Fares and what they cover
A Lysefjord tour from Stavanger harbour costs $83 to $166 per person for a day on the water. This guide lines up all eight fares, what each one pays for, what none of them covers and the cost per hour, plus an honest look at the $2,128 seven-day trip from Oslo.
Quick answer
The short answer. The lowest fare is $83 on the hybrid ship: 3.5 hours, a live guide and an onboard café. Our top pick is the $93 electric catamaran, 3.5 hours and 10,463 reviews at 4.6, the highest review count on this site. The RIB boats cost $141 to $145 for two hours, and the guided small boat is $166. No Lysefjord tour here includes food, and all eight listings offer free cancellation.
Every fare, per person
Prices per person from the live listings. Per hour is the fare divided by the listed length; where a listing gives a range of hours, or days, the column shows a dash.
| Cruise | Price | Length | Per hour | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid ship, lowest fare | $83 | 3.5 h | $23.71 | Live guide in English; saloons and three outdoor decks. Café food to buy | Strandkaien, by the tourist information | 4.7 · 460 |
| Low-emission vessel | $89 | 2.5 h | $35.60 | Audio guide in six languages; local stories from the guide | Main harbour, Strandkaien | 4.8 · 2,771 |
| Electric catamaran, our top pick | $93 | 3.5 h | $26.57 | Audio guide in English and Norwegian; warm lounge, Wi-Fi. Snack bar to buy | Strandkaien, Vågen | 4.6 · 10,463 |
| RIB from the old boathouse | $141 | 2 h | $70.50 | Flotation suit and life jacket; live guide in six languages | Strandkaien 34, a 400-year-old boathouse | 4.9 · 108 |
| RIB safari | $143 | 2 h | $71.50 | Local guide in four languages; 15-minute safety briefing | Strandkaien 34 | 4.8 · 130 |
| Guided RIB | $145 | 2 h | $72.50 | Lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles; up to 12 people | By the Maritime Museum, behind the fish market | 4.9 · 1,475 |
| Guided small boat | $166 | 2.5 to 3 h | — | Floating suit with hood; guide in three languages; Lysefjord Bridge | Boathouse at Strandkaien 34 | 4.9 · 106 |
| Seven days from Oslo | $2,128 | 7 days | — | 3-star hotels with breakfast; train and bus rides; a cruise to Pulpit Rock | Oslo; no meeting point given | New, no reviews yet |
Two price bands
Three quiet ships, three RIBs and one guided small boat, in two clear price bands.
Every Lysefjord tour fare here falls into one of two bands. The three quiet ships cost $83 to $93 and run 2.5 to 3.5 hours. The three RIB boats cost $141 to $145 for two hours in an open boat, and the guided small boat costs $166 for 2.5 to 3 hours under a convertible sun-top, at 25 to 35 knots once it clears the city bridge.
So the fast boats are shorter and pricier: $48 to $83 more per person than the quiet ships, for less time on the water. The extra buys speed, a small group (two RIB listings are limited to 12 participants) and a suit to wear over your clothes. On the electric and hybrid ships you pay for length and comfort instead: a warm lounge or saloons with big windows, open decks, and a snack bar or café where you buy your own coffee.
On the water
A ship's deck, a small open boat and the waterfall up close: three views from the fjord.
A metal railing in front, grey choppy water, and a green shore dotted with white farmhouses under heavy cloud.
The white side and black grab rail of a small boat, with flat blue water and low islands along a clear horizon.
Water fans down a dark rock face and hits the fjord in a burst of white spray.
In the price
What the listings say is part of the price, boat by boat.
All seven day cruises leave central Stavanger and pass Pulpit Rock from below, the Vagabond Cave and Hengjanefossen.
An audio guide on the electric catamaran and the low-emission vessel; a live guide on the hybrid ship, the RIBs and the guided small boat.
A suit and life jacket on the guided RIB and the boathouse RIB; a hooded floating suit on the guided small boat.
A warm lounge with panoramic windows on the electric catamaran; saloons with floor-to-ceiling windows on the hybrid ship.
Listed for the electric catamaran, the low-emission vessel and the hybrid ship.
On all eight listings, and all eight let you reserve now and pay later.
Per hour
Divide each fare by its listed length and the order shifts. The hybrid ship is the lowest at $23.71 an hour, then the electric catamaran at $26.57 and the low-emission vessel at $35.60. The three RIB boats sit at $70.50 to $72.50 an hour, roughly three times the ship rate.
