Plan your trip
Kirkjubøur without a car: the free town bus to the medieval village
Last checked: 14 October 2026
The short answer
Take Tórshavn's free municipal bus, not an SSL bus. Route 5 runs to Kirkjubøur on weekdays and route 7 links the villages on Saturdays; both are free. The municipality's page names no Sunday service, so ask Bussleiðin before you plan a Sunday visit. The municipality publishes route 5 in two halves, and the Kirkjubøur half is the one you want. Most village trips involve a change somewhere, and every town route meets at Steinatún square — not at the Farstøðin ferry terminal.
Source: Tórshavnar kommunaTórshavn by bus — town routes and timetablesVisit Faroe IslandsCycling: Tórshavn – Kirkjubøur – TórshavnTravelling by public transportation in the Faroe Islands
Which bus, which day
Kirkjubøur is served by Bussleiðin, the municipality's own buses, which are free for everyone.
- Weekdays: route 5 runs to Kirkjubøur and Kaldbak. Because it is a long route with a complex timetable, the municipality splits it into two timetables, one to Kaldbak and one to Kirkjubøur.
- Saturdays: route 7 links the villages on a single route, from Kollafjørður and Kaldbak through Velbastaður to Kirkjubøur.
- Sundays: the municipality's page does not mention a village service. Do not assume one; ask Bussleiðin or Visit Tórshavn on Steinatún square.
- Expect a change: the municipality says most trips between Tórshavn and the villages need a transfer at some point. All town routes meet at Steinatún square.
Tórshavn by bus: routes and timetables (Tórshavnar kommuna)
Source: Tórshavnar kommunaTórshavn by bus — town routes and timetables
Asking before you go
Bussleiðin answers the phone on 30 20 10, and Visit Tórshavn has an office on Steinatún square (30 24 25) — the same square the buses leave from, which makes it the obvious place to ask which bus to take back. The municipality also suggests Google's journey planner for trips within Tórshavn.
Source: Tórshavnar kommunaTórshavn by bus — town routes and timetables
What you have come to see
The tourist board describes three buildings that make the trip: Ólav's Church, built around the year 1200; Kirkjubøargarður, home to 17 generations of the same family; and Magnus Cathedral, built around the year 1300. It also lists Roykstovan, which it calls one of the oldest inhabited timber farmhouses. Just outside the village, Kirkjubøhólmur is an islet where ruins of old houses are still visible.
Source: Visit Faroe IslandsCycling: Tórshavn – Kirkjubøur – Tórshavn
The other half of the story is back in town
Sixteen carved wooden pew ends from the early 1400s, showing the twelve apostles, once stood in the medieval cathedral at Kirkjubøur. The tourist board calls them the islands' greatest national treasure, and they are kept in the National Museum on the outskirts of Tórshavn. See the empty church in the morning and its furniture in the afternoon.
Source: Visit Faroe IslandsThe capital: Tórshavn
By bike instead
The tourist board's cycling route from Tórshavn to Kirkjubøur and back is 23.5 km on a good, paved road all the way, with the climb over Velbastaðháls at 190 metres. It rates it for children over 15 with an adult, and suggests leaving the bike at the bus stop in the village while you look around.
Source: Visit Faroe IslandsCycling: Tórshavn – Kirkjubøur – Tórshavn
Asked before you go
What people search for
- Is there a bus from Tórshavn to Kirkjubøur?
- Yes: Tórshavn's free municipal route 5 on weekdays and route 7 on Saturdays. SSL's regional buses are not the ones to look for.
- Can I get to Kirkjubøur on a Sunday?
- The municipality's page names weekday and Saturday village routes only. Call Bussleiðin on 30 20 10 before you count on a Sunday bus.
- Is the Kirkjubøur bus free?
- Yes. The municipality's village routes are free, like its town routes.
No signal in the valley? The timetable is already on your phone
Faroe Bus for Android plans SSL bus and ferry trips by place and keeps the timetables on your phone when the signal drops — in the valleys and on the trails, where the tourist board warns coverage can be limited, the bus home is still one tap away.
Checked Sources: Tórshavnar kommuna, Visit Faroe Islands
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
Tórshavnar kommuna
Visit Faroe Islands
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