This blogpost answers a recent reader question. The question asked was if it was possible to have a hiking holiday based on day trips in the Lysefjord area, without a car, while still being able to see the magic landscapes and visit see the highlights.  The answer is: absolutely! all it takes is a little planning.

day trips as an alternative to the Lysefjord round trip

‘Hiking in Norway - South’ includes a route that takes you all around the Lysefjord. It is a wonderful, but also demanding route, with some long stages, some exposed sections and overnighters in a couple of cabins that require you to bring in all food. So it is understandable that a less experienced hiker might want to ease their way into this type of hiking adventure.

The Lysefjord and Stavanger area are truly marvellous destinations. There are some world class, iconic hikes that are busy and popular for a reason. Simply said, they are must sees. Then there are some gems that will take you to superb vistas that you only share with a few. Amazingly they are accessible by public transport. You do need a little planning. Not all locations can be reached all days of the week, and you have to keep timings in mind, so not to miss your connection back to base at the end of the day.

Let’s dive into a possible itinerary then! All hikes described here are part of our newly edited second edition hiking guide ‘Hiking Lysefjord and Beyond: day trips in the Stavanger Region’.

You travel by bus, train and ferry to the start of the hikes. The key is to study transport options in some detail and look at which buses, ferries and trains run when. I have done some of the legwork here for you to make planning a bit easier.

I also make some assumptions as to the hikes you might want to do, when you come here. After all the Lysefjord is a unique and world famous destination for a reason! You have a good level of fitness and have hiking experience for moderate and demanding hikes of up to 6 hours.

I assume, you would want to do the three iconic hikes in the Lysefjord, namely Preikestolen, Kjerag and the 4444 steps at Flørli. I also assume you are coming in July or August, the main hiking season. Your base will be around the town of Stavanger so you can do day trips from here with access for transport options from the main bus and train station as well as the ferry terminals.

The itinerary for a seven day hiking holiday

5 lysefjord views to take your breath away

#1 Preikestolen: See my blogpost for ways to get to the trail head for the Preikestolen hike at Preikestolen Base Camp and car parking area.

#2 Kjerag: For a hike to Kjerag I would go with gofords.com. They have a bus once a day in the main hiking season from Stavanger to Kjerag, that gives you enough time to hike. Make sure you take plenty of water and food with you this is a long day!

#3 4444 steps at Flørli: Here you get a cruise thrown in at the start and end of your hike! Departing Saturdays and Sundays from the main harbour (Strandkaien) in Stavanger in the morning Rodne runs a ferry that takes you to the hamlet of Flørli in the morning. It gives you a reasonable time to get sweaty as you ascent the Lysefjord step by step and then continue the hike and come down by the Rallarstien back to the pier. Update July 17, 2023: do call Rodne before going. There has been an accident with the ferry and it might be under repair for a few weeks.

That makes 3 days out of 7 hiking days that my reader wanted to have, with all the world class, Instagramm known hikes done. Where else to hike and how to get there?

my personal lysefjord favourites of 2023

Two of my next favourites would be Fantapytten and Sokkaknuten. They give you absolutely stunning views into the Lysefjord from different vantage points. Here you are closer to the mouth of the fjord. Far less people will be doing these hikes. Both of these hikes can be done by public transport. The only drawback is you need some good planning. For starters, the bus to the start of both hikes (line 120 from Jørpeland to Forsand) only runs on weekdays. Second, the start of both hikes is not a formal bus stop, so you need to ask the driver to let you out at the right spot.

#4 Fantapytten: This will undoubtedly become a classic soon. It is such a wonderful hike. Take line 100 from Stavanger to Jørpeland (get out at the town hall in Strand!), then take bus 120 towards Forsand. Ask the driver of to let you out at the Sky Lodge parking area. The hike ends at Preikestolen BaseCamp. To get back to Stavanger you need to book a bus again (eg with pulpitrocktours.com). It is by no means an easy hike, so be prepared for some scrambling and exposed sections. Very different from the ‘highway’ nature of the Preikestolen trail. It is a true Norwegian hike.

#5 Sokkaknuten: You get a lot of view for a steep climb on this hike. Access by bus, same as Fantapytten, only that you ask the driver of bus line 120, to let you out at the roundabout after the Nibelungentunnel before the stop at Oanes quay. Walk up 500m on the road to the start of the hike. To get back, depending on how much time you want to spend you can reverse with the afternoon service of line 120 (best to walk to Oanes quay to the formal bus stop) or take the ferry from Oanes to Lauvvik and then get on the bus 47 to Sandnes train station (this line does not run often, so some time awareness is needed). Train back to Stavanger.

discover some lesser known beaches, fjords and bays

That makes five out of seven days of hiking. All these hikes have taken you to different vantage points around the Lysefjord. For the remaining days I would suggest a number of hikes that give you a taste of islands, beaches and other hiking areas around Sandnes and Stavanger. I will pick three here, because restricting myself to two feels too hard! And there are so many more to choose from.

#6 The Three Swords: Take the bus to the famous, marvel at the beautiful bay and the imposing monument to Norwegian unity and then hike the Hafrsfjord coastline until you get tired. Along the way you’ll encounter many natural harbours, you could search out some Bronze Age petroglyphs or go for a swim. Return by bus (lines 2 or 3 will never be too far away) into Stavanger.

#7 Vassoy island: Feel like a local, by taking the ferry from the Stavanger terminal to Vassoy (at Fiskepiren), then do a circumnavigation of the island on foot. Take a picnic and bathers in good weather. There is a delightful beach two thirds of the way, that will make it hard to leave! This hike is the shortest of all the ones described giving you lots of time to relax or swim. The ferry runs very often all week, so no stress - truly island bliss on a sunny summer day.

#8 - it is just too hard to choose! Brusand Beach: An extended walk along one of Southern Norways longest and arguable most beautiful sandy beach. From Stavanger (or Sandnes) take the train to Ogna, walk to the beach and then train back from Brusand station. Trains run seven days a week, with less services on the weekend, but perfectly manageable timetable. You can take a dip in the ocean if you fancy a cool off.

In short

It is not hard to go on superb hikes and have a hiking holiday around the Lysefjord area without access to a car. Just a bit of planning and puzzling over some timetables will get your there. Lace up your boots and come out hiking this summer!