Hours, tour by tour
Preikestolen hike time comes in two numbers: the hours on foot, and the whole day from Stavanger and back. Here are both for the ten guided hikes on this site, taken from the listings, with what each price covers and when the early starts leave.
Quick answer
The short answer. On the main path, the Preikestolen hike time at a guided pace is about 4 to 4.5 hours up and back: roughly 2.5 hours up and 2 hours down. Add 40 to 45 minutes of road from Stavanger at each end and a break at the top, and the day runs 6 to 9 hours. The shortest day from Stavanger is the $136 hike, 6 hours from the cruise terminal. Our top pick, at $167, takes 7 hours door to door.
Two clocks
Hours on foot and hours away from Stavanger: why a 4-hour walk fills a day.
Ask about Preikestolen hike time and you can mean two things. The first is the walk: from the trailhead up to the flat rock, 604 metres above the Lysefjord, and back down. The second is the day you book: the drive from Stavanger through the undersea road tunnel, the walk, a break at the top, and the drive home.
A hike sold as 7 hours holds about 4 to 6 hours on foot; the rest is road and pauses. If a ship or a dinner fixes your day, plan with the whole-day figure.
Every hike, current fare
Whole day and walking time as each listing gives them, shortest day first. Prices are per person.
| Hike | Price | Whole day | On the trail | What the price covers | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local guides at the base | $157 | 4 hours | Route and pace of your choice | Local guides, a hiking chocolate at the top. No transport from Stavanger | 4.6 · 5 |
| Local guide from the cruise terminal | $136 | 6 hours | About 4 hours round trip | Ride from the cruise terminal, snacks, local guide | 4.8 · 524 |
| Our top pick, with pickup | $167 | 7 hours | About 2.5 hours up; 5.5 hours of hiking | Pickup and drop-off at your Stavanger accommodation, guide, up to 8 people | 4.8 · 446 |
| RIB boat and hike | $281 | 7 hours | 4 hours | RIB boat out, minibus back, guide, up to 12 people | 4.8 · 29 |
| Quieter nature trail | $177 | 7 hours | 5 to 6 hours with breaks | Pickup in Stavanger and Sandnes, guide, up to 8 people | 5.0 · 21 |
| Private hike | $469 | 7 hours | About 2.5 hours up; 6 hours of hiking | Private pickup from accommodation or the airport, your own guide | 5.0 · 3 |
| Sunrise hike | $271 | 8.5 hours | About 2.5 hours up, 2 hours back | Pickup, headlamps and poles, breakfast buffet | 5.0 · 3 |
| Winter hike | $145 | 9 hours | 2 to 3 hours each way | Pickup at 7:15 AM, ferry, crampons if needed. Bring your own food | 4.3 · 4 |
| Winter boat and hike | $292 | 9 hours | 5 hours | Fjord boat, winter hike gear, lunchpack, minibus back | 4.7 · 20 |
| Two days with Kjerag | $1,045 | 2 days | About 5 hours each hike | Two guided hikes, fjord boat, night in Lysebotn, dinner and breakfast | 5.0 · 2 |
On foot
Times as the operators quote them. Your own pace and breaks move them either way.
Three listings say so: our top pick at $167, the private hike and the sunrise hike. The rock stands 604 metres above the fjord.
The sunrise listing gives 2.5 hours up and a descent of typically around two hours. It is the clearest split in the data.
The $136 hike says about 4 hours round trip, from a start 270 metres above the sea that is fairly steep at first.
The winter hike quotes 2 to 3 hours up and the same back, about 4 km each way, slippery in some of the more demanding parts.
The nature-trail hike uses 5 to 6 hours for the whole hike, photo breaks and a lunch stop counted in, over 9 km and about 500 m of climb.
The RIB combo gives the walk 4 hours; the winter boat-and-hike day gives it 5. On both, the boat is the way to the trail.
Your pace
Guided groups walk the main path in about four to five hours.
The listings agree more than they differ. Five of the ten put the walk itself at 4 to 5 hours: the cruise-terminal hike, the RIB combo, the sunrise hike, the winter boat-and-hike day and the Preikestolen day of the two-day trip. That is the honest Preikestolen hike duration for a guided group on the main path.
Your own Preikestolen hike time stretches or shrinks with pace. On the private hike the guide adapts the day to your fitness level, and the base-camp hike lets you walk at your own pace. On a group hike, the group sets it. Francisco from Mexico, on our top pick: «… always kept a comfortable pace for the whole group. He gave us time to rest and enjoy the breathtaking views.»
On the way
What a Preikestolen hike time plan is made of, in four frames.
Two hikers sit on a rock ledge above a wooded valley, a lake beyond.
Headlamps and poles on rough stone steps in the dark.
