The fjord and the plateau in one day
Why anyone does both
Because they are two different mountains. From the boat you see the whole cliff at once and understand the scale of it; from the top you see 604 metres of nothing between your boots and the water. People who have done only one of the two usually say the other would have been the better one. Doing both settles the argument in a single day, and this is the only listing here that arranges it for you.
The cost is your entire day. Eight and a half hours, with the walking in the second half, after a boat. Takumi, from Japan, wrote that the elevation difference should not be underestimated but that it is doable; he put that difference at 650 metres, which is his figure rather than ours. The commonly quoted range is roughly 350 to 500 metres of climbing, depending on how you count the dips, and the dips are the reason nobody agrees. Either way, the point he is making is the right one.
Who should not book this
Anyone who has not walked four to five hours on rough ground in the last year or so, and anyone travelling with someone who has not. Split the two instead: the cruise on its own is three and a half hours, and the hike on its own is six. Two calmer days beat one long one that ends with somebody in tears on the descent, which is where the injuries happen. That is not a figure of speech; it is what tired legs do on boulder fields.
Included
- An electric fjord cruise on the Lysefjord
- The bus shuttle out to the trailhead and back
- A guided hike to the plateau and down again
- Departure from downtown Stavanger
- A full day, roughly eight and a half hours of it
Not included
- A trail ticket, which does not exist
- Your own boots, waterproofs and warm layers
- Meals, unless the booking page says otherwise for your date
- A short day, or a restful one
- Any promise about the view from the top
What works
- Both perspectives on the same cliff, arranged in one booking
- The shuttle removes the transport problem at the trailhead end
- 4.7 across 179 reviews, a reasonable sample for a combined format
- A guide for the walking half, which is the half that needs one
- Leaves from downtown, so no cruise-terminal timing to manage
Worth knowing
- Eight and a half hours, and the hard part comes second
- Moderate on paper, long in the legs
- Not the format for mixed-fitness groups or small children
- One weather window has to serve both halves of the day
Eat properly before the boat, not between the boat and the bus. The gap between the two halves of this day is shorter than people expect, and starting a four-hour climb on a packet of crisps bought in a hurry is the single most avoidable mistake on it.
Book this day
Live availability is below, and the longer write-up is on the review page. If eight and a half hours is more day than you want, the two halves sold separately are on the bookings page.
If this one is not right
No hiking at allStavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen
From the cruise terminalStavanger: Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) Hike with Local Guide
Picked up at your doorFrom Stavanger: Pulpit Rock Guided Hike with Pickup
Those dates don’t work?
Browse the other Preikestolen hikes and Lysefjord cruises running from Stavanger, and pick the day that suits you — instant confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the day really?
Eight and a half hours, with four to five of them walking, in the second half. The walking time on its own is broken down on this page.
Is the hike part the full Preikestolen trail?
Yes, about eight kilometres there and back to the plateau: what you actually walk.
Could I do the cruise and the hike on separate days instead?
Often the better plan, and cheaper in energy if not in time. Both are listed on the bookings page.
Is it suitable for children?
The boat is; the hike is the question. Ages and what changes at each of them are on the children page.