Hiking with waterfalls is something that gets me really excited. A waterfall definitely provides added value to a hiking trip in my opinion. It is something to look forward to. When thinking about waterfalls, Europe might not be the first continent that comes to mind. However, Europe does have its hidden (and less hidden gems). I have assembled a list with the most beautiful hikes that include at least one waterfall. Some of these are just short walks, where the waterfall really is the main attraction. Certain hikes however, are multiday hikes, where the waterfall is just a part of the adventure. Some of the waterfalls are somewhat touristic, but some of them are truly hidden gems where you won’t meet a lot of tourists. Keep reading to find out where your next adventure might lead.
If you enjoy hiking with waterfalls in Europe, you might also enjoy hiking with lakes in the US, I recently stumbled upon a recommandable post about the best lake hikes in the rocky mountains, make sure to check it out!
Hiking to the Mardalsfossen waterfall – Norway
The first waterfall on our list is the Mardalsossen waterfall in Norway. You can drive pretty close to the waterfall by car. You will have to walk for approximately one hour. You can actually walk up to the waterfall. Depending on the time of the year, there will not be too much water. However, it is a beautiful scene even without an abundance of water. It is also recommended to bring waterproof clothes. The walk is not that difficult, you just have to pay attention for some slippery rocks and mud. Also, the trail is not very steep, therefore, this hike provides a great reward for minimal effort. This is probably the shorted hike on this list. If you like waterfalls more than you like hiking, this could be the ideal place for you to go.
You can find more information about the hike in this article.
Cirque de Gavarnie hike – France
Another shorter hike for an amazing view is located in France, Pyrenees national park. It should take you around two hours to reach the waterfall. The trail is known to start out a bit boring, but it gets more interesting and beautiful the closer you get to the waterfall. Sadly enough, this place is pretty touristic and it can get a bit crowded on these roads. The trail is not extremely difficult but it can provide a couple of challenges. The amazing view once you reach the waterfall should definitely make up for all the negatives. If you are looking for a bigger challenge and you want to go for a multiday hike, this waterfall is located in the French Pyrenees. You could definitely combine this waterfall with a longer hike through the Pyrenees. Even without any waterfalls this place is heaven for hikers.
Find out more about hiking in the Gavarnie area.
Plitvice lakes National park hikes – Croatia
I would not be able to write a blog post titled hiking with waterfalls in Europe without mentioning the Plitvice lakes in Croatia. There a plenty of different paths and small trails in this national park. You can buy a map when you enter the park. As you can see, this place is extremely beautiful and highly recommended. There are eight different official routes. The shortest is three hours. The longest is up to eight hours. There are difficulties for everyone, some hikes are considered very easy, others are rather difficult. The downside of such an amazing park is that it attracts a lot of people. Try to arrive really early, so you can avoid most tourists. Another tip that could be useful, especially during peak season: the upper lakes tend to be less crowded. If you want to combine this park with a multiday hike, there are plenty of hiking opportunities outside the park.
You can find out everything you need to know about Plitvice lakes National park in this article.
Fimmvörðuháls Hike, Skógáfoss waterfall – Iceland
Iceland has a lot of beautiful waterfalls. The downside is that most of these waterfalls attract a lot of tourists. The Skógáfoss waterfall is no different. However, you can leave the crowds behind after ascending past Skógafoss waterfall. This way you get to enjoy one of iceland finest waterfalls and you can combine it with a beautiful hike. The Fimmvörðuháls Hike is a one day hike. If you complete the full trail you will go past 26(!) waterfalls and you will cross a vulcanic plateau. This area is pretty crowded, but few actually complete the entire trail. So you should not be bothered by too many crowds. The trail is 25km in length and has around 1000m of elevation. It is not the easiest trail in the world. The combination of the Skógáfoss waterfall and many other smaller waterfalls makes this one of the most fitting hikes for this article.
For more information, I advice you to read this article.
I also want to mention that Iceland has a ridiculous amount of amazing waterfalls and hiking areas. However, this article is titles hiking with waterfalls in Europe and not hiking with waterfalls in Iceland. Therefore, I will not mention all waterfall hikes in Iceland. However, if you are interested you can check out this website for more information.
