Hiking with children
A Preikestolen family hike is a full day on a real mountain trail. The listings give no minimum age, so this page sets out what they do say for each of the ten guided hikes: fitness, hours on the trail, group size, food and what the price covers, from $136 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. For most families, our top pick is the $167 hike with pickup at your Stavanger accommodation: up to eight in the group and about 2.5 hours of hiking up. For the lowest fare, the $136 hike with a local guide: about 4 hours on the trail, snacks included. For your own family’s pace, the $469 private hike, where the guide adapts to your fitness level.
Ages
No age limits anywhere, but clear words about fitness.
The plain fact first: the listings give no minimum age. None of the ten guided hikes here names an age limit, and our listing data holds no child fare.
What the listings do describe is effort. The top pick is «rated to moderate difficulty, a good fitness level is needed. Please consider your stamina before booking». The two-day trip with Kjerag says «Physical fitness required». So plan a Preikestolen family hike around the stamina of your slowest walker. Two listings soften the picture: the quieter nature trail is «moderate for those new to hiking», and on the winter hike «Some hiking experience is desirable, but not mandatory».
Hike by hike
Age and fitness lines as each listing words them. Where a listing says nothing, the cell says so.
| Hike | Minimum age | Fitness, as the listing says | Group | On the trail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hike with pickup, our top pick | Not given | «a good fitness level is needed» | Up to 8 | About 2.5 h up |
| Hike with a local guide | Not given | Starts 270 m up, «fairly steep» at first | Not stated | About 4 h return |
| RIB boat and hike | Not given | «a moderate level of fitness» | Up to 12 | 8 km, 500 m up |
| Quieter nature trail | Not given | «moderate for those new to hiking» | Up to 8 | 5–6 h with breaks |
| Winter boat trip and hike | Not given | Not stated; winter hike gear in the price | Up to 8 | 5 h hiking |
| Local hike from the base | Not given | «Walk at your own pace» | Up to 10 | 4 h listed |
| Winter hike | Not given | «easy to moderate»; boots required | Up to 8 | 2–3 h each way |
| Sunrise hike with breakfast | Not given | Not stated; starts very early | Up to 8 | 2.5 h up, 2 h down |
| Private hike | Not given | «a decent level of fitness» | Private | About 2.5 h up |
| Two days with Kjerag | Not given | «Physical fitness required» | Up to 8 | Two hikes of 5 h |
Pace
Same trail, different speeds: private, your own route, or a small group.
Pace matters more than distance on a Preikestolen family hike, because most of these days share one path: «an 8 km trail that is well-developed but still fairly steep», with 500 metres of climbing, as one listing puts it.
Two listings put the pace in your hands. On the private hike, «Your guide adapts the experience to your fitness level»; the local hike from the base says «Walk at your own pace». On the group days you share the pace with up to eight people on six of the ten listings. Francisco from Mexico, on the top pick: the guide «always kept a comfortable pace for the whole group. He gave us time to rest and enjoy the breathtaking views.»
On the trail
What a Preikestolen family hike looks like: a rest with a view, bare granite, a quiet tarn.
Two hikers in a knitted hat and a cap sit on a rock above a forested valley and a small lake.
Hikers with backpacks cross wide grey slabs of granite between pines, a lake below.
A still tarn under birches, leaves on the water and a mossy boulder in front.
Hour by hour
How the $167 day with pickup runs, from its listing. The whole day is listed at 7 hours.
Your guide, who is also the licensed driver, collects you at your accommodation.
A 40-minute drive through an undersea road tunnel to the basecamp.
The guide talks you through the trail and the expected conditions.
Roughly 2.5 hours to the rock, 604 metres above the Lysefjord; a hidden trail if conditions allow.
The listing does not say who provides lunch, so pack food for everyone.
The walk down, then the drive back to your accommodation.
Every hike, current fare
Priced per person, with the total for four worked out.
| Hike | Price | Four people | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hike with pickup, our top pick | $167 | $668 | 7 h | Pickup and drop-off, guide, group of up to 8 | Your Stavanger accommodation | 4.8 · 446 |
| Hike with a local guide | $136 | $544 | 6 h | Bus ride, local guide, some snacks | Stavanger Cruise Terminal | 4.8 · 524 |
| RIB boat and hike | $281 | $1,124 | 7 h | RIB ride out, guided hike, minibus back | Stavanger harbour | 4.8 · 29 |
| Quieter nature trail | $177 | $708 | 7 h | Pickup, guide, quieter trail, group of up to 8 | Stavanger or Sandnes | 5.0 · 21 |
| Winter boat trip and hike | $292 | $1,168 | 9 h | Fjord boat trip, hike, winter gear, lunchpack | Strandkaien quay, Stavanger | 4.7 · 20 |
| Local hike from the base | $157 | $628 | 4 h | Local guide, route of your choice, hiking chocolate | Base by the trail, Jørpeland | 4.6 · 5 |
| Winter hike | $145 | $580 | 9 h | Pickup at 7:15 AM, ferry, guide, crampons if needed | Your Stavanger accommodation | 4.3 · 4 |
| Sunrise hike with breakfast | $271 | $1,084 | 8.5 h | Pickup, headlamps and poles, breakfast buffet | One of eight Stavanger hotels | 5.0 · 3 |
| Private hike | $469 | $1,876 | 7 h | Private pickup, your own guide, pace to your fitness | Stavanger accommodation or airport | 5.0 · 3 |
| Two days with Kjerag | $1,045 | $4,180 | 2 days | Two hikes, boat trip, night in Lysebotn, meals | Stavanger | 5.0 · 2 |
Food and early starts
A meal in the price on three hikes; snacks or your own food on the rest.
