World’s Most Beautiful Villages ranking by Forbes puts Gásadalur in top 5

The small village Gásadalur on the island Vágar has been named number 5 in Forbes Media’s list of “The World’s 50 Most Beautiful Villages 2025, According to Experts”.

Only a 20-minute drive from Vagar Airport, the uniquely picturesque Gásadalur has become a top tourist destination in the Faroe Islands in recent years, much thanks to the iconic Múlafossur waterfall. The 60-meter drop into the ocean is no giant of a waterfall, however its striking visual appeal attracts hundreds upon hundreds of tourists on a daily basis throughout the April-September season.

In result of the growing influx of tourists, life in Gásadalur is clearly undergoing change with tourism-related services appearing in the village. 

The slow but profound change was initiated some 20 years ago with the completion of the 2-kilometer road tunnel to Gásadalur. Prior to that, the village was very isolated, mainly accessible by foot over steep mountain terrain. Access by sea is generally not possible, with no modern harbour infrastructure in place.

The effect of the Gásadalur tunnel was amplified by the opening of the huge Vágar Tunnel, the Faroe Islands’ first subsea tunnel, which provided a fixed link between Vágar and neighboring island Streymoy, home of Tórshavn.

As per Forbes: “Perched on the edge of Vágar Island, Gásadalur clings to cliffs like a half-remembered legend where turf-roofed homes dot the glacial valley—framed by the towering silhouette of Árnafjall—the highest peak on Vágar (at 722 meters) known as the ‘eagle’s mountain’. Meanwhile, Múlafossur Waterfall tumbles into the Atlantic below—its roar softened by Northern Fulmars wheeling overhead.”