Múlafossur waterfall in Gásadalur

One of the most visited locations in the Faroe Islands is the small village of Gásadalur. The reason to come here is to see the Múlafossur waterfall with the backdrop of Gásadalur and Árnafjall (722m), the highest mountain on Vágar.

The drops from the waterfall spread in the wind while falling into the wild Atlantic ocean. In the summer, the landscape is green while in the autumn it turns yellow, orange and brown.

Drone photo of Múlafossur and Gásadalur.

The windswept village is protected by the towering mountain to the north. Can it get more picturesque than this? This stunning location should definitely be in your travel plan. It’s easy to visit Gásadalur if you have a rental car, but I have also listed some suggestions in the tour section below, should that suit your style of travel.

Gásadalur

Gásadalur is one of the smaller villages in the Faroe Islands with around a dozen inhabitants. That’s tiny, but it could have been even fewer, the village once risked turning into a ghost town. Because of its inaccessible location, sandwiched between two mountains in a remote corner of Vágar, the village population decreased year by year. It was just too much of a hassle to access the village.

The picturesque location making Gásadalur so unique, was also its curse. To reach the village you had to walk, go by boat or fly in with a helicopter. Walking included crossing the Eysturtindur mountain on a steep path. Add bad weather into the mix and it’s not a walk in the park.

The situation improved in 2006 with the completion of the long-awaited tunnel through Eysturtindur. Gásadalur was finally connected to the road network on Vágar.

Not only the villagers should be thankful for the tunnel, travelers should likewise praise this investment in infrastructure. Without it, much fewer of us could see the remarkable Múlafossur.

Long exposure photo of Múlafossur and Gásadalur.

The Múlafossur viewpoint

Most visitors head straight to the Múlafossur viewpoint to look at the waterfall. The viewpoint is just before arriving in Gásadalur, it’s marked on the map below (coordinates 62.106055, -7.434870). From the main road, a 300m long gravel road leads to the viewpoint. A few cars can park at the side of the road where the gravel road starts, but for a proper parking, continue a few hundred meters to Gásadalur and walk back to the viewpoint.

The road to the viewpoint passes through a gate, close it after entering so the sheep cannot come through. The viewpoint is near the gate and while you can see the waterfall from this spot, you will not get the best angle for photos here. Instead, continue until the end of the road where a narrow staircase goes down to the water. From here you have a nice viewing angle.

The road to the Múlafossur viewpoint.

You can walk down the stairs to see the waterfall from a lower vantage point (not better in my opinion). A sign says it’s forbidden to enter the stairs, but people do it anyway. Be careful, the steps are slippery when wet and the handrail is coming loose. No wonder, the stairs were built in the 1940s during the British occupation of the Faroe Islands.

Walking along the edge

If you are up for a walk, there is a path with good views of the island of Mykines. It starts before the gate on the road to the Múlafossur viewpoint. The path crosses the waterfall stream on a small bridge and passes Gásadalur while following the cliff edge. It then turns right and back to the village.

Welcome to the café and slaughterhouse

Despite its small size, Gásadalur has some facilities for visitors. There is a public toilet at the parking and a guest house with a café, Gásadalsgarður. The café serves Faroese bread with different toppings, cakes and something warm to drink for chilly days.

A notable thing about the establishment is that it functions both as a café and a slaughterhouse! Luckily not at the same time. The building is converted into a slaughterhouse one week each year in the autumn when it’s time for the slaughter. They serve the meat at the café, so it’s a truly local product. Is this the only combined café/slaughterhouse in the world? Yes, probably!

This reminds me of the old song Abbatoir by X Marks the Pedwalk which I have in my Electronic Road Trip playlist.

How to get to Gásadalur and Múlafossur

Today, with the tunnel in place, it’s easy to reach Gásadalur. That’s if you have a car, otherwise it’s still a bit of a hassle. From Tórshavn it’s a 1h drive, and from the airport on Vágar it’s only 15-20 minutes.

After arriving in the village, Múlafossur is the most accessible of all the top sights in the Faroe Islands. It’s just a flat walk from the parking, no need to hike through steep terrain with the wind and rain whipping your face.

If the weather is bad when you come here the first time, you can for example go back as a short detour on the way to the airport on your departure day. We stayed two nights in Bøur, the village closest to Gásadalur and we went to the waterfall a second time as we had low clouds and rain the first time.

Driving through the Gásadalur tunnel

The local name of the tunnel is Gásadalstunnilin, and it’s a single-lane tunnel, 1.4km long and 3.5m wide. Construction of the tunnel started in 2004 and finished in 2006. Unlike some other single-lane tunnels, this one is lit and not totally dark. If this is your first time driving through a single-lane tunnel, this guide has good information.

The single-lane tunnels have turnouts every 100m (328ft). When you have the turnouts to the right, you must give way to oncoming traffic. An exception is when you meet a truck, then you should give way also if the turnout is to your left. It’s easy to drive in the tunnels, just keep the headlights on and don’t drive too fast.

Getting to Gásadalur without a car

So how can you get to Gásadalur without your own vehicle? Joining a guided tour that makes a stop in Gásadalur is convenient. For more information, see the Tours to Gásadalur and the Múlafossur waterfall section at the end of the post.

If an organized tour is not for you, getting to Gásadalur can still be done, but it will cost you either in energy or in money. Having a car in the Faroe Islands makes life so much easier.

