From the water or from the top
A day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger can mean two very different days. On a boat, you sail into Lysefjord and look up at the rock from the water, its edge 604 metres above you. On foot, you stand on top of it. This guide sets the two side by side and lines up the seven boats that leave Stavanger harbour, from $83 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. If you want to see Pulpit Rock without spending the day on your feet, book a boat. All seven day cruises here pass under the rock, by Vagabond's Cave and to Hengjanefossen, in 2 to 3.5 hours. If you want to stand on the rock itself, that is a walk up, a separate day that none of the eight trips on this site includes. For a first day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger by boat, the electric cruise at $93 has 10,463 reviews, the most on this site; the hybrid ship at $83 is the lowest fare.
Two days, one rock
Below it by boat, or on top of it on foot: the same rock, two different days.
Pulpit Rock, or Preikestolen, is a flat-topped cliff high above Lysefjord, east of Stavanger. There are two ways to make a day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger, and they give you two different views of the same rock.
From the water. A boat takes you out of the harbour, into the fjord and under the cliff. One listing puts it simply: «See Preikestolen from below – rising 604 meters above the fjord». Nobody climbs anything. The same boat passes Vagabond's Cave, an old hideout in the fjord wall, and reaches Hengjanefossen, the waterfall the tour descriptions call «Whisky Falls».
On foot. To stand on the rock itself, you walk up to it. That is a separate day, and none of the eight listings on this site includes it, so we do not quote its hours.
Some people do both, a day apart. Marlene D from the United States, on the hybrid ship: «luckily for me I hiked Pulpit Rock the day before … The views up there were spectacular!!»
Side by side
What each day gives you, taken from the eight listings and nothing else.
From the boat: the rock from below, the fjord walls, Vagabond's Cave and Hengjanefossen. From the top: the fjord from above.
The boats are listed at 2 hours (RIB), 2.5 hours, 2.5 to 3 hours and 3.5 hours (the two quiet ships). The walk is its own day; its hours are not in our listings.
All seven day cruises meet in the harbour in central Stavanger, around Strandkaien and Vågen.
On the electric and hybrid ships you can sit inside, in a warm lounge or saloons with floor-to-ceiling windows. Two RIB trips and the guided boat hand out a floating or flotation suit.
Three boats are listed as wheelchair accessible: the electric ship, the hybrid ship and the low-emission vessel.
Day cruises run $83 to $166 per person. The walk itself is not sold on this site.
Below and above
Three views from the water and one from the top of the cliff.
The square grey block of the rock stands out against a pale sky, its face cut by long vertical cracks.
The flat top of the rock juts out over the blue fjord, with mountains fading into haze and the sun low over the water. This is the walking day.
A band of cloud drapes across the top of the cliffs, while the grey rock face below it stays clear.
A Norwegian flag flies at the stern above a white wake, with steep green cliffs to the left and blue mountains ahead.
How long each takes
From 2 hours on a RIB to 3.5 hours on the quiet ships.
For a day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger by boat, the hours depend on the kind of boat, and every listing states its own. The two quiet ships, electric and hybrid, are listed at 3.5 hours. The low-emission vessel takes 2.5 hours. The guided boat with a sun-top is listed at 2.5 to 3 hours. The three RIB trips take 2 hours each.
No listing gives departure times; each one asks you to check availability for starting times, so pick your slot on the booking page. Three ask you to come early: 15 minutes before departure for the hybrid ship and one RIB, 20 minutes for the guided boat.
Every trip, current fare
Seven day cruises and the seven-day tour from Oslo. Prices are per person; food on board is not included on any of them.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid ship | $83 | per person | 3.5 hours | Hybrid-electric ship, live guide in English, three outdoor decks. Café on board, to buy | Strandkaien pier, by the tourist information | 4.7 · 460 |
| Low-emission vessel | $89 | per person | 2.5 hours | Audio guide in six languages, the guide's local legends | Main harbour, Strandkaien | 4.8 · 2,771 |
| Electric catamaran, our top pick | $93 | per person | 3.5 hours | Warm lounge, open decks, audio guide in English and Norwegian. Snack bar, to buy | Strandkaien, Vågen | 4.6 · 10,463 |
| RIB from the boathouse | $141 | per person | 2 hours | Flotation suit and life jacket, up to 12 participants | Strandkaien 34, a 400-year-old boathouse | 4.9 · 108 |
| RIB safari | $143 | per person | 2 hours | Live guide in four languages, 15-minute safety briefing | Strandkaien 34 | 4.8 · 130 |
| RIB with suits | $145 | per person | 2 hours | Lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles, up to 12 participants | Harbour, by the Stavanger Maritime Museum | 4.9 · 1,475 |
| Guided boat with sun-top | $166 | per person | 2.5 - 3 hours | Floating suit with hood, live guide in three languages, Lysefjord Bridge | Strandkaien 34 boathouse | 4.9 · 106 |
| Seven days from Oslo | $2,128 | per person | 7 days | A cruise to Pulpit Rock, 3-star hotels with breakfast, train and bus | Oslo; no meeting point listed | No reviews yet |
Quiet ship or fast boat
Each kind of boat makes a different day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger. Take the quiet ships first. The electric catamaran is described as «quiet, stable, and comfortable», with open decks, a warm lounge and a snack bar selling waffles, cinnamon buns and coffee. The hybrid ship sails «for a silent experience», with saloons, three outdoor decks and an onboard café. Emily from the United Kingdom, on the hybrid: «The scenery is absolutely breathtaking (even in the rain!)»
