Choosing your boat
A Stavanger Lysefjord tour takes you from the harbour in central Stavanger to Pulpit Rock, seen from below, and back. Seven of the eight listings here are short cruises of two to three and a half hours, on three kinds of boat. This guide matches them to what you want: comfort, speed, hours, budget and stops. Fares start at $83 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. For an indoor seat and the most reviews on this site, book the electric catamaran at $93: 10,463 reviews at 4.6, 3.5 hours. For the lowest fare, the hybrid ship at $83, also 3.5 hours, with a live guide in English. For speed, a RIB at $141 to $145. For a small guided boat and the Lysefjord Bridge, the $166 cruise.
Decide in a minute
Stop at the line that sounds like you and book that boat. Prices are per person.
| If you want | Book | Boat | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An indoor seat and the most reviews | Electric catamaran | Lounge with panoramic windows | 3.5 h | $93 |
| The lowest fare | Hybrid ship | Onboard café, live guide in English | 3.5 h | $83 |
| The shortest ship ride, in your language | Low-emission vessel | Audio guide in six languages | 2.5 h | $89 |
| Speed, with the gear handed out | RIB boat tour | Floating suit, gloves, goggles; 12 at most | 2 h | $145 |
| A RIB near the cruise terminal | RIB cruise | 400-year-old boathouse; flotation suit | 2 h | $141 |
| A RIB with a guide in four languages | RIB safari | 15-minute safety briefing first | 2 h | $143 |
| A small boat and the Lysefjord Bridge | Small guided cruise | Speedboat with a sun-top | 2.5 to 3 h | $166 |
| Norway in a week, not a morning | 7-day tour from Oslo | Includes a cruise to Pulpit Rock; no reviews yet | 7 days | $2,128 |
Boat first
Three kinds of boat, one fjord: comfort, speed, or a bit of both.
The boat decides more about your Stavanger Lysefjord tour than the route does. All seven short cruises list the same three sights: Pulpit Rock, the Vagabond's Cave (Fantahåla) and Hengjanefossen, the “Whisky Falls” of the tour descriptions.
Quiet ships, $83 to $93. The electric catamaran is “quiet, stable, and comfortable”, with a warm lounge and panoramic windows, and it sails “rain or shine”. The hybrid ship is built “for a silent experience”, with saloons and three outdoor decks. All three ships are listed as wheelchair accessible.
RIB boats, $141 to $145, 2 hours: fast and open. Two of the three hand out suits and take 12 participants at most. The RIB boat tour calls its ride “exhilarating, but not extreme”.
The small guided boat, $166, sits in between: a speedboat with a convertible sun-top at 25 to 35 knots, a floating suit with a hood and a live guide.
Five travellers
Find your line below: each one names the Stavanger Lysefjord tour to book.
10,463 reviewers rate it 4.6, more reviews than any other listing here. A warm lounge, a snack bar with waffles at your own cost, an audio guide in English and Norwegian, 3.5 hours.
The lowest fare here for 3.5 hours, with a live guide in English and an onboard café. 460 reviews at 4.7.
2.5 hours, the shortest of the ships, with an audio guide in English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian and Spanish. 2,771 reviews at 4.8.
2 hours at speed in a floating suit, gloves and goggles, 12 people at most, and the one listing that lets you grab a drink at the waterfall. 1,475 reviews at 4.9.
2.5 to 3 hours on a speedboat with a sun-top, with a 15-minute stop at the Lysefjord Bridge on this guided route. 106 reviews at 4.9.
On the water
The same water looks different from a RIB, a low bow and a ship’s rail.
The white side of a RIB over deep blue water, with low islands and mountains on the horizon.
A dark bow points at a double waterfall on grey rock, with a RIB of riders in yellow at the foot of the cliff.
A steel railing over choppy grey water, with white farmhouses on a green shore under heavy cloud.
Hours and budget
Ships run longer for less; RIBs run shorter for more.
On a Stavanger Lysefjord tour, count the hours first. The electric and hybrid ships are listed at 3.5 hours, the low-emission vessel at 2.5, the small guided boat at 2.5 to 3 and all three RIBs at 2. No listing gives a departure hour, so check starting times on the booking page.
Then the money. Per listed hour, the hybrid ship comes to $23.71 and the electric catamaran to $26.57; the RIBs come to $70.50 to $72.50. On a RIB you pay more for a shorter trip, and the extra buys speed and, on two of the three, a group of 12 at most.
No price includes food; the snack bar on the electric catamaran and the café on the hybrid ship are paid on board. 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.”
