With a guide
Every Pulpit Rock guided hike on this site comes with a live guide, but the guides do different jobs. This page compares what each one adds, how many people walk with one guide, which languages they speak and what the price covers, across ten hikes from $136 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. Our top pick is the $167 Pulpit Rock guided hike with pickup from your accommodation in Stavanger: up to 8 people, a guide who speaks English and Norwegian, and 446 reviews at 4.8. The $136 hike with a local guide meets you at the Cruise Terminal and has 524 reviews, the highest count here, but its listing gives no group limit. For a quieter route, take the $177 hidden nature trail. For a guide of your own, the private hike at $469 per person.
What you are paying for
The rock is the same for everyone, so the fair question is what a Pulpit Rock guided hike adds. The listings name four things.
The ride. Nine of the ten hikes take you from Stavanger to the trail and back. Most drive through the undersea road tunnel, about 40 to 45 minutes each way; the RIB combo goes out by boat, and the winter hike crosses the fjord by ferry. On the hike with pickup and the private hike, the guide is also the licensed driver. Only the shorter local hike starts at the base by the trail, with no transfer.
A read of the day. At the basecamp, says the top-pick listing, «your guide will share insights about the trail, expected conditions». The same listing asks you to «let us take care of the weather evaluation».
A different path. The hidden nature trail and the first day of the two-day trip use a quieter route. On the hike with pickup and the private hike, the guide may take a hidden trail if conditions allow.
Gear when it is needed. The two winter guides supply crampons or spikes if conditions require them, and the sunrise guide hands out headlamps and hiking poles.
On the trail
Four frames from the way up: bare granite, a rest stop, the fjord and the rock.
Three hikers with packs cross wide grey slabs of bare rock, pines behind them.
Two hikers in caps sit on a rock above a green valley with small lakes.
A hiker on the bare rock edge looks down a long fjord in soft haze.
Small figures stand along the flat top of the sheer cliff under a cloudy sky.
Group size
Group limits as each listing states them. One listing gives none.
The hike with pickup ($167), the hidden nature trail ($177), both winter hikes ($145 and $292), the sunrise hike ($271) and the two days with Kjerag ($1,045).
$157, 4 hours, starting at the base by the trail in Jørpeland.
$281: out by RIB boat, up the trail with a guide, back to Stavanger by minibus.
$469 per person, with private pickup in Stavanger or at the airport.
$136, meeting at the Cruise Terminal. The listing gives no group size.
Languages
On a Preikestolen guided hike, the guide talks you up the hill, so the language matters. On eight of the ten listings the guide speaks English and Norwegian. Two differ. The $136 hike with a local guide lists English, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, and its guide was «born and raised in one of the smaller villages in Lysefjorden». The $145 winter hike lists English only.
The RIB combo is the one Pulpit Rock guided hike with an audio guide as well, in German, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch, next to its English and Norwegian live guide.
Hour by hour
The $167 Pulpit Rock guided hike with pickup, as its listing lays it out: 7 hours in all.
Your guide collects you at your accommodation in Stavanger.
Through the undersea road tunnel to the basecamp.
The guide talks you through the trail and the expected conditions.
If conditions allow, by a hidden trail instead of the main path.
A lunch break with the view over the Lysefjord. The listing does not say who provides lunch, so pack your own.
The walk down, then drop-off at your accommodation in Stavanger.
Every hike, current fare
All ten hikes, priced per person, in order of price. The group column is the limit each listing states.
| Hike | Price | Group | Guide speaks | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hike with a local guide | $136 | Not stated | English, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish | Guide, bus ride, some snacks. Bring food for the day | Cruise Terminal, Stavanger | 4.8 · 524 |
| Winter hike | $145 | Up to 8 | English | Guide, pickup at 7:15, ferry, crampons if needed. Bring lunch | Your accommodation, Stavanger | 4.3 · 4 |
| Shorter local hike | $157 | Up to 10 | English, Norwegian | Guide, route of your choice, hiking chocolate. No transfer | Base by the trail, Jørpeland | 4.6 · 5 |
| Hike with pickup, our top pick | $167 | Up to 8 | English, Norwegian | Guide, pickup and drop-off, 40-minute drive | Your accommodation, Stavanger | 4.8 · 446 |
| Hidden nature trail | $177 | Up to 8 | English, Norwegian | Guide, pickup and drop-off, a 9 km quieter route | Stavanger or Sandnes | 5.0 · 21 |
| Sunrise hike | $271 | Up to 8 | English, Norwegian | Guide, pickup, headlamps, poles, breakfast buffet | Pickup points in Stavanger | 5.0 · 3 |
| RIB boat and hike | $281 | Up to 12 | English, Norwegian, plus audio guide | Guide, RIB boat out, minibus back, audio guide | Stavanger harbour | 4.8 · 29 |
| Winter boat and hike | $292 | Up to 8 | English, Norwegian | Guide, fjord boat, winter gear, lunchpack, minibus | Strandkaien quay, Stavanger | 4.7 · 20 |
| Private hike | $469 | Your party only | English, Norwegian | Your own guide, private pickup | Your accommodation or the airport | 5.0 · 3 |
| Two days with Kjerag | $1,045 | Up to 8 | English, Norwegian | Two guided hikes, fjord boat, dinner, a night, breakfast | Pickup in Stavanger | 5.0 · 2 |
Private option
One listing, private pickup, and a price to check for your party size.
