Leaving from the harbour
Every Stavanger Lysefjord cruise on this site, except the seven-day tour from Oslo, leaves from the harbour in the centre of Stavanger. This page gives each boat's meeting point in the listing's own words, how early to arrive, where you land again and what the fare covers, from $83 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a Stavanger Lysefjord cruise, walk to Strandkaien, the quay on the harbour in central Stavanger: six of the seven harbour cruises name it in their meeting point. The seventh, a RIB tour with 1,475 reviews, checks in on the same city harbour, in front of the Stavanger Maritime Museum. No listing prints a start time; you see it when you pick a date. Where a listing asks you to come early, it is 15 or 20 minutes.
The harbour
Six of the seven harbour cruises name one quay. The seventh is on the same harbour.
A Stavanger Lysefjord cruise starts in town, on the harbour. The three quiet ships meet along Strandkaien: the electric catamaran at Strandkaien, Vågen, the low-emission vessel by the small houses, and the hybrid ship at the pier just before tourist information.
Three listings share one address, Strandkaien 34, and each describes it differently: a white house between the souvenir shops, a 400-year-old sea house, and a white wooden boathouse with the number 34 on the front wall.
Only the RIB tour with 1,475 reviews names another spot: the city harbour in front of the Stavanger Maritime Museum, behind the fish market.
Meeting points
Prices are per person. Meeting points as each listing gives them, lowest fare first.
The pier just before Stavanger tourist information, on Strandkaien. Be there at least 15 minutes before departure. The ship comes back to Strandkaien after 3.5 hours.
The main harbour of Stavanger: look for the boat or the small houses at Strandkaien, and the crew takes you to the correct boat. Tell them your audio-guide language when you board.
Look for the boat departing from Strandkaien, Vågen. You come back to the same quay. With 10,463 reviews at 4.6, it is the most reviewed cruise on this site.
Strandkaien 34, a 400-year-old sea house in the heart of the harbour, a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal. Arrive at least 15 minutes before departure.
Strandkaien 34, a white house between the souvenir shops. It starts and finishes there, with a 15-minute safety briefing in Stavanger before you head out.
Check-in is in the central city harbour, in front of the Stavanger Maritime Museum and behind the fish market; look for the flag. The exact start depends on the option you book.
A white wooden boathouse with the number 34 on the front wall; the captain or a representative meets you at the door. Come 20 minutes before departure.
Timing
Times appear when you pick a date. Arrival margins are on three listings.
No listing on this site prints a departure time. Each one sends you to the date picker to see starting times, so the hour of your Stavanger Lysefjord cruise is set by the date and option you choose when you book.
Three listings ask you to come early: the hybrid ship and the RIB from the boathouse at least 15 minutes before departure, the small guided boat 20 minutes. The other four give no arrival time; a quarter of an hour is a sensible margin there too.
Tickets work the same way on all eight listings: reserve now and pay later, with free cancellation. Sylvia from the Netherlands, on the low-emission vessel: «Good guide from meeting point to ship.»
Leaving the harbour
What the first stretch of a Stavanger Lysefjord cruise looks like, on a ship and on a RIB.
A long row of white gabled houses with red roofs stands above a rocky shoreline, with a road bridge on the left and the masts of moored sailboats on the right.
The white tube of an inflatable boat with a black grab handle, and rippled blue water stretching to low islands and a line of distant mountains.
A steel railing in front of choppy grey water, with green fields, white farmhouses and wooded hills under heavy cloud.
Boarding
Ships: walk on. RIBs and the guided boat: a suit first.
The three quiet ships ask for no special clothing. The electric catamaran has open decks and a warm lounge with large panoramic windows; the hybrid ship has saloons with floor-to-ceiling windows and three outdoor decks. These two and the low-emission vessel are listed as wheelchair accessible. Food is not in any fare, but the electric catamaran has a snack bar with waffles, cinnamon buns and coffee, and the hybrid ship an onboard café.
The fast boats start with gear. The RIB tour by the Maritime Museum hands out a lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles; on the boathouse RIB you put on a flotation suit and life jacket. The small guided boat provides all gear, including a hooded floating suit, and you should be able to climb one or two steps between boat and dock.
Rachel from the United Kingdom, on the boathouse RIB: «It was good to be able to change into the suits in the building, not at the edge of the dock like others.»