The problem is that there is no public transport to Gásadalur, or at least no flexible service. The bus 300 will only take you as far as Sørvágur. From Sørvágur, it’s still 9-10km left to Gásadalur.

Many blog posts about Gásadalur claim there is no bus service to the village. This post used to say the same, but it has changed since October 2021. Bus 350 now runs between Tórshavn and Gásadalur. Unfortunately, there are some caveats. Departure times are few, and part of the year, the bus only operates on school days. Also, service to and from Gásadalur is only by phone request two hours before departure.

The easiest option if you want to go by bus is probably to take line 300 to Sørvágur, the airport or Sandavágur and then a taxi the rest of the way. I don’t know how much they charge for the taxi, but only ferries and helicopter rides are cheap in the Faroes. See Visit Vágar for information about taxi companies based in the area.

Panorama of Múlafossur, Gásadalur and Mykines.

If you just want to take a quick look at the waterfall and snap some photos, you can take the taxi and let it wait while you walk to the viewpoint. Another option is to walk from Sørvágur and do the scenic hike to Gásadalur on the trail over the Eysturtindur mountain. In this case you can book a taxi for pickup in Gásadalur to take you back after the hike.

If you are ok with hitchhiking, you can also catch a ride with a local or a tourist.

Hiking the old postal route to Gásadalur

Before there was a road to Gásadalur, the village mailman hiked to Bøur several times per week to deliver the mail. The path he followed, the old postal route, is now popular among hikers. The trail runs close to the edge of the mountain and on a clear day you have great views of Sørvágsfjørður, Tindhólmur and Mykines.

We didn’t have time in our schedule to do this hike, but if you can do it on a day with decent weather, I think it’s worth the time and effort. You can do it with or without a guide, see hiking.fo for more information and photos from the hike.

The buttercup route between Bøur and Gásadalur

There is no shortage of scenic roads in the Faroe Islands, they are everywhere. The most beautiful sections of road are called buttercup routes. They are marked in green on the road map you can pick up for free at the airport when you arrive.

Tindhólmur from the road to Gásadalur.

The road between Bøur and Gásadalur is a buttercup route so when you drive to see Múlafossur you have great scenery on the way. The road flanks Sørvágsfjørður and around the point where it turns inland towards the tunnel, Tindhólmur and Drangarnir are right across the fjord.

Other sights on Vágar

Vágar has several of the best sights in the Faroes and it’s worth spending two days on the island. You just have to see Lake Sørvágsvatn, a unique and magic location. The Drangarnir sea stacks is a half-day hike with amazing views. The Trøllkonufingur viewpoint is close to Sandavágur.

Múlafossur from the ferry to Mykines.

A popular activity is to make a day trip to Mykines to see puffins and hike to a lighthouse. It’s not on Vágar, but the ferry to Mykines departs from Sørvágur.

Tours to Gásadalur and the Múlafossur waterfall

This section contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase of a tour through a link, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support. It helps to keep the site afloat.

The easiest way to see Múlafossur if you don’t have a rental car is to join a guided tour. If you are considering this, I recommend checking out Guide to Faroe Islands. They offer a wide selection of tours.

Gásadalur and Múlafossur are usually part of a larger itinerary also including several other locations. It is popular to do a half or full-day tour covering the highlights on the island of Vágar.

Consider staying a night or two on Vágar, because there is so much to do on the island. On a typical tour around Vágar, you will do a short hike to the spectacular Trælanípa sea cliff at Lake Sørvágsvatn, see the Drangarnir sea stacks across the fjord from the village of Bøur, and of course visit Gásadalur with the Múlafossur waterfall.

There are several tours covering the top Vágar sights to choose from. If you are based on the island, the Classic 4 Hour Tour of Vágar Island might be a good choice, because it does not include any bus transfer to the start of the tour. You meet with the guide in Miðvágur, and transport is included from then on.

If you are based in Tórshavn, the Highlights of Vágar Island - Day tour from Tórshavn might be a better choice. It cost more, but it includes hotel pickup in Tórshavn and all transfers between sights. When going from Tórshavn to Vágar, the bus takes the scenic Oyggjarvegur mountain road with some nice photo spots along the way.

A different take on the classic tour is The Photography Tour - Vágar Island, lead by a local photographer. You will see the same sights as on the other tours, but from a photographer’s perspective. Note that the tour starts in Miðvágur, and you have to get there by your own accord.

If you prefer a private tour of Vágar, check out Wonders of Vágar Island - Private Tour with pickup and transfer from Tórshavn.

Some tours combine Gásadalur with sights on islands other than Vágar. If you want to see the dramatic Faroese coastal landscape from a boat, check out the Popular 7.5 Hour Vestmanna Bird Cliffs & Múlafossur Waterfall Tour, combining the mighty sea cliffs at Vestmanna (see my post here) with Múlafossur. The tour starts in Tórshavn, and all transfers are included.

Note that the tours above listing Drangarnir and Tindhólmur in the itineraries will not take you close to the sea stacks. You see them from a distance. To get close, you must either do a hike or go by boat.

A different way to do this is going by kayak. Should you want a close encounter with Múlafossur, where you feel the spray of the waterfall, take a look at the Kayaking to Drangarnir tour. If weather permits, the paddling route includes both Drangarnir and Múlafossur. If you go on this tour, make sure to visit Gásadalur by road as well. Otherwise, you will not get the classic view of the village and the waterfall, known from countless social media posts.