Tórshavn lies to the south on the east coast of Streymoy.
From Tórshavn there is a beautiful view over the sea and the island of Nólsoy.
The Vikings founded the first parliament on Tinganes around year 900. The town has grown considerably during the last century and has now merged with its neighbours: Argir to the south and Hoyvík to the north. Tórshavn  is by far the largest town in the Faroe Islands and it is also the capital. It is the perfect place to start a holiday in, a wonderful introduction to the Faroe Islands. It has something for everybody.It has no airport however, so if you are coming by airplane you will most likely land at the airport near Sørvágur. You can check the local airport website for more information. Sørvágur is also a pleasant place, but there is something truly special about Tórshavn. The town is a charming blend of old and new. In the area around the harbour lies Tinganes. This is where the government is located. The ‘old town’ of Tórshavn  is also here. The cute and small houses have been restored over the last years and the area has turned in to a cosy place where people want to live. Skansin is located over the harbour. This is an old fortress built in 1580. It was built in order to defend Tórshavn  from pirates. Five minutes walk from the harbour is the city-centre Vaglið. Here is also Løgtingið, the Faeroese parliament. Nearby are also shops, restaurants, hotels and a cinema. 5-10 minutes more walking leads to SMS, which is a modern shopping, enter with lots of shops, banks and restaurants. This is the place where people in Tórshavn  meet and exchange the latest news while shopping. Tórshavn  is a cosy town that mainly consists of small houses in every colour. It has all that it takes to be a tiny little capital: shopping centre, restaurants, hotels, cinema’s, tourist-information, disco’s, sports arena’s, swimming-centre etc. Even a (modest) camping-site can be found right outside Tórshavn . Tórshavn  hosts an annual civic-festival called Ólavsøka. It is held in late July. The capital is turned into a party and people flock in to Tórshavn  from all of the islands. Everyone is happy and many Faeroese people, grownups and children, are seen in Faeroese national costume. The main-attraction is the boat race in the harbour. Traditional wooden rowing boats from all over the Faroe Islands are competing in the race. The boat race at Ólavsøka is a tradition that started in the 19th century. In addition to the race there are lots of other arrangements as soccer, art-exhibitions, horseracing etc. In the evening and during the night people are dancing in several locations around the capital. Both the traditional chain-dance and the modern disco-dance.