'Thor's harbour'; Danish: Thorshavn), usually locally referred to as simply Havn, is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands.

According to romantics, the main ting for the islands was convoked in Tórshavn in 825, on Tinganes,[3] the peninsula that divides the harbour into two parts: Eystaravág and Vestaravág.

The Færeyinga Saga says: "the place of the ting of the Faroese was on Streymoy, and there is the harbour that is called Tórshavn".

All through the Middle Ages, the narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea made up the main part of Tórshavn.

According to a document from 1271, two ships would sail regularly to Tórshavn from Bergen with cargoes of salt, timber and cereal.

All of these things, combined with the fact that Tórshavn was the seat of the ting of the islands, influenced the town's development.

In c. 1580 a small fort, Skansin, was built by the Faroese naval hero and trader Magnus Heinason at the north end of the harbour.

The population was divided into three equally large groups made up of farmers, their families and servants, trade and government officials and people who owned no land and therefore not much else; this included the landless proletariat from the villages that during this period came to Tórshavn in search of work.

They were set to guard duty on Skansin without pay, and for clothing and food they depended on the bounty of the farmers.

From 1768 (and during the next 20 years onwards) Ryberg was allowed to carry on an entrepot trade which was mainly based on smuggling to England.

Ryberg was the first person who thought of making a financial profit from fishing, which later became the most important economic factor to the islands.

On 30 March 1808, during the Anglo-Danish Gunboat War, the Cruizer-class brig-sloop HMS Clio entered Tórshavn and briefly captured the fort at Skansin.

Shortly after 6 May, a German privateer who had assumed the name "Baron von Hompesch" plundered the defenceless city and seized the property of the Danish Crown Monopoly.

In winter, Tórshavn tends to be under direct influence of the Icelandic Low, which usually brings overcast and stormy weather to the Faroe Islands.

However, summer temperatures are much lower than those found in Scandinavia on similar latitudes, and barely exceed 13 °C (55 °F) daily highs in the warmest month.

The moderation also causes the extremes amplitude to be very low: in the period from 1961 to 2021, there was a mere 33 °C (59 °F) difference between the absolute warmest and coldest temperatures.

Temperatures below freezing may occur in any non-summer month, but even in winter, the average daily lows stay well above 0 °C (32 °F).

Average monthly precipitation is highest in autumn and winter, peaking in January, due to the activity of the Icelandic Low.

Tórshavn city has several popular rowing clubs, including, Havnar Róðrarfelag and Róðrarfelagið Knørrur.

The harbour is also used by domestic ferry services of Strandfaraskip Landsins within the Faroe Islands, chiefly on the route to Tvøroyri.

The town is served by Bussleiðin – a network of local buses, with the service identified by its red livery.