Seven harbour cruises, current fare
The seven harbour cruises, lowest fare first. Prices are per person, and no fare includes food.
| Cruise | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid ship | $83 | per person | 3.5 hours | Live guide in English; café on board, food to buy | Pier before tourist information, Strandkaien | 4.7 · 460 |
| Low-emission vessel | $89 | per person | 2.5 hours | Audio guide in six languages | Main harbour, small houses at Strandkaien | 4.8 · 2,771 |
| Electric catamaran | $93 | per person | 3.5 hours | Audio guide in English and Norwegian; snack bar, food to buy | Strandkaien, Vågen | 4.6 · 10,463 |
| RIB from the boathouse | $141 | per person | 2 hours | Flotation suit, life jacket, live guide; up to 12 people | Strandkaien 34, 400-year-old sea house | 4.9 · 108 |
| RIB safari | $143 | per person | 2 hours | Safety briefing, live guide in four languages | Strandkaien 34, white house | 4.8 · 130 |
| RIB tour | $145 | per person | 2 hours | Lifejacket, floating suit, gloves, goggles; up to 12 people | In front of the Maritime Museum | 4.9 · 1,475 |
| Small guided boat | $166 | per person | 2.5 - 3 hours | All gear, hooded floating suit; guide in three languages | Strandkaien 34 boathouse | 4.9 · 106 |
Coming back
Most boats come back to Strandkaien; three listings do not say.
Plan the day around the stated length of your Stavanger Lysefjord cruise: 2 hours on a RIB, up to 3.5 hours on the electric and hybrid ships.
The electric catamaran returns to the same quay at Strandkaien, and the hybrid ship lands back at Strandkaien too. The RIB safari and the small guided boat finish at Strandkaien 34. The other three listings do not name a drop-off point.
One listing can change the way back. On the small guided boat, if the weather is poor or the group is bigger than the boat, one stretch may be covered by minibus; if that change does not work for you, the listing promises a full refund.
In port for the day
If your ship is in port for one day, check the start time of your Stavanger Lysefjord cruise against the all-aboard time before you pay.
The RIB from the boathouse is a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal and offers a full refund for cruise ship delays or cancellations.
The RIB tour by the Maritime Museum says its schedule is optimized for cruise tourists. If there is a delay, the trip is cut short so you get back on time.
The same RIB tour refunds you in full if it has to turn around before it reaches the Lysefjord.
Anthony from the United Kingdom, on the low-emission vessel: «I was anxious about getting to the meeting point but the boat is literally right next to where the cruise ship ports.»
Before you book
A minute on the booking page saves a search along the quay.
Pick a date to see starting times; no listing prints them in advance.
Three listings share the address. Go by the description on your booking: white house, sea house or boathouse.
On the RIB tour by the Maritime Museum and the small guided boat, the start depends on the option. Both say to check availability for pickup options.
The low-emission vessel asks you to name your audio-guide language in advance or when you board.
Our verdict
Book the electric catamaran at $93 for the easiest Stavanger Lysefjord cruise to find: it leaves Strandkaien, comes back to the same quay, and 10,463 reviewers rate it 4.6. On a budget, the $83 hybrid ship meets at the pier by tourist information. Off a cruise ship, the $141 RIB is a 3-minute walk from the terminal and refunds ship delays.
Book direct
The electric catamaran, the most reviewed ship here; the lowest fare; and two RIBs for ship passengers. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews
★ 4.7 · 460 reviews
★ 4.9 · 1,475 reviews
★ 4.9 · 108 reviews
Common questions
From the harbour in central Stavanger. Six of the seven harbour cruises name Strandkaien: the three quiet ships along the quay and three listings at Strandkaien 34. The RIB tour with 1,475 reviews checks in by the Stavanger Maritime Museum.
The cruises run 2 to 3.5 hours, as each listing states. Start times show when you pick a date, so compare them with your ship's schedule. One RIB listing says its schedule is optimized for cruise tourists.
The RIB from the boathouse offers a full refund for cruise ship delays or cancellations. The RIB tour by the Maritime Museum cuts the trip short after a delay so you get back on time, and refunds in full if it turns around before the Lysefjord. All eight listings offer free cancellation.
Three listings say so: the electric catamaran, the hybrid ship and the low-emission vessel. The RIB listings and the small guided boat do not say; on the guided boat you should be able to climb one or two steps between boat and dock.
The listings give gear, not temperatures. The RIB tour by the Maritime Museum hands out a lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles; the small guided boat a hooded floating suit, and it suggests your own cap or beanie.
Yes. All eight listings on this site offer free cancellation and let you reserve now and pay later. The cancellation deadline is shown on the booking page before you pay.
Go deeper
Which boats fit a port day in Stavanger, and where each one meets you.
How long it takesHours on the water for each boat, from a two-hour RIB to a longer ship.
What it costsThe fares for each boat, and what the price includes.
By RIB boatThe fast open boats: how they differ from the big ships, and what they hand out.
Stavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews · 3.5 hours