Seeing Pulpit Rock without climbing it
Who this is actually for
Knees that will not take four to five hours of uneven ground. Children too small for the walk. A ship in port for three hours. February. Anyone who looked at a photograph of the plateau, booked a holiday, and then read that the hard part is a mountain walk. None of those people are settling for less, whatever the hiking internet tells them: from the water you see the whole cliff at once, which is the one thing you cannot do from the top of it.
It is also, by a distance, the most reviewed thing on this site. More than ten thousand people have rated it, which is a different order of evidence from the handful behind a small-group hike. Neil called it a very good, clean, quiet boat. John found the electric boat impressive and almost silent. Sylvia noted that it sailed very close to the landmarks and that the commentary was good, and Matthias said the staff were very nice. For a listing this size, that is a consistent picture.
What you pass
Hengjanefossen, a waterfall dropping into the fjord. Fantaålå, the Vagabond’s Cave, reached through a narrow cleft and nearly invisible from open water, which hid thieves, tax evaders and outcasts; local stories have fugitives throwing rocks down at a pursuing sheriff. Eagles, kestrels, herons and peregrines nest in those cliffs. There are two resident mountain goats with names, Gunnar and Sigve. And then Preikestolen itself, from underneath, which is the angle almost nobody photographs.
Included
- Three and a half hours on a fully electric catamaran
- Panoramic windows, a sun deck and leather seats
- Free Wi-Fi on board
- An audio guide in English and Norwegian
- Hengjanefossen, Fantaålå and Pulpit Rock seen from directly below
Not included
- A landing: the boat does not put you ashore below the trail
- The plateau itself — for that you walk, see the guided hike
- Meals, unless the booking page says otherwise
- Any guarantee of clear air: the cliff tops sit in cloud often enough
What works
- No hiking at all, which is the whole point of it
- Three and a half hours, so it fits a short call or a half day
- Runs in months when walking the trail is a guided job
- The only way to see the full height of the cliff in one view
- More than ten thousand ratings behind the score
Worth knowing
- It does not land, and some people book it thinking it does
- You see Pulpit Rock; you do not stand on Pulpit Rock
- 4.6 is the lowest rating of the six listings here, though on much the largest sample
- Weather on an open fjord is weather, and the sun deck is not always the place to be
Sit on the left going out if you can. The waterfall and the cave come up on that side on the way in, and the boat turns before it comes back, so the side you choose changes what is close and what is far. If the deck is cold, the panoramic windows lose you very little.
Book the cruise
Live availability is below. The full write-up is on the review page. If you want the boat and the plateau in the same day, that exists too: cruise and hike combined.
If this one is not right
Boat and bootsStavanger: Lysefjorden Cruise and Preikestolen Hike
From the cruise terminalStavanger: Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) Hike with Local Guide
Off-season, with a guideLysefjorden Cruise & Preikestolen Guided Hike — Winter
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
Does the cruise stop at Pulpit Rock?
No. It passes below the plateau and does not land, so there is no way onto the rock from this boat. The walk up is described on the trail page.
Can you see Pulpit Rock from the boat?
Yes, from directly underneath, 604 metres below the plateau. How high that is in feet is on this page.
Is the cruise worth it if you cannot hike?
It is the reason the cruise exists, and I recommend it without reservation for anyone in that position: see the accessibility page.
Does it run in winter?
The boat runs when the hike has become a guided undertaking. What winter does to the trail is on the winter page.
How long is it?
Three and a half hours from Strandkaien. If you are off a ship, that leaves real margin: the port-day arithmetic.