A meal is in the price on three hikes: a lunchpack on the winter boat-and-hike day, a breakfast buffet after the sunrise hike, and dinner plus breakfast on the two-day trip. The hike with a local guide includes some snacks but still asks you to «bring food for the day». On the winter hike, «Lunch will not be provided». Elsewhere the listing does not say who provides lunch.
Toilets get one line in all ten listings: on the sunrise hike, restroom facilities are available at the start. Start times shape a Preikestolen family hike too: the winter hike collects you at 7:15 AM and is back around 3 to 4 PM, and the sunrise hike sets off «into the quiet of the night».
What to pack
The packing list from the hike with a local guide, plus what the two winter listings add.
Recommended on the hike with a local guide. On the winter hike, hiking boots are required and can be rented when booking.
A wind/rain jacket and wind/rain stopper pants, as that listing asks.
A woolen inner layer top and bottom, a knitted hat and a pair of gloves.
Food for the day and a small backpack. The winter hike adds a water bottle you can refill on the trail.
On the two winter days, crampons or spikes are provided if conditions require them.
In their words
Three reviews, quoted as written: children, grandparents and a fair warning.
Bill from the Netherlands took the quieter nature trail and wrote that the guide «…kept our children (14. 13, 10) motivated and entertained with his funny but appropriate jokes and stories. They learned a lot about the forest and Norwegian culture.»
Malabika from the United States, on the top pick: «The mountain terrain is not easy for a 67 and a 70 year old but he was there all through encouraging us.»
Steven from the United Kingdom, on the hike with a local guide: «The walk isn’t hard. But not easy either. Rocky in parts and steep too. But it’s doable if you are half fit.»
Read twice
Longer, earlier, higher or further out than the rest.
Two hikes with a night in Lysebotn. Kjerag has cliffs 1,000 metres above the fjord, and the listing says «Not recommended for those with fear of heights».
You set off in the dark, about 2.5 hours up and 2 hours back, then breakfast. Seeing the sunrise is «With a bit of luck».
A 9-hour day from a 7:15 AM pickup. The listing warns the trail «may become slippery» in the more demanding parts.
A 9-hour day: a boat trip on the fjord, then the hike with a mountain guide.
The shortest day, 4 hours, but with no transfer from Stavanger. It offers hikes «in the area surrounding Preikestolen», so agree the route if the rock is the goal.
Our verdict
Book the hike with pickup at $167, our top pick, if you want one answer for a Preikestolen family hike: pickup at your Stavanger accommodation, up to eight in the group, about 2.5 hours up, rated 4.8 by 446 reviewers. On a budget, the $136 hike with a local guide: 524 reviews at 4.8, snacks included, about 4 hours on the trail. For your own pace, the $469 private hike. For a quieter trail, the $177 nature trail, rated 5.0 by 21 reviewers.
Book direct
The top pick, the lowest fare, the private hike and the quieter trail, all with free cancellation.
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews
★ 4.8 · 524 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
★ 5.0 · 21 reviews
Common questions
The listings give no minimum age: none of the ten hikes here names one. What they state is fitness: the top pick says «a good fitness level is needed». If you are unsure, ask the operator through the listing before you pay.
On the trail, about 4 hours round-trip with a local guide, and about 2.5 hours up and 2 back on the sunrise hike. With transport from Stavanger, the whole day runs 6 to 9 hours.
The quieter trail is «easy for experienced hikers and moderate for those new to hiking». The top pick is «rated to moderate difficulty» and asks you to consider your stamina before booking.
Hiking shoes, wind and rain layers, wool, a knitted hat and gloves, per the hike with a local guide. On the winter hike, boots are required and can be rented when booking.
On most days, yes. Food is in the price only on the winter boat-and-hike day, the sunrise hike and the two-day trip. The winter hike mentions water you can refill on the trail.
The sunrise hike listing says restroom facilities are available at the start. Nothing is said about the trail itself.
Go deeper
Hours on the trail and the whole day, tour by tour.
How hard it isFitness, footwear and the parts of the climb the listings warn about.
With a guideWhat a guide adds on this trail, and the size of each group.
From StavangerGetting from Stavanger to the hike, and which tours pick you up.
From Stavanger: Pulpit Rock Guided Hike with Pickup
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews · 7 hours