Influencers in the tourism industry often tout the next big thing and, as another northerly destination, some are saying that the Faroe Islands might just be it. When the chance of a place on a press trip popped up in my inbox, it was too tempting to resist. So should we describe it as the new Iceland?

On paper, it would seem so. But as I soon found out, the Faroese are pretty determined to do things their way.

Arrival

We snuck in under the radar. The cloud had progressively thickened as we made our way north from Edinburgh and by the time the landing gear came down as we approached Vágar Island, it was barely possible to distinguish land from sea.

Our planned helicopter ride was cancelled due to poor visibility, but as we were already an hour late it meant at least we would make our dinner reservation on time.

KOKS restaurant

Poul Andrias Ziska, the chef behind Michelin-starred KOKS, has made a name for himself – and his country – with an inventive, challenging and exquisitely presented tasting menu which showcases local produce. Several reviews I’d read commented on the maggot soup, which made me nervous.

On arrival we were shown into the restaurant’s hjallur, a slatted wooden hut that would traditionally have been used to air dry kingfish and fermented lamb.

On the plate, the kingfish had the appearance of rough wood shavings but tasted better than it looked. An appetiser of fresh scallops served in a shell encrusted with live and very wriggly barnacles made us sit up and study what had been placed in front of us.

The remainder of the courses at least had the courtesy to appear dead, but were no less delicious. Dessert was Mousse made from dulse, crystallised dark chocolate, fermented blueberries and leafs made from dried blueberries.

This self-governing outpost of Denmark, I soon learned, cared not a jot about what the outside world thought of it. Settled by Celtic monks and invaded by Norse warriors, the descendants of these fiery and adventurous settlers were never going to be a subdued bunch.

The Second World War (and the occupying British) did the Faroe Islands a favour of sorts, giving them a taste of what life might be like without the Danish in control. The Home Rule Act came into force in 1948 and some hope that one day full independence might follow. It leaves an unusual geopolitical situation: Denmark is in the EU but the Faroe Islands are not.

A few years back, a row blew up over fishing quotas. The Faroese chuckle as they tell how Denmark as a member of the EU effectively had to impose sanctions on itself.

The sea has immense importance to the everyday lives of the Faroese, both in terms of employment and diet. The foodie scene punches above its weight given the size of its 50,000 population.

Barbara Fish House

Barbara Fish House served its mouth-watering take on bouillabaisse in a vintage teapot. Its deconstructed lemon meringue pie was the best thing I ate during the whole of my stay, though the mug of steaming hot chocolate in Kafe Husid gave it a run for its money when it came to sweet treats.

But I discovered you don’t have to up the fancy factor to enjoy a good meal here. The practice of heimablídni gives tourists the chance to taste an old-fashioned home cooked meal in a Faroese household. It’s every bit as satisfying as KOKS – and considerably less expensive to boot.

The best things in life are free, however, and the Faroe Islands is no exception.

Out and About

Walking here is a pleasure. Off season, hikers are few and far between, though sheep are plentiful and you’re likely to spot seals and seabirds as you near the coast. The wild scenery marries the drama of the Scottish highlands with Yorkshire’s dry stone walls and a generous sprinkling of russet or black timbered houses that look like they’ve been transplanted from Norway.

Turf roofs are common. They look charming but are also practical. The thick layer of insulation is more than up to the task of coping with the rain, wind and cold of the long Faroese winter. While they look right at home in the countryside, you’ll even find plenty of them in the heart of Tórshavn, including one that houses the Prime Minister. No need for a mower with all those sheep, of course.

So is it the new Iceland? With improvements to flight schedules and a continued increase in accommodation, restaurants and bars, it could be. But the Faroese find their own path in life and if their islands are going to be the next Iceland, you can be sure it’s going to be with a twist.

The Lowdown

I travelled as a guest of Visit Faroe Islands and Atlantic Airways, with airport parking provided by Holiday Extras.

To make a similar trip yourself, return flights from Edinburgh to the Faroe Islands start at around £180-£200, but availability is limited so book well ahead.

I stayed at the Hotel Føroyar where a double room with a view over Tórshavn costs from £153 a night. Cheaper, more centrally located alternatives are available and a room via Airbnb can cost as little as £35 per night.

Public transport in the form of buses and ferries makes independent travel viable but to get off-the-beaten-track, hire a vehicle from a local operator such as 62°N Travel Agency & Car Rental.

To dine at KOKS, expect to pay £165pp for its unforgettable tasting menu, drinks extra. Home dining can be arranged for around £40pp. Contact details for participating hosts can be found on the tourist board website Visit Faroe Islands.

