Every way out of Stavanger, compared
By hire car
Highway 13 out of Stavanger through the Ryfylke Tunnel, exit at Solbakk, then road 523 to Jørpeland and follow the signs. Three quarters of an hour to an hour, and the most flexible day available to you: you leave when you like, you come back when you like, and you can start at six in the morning to miss the crowds.
One thing matters more than all the rest. The Ryfylke Tunnel opened on 30 December 2019 and replaced the old Stavanger to Tau car ferry. Older guidebooks and a great many forum posts still route you onto that ferry. If your plan involves it, your plan is wrong. The Lauvvik to Oanes ferry does still run, roughly half-hourly, as the scenic way in via Sandnes, but it is an alternative and not the main road.
At the other end there is a car park, and it is the one part of the day anybody charges for. You pay at a machine, normally on the way out. The main lot holds about 400 cars and 20 coaches, and the overflow at Moslimyrå adds about 600 more, so roughly a thousand spaces in all; it is staffed about 07:00 to 18:00 in summer and 09:00 to 14:00 in winter. Sleeping in a vehicle overnight is not allowed. The detail is on the parking page.
By seasonal bus
Buses run to the trailhead from Byterminalen, Stavanger’s central bus terminal. Two morning departures in March and April, and up to nine a day from around 20 June to around 13 September. Tickets must be bought online in advance and are not sold on board, which is the detail that strands people. Outside those months there is effectively no bus at all, which surprises visitors in October more than anything else I get asked about. Timetable notes are on the bus page.
By tour
A tour is a hire car you do not have to drive plus a guide you might not need. In summer the guide is genuinely optional; what you are buying is the transport, a seat that is definitely yours, and a return time somebody else is responsible for. The six listings are on the bookings page, and which one fits which day is on the comparison page.
By boat, without walking
The Lysefjord cruise leaves from Strandkaien and passes 604 metres below the plateau. It is not a way to the trailhead. It is the way to see the cliff for anyone who is not going up, and it is the right answer far more often than the hiking internet admits.
What works
- Hire car: total freedom over start time, which is how you miss the crowds
- Bus: no driving, no parking, and it runs often in high summer
- Tour: somebody else owns the return timing, which matters off a ship
- Boat: the only option that needs no walking at all
Worth knowing
- Hire car: the car park is the one unavoidable charge of the day
- Bus: nothing outside the season, and no tickets sold on board
- Tour: you travel to somebody else’s clock
- Boat: you see Pulpit Rock, you do not stand on it
What the day actually costs you
Structurally, not in figures. Free: the trail, the trailhead, the plateau, the view, and every hour you spend up there. Unavoidable: getting out of the city, one way or another, and if you drive, the car park. Optional: a guide, the boat, food you did not bring, and a bed at the lodge. That is the whole structure of it, and the fuller version is on the page about what it costs.
If you are driving in July or August, the car park is the constraint, not the trail. Arrive early and the thousand spaces are plentiful; arrive at eleven and you will be in the overflow lot adding a walk to your walk. Starting early also gets you down before the afternoon queue on the steps.
Book transport out
Live availability for the hike that includes the ride is below. If you would rather do the whole thing yourself, nothing on this page requires a booking of any kind.
Those dates don’t work?
Browse the other Preikestolen hikes and Lysefjord cruises running from Stavanger, and pick the day that suits you — instant confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Preikestolen from Stavanger?
About 45 to 60 minutes by road, on Highway 13 through the Ryfylke Tunnel. The full route is on the getting-there page.
Is there still a ferry from Stavanger to Tau?
No. It was replaced by the Ryfylke Tunnel on 30 December 2019, though older guidebooks still send you to it: what to do instead.
Is there a bus to Preikestolen?
In season, yes, from Byterminalen, with tickets bought online in advance rather than on board. Dates and frequencies are on the bus page.
Do you have to pay to park at the trailhead?
There is a parking fee, paid at a machine and normally on the way out. How the two lots work is on the parking page.
Can you get there without a car in winter?
Effectively only on a tour, because the bus does not run outside the season. Winter options are on the winter page.