Stavanger to the trail and back
Nine of the ten guided hikes on this site start in Stavanger and take care of the road to the trailhead for you. This Pulpit Rock tour guide sorts them by how you travel: door pickup by van, a bus at the cruise terminal, a RIB on the fjord or a ferry in winter. Fares start at $136 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a door-to-door Pulpit Rock tour, book the $167 day: pickup at your accommodation in Stavanger, a 40-minute van ride through the undersea tunnel, and a group of no more than eight. Coming off a ship? The $136 day meets you at the Cruise Terminal with a comfortable bus. Want the fjord as well? The $281 RIB day goes out by boat and comes back by minibus.
How you get there
Each listing describes its own transport. Here they are grouped by where your day begins.
The $167 day, the $177 quieter trail, the $145 winter day, the $271 sunrise hike, the $469 private day and the two-day Kjerag adventure all collect you in Stavanger. The quieter trail also picks up in Sandnes.
The $136 day meets at the Cruise Terminal and rides a comfortable bus. The $292 winter day boards a boat at the Strandkaien quay.
The $281 RIB day leaves from the harbour in Stavanger; whether you are collected depends on the option you choose when you book.
The $157 local day meets at an adventure centre at the Preikestolen Basecamp in Jørpeland. Getting there is up to you.
On the road
Forty to forty-five minutes on the road is typical; one winter day crosses by ferry.
Most Pulpit Rock tour days begin with a drive under the sea. The top pick at $167 collects you from your accommodation in Stavanger for a 40-minute drive through an undersea road tunnel, and your guide holds a commercial licence to drive you. The private day at $469 makes the same 40-minute run in a modern electric vehicle and can also collect you straight from the airport.
The $136 day is built around ships. It meets at the Cruise Terminal, at a parking area by a black bus or coach, and the ride takes around 40 minutes. Its listing calls this a pickup, but it is a meeting point near the ship, not a stop at your door. The sunrise hike collects you at one of eight pickup points in Stavanger for a 45-minute drive, and the quieter-trail day drives through the undersea tunnel from Stavanger or Sandnes.
The $145 winter day is the odd one out. Pickup is at 7:15 AM from your accommodation, then a ferry across the fjord from Stavanger or the Lauvvik ferry station and a short drive to Preikestolen Lodge. The listing puts you back in Stavanger around 3 to 4 PM.
Every hike, current fare
All ten are priced per person; the last column holds only what each listing says is included.
| Hike | Price | How you travel | Where it starts | What the price covers | Length | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local guide day | $136 | Comfortable bus, about 40 min | Cruise Terminal, Stavanger | Bus there and back, local guide, some snacks. Bring food for the day | 6 hours | 4.8 · 524 |
| Winter day | $145 | Ferry, then a short drive | Your accommodation, 7:15 AM | Pickup, ferry, English-speaking guide, crampons if conditions require. Bring your own lunch | 9 hours | 4.3 · 4 |
| Local route day | $157 | No transfer | Preikestolen Basecamp, Jørpeland | Guide, a route chosen with you, Norwegian hiking chocolate at the top | 4 hours | 4.6 · 5 |
| Pickup day, our top pick | $167 | Van, 40 min | Your accommodation in Stavanger | Pickup and drop-off, guide, group of up to 8 | 7 hours | 4.8 · 446 |
| Quieter trail | $177 | By road through the undersea tunnel | Pickup in Stavanger or Sandnes | Pickup and drop-off, guide on a quieter nature trail, group of up to 8 | 7 hours | 5.0 · 21 |
| Sunrise hike | $271 | Van, 45 min | One of eight pickup points in Stavanger | Pickup, headlamps and hiking poles, breakfast buffet after the hike | 8.5 hours | 5.0 · 3 |
| RIB and hike | $281 | RIB out, minibus back | Stavanger harbour; pickup by option | Boat ride on the fjord, guide, audio guide in five languages, minibus back | 7 hours | 4.8 · 29 |
| Winter fjord day | $292 | Boat, then minibus | Strandkaien quay, Stavanger | Boat leg, minibus, mountain guide, winter hike gear, lunchpack | 9 hours | 4.7 · 20 |
| Private day | $469 | Electric vehicle, 40 min | Your accommodation or the airport | Private pickup, your own guide, pace set to your fitness | 7 hours | 5.0 · 3 |
| Two days with Kjerag | $1,045 | Van, 40 min out | Pickup in Stavanger | Two guided hikes, boat between them, night in Lysebotn with dinner and breakfast | 2 days | 5.0 · 2 |
Hour by hour
The $167 day as its listing lays it out: seven hours from your door and back.
Your guide collects you from your accommodation in Stavanger.
Forty minutes by van through an undersea road tunnel to the basecamp at the foot of the trail.
Your guide explains the trail and the conditions to expect that day.
About 2.5 hours of hiking. If conditions allow, the group takes a hidden trail toward the rock.
Preikestolen stands 604 metres (1,982 feet) above the fjord. A lunch break follows, looking over Lysefjorden.
