Unlike most ferry crossings that get people and vehicles from A to B this route between Denmark and Iceland is an epic journey. Particularly the leg between the Faroe Islands and Iceland on the open Atlantic is spectacular – yet not for the faint-stomached.

Booking

This gem needs to be booked really early! There is just one sailing per week and tickets sell out fast.

Shedules and fares for the following year usually come out in late summer. Check www.smyril-line.com for availability. The booking tool on the website is easy to use. Just make sure you have your passport number ready even if you are based in the EEA.

Smyril offers the usual cabin categories from basic indoor cabins to huge suites. The dorm-like shared rooms down in the ship’s belly are no longer for sale.

I booked in July 2022 for the following year in May: The basic rate for the passage was 146.00 €. As on all my ferry cruises, I added the cheapest available single-occupancy sea view-accommodation, which in this case was a 2-berth outside cabin at an extra 237.00 € for the three night crossing. To test the food outlets, I also pre-booked one dinner each in the cafeteria (at 20.00 €) and the buffet restaurant (at 39.00 €) as well as breakfast buffet (at 17.00 €).

There is no ‘manage my booking’ feature available, so you need to call or mail the company to amend or change bookings. I had to add a new passport number and change a restaurant reservation, which was handled over the phone promptly.

No shore excursions or activities are offered for the layover in Tórshavn, however, Smyril Line has a proper cruise package, called Viking Cruise. Prices start at around 750.00€ for the seven-day return trip without meals. Cruises are only available during the off-season in April/May and September/ October.

A few other cruise elements such as a spa treatments or dinner in a special, sit-down restaurant are also available.

Route

M/S Norröna left the Danish fishing town of Hirtshals on Saturday afternoon and crossed the Kattegat into the North Sea. The route followed the Norwegian coast for a few hours and we then gradually headed north-west.

We passed the Shetland Islands on late Sunday afternoon before the ship heads straight towards the Faroes.

Gallery Hirtshals to Tórshavn

Tórshavn is reached on Monday morning around 07:30 hrs. The stop in capital of the Faroes is brief, just under 6 hours. Given the you need time to disembark and re-board, this means you get 4, maybe 4 1/2 hrs of shore time. Apparently the time in Tórshavn used to be longer but Smyril Line decided to operate Norröna at a slightly slower speed in order to save fuel and reduce emissions.

At 13:00 hrs Norröna set sails again and travelled along the coast for a few hours and then on a a passage between the Northern Isles into the open northern Atlantic which was reached on Monday evening.

The final leg to Iceland then takes another night. The ferry entered the Seyðis Fjord around 07:00 hrs docking in the small town of Seyðisfjörður two hours later on a georgeous sunny Wednesday morning.

Gallery Tórshavn to Seyðisfjörður

All times are subject to weather which can be inclement so far up north; always plan with contingency.

Speaking of weather, on this trip in early May conditions were calm in the North Sea and around the Faroes. Once in the open Atlantic, waves were around 5-6 meters with some strong winds.
A crewmember told me they had 10-meter waves on the inbound journey. Norröna can safely handle all that for sure, however, I felt that in parts of the ship the motion and force of the sea were quite noticeable. Of course that’s right where my cabin was.

All in all, it is a spectacular ferry crossing with lots of sightseeing thrown in: off-shore wind farms and oil rigs in the North sea, waterfalls plummeting off the green hills of the Faroe Islands into the sea, and the barren Icelandic coast on the horizon in the morning light, followed by a leisurely cruise deep into a fjord.

All the same, Norröna remains a working ferry transporting Cargo, Trucks and as it were two helicopters to very remote spots on the globe, which allows you to feel like an old salt (well, a bit).The ferry passes the coast of Norway as well as the Shetlands at a distance, so the best views are on the Tórshavn–Seyðisfjörður leg, so I very strongly recommend to make the full journey to Iceland.

