Faroe Islands

An archipelago of 18 islands set midway between the Norwegian Fjords, Scottish Highlands and Iceland, the Faroe Islands boast a landscape of surreal mountains and cliffs, countless waterfalls, grass-roofed houses and dramatic oceans—and countless proud puffins, shaggy sheep and diminutive Faroese ponies. Technically part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroes are an autonomous country and have a culture (and language, and currency) all their own. These cultural offerings are front and center on the global stage at the moment, but swarms of tourists haven’t yet descended.