Worth remembering
- The classic water-level view of the Pulpit Rock, 3.5 hours from Stavanger and from US$75, with an audio guide on board.[1]
- Two hours by speedboat to the same cliffs, from US$126, with a live guide and a flotation suit you wear over your clothes.[2]
- A guided walk up to the plateau itself, 6 hours from Stavanger and from US$168.[3]
- From the deck you look up at Preikestolen, which rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord, and at Hengjanefossen waterfall.[4]
- By road the fjord is 41 miles (66 km) from Stavanger, around an hour and a half by car.[5]
| Electric fjord cruise | RIB safari | Guided Preikestolen hike | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | from US$75[1] | from US$126[2] | from US$168[3] |
| Duration | 3.5 hours[1] | 2 hours[2] | 6 hours[3] |
| Rated | 4.62 from 9,730 reviews[1] | 4.92 from 1,526 reviews[2] | 4.80 from 439 reviews[3] |
| Guide | Audio guide: English, Norwegian[1] | Live guide: Norwegian, English[2] | Live guide: English, Norwegian[3] |
| Good to know | Wheelchair accessible[1] | Skip the ticket line[2] | Stops at a viewpoint and Pulpit Rock[3] |
A year-round local ferry service sailing through the Lysefjord, with calls at Lauvvik, Forsand, Revså, Bratteli, Bakken, Songesand, Kallali, Flørli, Håheller, and Lysebotn .
Our verdict: cruise, RIB or hike?
Pre-booking checklist
On the day
- Sun cream and sunglasses; the fjord bounces light even under cloud.
- A warm layer: the open deck is colder than the streets of Stavanger.
- Cruise ships berth at Skagenkaien, Strandkaien or Skansekaien in Vågen.[6]
- On the plateau, stay well back from the edge, especially in wind.
Why the Lysefjord is worth a day
The Lysefjord was formed during the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, when colossal glaciers carved deep valleys into the landscape.[7] What they left behind is a narrow channel of dark, cold water with walls that drop almost straight in and a rim of bare rock above them. On a map it looks like a crack in the plateau; from the water it feels like a canyon with a lid of sky. The fjord is approximately 40 kilometres long and up to 422 metres deep, though it shallows to only 13 metres near Oanes and Forsand.[8]
You can drive to parts of it, but the water is where the scale lands. From a boat deck, Preikestolen (the Pulpit Rock) rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord in Ryfylke.[4] It is a flat ledge of rock with a sheer face beneath it, and skippers slow down so that passengers can look up, take photographs and try to spot the tiny figures standing on the edge high above.
The fjord is more than one cliff, though. It has waterfalls that drop directly into the water, small settlements clinging to the shore, a road with 27 hairpin bends at its far end, and a wooden stairway of 4444 steps above a former power-station village.[9][10] A single boat trip gives you the shape of all of it in an afternoon.
The best way to see Lysefjord from the water
Brim Explorer's electric Lysefjord cruise is a 3.5-hour silent, hybrid-electric fjord cruise from Stavanger to see Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) from the water.[11] The GetYourGuide listing, Stavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen, starts from US$75, takes 3.5 hours, and stops at Fantahala in Rogaland, the Pulpit Rock and Hengjanefossen Waterfall.[1]
An electric boat changes the soundtrack of the day. You hear the water against the hull, gulls, and other people talking, rather than an engine. The boat has a glazed cabin for cold hands and an open deck for the parts that matter, and an audio guide in English and Norwegian explains what you are passing.[1] Keep a jacket on for the stretch towards the waterfall, where the boat slows and the air comes off the rock.
Other boats run the same stretch of water. A low-emission cruise from Stavanger takes 2.5 hours and starts from US$76, with audio guides in several languages and a wheelchair-accessible deck.[12] A hybrid-ship version takes 3.5 hours from US$83.[13] A guided Lysefjord cruise to Pulpit Rock takes 2.5 to 3 hours from US$168.[14]
Hengjanefossen waterfall falls straight into the Lysefjord beside the cruise route.
RIB safaris: the fast, close-up option
A RIB is a rigid inflatable speedboat, and it changes the scale of the day. The Lysefjord RIB safari is a two-hour boat trip.[15] The GetYourGuide RIB tour from Stavanger to Lysefjord and Preikestolen takes 2 hours from US$126, with a live guide in Norwegian and English, and the same stops at Fantahala, the Pulpit Rock and Hengjanefossen Waterfall.[2]
You sit on a padded saddle in a flotation suit, holding a bar in front of you, usually with one hand on your hat. It is not a gentle ride, and that is the appeal: the boat gets close to the rock walls, noses into narrow channels and crosses open water at speed before turning for home. Between stops the driver opens the throttle, and the fjord goes past in a blur of grey rock and green water.
Other speedboat options from Stavanger include a RIB safari with 1,376 reviews and a 4.86 rating, from US$147[16], a tour with a boathouse visit over 2 hours from US$141[17], and a RIB and hike combo that runs 7 hours from US$282.[18] They cover the same cliffs from below, and differ mainly in speed, seating and stopping points.
