number. For further information, contact the telephone number information by dialing 118.
Three GSM service providers operate in the Faroe Islands: Føroya Tele (Faroese Telecom), Hey and Tosa. Føroya Tele and Hey sell pre-paid GSM phone cards and offer GSM / GPRS service. Prepaid telephone cards can be purchased in teleshops, kiosks, petrol stations, post offices, hotels, Regional Information Centres and at the information desk at Vágar Airport.
Nearly all the islands receive an excellent broadband connection, with 3G and 4G networks fully functioning across the whole country.
Internet terminals offering wireless broadband can be found in Regional Information Centres, public libraries, hotel lobbies and some cafés
CURRENCY, CREDIT CARDS AND BANKS
There are two currencies of equal value in the Faroe Islands: the Faroese króna and the Danish krone. While the Faroese government prints its own bank notes, only Danish coins are used. Danish notes are equally acceptable as Faroese notes throughout the country.
Most shops, restaurants, petrol stations, hotels and taxies accept credit cards, mainly VISA, but other credit cards, such as MasterCard, Eurocard, Maestro and JCB, are also accepted in large stores, shopping centres and restaurants. Most places DO NOT accept American Express.
It is possible to withdraw money with Visa, Visa-Dankort, Eurocard, MasterCard, Maestro and JCB from the many ATMs around the country. The ATMs are often found next to bank branches and can be used outside the banks’ normal opening hours
Banks are normally open Monday to Friday from 09.30 to 16.00. Banks in smaller villages might have different and shorter opening hours. Banks are closed on all public holidays.