If you want a Pulpit Rock guided hike for your party alone, there is one listing for it, at $469 per person. A private pickup collects you from your accommodation in Stavanger or straight from the airport, and the 40-minute drive is in an electric vehicle with a commercially licensed driver. The listing says «your guide adapts the experience to your fitness level», and if conditions allow, the guide may take you on a hidden trail.
One thing to check first. The listing prices the private hike per person, and it does not say whether that is for each person in your party or for the whole party. Look at the total for your number of people on the booking page before you pay. It has 3 reviews, all at 5.0, none with text yet.
Book direct
Our top pick, the lowest fare, the quieter trail and the private hike. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews
★ 4.8 · 524 reviews
★ 5.0 · 21 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
In their words
Word for word, from the reviews. Francisco from Mexico, on the hike with pickup: «He was very kind, attentive, and always kept a comfortable pace for the whole group. He gave us time to rest and enjoy the breathtaking views.» Malabika from the United States, on the same hike: «The mountain terrain is not easy for a 67 and a 70 year old but he was there all through encouraging us.»
Jacques from Ireland, on the hike with a local guide: «It was very well organised with transfers waiting for us right outside the cruise ship. The guides were knowledgeable, friendly and even gave us some local snacks.»
Karolina from Poland, on the hidden nature trail: «The guide was extremely friendly and talkative, shared lots of interesting facts, and adjusted the pace and route to the group’s needs.»
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing saves surprises at the meeting point.
Six hikes pick you up at your accommodation. Three meet at the Cruise Terminal, a quay or the harbour, and one at the base by the trail.
The top-pick listing rates the hike as moderate: «a good fitness level is needed». The listings give no minimum age.
Lunch is in the price on the winter boat and hike and the two days with Kjerag; breakfast on the sunrise hike. On the others, pack food.
The winter hike requires hiking boots, which can be rented when booking. Pack rain gear, a wool layer, a hat and gloves.
All ten listings offer free cancellation. Check the deadline on the booking page.
Our verdict
Book the $167 Pulpit Rock guided hike with pickup if you want one answer: our top pick, up to 8 people, 446 reviews at 4.8. On a budget, the $136 hike with a local guide from the Cruise Terminal, 524 reviews at 4.8. For a quieter route, the $177 hidden nature trail, 5.0 from 21 reviews. For your own guide, the private hike at $469 per person.
Common questions
Here is what the listings say you get. On nine of the ten hikes, the ride from Stavanger to the trail and back. On six, a group of up to 8. On eight, a guide who speaks English and Norwegian. On our top pick, a briefing at the basecamp on the trail and the expected conditions.
Yes, one, at $469 per person, with private pickup from your accommodation in Stavanger or the airport and a guide who adapts the pace to your fitness level. The listing does not say whether the price is for each person or for the party, so check the total.
Three listings speak to it. The $136 hike with a local guide starts at the Cruise Terminal. The $281 RIB combo calls itself cruise-friendly for ships docking 8 hours or more. The $177 hidden nature trail can be adapted to suit cruise shore excursions.
The listings put it differently. The top pick: «a good fitness level is needed». The hidden nature trail: «easy for experienced hikers and moderate for those new to hiking». The winter hike: some hiking experience is desirable, but not mandatory. The listings give no minimum age.
On the hike with pickup and the private hike, the guide makes the weather call. The RIB combo «can run in all but the most severe weather». All ten listings offer free cancellation; check the deadline on the booking page.
No listing promises an empty trail. Two hikes use a quieter route: the $177 hidden nature trail and the first day of the two days with Kjerag. On the hike with pickup and the private hike, the guide may take a hidden trail if conditions allow.
Go deeper
Every guided Preikestolen hike bookable here, side by side: start, hours, group and what the price covers.
How hard it isFitness, footwear and the parts of the climb the listings warn about.
From StavangerGetting from Stavanger to the hike, and which tours pick you up.
Winter hikesSnow and ice on the trail: the winter hikes and what they supply.
From Stavanger: Pulpit Rock Guided Hike with Pickup
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews · 7 hours