Iceland and the Faroe Islands, August 2027
Oct 27, 2026 · @Helen King
Regent Seven Seas, Seven Seas Splendor, Reykjavik round trip, August 8 to 18, 2027.
I sailed this itinerary in July with my mother, aboard the Seven Seas Grandeur, which is the sister ship to the Splendor, and it is the most beautiful place either of us has cruised to. I have been sailing Regent since 2012, so that is not a small statement. No photo or video I have seen does it justice, so I have written down what it was like.
The sailing
The Splendor sails around Iceland, crosses to the Faroe Islands for a day, and returns to Reykjavik ten nights later. The times below are from Regent's itinerary, and an anchor port is one where the ship anchors rather than docking at a pier. Regent can change an itinerary, so I confirm the details with you at booking.
| Date | Port | Arrive | Depart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8 | Reykjavik, Iceland | ||
| Aug 9 | Reykjavik, Iceland | 5:00 PM | |
| Aug 10 | Heimaey, Iceland (anchor port) | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| Aug 11 | Cruising the Atlantic Ocean | ||
| Aug 12 | Tórshavn, Faroe Islands | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| Aug 13 | Eskifjörður, Iceland | 9:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| Aug 14 | Akureyri, Iceland | 9:00 AM | 6:00 PM |
| Aug 15 | Cruising the Denmark Strait | ||
| Aug 16 | Ísafjörður, Iceland (anchor port) | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| Aug 17 | Grundarfjörður, Iceland (anchor port) | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| Aug 18 | Reykjavik, Iceland | 7:00 AM |
What I saw
Mornings in the fjords
Each morning we sailed into a fjord or a small harbour, and I stood on the balcony and watched the landscape go by. A few days in, I caught myself thinking that this had to be the best scenery of the cruise, and the next morning we sailed into somewhere better. There was snow on the mountains, green hills, very still water and tiny villages along the shore. Almost without exception a heavy cloud hung down over the mountains, sometimes with the peaks showing above it, and that low cloud is what made those early arrivals feel quiet and a little mysterious.
Tórshavn before anyone else was up
My excursion in Tórshavn was not until mid-afternoon, so I went ashore early and walked the old town and the old harbour by myself. The shops had not opened and the other visitors had not arrived yet. Wooden boats sat in the harbour, and the houses had grass growing on their roofs. I did not expect to have a place like that to myself.
Small towns that look like themselves
Many of the Icelandic ports are tiny towns, some with only 900 people. When the Splendor pulls in you can walk around the town as it is, without thousands of other tourists and without the shops, restaurants and attractions that get built because someone decided what visitors want to see. That is getting harder to find as tourism grows around the world. Iceland shows up as Iceland.
Reserved image slot: What I saw
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On the water
I went kayaking between the fjords in Ísafjörður with a guide who told us about the landscape, the local community and how he lives his life. I had kayaked with my husband before, but this felt like more of a risk for me, and it turned out to be calm and beautiful.
I also went whale watching for the first time, in Akureyri. We crossed the Arctic Circle to get there, and we were given a certificate for the crossing, which I did not expect. We saw three humpback whales, a pod of dolphins, puffins and a good number of other seabirds, and it was a privilege to watch the whales come into the inlet to feed.
One thing you should know is that a fellow passenger called it "whale waiting," and that is fair. We saw nearly all of it in the first 30 to 45 minutes of a three hour outing, and the rest of the time went to searching for more that we never found. At the very end we circled back to the original whales. My boat was a large one and I did not love the number of people on it, so if I did this excursion again I would find a much smaller vessel with only a handful of passengers. It was not a letdown, only not the best way to see them.
Weather and what to pack
I went in July, when Europe was in the middle of a heat wave with temperatures well above 38°C, and Iceland was a stark contrast. Mornings started at 3 or 4°C and the days warmed to between 18 and 20°C, which we were told were historic highs. It rained in Reykjavik both when we arrived and when we left, and we had sunshine in every other port. Layers were a necessity, along with a hat and gloves.
August will not match July exactly, so please read this as one traveller's experience and not a forecast.
Reserved image slot: Weather and what to pack
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Why this itinerary
My mother has always wanted to go to Norway, and we chose Iceland because of the length of the sailing and the timing. We both expected it to be great, and at the end we said to each other that Iceland is underrated as a destination and that it was by far the prettiest and most magical place we have cruised to.
The Splendor is my favourite ship, and she is the sister ship to the Seven Seas Grandeur, which is the ship I sailed this itinerary on. With 748 guests when she is full, she is the right size for the North Atlantic, large enough to handle it without any trouble (the Grandeur did) and small enough that the service stays personal.
Who this suits
This is a destination with something for everyone. I sailed it with my mother, and it works for solo travellers, for two people travelling together and for multi-generational families. What matters more than who is travelling is being comfortable outdoors in cool, changeable weather and preferring to walk a small town at its own pace over joining a crowd. Early mornings on deck are part of the appeal.
It will not suit someone looking for warm weather or a resort-style trip. There are two days at sea, and the ports are small towns and not large attractions.
How we would start
The first conversation is about you and not the sailing. I will ask what you hope to see and how you like to spend a day ashore, and if this is not the right sailing for you, I will say so. If it is, I book your shore excursions for you. I ask for a first and second choice in each port, book them when the booking window opens, and put you on a waitlist when a first choice is full. That is also where I pass on what I would do differently now, such as the smaller boat for the whales.
If you are not ready for a call, my Thursday Travel Talk goes out every Thursday, and you can browse current Regent sailings through my co-branded page.
Questions
Are the Faroe Islands part of Denmark?
The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and Regent lists Tórshavn under Denmark. On this sailing the Splendor spends one day there, in the capital.
Is the North Atlantic rough?
I had no trouble on my sailing. Nobody can promise sea conditions months ahead, and this itinerary has two days at sea.
Can I book this in Canadian dollars?
Yes. I work with Canadian and American travellers and can quote in either currency.
What will it cost?
I provide a quote in Canadian or US dollars, based on the suite category, whether the suite is single or double occupancy, and whether you are booking more than one suite. The pricing is below what is visible on the Regent website.