Gásadalur

A hidden village

Until not too long ago, the village of Gásadalur was a place disconnected from the outside world - a hidden village. There was no road access until 2004, and the only ways to travel in and out would be: boat (weather dependent), helicopter (even more weather dependent), or a strenous hike over the mountain. Faroe Islands as a whole already feel remote, so this village just takes everything to the next level. Population: 18.

Gásadalur is home to one of the most iconic views in Faroe Islands - a tiny village perched atop a sea cliff overlooking the ocean, with the mountain in the background, and a striking waterfall to complete the frame.

The waterfall Múlafossur drops 60m over the cliff and into the ocean - it’s quite a sight.

Gásadalur stands between two mountains, both over 700m and the highest on Vágar island - Eysturtindur, the one you have to cross if you are walking (kind of), and Árnafjall, the one you see in all the photos.

The tunnel

In 2004, a 1.4km long tunnel was built into the mountain, opening up the lonely village of Gásadalur to the rest of the Faroe Islands. Tunnels running through mountains are very common around the Faroe Islands, and this is one of those exciting ones - dimly-lit and single-lane, with passing places.

Getting there

You can get to Gásadalur by driving or hiking.

Driving is by far the easiest and most convenient option. Gásadalur is only a 15min drive from the airport.

If you don’t have a car, this could be a walking day-trip from Sørvágur, albeit a long one. There is a trail that goes over the mountain and, before the tunnel was built, this used to be the only way to get in and out of the village (aside from boat or helicopter). The path starts just before the tunnel (to the left) and takes around 2h one-way. Walking from Sørvágur to the start of the trail should take around 90min. But if you don’t want to hike, maybe you can try you luck with a hitchhike (hehe).

If you are driving and have time to spare, you could leave your car before the tunnel and experience what locals had to do back in the day, by hiking the rest of the way. But since the tunnel is right there, designed to make life easier for everyone, driving through it is probably the better option, in my opinion. The views along the hike won’t be better than the one you’ll get at the end, and there are so many other spots around Faroe Islands that you can only hike to - best to save your energy and time for those.

On the way to Gásadalur, make sure to check out the small village of Bøurn - for its turf-roofed houses, and the views across to Tindhólmur which looks quite cool from that angle. You may even spot some hairy coos along the way (we did!).

When to visit

It’s best to visit Gásadalur when there isn’t much fog around, or else that beautiful view might be obscured. We couldn’t see the mountain at all when we visited.

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