What you’ll experience
Everyone knows the photograph: a flat slab of rock jutting out over a fjord, tiny figures standing at the edge 600 metres up. That is Preikestolen — the Pulpit Rock — and this cruise from Stavanger lets you experience its full, dizzying scale from directly below, without the four-hour round-trip hike. Looking up at that overhang from the deck is, if anything, more humbling than standing on top of it.
The cruise sets out from Stavanger’s harbour and crosses the Høgsfjord before entering the Lysefjord — the “light fjord”, named for its pale granite walls. Over the next couple of hours you sail deep into a 42-kilometre canyon of rock and water. The skipper noses the boat right up to the base of Pulpit Rock so you can crane your neck at the sheer 604-metre cliff, then continues past the Vagabond’s Cave and beneath the distant plateau of Kjerag, where the famous boulder is wedged in a crevasse high above.
This is a fjord of waterfalls, and the boat pulls in close to Hengjanefossen, one of the tallest, where — weather permitting — the crew edge the bow beneath the falling water for a genuinely bracing photo. You will also pass mountain goats on the shoreline rocks, salmon farms, and the near-vertical Flørli staircase, 4,444 wooden steps climbing beside an old hydroelectric pipeline.
The vessel is a fast, comfortable sightseeing catamaran or fjord cruiser with an indoor saloon, an open rear deck and a small café on board. At around three to three and a half hours round trip, it is the ideal way to combine Stavanger’s charm with the raw drama of the Lysefjord in a single half-day — and the only way to see Pulpit Rock, Kjerag and the great waterfalls all in one trip.
Your itinerary
- 0:00
Depart Stavanger
Leave the harbour and cross the Høgsfjord towards the mouth of the Lysefjord.
- 0:45
Enter the Lysefjord
Sail into the pale-walled “light fjord”, a 42-kilometre canyon of granite.
- 1:15
Pulpit Rock from below
The boat noses up to the base of the 604-metre Preikestolen cliff for the classic view.
- 1:45
Hengjanefossen waterfall
Edge beneath a towering waterfall (weather permitting) and past the Vagabond’s Cave.
- 2:15
Kjerag & Flørli
View the distant Kjerag plateau and the 4,444-step Flørli staircase before turning back.
- 3:30
Return to Stavanger
Cruise back to the harbour in Stavanger.
Practical information
Meeting point
The Stavanger guest harbour (Skagenkaien / Fiskepiren area) in the city centre, a short walk from the old town and the train station. Please arrive 20 minutes before departure.
What to bring
Warm, windproof and waterproof layers, a hat and gloves outside high summer, sturdy shoes and a camera. Spray from the waterfalls reaches the deck, so a waterproof outer layer is worthwhile.
Accessibility
The main cruise vessels offer step-free boarding and an indoor heated saloon, suitable for most wheelchair users. The Stavanger quay is level. Please confirm your needs at booking so we can allocate a suitable vessel.
Price & season
The Lysefjord cruise runs year-round, with the fullest schedule from May to September. Late spring and early summer bring the most powerful waterfalls; midsummer offers long daylight and the warmest weather at peak prices; autumn is quieter with rich colour; and winter sailings are dramatic and uncrowded on a reduced timetable.
Prices are indicative “from” fares per adult in Norwegian kroner and are confirmed at the time of booking. The final price depends on your travel date, group size and season.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I get to see Pulpit Rock without hiking?
- Yes. The cruise sails to the base of Preikestolen so you can look up at the full 604-metre cliff from the water — no hiking required. Many people find the view from below even more dramatic than from the top.
- How long is the Lysefjord cruise?
- About three to three and a half hours round trip from Stavanger harbour, making it an easy half-day excursion.
- Will the boat go under a waterfall?
- Weather and conditions permitting, the crew edge the bow beneath Hengjanefossen, one of the tallest waterfalls in the fjord, for a memorable — and refreshing — photo.
- Does the cruise run all year?
- Yes, it operates year-round, though the fullest schedule is May to September. Winter sailings run on a reduced timetable and offer a stark, uncrowded fjord.