Visit Stavanger | Pulpit Rock | Kjerag Boulder

Last updated on April 5th, 2024

Pulpit Rock, Preikestolen, Lysefjord, Stavanger

Pulpit Rock, Preikestolen, © muehle – Fotolia

Visit Stavanger – Pulpit Rock

The premier attraction when you visit Stavanger is a day trip hike to Pulpit Rock. Pulpit Rock is called Preikestolen in Norwegian. It towers over the Lysefjord inlet. To reach Pulpit Rock, take the ferry from Stavanger to Tau. Then take the bus to Preikestolen Mountain Lodge, which is where you start hiking. The hike takes about 2 hours one way, but there are no cliff edges until you finally reach Pulpit Rock.

At Pulpit Rock you enjoy gorgeous views over the Lysefjord inlet and a sheer 2,000 foot drop straight to the water below at the base of Pulpit Rock. Be careful at the edge, because there is nothing to prevent you from falling off.

Gamle Stavanger, © Can Stock / SOMATUSCANI

Visit Stavanger – Old Town

Gamle Stavanger is the Old Town on the inner harbor. The Vagen Harbor in the Old Town has Norway’s largest collection of wooden buildings. The Strandkaien Cruise Terminal is in the Old Town Harbor. You can find several harbor tours and Lysefjord excursions here.

Breiavatnet Lake, © Can Stock / sugarfree

Other attractions around the harbor include the Valberg Tower, Breiavatnet Lake and the Stavanger Cathedral. The Stavanger Cathedral was built in the early 1100s and is the oldest church in Norway. The Broken Column of 23 life-size sculptures by Anthony Gormley are scattered around the city center of Old Town Stavanger.

Stavanger Cathedral, © Can Stock / SOMATUSCANI

Visit Stavanger – More Sights

Swords in Rock – monument to the battle of Hafrsfjord in the year 872, when Norway was united. It’s also known as the Battle of Hafrsfjord Memorial.
the Iron Age Farm at Ullandhaug, which provides insight into life in Norway 1500 years ago.
Stavanger Botanical Garden
Utstein Kloster Abbey – on Mosteroy Island and accessible via the Byfjord Tunnel.
Flor & Fjaere – Visit the Flor & Fjaere gardens on a boat trip from Stavanger.
Solastranden Beach, beside the international airport, 20 minutes from downtown. The sculptures of Anthony Gormley in the sands of the beach are referred to as Another Place.
Gladmat Festival – food festival in July each year.

Norwegian Petroleum Museum, © Can Stock / Nightman1965

Visit Stavanger – Museums

Stavanger Museum, Stavanger Maritime Museum, Museum of Archaeology
The Norwegian Canning Museum, Norwegian Petroleum Museum
Breidablikk Mansion – built by a ship owner in the late 1800s and right beside it, Ledaal – royal residence and museum.
the Watchman’s Museum is inside the Valberg Tower
Stavanger Art Museum – on Mosvatnet Lake, about a mile from the city center.

BASE Jumping. Lysefjord, © hazan – Fotolia.com

Kjerag

If you aren’t up to the Pulpit Rock hike, take a Lysefjord 3 hour cruise or a car ferry past Pulpit Rock. The ferry goes to the village of Lysebotn at the base of the Kjerag mountains. You may be lucky enough to see BASE Jumping where BASE jumpers risk their lives by flying off the 3,000 foot high cliffs. Just before the BASE jumpers reach the valley floor, they open a parachute.

You can also travel about 3 hours one way by car or bus to Lysebotn. Stop at the Eagle’s Nest Cafe beside Kjerag. Then travel down the 27 hairpin turns to Lysebotn. From there you can ferry down the Lysefjord, past the base of Pulpit Rock and back to Stavanger.

Kjeragbolten, Wikimedia – Svein-Magne Tunli

Kjerag Boulder

The Eagle’s Nest Cafe, high above the town of Lysebotn, is the area where you leave the car behind if you are going to see Kjerag Boulder or BASE jumping. You need to hike more than 3 hours one way from the Eagle’s Nest to the spot where the BASE-Jumpers take off.

The famous Kjerag Boulder (Kjeragbolten), wedged between two cliffs, is located at Kjerag too. Lots of people make the challenging 6 hour return pilgrimage to Kieragbolten to stand for a few seconds on the boulder over the chasm.

Visit Stavanger – Hotels

Radisson Blu Atlantic Hotel
Clarion Collection Hotel Skagen Brygge
Sea Story by Frogner House

Get to Stavanger

You can find many ways to get to Stavanger. In addition to flights from Oslo and Bergen, you will find many other cities in Europe have non-stop flights to Stavanger’s Sola Airport. You can get to Stavanger by rail in about 8 hours from Oslo on the NSB (Norway State Railways). From Bergen you can drive to Stavanger in about 5 hours with two ferry rides along the way or take the Norway Bussekspress bus. Another way you can get to Stavanger from Bergen is on the Fjord Line ferry which takes about 5.5 hours. This ferry is an ocean passage that doesn’t run through fjords. Cruise ships dock at Strandkaien Cruise Terminal in the downtown harbor.

If you rent a car, consider driving the route between Stavanger and Bergen via Odda. You add a couple hours to your trip, but you will pass the Langfossen, Låtefossen and Vidfossen waterfalls, plus Sandvinvatnet Lake. Odda is the staging town for the 10 -12 hour hike to the Troll’s Tongue. Closer to Bergen, this route through Odda also takes you past Steinsdalsfossen waterfall, which you can walk behind the falls. You can also take this route to Flam instead and enjoy the Hardangerfjord and the Vallavik Tunnel with its roundabout inside the tunnel.

Stavanger Weather

The Stavanger weather is moderated by the North Sea. The long days of the Norwegian summer from May to September are the best time to visit this area. Stavanger weather never gets very warm though. July and August are the warmest months with average highs of 64 F (18 C) and average lows of 56 F (13 C). In the winter months from December – February, average highs are 40 F (5 C) and average lows are at the freezing mark. Rainfall levels are lower in May and June. Summer is the most popular time to visit Stavanger.

Visit Stavanger – Background

Stavanger is the third largest urban area in Norway, after Oslo and Bergen. The city was founded in 1125, which is roughly when the Stavanger Cathedral was completed. About 200,000 people live there. Stavanger was the herring capital of Norway until herring were over fished. The city of Stavanger consists mainly of 17th and 18th century wooden houses along the waters of Byfjord bay. Stavanger has expanded greatly in recent years due to the oil industry and services for Norwegian fjord cruises.

Stavanger Map