The post Are the Faroe Islands the New Iceland? appeared first on etrip.tips.

I took it, and better still, a few years later I made a return visit and took the London Luton to Copenhagen flight that Ryanair had instigated to deal with its critics. It now only took 13 minutes to make that train ride to the city centre. Accommodation in Copenhagen isn’t cheap, but I found the Hotel Alexandra to be reasonably priced and well located, just a ten minute stroll from the train station. It was just the job, functional, clean and comfortable. On my budget, I wasn’t going to get the wow factor but this was more than adequate.

Copenhagen’s famous Tivoli Gardens weren’t budget friendly either. Rides are priced on top of a fairly steep entrance fee but despite this, if this had been my first visit, I’d have been tempted. Tivoli has been a fixture on Copenhagen’s streets since 1843, boasting Hans Christian Andersen and even Walt Disney amongst its former patrons. Some rides invoke a real sense of nostalgia, like the 1914 wooden roller coaster complete with brakeman aboard and the vomit-inducing Vertigo which will turn you upside down whilst travelling at speeds of over 60mph.

This time, though, I chose to give it a miss and made my way instead to a place that’s just as popular with tourists, but has one advantage over Tivoli – it’s free. Tårnet, the tower at the Christiansborg Palace, offers a fantastic view over the city. Christiansborg itself, the Danish equivalent to Buckingham Palace in that it’s where the Royal family work when in town, is also worth a visit, its reception rooms, kitchens and stables open to the public, though you will have to pay for that.

To see the Changing of the Guard, though, I had to swap palaces and make my way to the Rococo Amalienborg in time for noon. It’s an impressive place, and this time, it wasn’t dwarfed by a huge cruise ship like the one that had photo bombed my picture during my first visit.

It’s actually four palaces, all identical. Schack’s Palace is where Queen Margrethe II, well, shacks up.  Then there’s Brockdorff’s Palace, home to the Crown Prince and his family, plus two guest palaces: the Levetzau Palace and Moltke’s Palace. In fact, all four were originally built as homes for the nobility and not royalty. The Royal family lived instead at Christiansborg until a fire in 1794 left them homeless.  The current arrangements, featuring a suitably grand Granny Annexe, are probably better anyway, particularly as Granny is the reigning monarch.

If you ask anyone to name famous tourist attractions found in Copenhagen, it’s not going to take them long to reach the Little Mermaid. This sculpture draws attention constantly from tourists underwhelmed by its size. The clue’s in the name, people. But yes, I was underwhelmed too. It’s tiny. It has sat by the water’s edge a kilometre north of the Amalienborg Palace since 1913.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale about a mermaid who gives up her watery home for love, it’s as synonymous with Copenhagen as the Statue of Liberty is with New York. Like the Statue of Liberty, it’s been the victim of vandalism. The head was sawn off in 1964 and never recovered; its replacement was similarly detached in 1998 but this time returned anonymously to a TV station and later reattached.  It’s been blasted by explosives, covered in paint and draped in a burqa, though you could argue the latter doesn’t quite amount to vandalism.

Via a quick stroll along Copenhagen’s shopping mecca Strøget (no, don’t ask me to pronounce it), I ended the day at what was once the city’s busy commercial port. Nyhavn is one of the most photogenic spots in the city, its old houses a riot of colour enclosing the quay on three sides.

This is the place to spend the evening in Copenhagen, perfect on a summer’s night when the sun sets late and the chill isn’t enough to require a blanket over your knee. Number 9 might be the oldest house, but Number 20 is where our old friend Hans Christian Andersen lived.

There he wrote classics like ‘The Tinderbox’ and ‘The Princess and the Pea’. As a kid, the latter’s protagonist didn’t get any sympathy from me. If you weren’t satisfied with twenty mattresses you were a spoilt brat, princess or not. In fact, Andersen was said to have borrowed that story from Swedish folklore, though it was its casual chatty style rather than the flaws of the protagonist that the Danes didn’t like when it was published in 1835.

I chose to dine at Cap Horn at Nyhavn 21 on the other side of the quay. In a city blessed with a wide range of craft beers, the clincher amongst much competition was that it offered its own in-house beer, the result of the restaurant’s collaboration with the Ørbæk Brewery.  To be honest, I wouldn’t have looked out of place if I’d joined the crowd dangling their legs over the side of the quay while swigging from a bottle, and as the waiter brought out my food, I realised that’s why I liked the place so much.

The post Best Copenhagen Attractions for a First Time Visit appeared first on etrip.tips.