Mobile Coverage

Mobile services were available after leaving Hirtshals, very briefly though, along the Norwegian coast, and from UK providers for a couple of hours around the Shetlands. Coverage in town in Tórshavn was great but I lost the signal soon after leaving port. My phone caught an Islandic signal the moment I woke up in my cabin on the last morning around 06:00 hrs.

Ship and Operating Company

This ferry, IMO 9227390, is the second ship to operate under the name of Norröna (which roughly translates as The Northern Seas) for Faroe based Smyril Line.

She was built by Flender Yards of Lübeck, Germany and delivered in 2002. Ever since she exclusively operated between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and to various ports in the UK, Denmark and Norway. Today, she shuttles between Hirtshals in Denmark, Tórshavn and Seyðisfjörður as the only passenger ferry of her company Smyril Line.

Between December 2022 and March 2021 Norröna was refurbished by Fünen Yards in Denmark. The foredeck was streamlined and a new panorama bar on the topmost deck were added. This refurbishment neatly illustrates a trend to transform ferries from a means of transport to ships that make the journey matter. In Norröna’s case the focus clearly was on an upmarket clientele. Accordingly, 50 deluxe cabins and suites were added and the bunk bed section on the lower decks closed. A new panorama bar was added. on the topmost deck. As much as I enjoyed sitting there watching the scenery, the expansive construction somewhat diluted the sturdy lines of the ship.

In its’ current configuration the ferry can accommodate about 1,500 guests in 318 passenger cabins. The car decks feature 1,830 lane-meters for cars and trailers. Typical cruise is at 21 knots powered by four Wärtsila NSD ZA40S diesels.

On Board

Cabin

The cheapest available outboard accommodation on Norröna is a 2-berth outside cabin. Mine was located on deck 5 forward , which was convenient as many amenities were also on this level, yet also pretty close to the bow so I strongly felt the waves hitting the foreship.

The cabin was a little larger compared to other ferries. The carpet and some fittings were renewed during the general overhaul, other materials seemed to be from the original outfit.

Linnen and towels provided were spotless – are rare thing in cheap ferry cabins. Unfortunately, the mattress was a little thin and uncomfortable.

The ensuite bathroom was small, clean and functional.

There also was a TV with a few satellite channels from Denmark and Germany and a nice moving map as well es nice minibar, which has to be paid extra (alcolholic/non-alcohoilc packages available).

Each cabin door ist decorated with sealife from the northern seas, wich is a nice detail.

For whatever reason I didn’t really warm to this accommodation though. Maybe because it felt a little cold and bare-bones and looked so much cheaper than the rest of the ship. The ventilation also was poor – something I really dislike.

Facilities

All interior areas have been refurbished and updated in a coherent design mixing warm browns and black with the specially designed Atlantic Blue-pattern for the carpets in the cabins and hallways. It felt contemporary yet cosy, but I couldn’t help wondering how well this very dark the colour palette works during the long Nordic nights.

There are many areas to sit and watch the sea go by on deck 5 and 6. Generally the abundance of outdoor space an seating on Norröna ist adorable. There are open areas on decks 7-9 and deck 10 is completely open. Plenty of chairs are available and there even are hot tubs to soak in (at an extra charge).

Norröna offers much of the usual ferry amenities: movie screenings, a children’s playroom, and a small gym. Having an indoor pool, open-deck hot tubs and a soccer pitch are more cruise ship-like offerings

Hot tubs in the open. As I hate it when my body is in different climate zones at the same time, I gave them a pass.

Restaurants

Three restaurants cater for passengers on different prize levels:

Noatun is the main cafeteria with snacks and light meals as well as basic buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Staff there was friendly and both the meals I bought off the shelf as well as my pre-booked dinner buffet were nice and tasty.

Skansgardur is supposed to be the more upmarket buffett and as such totally disappointed me. The restaurant looked dull, the seating resembled a low-key London pub, and the food was nowhere near what Baltic ferries offer in their main buffets. All in all, not worth the extra money.

Fun fact: both Radler (shandy) and Apfelschorle (apple spritzer) on the drink’s menu! “Skansagardur” seems to be a favourite with German passengers.