The RIBs are shorter, pricier and faster. One listing calls the ride «exhilarating, but not extreme» and hands out a lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles. It is also the one trip where the description invites you to drink from the waterfall: «grab a drink if you're up to it». Julie from the United Kingdom, on that trip: «seeing the fjords and sights from this level was just incredible».
The guided boat at $166 sits between the two: a speedboat with a convertible sun-top, a floating suit with a hood, and the one route here with a stop at Lysefjord Bridge.
Before you book
A minute on the listing saves trouble on your day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger.
No listing gives fixed hours. Choose your slot on the booking page.
Strandkaien, Vågen, Strandkaien 34 or the harbour by the Maritime Museum: each boat names its own.
The electric cruise says it sails rain or shine. Cloud can sit on the rock, and no listing promises a clear view.
Suits come with two RIBs and the guided boat. The guided boat suggests bringing your own cap or beanie.
All eight listings offer free cancellation, and you can reserve now and pay later. Check the deadline on the booking page.
Our verdict
Book the electric cruise at $93 for a first day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger: 10,463 reviewers rate it 4.6, the most reviews here, for 3.5 hours with a warm lounge and an audio guide. For the lowest fare, the hybrid ship at $83, rated 4.7. For speed, the $145 RIB, rated 4.9 by 1,475 reviewers. Want to stand on top? Add the walk as its own day.
Book direct
The electric ship, the hybrid ship, the RIB with suits and the guided boat. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews
★ 4.7 · 460 reviews
★ 4.9 · 1,475 reviews
★ 4.9 · 106 reviews
Common questions
No. None of the eight trips here includes the walk up. The boats sail below the rock and you look up at it from the water, with its edge 604 metres above the fjord. Standing on top is a separate day on foot.
Yes, from below: Pulpit Rock is on the route of all seven day cruises. Cloud can hide the top, and no listing promises a clear view. Charlene Rodriguez from the United States: «Too bad the weather did not cooperate for us to see the rock. For the rest everything went very well».
The listings give no distance, so we will not guess one. They describe the rock seen from below, hanging 604 metres above you.
From the harbour in central Stavanger. The electric, hybrid and low-emission boats use Strandkaien and Vågen. One RIB and the guided boat start at Strandkaien 34, and so does the RIB safari; the third RIB checks in by the Stavanger Maritime Museum, behind the fish market.
The boats take 2 to 3.5 hours. One RIB listing says its schedule is optimized for cruise tourists; another starts a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal and offers a full refund for cruise ship delays or cancellations. Departure times are not listed, so check them against your ship's hours.
It depends on the day you want. The electric and hybrid ships take 3.5 hours, cost $83 and $93, and have indoor seating. The RIBs take 2 hours, cost $141 to $145, and two of them hand out a suit and take up to 12 participants.
Your options
With a single day, the boat is the day trip from Stavanger that fits it: 2 to 3.5 hours from the harbour. If the top matters to you, plan a day trip to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger on foot as well, on a different day. And if Stavanger is one stop on a longer route, the seven-day tour from Oslo at $2,128 includes a cruise to Pulpit Rock; it is new and has no reviews yet.
Go deeper
Every Lysefjord cruise to Pulpit Rock bookable here, side by side: boat, hours and what the price covers.
The rock from belowSeeing Pulpit Rock from the water: which boats show it and how.
How long it takesHours on the water for each boat, from a two-hour RIB to a longer ship.
From a cruise shipWhich boats fit a port day in Stavanger, and where each one meets you.
Stavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews · 3.5 hours