Iceland 101: Gullfoss

A roughly 2-hour drive from central Reykjavík, one of Iceland's best-known landmarks can be found tucked away in a canyon. There's nothing delicate about the breathtaking Gullfoss waterfall, so maybe "tucked" isn't the right word. In the summertime, the waterfall produces on average 130 cubic meters of water per second, and has been recorded to produce up to 2000m³/s per second. For us regular folks, that just means: a whole lot!

Early in the 20th century, some entrepreneurs had grand ideas about building a damp by Gullfoss and use its raw power to create electricity. Luckily we never saw these plans come to life. For lovers of British rock, its worth noting that Gullfoss can be seen on the album cover of "Porcupine" by "Echo & the Bunnymen".

This picturesque waterfall is usually included in guided tours known as "The Golden Circle". The other two stops being Þingvellir and Geysir. This is usually the go-to trip for visitors on shorter stays. Many drop by on their way around the island. We can easily recommend this as a day trip, but if you'd like some more ideas, please pay us a visit in the Tourist Info in City Hall.

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