Fuglafjordur

Fuglafjørður is the main town of Eysturoy, a working fishing port at the head of a long fjord with processing plants on the quay and the town climbing the slope behind. Its curiosity is Varmakelda, a warm spring on the shore just outside the town, which at around eighteen degrees is the only thermal spring in the Faroes and was long held to have healing properties. Paths climb from the town to the ridges above.

Background

The name Fuglafjørður means fjord of birds, and in Danish the town is called Fuglefjord. It had 1624 residents in September 2025. Where the Gjógvará stream reaches the sea, archaeologists uncovered a Viking longhouse 17 metres long with walls 1.5 metres thick, found beneath four or five later layers of ruins, a sign of settlement lasting many centuries. Besides fish and fish meal processing, the harbour has a slipway, trawl production and oil depots. The municipality also includes Hellur, founded in the 1840s and home to about 30 people, and Kambsdalur, set up in the 1980s with around 180. A cultural centre has opened in the town centre in recent years.

Source: Wikipedia, "Fuglafjørður"

What's there

• Varmakelda - the only warm spring in the islands, on the shore outside the town.
• The fishing harbour - the working quay and processing plants.
• The fjord - the long inlet the town sits at the head of.
• The ridge paths - walking routes up the slopes behind the town.

When to go

May to September is the season for walking. The town works year round. Winter storms funnel up the fjord.

Practical notes

The spring is lukewarm rather than hot and is not a bathing pool; it is a curiosity. The town is industrial and workaday. Facilities for visitors are limited.

Nearby

Nordragota is south, and Oyndarfjordur is northwest.

Key facts