Hikers with packs cross bare granite slabs above a lake.
People on the flat top of a sheer grey cliff under heavy cloud.
Early starts
An early walk in the dark, or a pickup at a quarter past seven.
The sunrise day runs 8.5 hours, and the listing gives no departure time. It says the hike starts very early in the morning: after a 45-minute drive from Stavanger, you set off into the quiet of the night with headlamps and hiking poles from the guide. It is about 2.5 hours up and around two hours down, and a breakfast buffet waits after the hike. With a bit of luck you catch the sunrise, weather permitting.
One listing does name a clock time. The winter hike at $145 picks you up from your accommodation at 7:15 AM, crosses the fjord by ferry, drives a short way to the lodge, and is back in Stavanger around 3 to 4 PM. It is the easiest Preikestolen hike time to plan a whole day around.
Long days
Three listings run past 8 hours, and one runs two days. This is what fills them.
About 4.5 hours on foot from a start in the dark, then about an hour of breakfast.
Ferry and car to the trailhead, 2 to 3 hours each way on the trail. Lunch is not provided, so bring your own snack.
About 2.5 hours on the fjord by boat, 5 hours of hiking, a minibus back.
Preikestolen and a night in Lysebotn on day one, Kjerag on day two. About 5 hours of hiking each day.
Cruise stop
Six hours from the terminal, and reviewers who made the ship.
If your ship is in Stavanger for the day, Preikestolen hike time decides the whole plan. The $136 hike starts at the cruise terminal and runs 6 hours, with about 40 minutes of road each way. Jacques from Ireland: «They made sure that we would be back in time for the ship’s departure with lots of time to spare.»
The RIB combo, 7 hours, is built for ships docking 8 hours or more, and refunds you in full if a cruise is cancelled after its refund window. Check your all-aboard time against the length of the day, not the walk.
Before you book
A minute on the listing keeps the Preikestolen hike time you book in line with your day.
The hours on a booking page are the whole day, road included, not the time on the trail.
One listing begins at the trailhead base with no transport; nine bring you from Stavanger.
Group hikes move at the group’s pace; the private hike and the base-camp hike adapt to yours.
Seen with a bit of luck and weather permitting. The listing sells the walk, not the light.
Free cancellation on every listing here. Check the deadline on the booking page.
Our verdict
For most people, our top pick at $167: 7 hours from your Stavanger door and back, about 2.5 hours up, up to 8 people, 446 reviews at 4.8. Short on time or on a ship: the $136 hike, 6 hours from the terminal, 524 reviews at 4.8. For more hours on the trail: the quieter nature trail, 5 to 6 hours of walking, 5.0 on 21 reviews.
Book direct
Our top pick, the shortest day from Stavanger, the most time on foot and the dark start. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews
★ 4.8 · 524 reviews
★ 5.0 · 21 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
Common questions
About 4 to 4.5 hours at a guided pace on the main path: about 2.5 hours up and 2 back in the sunrise listing, about 4 hours round trip in the cruise-terminal listing.
About 40 to 45 minutes by road, as the listings give it, through an undersea road tunnel. It is why a 4-hour walk becomes a 6- to 9-hour day.
Yes, if you check your all-aboard time. The $136 hike starts at the cruise terminal and runs 6 hours. The RIB combo suits ships docking 8 hours or more, and the quieter nature trail can be adapted to shore excursions.
The listing gives no clock time. It says the hike starts very early in the morning and that you set off into the night with headlamps and poles. The day lasts 8.5 hours, with a breakfast buffet after the walk.
Two listings ask you to leave the weather evaluation to them, and the RIB combo runs in all but the most severe weather. Every listing here offers free cancellation; check the deadline on the booking page.
Yes, on the two-day trip at $1,045 per person: Preikestolen on day one, a night in Lysebotn with dinner and breakfast, and Kjerag on day two. Each hike is about 5 hours.
Your options
Count back from what fixes your day. With 6 hours, the cruise-terminal hike fits; with the whole day, a 7-hour hike leaves room for a break at the top. Whichever you pick, the Pulpit Rock hike duration on foot stays near four hours on the main path; the road and the pauses make up the rest of your Preikestolen hike time.
Go deeper
Every guided Preikestolen hike bookable here, side by side: start, hours, group and what the price covers.
Sunrise hikeStarting in the dark to reach the rock at dawn: times and breakfast.
Winter hikesSnow and ice on the trail: the winter hikes and what they supply.
How hard it isFitness, footwear and the parts of the climb the listings warn about.
Planning the tripOne day or two with Kjerag: how the hikes fit a trip to the area.
From Stavanger: Pulpit Rock Guided Hike with Pickup
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews · 7 hours