From a cruise ship
Seven Lysefjord boats leave from the harbour in central Stavanger, and they spend 2 to 3.5 hours on the water. This guide to Stavanger cruise excursions sorts them for a port day: which fit your hours ashore, where each one meets, how far one start is from the cruise terminal, and what happens if your ship runs late. Fares start at $83 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. For Stavanger cruise excursions on a tight port day, the 2-hour RIBs are the shortest; the $141 one starts a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal and refunds cruise ship delays. For a covered, wheelchair-accessible boat, take the $93 electric catamaran (10,463 reviews at 4.6, 3.5 hours) or the $89 low-emission vessel at 2.5 hours. The lowest fare is the $83 hybrid ship, at 3.5 hours.
From the gangway
One listing gives a walking time; reviewers describe the rest.
This page is for anyone who will cruise Stavanger for one port day and wants the Lysefjord in it. All seven day boats on this site leave from the harbour in the middle of Stavanger, around Strandkaien and Vågen, and come back there, so Stavanger cruise excursions by boat start on foot.
Only one listing puts a number on the walk from the ships. The $141 RIB starts in a 400-year-old boathouse at Strandkaien 34 and says it is located a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal. The other six name a pier, a building or a flag rather than a distance.
Reviewers fill in the rest. Anthony from the United Kingdom, on the $89 low-emission vessel: «…the boat is literally right next to where the cruise ship ports.» Tracy from the United Kingdom, on the $145 RIB: «Very close to the port.» Read these as one traveller’s day, not as a promise for your berth.
Meeting points
As each listing gives it. None publishes a fixed starting time: each asks you to check availability for the day.
Departs from Strandkaien, Vågen, and returns there.
The main harbour of Stavanger, by the small houses at Strandkaien. The crew helps you to the correct boat.
The pier just before the Stavanger tourist information, on Strandkaien. Be there at least 15 minutes before departure.
Check-in in the central harbour, in front of the Stavanger Maritime Museum and behind the fish market. Look for the flag.
Strandkaien 34, in a 400-year-old sea house, a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal. Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure.
Strandkaien 34, the white house between the souvenir shops. The trip starts and ends there.
A white wooden boathouse with the number 34 on the front wall; meet 20 minutes before departure. The start depends on the option you book.
Hours ashore
Two hours on a RIB, 3.5 hours on the big ships.
Start with your hours in port, not with the boat. As each listing states them, the three RIBs take 2 hours, the low-emission vessel 2.5 hours, the small guided boat 2.5 to 3 hours, and the electric and hybrid ships 3.5 hours. No listing publishes a fixed starting time, so line up the times on the booking page against your all-aboard time before you pay for any of these Stavanger cruise excursions.
Then add the check-in. The hybrid ship and the boathouse RIB ask you to be there at least 15 minutes before departure, and the small guided boat 20 minutes. The $145 RIB with goggles says its schedule is optimized for cruise tourists.
The seven-day tour from Oslo includes a cruise to Pulpit Rock, but it is a week of trains and hotels, not one of the Stavanger cruise excursions that fit a single call.
On the water
Of the Stavanger things to do from cruise ship berths, the Lysefjord boat is the one this site covers.
The listings describe the rock rising 604 metres above the fjord. You see it from the water; no boat goes up it.
Fantahåla, described in one listing as an old hideout for tax evaders tucked away in a narrow cove.
The waterfall the tour descriptions call “Whisky Falls”. Several boats cruise close enough to feel the spray. No listing promises clear views.
Every boat, current fare
The seven day boats, per person. Food is not in any fare; the electric and hybrid ships sell snacks on board.
| Boat | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid ship | $83 | per person | 3.5 hours | Cruise with a live guide in English; onboard cafe at your cost | Strandkaien, by the tourist information | 4.7 · 460 |
| Low-emission vessel | $89 | per person | 2.5 hours | Cruise with an audio guide in six languages | Strandkaien, main harbour | 4.8 · 2,771 |
| Electric catamaran, our top pick | $93 | per person | 3.5 hours | Cruise with an audio guide in English and Norwegian; snack bar at your cost | Strandkaien, Vågen | 4.6 · 10,463 |
| RIB from the boathouse | $141 | per person | 2 hours | Flotation suit and life jacket; live guide | Strandkaien 34 | 4.9 · 108 |
| RIB safari | $143 | per person | 2 hours | 15-minute safety briefing; local guide | Strandkaien 34 | 4.8 · 130 |
| RIB with goggles | $145 | per person | 2 hours | Lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles; limited to 12 participants | By the Stavanger Maritime Museum | 4.9 · 1,475 |
| Small guided boat | $166 | per person | 2.5 to 3 hours | Floating suit with a hood; guide in English, Norwegian and German | Strandkaien 34 boathouse | 4.9 · 106 |
If the ship runs late
Two RIBs name delays; the small boat refunds if its plan changes.