The descent to the basecamp, then the drive back and drop-off at your accommodation.
By boat
On both, the boat is the way in; the climb is the day.
On the $281 RIB day, the boat is the road and the hike is still the main event. You speed out of Stavanger on a high-speed RIB, pass hidden caves and waterfalls, and see the rock from the water, over 600 metres above you. You are dropped at a nearby quay, take a short minibus ride to the basecamp, and climb 500 metres over an 8 km trail that the listing calls well-developed but still fairly steep. A minibus brings you back to Stavanger in about 45 minutes. Groups are limited to 12.
The $292 winter day starts at the Strandkaien quay with 2.5 hours of sightseeing on the Lysefjord, past Fantahåla cave and the Hengjanefossen waterfall. A mountain guide waits in Forsand village, a minibus takes you to the trail, and the hike itself runs about five hours. Winter hike gear and a lunchpack are in the price, and the minibus brings you back through the undersea tunnel. There is no pickup.
Along the way
The fjord walls from the water, a rest on the climb, and the view from the top.
Sheer grey rock walls streaked with green rise out of dark, still water that mirrors them.
Two hikers with backpacks, one in a white cap, sit on a rock above a forested valley with a small lake and bare hills beyond.
From a rocky edge, the fjord runs away between dark, rounded mountains under a pale blue sky.
Off a ship
Three of the ten are written with a ship in port in mind.
Three listings speak directly to cruise passengers. The $136 day meets at the Cruise Terminal itself and runs six hours. The $281 RIB day calls itself fully cruise-friendly for ships docking eight hours or more in Stavanger, and refunds you in full if your cruise is cancelled late. The $177 quieter-trail day says it can be adapted to suit shore excursions.
Jacques from Ireland, on the $136 day: «It was very well organised with transfers waiting for us right outside the cruise ship.» He adds that the guides «made sure that we would be back in time for the ship's departure with lots of time to spare.» Before you book, set the length of the day against your all-aboard time: six hours on the terminal day, seven on the RIB day.
In the fare
Only what the listings themselves say is included.
Return transport from Stavanger on nine of ten; the basecamp day has none.
On all ten, speaking English; nine also offer Norwegian.
Lunchpack on the winter fjord day, breakfast on the sunrise hike, meals on the two-day Kjerag adventure.
Some snacks on the $136 day, yet its listing asks you to bring food for the day.
Headlamps and poles on the sunrise hike; winter gear or crampons, when needed, on the winter days.
Your own. On the $145 winter day they are required and can be rented when booking.
Tour or your own way
What you hand over when you book, and what you keep.
Going on your own means sorting out the road, the timing and the route yourself. What a Pulpit Rock tour adds is fixed and written down: the ride from Stavanger and back, a guide who reads the trail and the day's conditions, and a small group on most days.
Some reviewers who usually plan their own hikes say the arrangement worked. John from the United States, on the $167 day: «I usually plan my own hikes but this worked out out well.» Karolina from Poland, on the quieter trail: «Pick-up was perfectly on time from the chosen location.»
Our verdict
Book the $167 day for the simplest Pulpit Rock tour: pickup at your door, 40 minutes by van, eight people at most, 446 reviews at 4.8. Off a ship, take the $136 Cruise Terminal day. For the fjord as well, the $281 RIB day. For a quieter path, the $177 trail day, rated 5.0 across 21 reviews.
Book direct
Door pickup, the Cruise Terminal, the RIB and the quieter trail. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.8 · 446 reviews
★ 4.8 · 524 reviews
★ 4.8 · 29 reviews
★ 5.0 · 21 reviews
Common questions
Yes, on a tour. Nine of the ten listings here carry you from Stavanger and back by van, bus, boat or ferry. The listings say nothing about public buses, so we do not either. The one day without a transfer meets at the basecamp near the trail.
Forty to 45 minutes by road, going by the listings: around 40 minutes by bus from the Cruise Terminal, 40 by van or electric vehicle, 45 on the sunrise hike.
Six do: the $167 day, the $177 quieter trail (Stavanger or Sandnes), the $145 winter day at 7:15 AM, the $271 sunrise hike from eight pickup points, the $469 private day (also from the airport) and the two-day Kjerag adventure. The $136 day meets at the Cruise Terminal instead.
Yes. The $136 day meets at the Cruise Terminal and runs six hours. The $281 RIB day is cruise-friendly for ships docking eight hours or more, and the $177 quieter-trail day can be adapted to shore excursions.
Two listings say their guides take care of the weather evaluation, and the RIB day runs in all but the most severe weather. Every listing here offers free cancellation.
Yes. The $469 private day collects you from your accommodation in Stavanger or straight from the airport and drives 40 minutes in an electric vehicle. Your guide adapts the hike to your fitness. The price is listed per person.
Go deeper
Getting from Stavanger to the hike, and which tours pick you up.
Hikes comparedEvery guided Preikestolen hike bookable here, side by side: start, hours, group and what the price covers.
The trailheadWhere the trail starts, and how each tour gets you there.
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