Føroya Fornminnissavn Tórshavn

The excellent Føroya Fornminnissavn is split between two sites in the Hoyvík suburb, 3km north of centre. The main site at Brekkutún 6 beautifully displays Faroese artefacts from the Viking Age to the 19th-century with helpfully illustrative photos and notes. In the downstairs treasure room, the 15th-century Kirkjubøur pew-ends include a much-photographed carving of the Virgin Mary meeting Elisabeth (mother of John the Baptist). With their halos entwined, the saintly ladies appear to be snogging!At a wonderfully peaceful second site (on Kúrdalsvegur) is a superbly preserved 1920s farmstead complete with bell telephone, chuntering grandfather clock, and a full set of turf-roofed outhouses. It's all the more delightful due to its bucolic setting on a low grassy bluff lush with juicy marsh marigolds. It feels a world away from the city yet it's just 300m off major Hvítanesvegur where red buses Nos 2 and 3 drop you off.