I didn’t check out the formal restaurant Munkastova, even though the menu looked nice.

Drinks and light snacks are served in several bars:

Undirhusid is a well-designed space which works both as daytime-café and an evening bar. The forward area looks light a bo-ho downtown bookstore with thousands of books in open shelves and cozy nooks and seating areas. The area towards the aft of the ship has a nightclub vibe and hosts entertainment such live music, pub-quizzes, bingo and on this particular trip a screening of the 2023 ESC final.
(Well-attended yet not too enthusiastic crowd. Slight headbanging to the German contestents Lord of the Lost. Germany traditionally came in last; Sweden won with self-plagiarizing singer Loreen).

A very inviting place is the Laterna Magica panorama bar on deck 10 with its floor-length windows spanning a 300-degree panoramic view. There are classic tables, booths as well as sofas. Knowledgeable waiters serve nice Faroese beers from a boat-shaped bar. I liked Slupp Ol best, even so I am not normally a fan of dark beers. It is rather dry and aromatic with a little more fizz than brown beers usually have. Thus, you can hold on to it for a long time which is important given the steep prizes for alcohol on board.

The big Sjobudin tax free shop has a good supply of typical duty-free goods such as top shelf spirits including a good selection of single malts. Prizes are OK if you live or holiday on the Faroes or Iceland, yet not that interesting for passengers coming from lower tax countries. Sjobudin dedicates a lot of shelf-space to local Faroese products, especially clothes. They looked nice and sturdy and were not overly expensive.
Unfortunately, the selection of souvenirs and branded merch is limited to lanyards and postcards.

Shore Excursions in Tórshavn

Smyrril Line’s schedule changes have cut the laytime in Torshavn pretty short. On the outbound sailing passengers won’t make it ashore before 08:00 hrs and must be back by 12:00 hrs sharp. While this sill allows for a leisurely stroll around town the time for proper shore excursions is tight.
The stop on the return journey is even shorter.

There are taxis available at the ferry terminal for short excursions. Taxi Bil offers four tours under four hours. Check out http://www.taxi.fo for infos.

I just went for a walk through Torshavn and wasn’t disappointed. What a nice and relaxed town with historic and modern architecture and a lively harbour.
(Just a little too lively maybe, as the Faroe Islands do not fall in line with EU sanctions against Russia and keep the harbour open for Russian fishing trawlers.)

There are a few cafés and pubs to grab a snack and two supermarkets to stock up your provisions for the following passage to Iceland.

The Tinganes is one of the world’s oldest parliaments going back over 900 years. The current buildings date from the 1850s. The area is completely open to the public.

Crew and Fellow Passengers

Compared to a cruise, there is lesser interaction with the crew on a ferry trip. All crew members I met were friendly and helpful, yet not particularly warm or chatty. The friendly guy running the bar in Laterna Magica and the check-in staff in Hirtshals were exceptions to the rule.

The crowd of passengers on the trip in May was diverse. You could see the summer season slowly gearing up with a few cyclists heading to the Faroer their bikes loaded heavily with water-tight bags.
A  few air b&b-tourists were headed there as well, others were going all the way to Iceland.

As per usual there was one middle-aged American couple on board that did the talking quivalent of 12 Faroese fishermen.

There were bus also groups from Germany with elderly passengers doing the “Viking Cruise”. It’s just episodic evidence but they always seemed unhappy about something: The lame entertainment, the short stay in Tórshavn, the food. I overheard one couple fighting – quietly, yet very bitterly – over the difference between a meat loaf and a burger patty. To my silent bemusement the group also endlessly went back and forth about the onboard time. Norröna runs on Faroer time which is one hour ahead off/behind Iceland and Danish time respectively and figuring out how to set the watch put a strain on many a marriage on board.  

A substantial share of passengers were off-roaders. Watching their vehicles waiting for the ferry in Hirtshals I vaguely remembererd this form of tourism as something from the 1980s and was puzzled that ploughing through sensitive ecosystems with a 4WD-campervan still was a thing.