The Gasadalur hike – Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are located between Scotland, Norway and Iceland. On the Faroe Islands there is a tiny village called Gasadalur. This village has 14(!) inhabitants. It used to be one of the most isolated villages in the world. However, ten years ago a tunnel was dug. You can use this tunnel as a way of navigating yourself, since it is located pretty close to the trail. The hike itself can be finished in as little as one hour and a half (one way). The terrain is a combination of a dirt track and a grassy/rocky mountain side. The hike itself is fairly short and pretty easy. However, bad weather is not a rare occurrence on the Faroe Islands. The rocky mountain side can become a bit treacherous when it is raining. You will be rewarded with plenty of beautiful views. When you reach the village itself you can also enjoy the Mulafossur waterfall, which is located next to the village (as you can see in the picture).
If you are looking for more information about this trail. I thought this blog post was pretty helpful.
Great Route Flores – Flores Azores Portugal
When I was researching the most beautiful hikes with waterfalls I stumbled upon Flores Azores. A little “under the radar” Portuguese Island. This truly is a hidden gem. The island has some amazing waterfalls and hiking opportunities. It is unbelievable that this little island is not yet discovered by tourists. The scenery is absolutely astonishing. It was hard to find a lot of information about hiking in Flores Azores, simply because not that many people have been there yet. However, I was able to find a longer trail that includes most of the amazing waterfalls this island has to offer. The trail is called “Greate Route Flores”, it is 47km in length. The trail is considered to be pretty hard even though there is not that much elevation. The highest point will bring you around the 400 meters mark. This trail will offer you one of the most impressive waterfalls in the area, Poço do Bacalhau. However, the main highlight of this trip is the Poço da Alagoinha, which is a lagoon on the base of the cliff with multiple waterfalls. This lagoon on its own is enough to convince me to put this island very high on my bucket list. Even if we forget the waterfalls and the lagoon for a minute, there are plenty of other reasons you should visit Flores Azores. There are a lot of amazing places/views including lakes, cliffs, rocks and greenery. I highly recommend you to research this place, chances are very high you will put this on your own bucket list as well.
Click here to find more information about the Great Route Flores.
If you want to learn/see more about Flores Azores, you can check out this article.
Pirin and Rila mountains hike, Bulgaria
The Rila and Pirin mountains are one of the best places to hike in Bulgaria. The biggest advantage of this trail is that the waterfalls are no touristic attractions. These waterfalls are mainly visited by real hikers. The Rila and Pirin mountains provide us with multiple waterfalls. Some examples are the Skakavitsa waterfall, The Popina laka waterfall and the Chesnensko usoe. If you are the kind of hiker that prefers longer, less crowded trails, this might be your best option of this list.
It is advicable to go for a multiday hike to truly be able to enjoy this area. There are plenty of resources to be found online about hiking in the Rila and Pirin mountains. Just make sure that you don’t miss out on the many beautiful waterfalls when you plan your route.
Hiking in Cheile Nerei-Beusnita National Park
The Cheile Nerei-Beusnita National Park is one of the best places to hike in Romania. Especially if you like to see some impressive waterfalls. Cheile Nerei-Beusnita National Park is a protected area with many waterfalls and lakes. The most iconic waterfalls in this area are definitely the Bigar Waterfall located in the Aninei Mountains and the Beusnita Waterfalls in Caraș-Severin . This National Park has plenty of hikes to choose from. It shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a route. You can easily spend multiple days hiking here. Contrary too many other places in Romania, the biggest threat in terms of wildlife are not bears or wolves but vipers. However, chances of being attacked by one of those are really slim. Just keep your eyes open. The area is considered perfect for hikers who are looking for easy yet beautiful hikes. Except for waterfalls you can expect to run into swamps, wetlands, forests and cliffs. If you would decide to go hiking in Cheile Nerei make sure to check out the Devil’s Lakes and Ochiul Beiului as well, together with the waterfalls they are the main attractions of the Park.
Needless to say that it was an easy decision to include this park on the “hiking with waterfalls in Europe” list. More information about hiking in the Cheile Nerei-Beusnita National Park can be found in this article.
Conclusion
It was harder than expected to create a list about hiking with waterfalls in Europe. It is not that Europe lacks impressive waterfalls. Especially Iceland has a ton of amazing waterfalls. However, most of these impressive waterfalls have become tourist attractions over the years. This might not be an issue for everybody, but it is for some of us. The difficulty was to try and find good hikes that included one or preferably multiple waterfalls.
That being said, I still think there are plenty of great options to choose from. Whether you are looking for a longer hike without crowds, or you are just trying to find a nice one day hike, there will be a hike in Europe that can provide what you are looking for.
By the way, you will be thankful for a good waterproof hiking jacket on most of these hiking trips! Also good hiking shoes in the form of trail runners or hiking boots are highly recommend.
If you know about a hidden gem in Europe, please do not hesitate to leave a comment.