Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
176km²
Area
97km
Coastline
722m
Highest point
Árnafjall
3,426
People
10°C
Warmest sea
August
625km
To the mainland
When to go to Vágar
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in August (10 °C) and coolest in February (7 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the Faroe Islands
Vágar is an island in Faroe Islands. It covers 176 km², with 97 km of coastline. Its highest point, Árnafjall, rises to 722 m. About 3,426 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 625 km away.
Getting there
- Vágar Airport (FAE)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at FAE airport (Vágar)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesSørvágur - Mykines
- 625 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Vágar.
- 11beachesTrøllakampasandur and 10 more
- 15viewpointsVørðuklettar, Klippe hinter dem See Fjallavatn, Á Skarði and 12 more
- 2lighthousesMulin
- 1ferry terminalsSørvágur
- 1marinas
- 42named peaksÁrnafjall, Eysturtindur, Malinstindur and 39 more
- 8waterfallsBøsdalafossur, Múlafossur, Skarðsáfossur and 5 more
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesGróthústangi
- 1campsitesÁ Giljanesi
- 14hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 13restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Vágar in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Vágar, each with its own numbers.
1beachCoastya
2waterfallsCascadyas
Tallest waterfall
30m
Bøsdalafossur
according to Cascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
10.2°C
Selvik
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
2 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Bøsdalafossur30m
- Múlafossur30m
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 242 m above the sea. 42 % of it is below 200 m.
- 9 %0–50 m
- 33 %50–200 m
- 53 %200–500 m
- 4 %500–1,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Sørvágur1,148 people
- Miðvágur1,040 people
- Sandavágur779 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Night low (°C) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Sea (°C) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 129 | 99 | 98 | 80 | 75 | 70 | 84 | 96 | 114 | 123 | 121 | 136 |
| Wet days | 23 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 |
| Sun h/day | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Wind (km/h) | 37 | 36 | 33 | 30 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 36 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.2 | −0.1 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.8 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.8 | +0.2 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| 2022 | −0.1 | −0.4 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.2 | −0.1 | −0.1 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.5 |
| 2023 | −0.1 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| 2024 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.8 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.2 |
| 2025 | +0.1 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +1.4 | +0.5 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.2 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Streymoy
Faroe Islands373 km²789 m14 km away
EysturoyFaroe Islands285 km²880 m25 km away
MykinesFaroe Islands9.6 km²560 m17 km away
KolturFaroe Islands2.3 km²478 m18 km away
HesturFaroe Islands5.9 km²421 m24 km away
SandoyFaroe Islands111 km²479 m36 km away
BorðoyFaroe Islands95 km²755 m41 km away
NólsoyFaroe Islands10 km²372 m34 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q207675) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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