Parking at Preikestolen
How the lots work
P1 is the main lot at Preikestolen Fjellstue, where the trail starts. When it fills, and in July it fills, traffic is sent to Moslimyrå, P2, which adds about 600 spaces. Between them there are roughly a thousand, which sounds like a great many until you remember that around 350,000 people a year walk this trail and most of them arrive between nine and noon.
The fee is paid at a machine, normally on your way out rather than on the way in. That catches people who arrive expecting a barrier and spend twenty minutes hunting for somewhere to pay before they set off. I am not going to tell you what it comes to, because it changes and because a page that quotes it is a page that misleads somebody; what I will say is that it is per vehicle, it is unavoidable if you drive, and it is the only compulsory charge in the whole day. The rest of the structure is on what it costs.
Hours, and what happens outside them
The car park is staffed roughly 07:00 to 18:00 in summer and 09:00 to 14:00 in winter. Outside those hours you are on your own with the machine, which matters if you are starting before dawn for a sunrise walk or coming down late on a long June evening. Nothing locks and nothing closes. Sleeping in vehicles overnight is not allowed, and that includes camper vans, so do not plan the day around a night in the lot.
If it is full
What works
- Arrive before about eight, or after about four, and P1 is usually manageable
- September is much quieter than July and August with the trail still in good condition
- The overflow at Moslimyrå exists precisely for the days P1 fills
- The seasonal bus from Stavanger removes the problem entirely: the bus
Worth knowing
- Mid-morning in July is the worst hour of the worst month
- Coach spaces at P1 are limited to about 20, so groups should not improvise
- There is no booking system for parking, and no way to hold a space
- No overnight sleeping in vehicles, whatever the weather is doing
Getting to the lots
From Stavanger it is Highway 13 through the Ryfylke Tunnel, exit at Solbakk, then road 523 to Jørpeland and follow the signs. About 45 to 60 minutes. The tunnel opened on 30 December 2019 and replaced the old Stavanger to Tau car ferry, so any guidebook or forum post that routes you onto that ferry is out of date. The Lauvvik to Oanes ferry still runs, roughly half-hourly, as the scenic way in via Sandnes. The full set of routes is on how to get there.
Note your registration and the lot you are in before you walk away. You will be back in five hours with tired legs, in a car park that has completely turned over since you left it, looking for a machine rather than a car.
What there is to book
Not the trail. Nobody sells a ticket to Preikestolen and nobody can, so anything you pay for is something else: the ride out of Stavanger, the guide who walks it with you, or the boat that shows you the cliff from the water. Which of the three you actually need is set out on the bookings page and in the comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a parking fee at Preikestolen?
Yes. It is paid at a machine, normally on the way out. The trail itself is free.
How many parking spaces are there?
About 400 cars and 20 coaches at P1, plus around 600 at the Moslimyrå overflow lot, so roughly 1,000 in total.
Can I sleep in my camper van at the car park?
No. Sleeping in vehicles overnight is not allowed.