A beautiful destination features wild and unpredictable weather, but also an unlikely tourist attraction of an underwater roundabout and tunnels connecting the islands. The Faroe Islands are often characterised by strong winds, with thick fog that settles as a blanket across the landscape. But underneath the islands it is much calmer. Down, under the drink, there are numerous tunnels connecting the landmasses. In fact, there are 21 tunnels across the Faroe Islands —17 on land and four subsea, including one that is the world's only subsea tunnel with a roundabout that is underwater.
Despite being closer to Scotland (200 miles), the islands are actually a self-governing island nation within the Kingdom of Denmark. “Though we are 18 islands, we often joke that (because of the tunnels) we defy the fact that we are islands,” Súsanna Sørensen, marketing manager of Visit Faroe Islands said, reports CNN.
The latest two subsea tunnels have become a main attraction for visitors to the islands. “These are our Eiffel Tower or Big Ben, with people, especially tourists, driving through them just to see the art," commented Teitur Samuelsen, CEO of Eystur-og Sandoyartunlar, the company operating the tunnels.
Over 6,000 vehicles travel through the nearly seven-mile long subsea tunnel which connects Streymoy — the largest of the Faroe islands — and Tórshavn — one of the world’s smallest capitals — with Eysturoy, the archipelago’s next biggest island. The Eysturoy Tunnel opened in 2020, after taking four years to complete. It dramatically cut the time travelling between the Faroe Islands capital on Streymoy, and the neighbouring island Eysturoy, from about 60 minutes to about 15 minutes.
