Mykines Travel Guide

  M/F Brynhild departs Mykines
by sarams
  • M/F Brynhild departs Mykines
      M/F Brynhild departs Mykines
    by sarams
  • Mark enjoys a view of the village
      Mark enjoys a view of the village
    by sarams
  • A few puffin share our viewpoint
      A few puffin share our viewpoint
    by travelfrosch
  • Puffin discuss the beauty of the coastline
      Puffin discuss the beauty of the...
    by travelfrosch
  • Sometimes, it's good to be a sheep
      Sometimes, it's good to be a sheep
    by travelfrosch

Explore Mykines

Things to Do  

Hike to Knúkur

Hike to Knúkur, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  Another interesting challenge is to hike to the 560 meter (about 1850-foot) high Knúkur peak to the east of Mykines village. Our guidebook said to follow the road uphill out of the village to make your way to the peak, while our host Katrina recommended we follow the stream... 

Mykines Lighthouse

Mykines Lighthouse, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  If you make your way out to Mykineshólmur, you will see on the extreme western side of the island the lighthouse. This lighthouse, first built in 1909, is an extremely important landmark for shipping. Since this is the spot of land farthest west in this part of the Atlantic,... 

Walk to the Mykineshólmur lighthouse

Walk to the Mykineshólmur lighthouse, Mykines

 sarams Says:  Mark and I had a lot of fun walking to the lighthouse at the westernmost point of Mykines. The slopes to get there and back are steep, so watch your footing. And if you feel like it, stop and take a rest. This lighthouse is the on the first land ships see after several days... 

Neptun Memorial

Neptun Memorial, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  Atop the hill to the west of the village is an unmarked monument. This memorial was constructed in 1939, in honor of 9 Mykines fishermen who drowned when the fishing trawler Neptun sank in the stormy Faroese waters. It is certainly in ideal point from which to look out over... 

"Indiana Jones" Bridge

"Indiana Jones" Bridge, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  After your steep descent on the west side of Mykines, you'll come across a footbridge to Mykineshólmur, called the Atlantic Bridge. The first thing it reminded me of was one of those perilous bridges Indiana Jones had to cross during his adventures. Fortunately, the bridge... 

Hólmsgjógv

Hólmsgjógv, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  The narrow strait between Mykines and Mykineshólmur is quite remarkable to see. Note also the large number of gulls and fulmars making their nests on the steep cliffs. This is definitely one of the highlights of the hike from Mykines to the "Holm." 

Restaurants  

Kristianshús: The Best Restaurant on Mykines! :-)

Kristianshús: The Best Restaurant on Mykines! :-), Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  Here it is: the finest restaurant on Mykines! Of course, I'm joking a bit, because it's the ONLY restaurant on Mykines... 8)Seriously, though, the food is well-prepared and tasty. For day-trippers, lunch, snacks and coffee are served. The waffles appear to be a special... 

Kristianshus: small and cosy!!!

Kristianshus: small and cosy!!!, Mykines

 Lunaina Says:  There is not much for sale at Kristianshus, but is enough, you can have warm and cold snacks, and coffee, tea and cold drinks. Kristianshus is the only place on the Mykines and it also has small rooms for people that like to stay a night or get stranded when the weather... 

Transportation  

Take the helicopter!!!

Take the helicopter!!!, Mykines

 Lunaina Says:  A great way to go to Mykines is by helicopter, this is a sensation!!! The price is only 145 DKK for a trip from Vagar Airport to Mykines. It is I think the best way to go Mykines. Make sure you make a booking, a helicopter has only 8-10 seats!On the Mykines the whole islands... 

Helicopter

Helicopter, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  A unique way to get to Mykines is by helicopter. It's not nearly as expensive as you think, because the Faroese government heavily subsidizes passenger traffic so helicopter crews can get practice for their primary mission: search and rescue. But if no rescues are required,... 

Warnings and Dangers  

You Could Be Stranded!

You Could Be Stranded!, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  Be aware this island is quite remote, and the ferry harbor is not exactly storm-proof. A good southwesterly gale can make the harbor totally unaccessible. Even the helicopter has been known to be canceled due to bad weather. Because of this, always leave a slack day or two... 

Take some food!!!

Take some food!!!, Mykines

 Lunaina Says:  If you decide to take the walk to Mykinesholmur, to the lighthouse, make sure you have enough clothes with you, it can get windy. Also take some food and drinks, because it will take about 3 hours before you get back into town and you can get food and drinks!! 

Favorites  

Puffin

Puffin, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  If you really want to see a puffin up close, come to Mykines. Scratch that: if you want to see LOTS of puffin up close, come to Mykines. This is only one of the dozens of wonderful puffin photos I snapped (Sara took many even nicer puffin photos!). I'm not a birdwatcher, but... 

Puffin!

Puffin!, Mykines

 sarams Says:  It was a lot of fun looking the the HUGE flocks of hundreds (possibly thousands) of puffin. Walking up the steep hillside to start the walk to the lighthouse is an excellent way to see lots and lots of puffin. So there is absolutely no lack of puffin photos to choose from to... 

Gannets

Gannets, Mykines

 sarams Says:  These large sea birds have a colony on the western edge of Mykineshólmur, the twin island to Mykines. You can get a good view of them just past the lighthouse, looking down on the basalt columns. It's quite a sight to see -- I wish I had a telephoto lens. 

Gannets

Gannets, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  As you get to the lighthouse on Mykineshólmur, you'll notice some stark basalt pillars off the edge of the island. On these pillars, you'll notice a huge colony of Gannets. I didn't get a terribly good picture of this, but Sara did. I might be able to convince her to post... 

Sheep

Sheep, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  Well, I did mention this was a paradise of SHEEP and birds, right? You will have absolutely no difficulty finding sheep on this island. Even though the sheep are rather shy, you're bound to run across a few. Even if you don't, you are absolutely certain to come across some... 

Pink-Footed Geese

Pink-Footed Geese, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  Among the birds you'll see here are Pink-Footed Geese. They're not at all afraid of people, so you can get quite close. They're also remarkably quiet... well, for geese, anyway... 

Fulmar Harbor

Fulmar Harbor, Mykines

 travelfrosch Says:  As you arrive on the ferry, you enter a cove with very high cliffs. But it's quickly obvious there's more here than just the cliffs. From the sound and sight, you can tell there is an incredible number of sea birds nested along the ledges, most notably fulmars. An especially... 

Jealous Lamb

Jealous Lamb, Mykines

 sarams Says:   We were wandering along the trail and admiring the lovely puffin. While we were doing this, one lamb seemed to take exception. He bleated incessantly as if to say, "What's the big deal about those silly birds? Why don't you take a picture of ME?!" So I did. 

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Map of Mykines