That gap is the honest price of speed. If you want the longest Lysefjord tour for your money, the two 3.5-hour ships give it. If your time in Stavanger is short, two hours on a RIB leaves more of the day for the town. The guided small boat is listed at 2.5 to 3 hours, so we leave its hourly figure blank rather than guess.
Not in the price
Plan for these on top of the fare.
No fare includes a meal. The electric catamaran sells waffles, cinnamon buns and coffee; the hybrid ship has an onboard café. Both are pay as you go.
No cruise goes up Pulpit Rock. You see it from below, 604 metres above the fjord; standing on it is a separate day on foot.
No listing publishes one. You choose a start when you check availability.
The guided small boat's suit has a hood, but the operator recommends bringing your own cap or beanie.
What reviewers say
Reviewers on the ships bring up price often. Alan from the United Kingdom, on the electric catamaran: «Wonderfully scenic and less than half the price I would have paid if I had taken the Ship's Excursion.» David from the United Kingdom, on the low-emission vessel: «Really good and well worth the money.»
The fast boats draw the same kind of comment. On the $166 guided small boat, Alina from the United Kingdom wrote: «Well worth every penny, would do it again in a blink!» On the $141 RIB from the old boathouse, Rachel from the United Kingdom valued the indoor changing room: «It was good to be able to change into the suits in the building, not at the edge of the dock like others.»
Before you book
A minute on the listing saves a rush at the harbour.
Pick it when you check availability, and arrive 15 to 20 minutes early where the listing asks.
Most boats leave from Strandkaien; the guided RIB checks in by the Maritime Museum, behind the fish market.
The boathouse RIB lists a full refund for cruise ship delays or cancellations.
Two hours on a RIB, 2.5 on the low-emission vessel, 3.5 on the electric and hybrid ships.
Seven days from Oslo
The $2,128 listing is a different purchase: seven days from Oslo to Bergen and Stavanger, with a scenic waterfall cruise in Bergen, a cruise to Pulpit Rock, train and bus rides, and 3-star hotels with breakfast. That works out at about $304 a day per person.
Know what the listing leaves open. It is new and has no reviews yet. It does not say which boat makes the Pulpit Rock run, how long it lasts or where it starts, and breakfast is the only meal it lists. If Stavanger is already on your route, a one-day Lysefjord tour covers the fjord on its own; the week suits you only if you want the whole Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger route arranged in one booking.
Our verdict
For the lowest fare, book the $83 hybrid ship: 3.5 hours, a live guide and an onboard café. For our top pick, the $93 electric catamaran, 10,463 reviews at 4.6, for $10 more. For speed, a RIB at $141 to $145; the guided RIB is rated 4.9 on 1,475 reviews. For the week, only if you want Oslo and Bergen in the same booking.
Book direct
Our top pick, the lowest fare, the guided RIB and the guided small 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
The numbers: $83 to $166 per person for 2 to 3.5 hours from the harbour in central Stavanger, passing Pulpit Rock from below, the Vagabond Cave and Hengjanefossen. The listings hold 15,513 reviews, rated 4.6 to 4.9. Alan from the United Kingdom found the electric catamaran «less than half the price» of his ship's excursion.
A RIB costs $141 to $145 for two hours; the quiet ships cost $83 to $93 for 2.5 to 3.5 hours. The extra buys speed, a group limited to 12 on two RIB listings, and a suit over your clothes. The guided RIB listing calls the ride «exhilarating, but not extreme».
No. No fare here includes a meal. The electric catamaran sells waffles, cinnamon buns, coffee and drinks from its snack bar, and the hybrid ship has an onboard café. The RIB and guided small boat listings mention no food at all.
The guided RIB provides a lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles in a variety of sizes. The boathouse RIB gives a flotation suit and life jacket. The guided small boat provides all gear, including a floating suit with a hood. The RIB safari listing does not describe its gear.
The boathouse RIB lists a full refund for cruise ship delays or cancellations. The guided RIB says it will cut the trip short if needed so you get back on time, and refunds you in full if it turns around before reaching the Lysefjord. The other listings say nothing on this.
Yes. All eight listings offer free cancellation, and all eight let you reserve now and pay later. Check the cancellation deadline on the booking page before you pay.
Go deeper
Every Lysefjord cruise to Pulpit Rock bookable here, side by side: boat, hours and what the price covers.
Which shipElectric, hybrid or low-emission ship: what changes on board.
By RIB boatThe fast open boats: how they differ from the big ships, and what they hand out.
Longer tripsThe seven-day tour from Oslo that includes a cruise to Pulpit Rock.
Stavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews · 3.5 hours