Every trip, current fare
All eight listings, per person. Food is not in any price.
| Cruise | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid ship | $83 | per person | 3.5 h | Cruise, live guide in English; café at your cost | Strandkaien, by the tourist information | 4.7 · 460 |
| Low-emission vessel | $89 | per person | 2.5 h | Cruise, audio guide in six languages | Main harbour, Strandkaien | 4.8 · 2,771 |
| Electric catamaran, our top pick | $93 | per person | 3.5 h | Cruise, audio guide in English and Norwegian; snack bar at your cost | Strandkaien, Vågen | 4.6 · 10,463 |
| RIB cruise | $141 | per person | 2 h | Ride, live guide, flotation suit and life jacket | Strandkaien 34, 400-year-old boathouse | 4.9 · 108 |
| RIB safari | $143 | per person | 2 h | Ride, safety briefing, live guide in four languages | Strandkaien 34 | 4.8 · 130 |
| RIB boat tour | $145 | per person | 2 h | Ride, live guide, lifejacket, floating suit, gloves, goggles | By the Maritime Museum | 4.9 · 1,475 |
| Small guided boat | $166 | per person | 2.5 to 3 h | Ride, live guide, floating suit with hood, Lysefjord Bridge stop | Strandkaien 34 | 4.9 · 106 |
| Seven days from Oslo | $2,128 | per person | 7 days | 3-star hotels with breakfast, train and bus, a cruise to Pulpit Rock | Oslo; meeting point not given | No reviews yet |
The stops
Three sights on every short cruise, and a few that only one boat offers.
Whichever Stavanger Pulpit Rock tour you pick, the rock is seen from below, “rising 604 meters above the fjord” in one listing’s words; none of the eight includes the hike. The Vagabond’s Cave is “an old hideout for tax evaders tucked away in a narrow cove”, and Hengjanefossen is the waterfall on every Stavanger Lysefjord tour here.
Some extras belong to one listing only. The small guided boat stops at the Lysefjord Bridge. The low-emission vessel names Ådnøy. On the RIB boat tour you can grab a drink at the waterfall “if you’re up to it”. The electric catamaran’s listing mentions two goats it stops by; the RIB cruise mentions goats in summer only. Treat animals as luck.
Mari from the United Kingdom, on the electric catamaran: “Very comfortable boat and went really close to the waterfalls.”
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing makes your Stavanger Lysefjord tour easier at the pier.
No listing names a departure hour. Check it when you book, and arrive 15 to 20 minutes early where the listing asks.
Most boats meet on Strandkaien; three listings share Strandkaien 34. The RIB boat tour checks in by the Maritime Museum, behind the fish market.
The RIB cruise starts a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal and refunds you in full for cruise ship delays. The RIB boat tour will cut the trip short to get you back.
The small guided boat asks that you can climb one or two steps between boat and dock. No listing gives age or height rules, so ask before you book.
All eight offer free cancellation and reserve now, pay later. If the small guided boat moves one leg to a minibus and that does not suit you, it refunds you in full.
Our verdict
Book the electric catamaran at $93 if you want one easy choice: 10,463 reviews at 4.6, more than any other listing here, and a warm lounge on a grey day. On a budget, the hybrid ship at $83. For speed, the RIB boat tour at $145, rated 4.9. For a small guided boat, the $166 cruise.
Book direct
Our top pick, the lowest fare, the RIB with the gear and the small guided boat. Every price is per person.
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews
★ 4.7 · 460 reviews
★ 4.9 · 1,475 reviews
★ 4.9 · 106 reviews
Common questions
Decide by comfort and pace. The quiet ships cost $83 to $93 for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, with a lounge or saloons on the electric and hybrid ships. The RIBs cost $141 to $145 for 2 hours. On a Stavanger Lysefjord tour by either, the itinerary lists the same three sights.
Yes, from below: all seven short cruises have Pulpit Rock on the itinerary, but no listing promises the view in low cloud. Charlene Rodriguez from the United States, on the small guided boat: “Too bad the weather did not cooperate for us to see the rock.”
No. None of the eight listings includes the hike. Standing on top is a hike, and a separate day: our cruise or hike guide sets the two side by side.
The cruises run 2 to 3.5 hours; departure times are not listed, so check them against your all-aboard time. The RIB cruise starts a 3-minute walk from the cruise terminal and refunds you in full for cruise ship delays.
On the RIB boat tour: a lifejacket, floating suit, gloves and goggles. On the RIB cruise: a flotation suit and life jacket. On the small guided boat: a floating suit with a hood; bring your own cap or beanie. The RIB safari listing does not describe its gear.
No price includes food. The electric catamaran has a snack bar with waffles, cinnamon buns and coffee, and the hybrid ship an onboard café; you pay on board.
Go deeper
Every Lysefjord cruise to Pulpit Rock bookable here, side by side: boat, hours and what the price covers.
By RIB boatThe fast open boats: how they differ from the big ships, and what they hand out.
Small guided boatThe small guided cruise, and what a guide on board adds.
From a cruise shipWhich boats fit a port day in Stavanger, and where each one meets you.
Cruise or hikeSeeing the rock from the water or walking to the top: two different days.
Stavanger: Electric Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord & Preikestolen
★ 4.6 · 10,463 reviews · 3.5 hours