Prizes

Scandinavia is pricey, Iceland even more so and prices for food and drink on means of transportation are always high, so maybe it is a grace that everything is charged in Danish Crowns – postponing the rude awakening until the monthly credit card bill arrives.

A 0.4 l beer is 79 DKK (=11 EUR), a cup of coffee 39 DKK (=5.20 EUR); the – very nice – open-faced sandwiches in Noatun are a bargain at 49 DKK (=6.60 EUR).

The 19-hour WIFI-Pass comes in at 66.50 DKK (= 8.90 EUR) which is rather good value for money.

Getting to the Port (Hirtshals)

Unless you are commencing this ferry journey from northern Germany or Jutland in Denmark you will find it takes a very long way to reach the port in Hirtshals. The shortest train connection from my hometown in central Germany was a little over 11 hours with four changes.

Even though I looked about five months in advance, hotel rooms in Hirtshals were super-expensive, so I stayed in Aalborg the night before sailing, which is a bustling university town right on the Limfjord, a natural connection between the North- and Baltic Sea.

Direct trains to Hirtshals run from Aalborg every hour; the ride takes 1h 05mins.

Smyril Line operates out of the Fjord Line passenger terminal on the north-eastern part of the harbour. If you plan on walking the 2.6 km to the terminal, get of at the penultimate stop “Lilleheden ST”.
I never recommend that, though, as ferry ports are focussed on getting vehicles to the ship and thus are notoriously difficult to navigate as a pedestrian.

There is a shuttle bus directly from Hirsthals Station. Times are published on a small signpost ouside thje staion. The one-way fare is 40 DKK (=5.22 EUR).  

Two small supermarkets near the train station are your last trading posts before the ship. Both do offer basics of food and drinks to pack for the journey but make sure to get anything special before heading for Hirtshals as their range is limited.

Embarkment/Disembarkment

Passengers check- in an board from the small Fjordline passenger terminal. It is basic passing for spartan and just offers a few rows of seats and some vendig machines (all out of service on my departure day.

Acces to the ship is tep-free via a covered ramp.

The procedure is pretty much the same in Tórshavn and Seyðisfjörður.

Onward Travel from Seydisfjordur

Once you have cleared customs and immigration into Iceland, you are welcomed by a small information center. There is a manned booth offering information, maps and flyers.

Buses to the closest Airport in Egilsstaðir depart right in front of the terminal.

In May 2023 there was a 10:30 hrs bus meeting the ferry, conveniently connecting to the afternoon flight by Icelandair to Reykjavik. The bus ride takes 30-40 mins and costs 1.110 ISK (about 7.50 EUR). NB, check times before heading out with bus operator Strateo and ask locals about road conditions once you’ve arrived. Also keep in mind that Norröna operates a long crossing through rough seas – so leave lots of buffer time when planning your onward travels, or get a flexible airfare.

There are four daily flights to Reykjavik domestic airport (RKV) – which is the capital’s downtown airport and not the international Gateway Keflavík (KEF).

Tickets for this one-hour flights operated by Dash-8 turboprob aircraft are about 100 EUR. Icelandair’s subsidiary Flugfélag Íslands currently is the only operator.

The cabin crew on my flight was rather grumpy which was a nice change from the check-in and security staff, who had gone out of their way before to make sure my stay at Egilsstaðir airport was as miserable as possible.

The route to Egilsstaðir is quite scenic passing a mountain range with the Stafaldur ski ressort.

Chances are you are going to spend some time waiting at the airport, which is tiny with very limited facilities. In fact, the cafeteria doubles as a departure lounge and gets closed to the public when a flight is due. If your plans allow, spend more time in Seyðisfjörður, which is a charming little town.

Summary

The pleasant ship, majestic views around the Faroes, and the experience of travelling the open northern Atlantic on board a humble ferry make this one of the most spectacular ferry crossings in europe. Taking it as a ferry-cruise though, takes time and effort as journeys to and from the ports are very time-consuming, so maybe this is an even better experience when combined with a longer stay on Iceland.