The hike with pickup at your door
When the extra hour buys you something
If your hotel is a few minutes from the quay, it buys you very little and the six-hour version is the tighter day. If you are out towards Madla, or travelling with someone who does not want to find a meeting point in a city they landed in last night, it buys you the whole morning back. That is the entire decision. I would not pretend there is more to it.
The second difference is the route. This one uses a quieter way up rather than the main tourist path, which on a July morning is the difference between walking and queueing. Sara called it a unique experience and said the guide, Syria, took them on an exceptional route through the forest. Forest is the word to notice: the main path spends its first stretch on stone staircases in the open, and shade is not a small thing in August.
What it does not change
It is the same summit, the same 604 metres, the same plateau with no railing around it, and the same four to five hours on uneven ground. A door-to-door pickup makes the day more comfortable at both ends. It does not make the middle of it shorter. If the length is what worries you, read how hard it is before you book anything at all.
Included
- Pickup at your accommodation in Stavanger and the return trip
- A local guide for the walk
- A small group
- A quieter route rather than the main tourist path
Not included
- A trail ticket, which does not exist for Preikestolen
- Boots and windproof layers of your own
- Meals, unless the booking page says otherwise for your date
- Accommodation outside Stavanger, so check the pickup area first
- A shorter day: seven hours is an hour more than the terminal version
What works
- Collected where you are staying, which removes the whole morning logistics problem
- A quieter route, and forest instead of open staircase early on
- 4.8 across 433 reviews, a sample large enough to trust
- Small group, so the pace is set to the group rather than the fastest walker
- The obvious choice if you are staying in town rather than arriving by ship
Worth knowing
- Seven hours against six, and the difference is mostly sitting in a vehicle
- The pickup round means you may be the first one collected and the last one dropped
- Only useful if your accommodation is inside the pickup area
- Same walk in the middle: the ground does not get easier
Ask at your accommodation the evening before whether they have had this pickup come to the door or to the nearest corner. Stavanger’s old centre has streets a minibus cannot turn in, and five minutes of standing in the right place beats ten minutes of standing in the wrong one.
Book this hike
Live availability is below. The longer write-up is on the review page, and if you want emptier ground still, the back-country route caps the group at eight.
If this one is not right
From the cruise terminalStavanger: Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) Hike with Local Guide
8 people maximumStavanger/Sandnes: Preikestolen Guided Hidden Nature Hike
Boat and bootsStavanger: Lysefjorden Cruise and Preikestolen Hike
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
Where exactly does the pickup happen?
At your accommodation in Stavanger, within the operator’s pickup area. If you are staying outside the city, check the booking page first and compare with the other ways out.
Why is it an hour longer than the terminal hike?
Because collecting several parties across the city takes time. The walk itself is the same length: see how long it takes.
Is the quieter route easier?
Quieter is not easier. It is the same mountain and the same climbing: how hard it is.
Is this better than the cruise terminal hike?
Only if you are staying in a hotel rather than arriving on a ship. The two are set side by side on the comparison page.