Lysefjord what to see: cliffs, waterfalls and stairways
The set pieces are easy to name. Preikestolen is the flat ledge that everyone photographs, and Kjeragbolten is a boulder wedged 1,000 meters above Lysefjord, reached by a strenuous 12 km trail.[19] The whole fjord is only about 40 kilometres long, so a boat can cover a surprising amount of it in a few hours.[8] Between the big names, the fjord runs past waterfalls, steep farm terraces and a handful of tiny places with their own ferry piers and no road in.
Hengjanefossen waterfall drops into the fjord along the main cruise route, and a user tip on Komoot puts its height at around 400 meters.[20] Boats nose in close enough for spray to reach the deck before turning for the cliff. Near Lysebotn, at the head of the fjord, the road called Lysevegen has 27 hairpin bends.[9]
Above Flørli, a former power-station village on the south side, the Flørli stairs consist of 4444 steps.[10] You do not have to climb them to enjoy the village from the water, where the old pipeline and the long wooden staircase are the landmarks. The year-round local ferry calls at Flørli, Lysebotn, Lauvvik and Forsand, among other stops.[21]
from US$75
The electric fjord cruise from Stavanger to Lysefjord and Preikestolen takes 3.5 hours and carries a 4.62 rating from 9,730 reviews.[1]
Hiking to Preikestolen from Stavanger
The Preikestolen hike is less than 10km (6.2 miles) long with an elevation gain of just over 600m and takes about 3 to 4 hours to complete.[22] That is the honest shape of it: a steady climb on stone steps and rock slabs, short enough for most reasonably fit walkers, steep enough that you will want a break or two on the way up.
The hiking trail to Preikestolen is open year-round, including during the winter off-season.[23] In snow and ice you need spikes and proper layers, and a guide removes the route-finding problem above the treeline. Winter also means short daylight, so an early start matters more than it does in summer. A guided hike from Stavanger with a local guide takes 6 hours from US$168.[3]
Other guided walks include a small-group hike with pickup over 7 hours from US$168[24], a hidden nature hike over 7 hours from US$177[25], a winter hike of 9 hours from US$147[26] and a sunrise hike of 8.5 hours from US$271 that ends with a buffet breakfast.[27] If you would rather look up at the cliff than stand on it, take the boat instead.
Getting there, and where to stay
The Lysefjord is 41 miles (66 km) from Stavanger, and the drive takes around an hour and a half.[5] The road goes through tunnels and along the Ryfylke shore, so it is scenic but not quick. From Oslo, the Sørlandsbanen train takes around seven to eight hours to Stavanger, which makes that leg a full travel day.[28] Many travellers skip the driving altogether, base themselves in Stavanger and go out on the water.
Cruise ships dock at Skagenkaien, Strandkaien or Skansekaien in Vågen, Stavanger's city-centre inner harbour.[6] That puts the Old Town, the cathedral and the main shopping streets within an easy walk, and the fjord boats leave from the same central waterfront, so a port call can hold a cruise without a taxi or a long transfer.
For a night outside the city, The Bolder offers architecturally unique cabins in Lysefjorden, designed to minimize environmental impact.[29] Paddlers can join private guided kayak tours on the Lysefjord with Nordic Paddling, for groups of up to 12 people.[30]
What to wear and how to plan your day
Fjord weather turns quickly, and the water keeps the air cool even when Stavanger feels warm. Layers, a windproof outer shell and shoes with grip cover most days on the fjord. A buff or a hat is worth packing, because the wind on deck is the coldest part of the trip and it arrives without warning once the boat turns into open water. On a RIB, a small dry bag keeps a phone and a camera safe from spray, and the operator supplies the flotation suit you wear over your clothes.
Book the boat for the morning if you can. The light is softer on the cliffs, the water is usually calmer, and you still have the afternoon for Stavanger's old town and harbour. If you plan to walk to the plateau, give it a full day: the hike alone takes about 3 to 4 hours[22], and you need transfers at both ends.
If you are visiting on a cruise ship, check your all-aboard time before you book anything. The electric fjord cruise takes 3.5 hours[1] and the RIB takes two hours[2]. Many listings allow free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance[1], which makes it easy to hold a seat while you watch the forecast.
How long Lysefjord tours last
What Lysefjord tours cost
GetYourGuide from-prices per person; child rates are not listed separately.[1][2][3][13]
When to book a Lysefjord trip
Plan your Lysefjord day
Book the boat first
Choose between the 3.5-hour electric cruise from US$75[1] and the 2-hour RIB safari from US$126[2], then pick a morning slot.
Check your timings
Allow 3.5 hours for the cruise[1], 2 hours for the RIB[2] and about 3 to 4 hours for the walk to Preikestolen.[22]
Dress for the deck
Layers, a windproof jacket and shoes with grip. A dry bag keeps a phone safe from spray on a RIB.
Watch the weather
Boat trips and hikes are weather dependent, so keep a spare day if you can. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance helps.[1]
Add a hike if you have a day
A guided walk to Preikestolen takes 6 hours from US$168, and the trail is open year-round.[3][23]
See the Pulpit Rock from the water on a silent electric cruise
from US$76Reserve now & pay later
