August 25, 2025, 12:02 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
“Gjaldskylda” seems to be a new hotspot in Iceland—or at least that’s what you might think when you see the photos of numerous tourists on Instagram. Under this name, you can see the most beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, and everything nature in Iceland has to offer. But an Icelander is now pointing out on social media that this is a huge (and quite amusing) misunderstanding.
Ólafur Waage has more than 180,000 followers on Instagram. He describes himself there as an Icelandic nerd in Norway and regularly uploads videos. One of them has now garnered more than 2.5 million views—and likely leaves many tourists travelling to Iceland feeling at least a little embarrassed. It’s about the supposed attraction Gjaldskylda. If you believe the stunning photos of numerous tourists, it’s a place you must visit on a trip to Iceland. But that’s not possible, the influencer clarifies.
Language Barrier Causes Laughter
In the viral video, Ólafur shows several pictures of tourists raving about Gjaldskylda. Sometimes it’s a waterfall, sometimes a beautiful landscape—completely different, but with the supposedly same place name. Obviously, there’s a misunderstanding here, and the influencer explains that there is no place in Iceland named Gjaldskylda. Even though many tourists believe they have visited it. The language barrier is to blame for the confusion.
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Tourists Mistake Parking Sign
Ólafur clarifies that Gjaldskylda translates to “payment required.” How did this mix-up happen? Tourists apparently misinterpreted signs. The influencer reveals that Gjaldskylda usually appears on signs at parking lots to indicate that you need to pay for parking. It’s often written in English below, but many vacationers apparently misinterpret the Icelandic info and think Gjaldskylda is the place they are visiting.
And according to Ólafur, this happens because the information that you need to pay for parking is usually written much larger than the place name, if it’s even found anywhere. This leads tourists to label their landscape photos with Gjaldskylda and use matching hashtags.
“Einbahnstraße” Also Causes Confusion in Germany
The viral video is causing great laughter—even among travelers from around the world. On Facebook, there are numerous comments under the video, and many users share their own funny travel experiences that arose due to language barriers. Apparently, there are also signs in Germany that confuse travelers. Leading the pack: “Einbahnstraße.” Tourists report that they wanted to indicate which street they were on—but with Einbahnstraße, they obviously didn’t get very far.
And the “Ausfahrt” sign at every highway exit also causes laughter. Tourists wonder how many places have this name or how many exits this one place has.