This is the worry on any port day, and for Stavanger cruise excursions three listings answer it. The boathouse RIB at $141 offers a full refund for cruise ship delays or cancellations. The $145 RIB with goggles says that if there is a delay for any reason, it will cut the trip short and make sure you get back on time; if it has to turn around before it reaches the Lysefjord, you get a full refund.
The small guided boat at $166 may swap one stretch of the route for a minibus in poor weather or when there are more guests than seats on the boat. If that change does not work for you, it gives a full refund.
All eight listings offer free cancellation and reserve now, pay later, so you can book Stavanger cruise excursions early and cancel if your line changes the call.
From the deck
Three frames from the water, from the harbour to the rock.
White gabled houses with red roofs above a rocky shore, a road bridge at the left.
The grey tube and black grab bar at the right edge, open blue water and low hills ahead.
A square block of grey granite juts from the cliff top against white cloud.
Ship or RIB
Longer and covered, or shorter and fast.
The quiet ships are longer and cost less: $83 to $93 for 2.5 to 3.5 hours. The electric catamaran has open decks or a warm lounge with large panoramic windows, and says it sails rain or shine. The hybrid ship has saloons with floor-to-ceiling windows and three outdoor decks. Both sell snacks and drinks on board.
The RIBs are shorter, faster and pricier: $141 to $145 for 2 hours, and two of the three hand out a suit and a life jacket. The $145 RIB calls the ride exhilarating, but not extreme. The small guided boat at $166 is not a RIB, but its listing says it is as fast, with a convertible sun-top.
Alan from the United Kingdom, on the electric catamaran: «Very good indeed. Wonderfully scenic and less than half the price I would have paid if I had taken the Ship’s Excursion.» That is the case for booking Stavanger cruise excursions yourself.
Before you book
Five checks on the listing make Stavanger cruise excursions easier at the harbour.
Starting times are on the booking page, not in the description. Leave a margin after the boat is due back.
Six of the seven name Strandkaien or Vågen; the RIB with goggles checks in by the Maritime Museum.
15 minutes early for the hybrid ship and the boathouse RIB, 20 for the small guided boat.
The $141 RIB is the one listing that names cruise ship delays; the $145 RIB says it will cut the trip short.
All eight listings offer free cancellation. Check the deadline on the booking page before you pay.
Our verdict
Book the electric catamaran at $93 if your call leaves room for 3.5 hours: 10,463 reviewers rate it 4.6, the most reviews here, with a warm lounge and open decks. Short on time, take the $141 RIB from the boathouse: 2 hours, a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal and a full refund for cruise ship delays. On a budget, the $83 hybrid ship.
Book direct
The electric catamaran, the boathouse RIB, the low-emission vessel and the hybrid ship. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews
★ 4.9 · 108 reviews
★ 4.8 · 2,771 reviews
★ 4.7 · 460 reviews
Common questions
Stavanger cruise excursions by boat run 2 to 3.5 hours: 2 hours on the three RIBs, 2.5 on the low-emission vessel, 3.5 on the electric and hybrid ships. Starting times are on the booking page, so check them against your all-aboard time. One RIB says its schedule is optimized for cruise tourists.
The $141 boathouse RIB gives a full refund for cruise ship delays or cancellations. The $145 RIB cuts the trip short so you get back on time, and refunds in full if it turns around before the Lysefjord. All eight listings offer free cancellation.
From the harbour in central Stavanger. Six of the seven day boats name Strandkaien or Vågen; the $145 RIB checks in by the Stavanger Maritime Museum, behind the fish market. The boathouse RIB at Strandkaien 34 is a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal.
Yes, from below: all seven day boats have Pulpit Rock on the route, 604 metres above the fjord. No listing promises the view in low cloud, and one reviewer on the small guided boat lost it to the weather.
The electric catamaran, the hybrid ship and the low-emission vessel are listed as wheelchair accessible. The RIB listings do not say.
The $145 RIB hands out a lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles; the boathouse RIB, a flotation suit and life jacket. The small guided boat gives a floating suit with a hood and suggests your own cap or beanie.
Your options
If you are on a cruise to Stavanger, book the boat first and fit the town around it: the harbour is where every one of the seven starts and finishes. Stavanger tours from cruise ship berths differ most in hours on the water, and the 2-hour RIBs leave the most of the day for the town.
Go deeper
Where the boats leave Stavanger, and when to be there.
How long it takesHours on the water for each boat, from a two-hour RIB to a longer ship.
By RIB boatThe fast open boats: how they differ from the big ships, and what they hand out.
What it costsThe fares for each boat, and what the price includes.
Stavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews · 3.5 hours