Every way out of Stavanger
By car, via Sirdal
The full drive from Stavanger is described as roughly three hours, on E39, Rv450 and through Sirdal. At the far end you climb Fv500 and its 27 hairpin bends from Lysebotn up to Øygardstøl. The road is narrow and behaves like any mountain pass: it generally opens in late May or early June and closes again in October or November, depending on snow. Parking at the trailhead is paid, the car park is large, several hundred spaces, and the facility runs roughly from the middle of May to the end of October.
A hire car is the most flexible day available to you, because you leave when you like. It is also the option where the eleven-hour shape of the day is entirely your own problem, and driving 27 hairpins after six to ten hours on rock is a real thing rather than a detail. Driving to Kjerag and how the car park works have the detail.
By the guided van
The guided hike quotes two and a half hours each way from Stavanger, which is faster than the Sirdal loop because it is a different route and a driver who does it weekly. Eleven hours door to door, hotel pickup, eight people maximum. What you are buying is the road, the timing, and somebody else at the wheel on the way home: the full page.
By boat, to Lysebotn
The other route is by water. The MS Lysefjord, run by Kolumbus, sails from Lauvvik with stops including Forsand, Bratteli, Bakken, Sognesand, Kalleli, Flørli and Håheller, roughly two or three departures a day depending on the day and the season. Lauvvik itself is reachable by bus from Stavanger. That gets you to Lysebotn, at the bottom of the hairpins, and it is a fine journey in its own right.
What it does not do is get you up the pass. From Lysebotn to the trailhead is still Fv500 and 27 bends, and there is no regular public bus that covers them. Read the page about doing this without a car before you build a plan around the ferry.
By seasonal bus, sometimes
There is no regular public bus from Stavanger to Lysebotn. Seasonal tourist buses run in peak season, and they are exactly what the name says: seasonal, few, and not a timetable you can lean on in May or in September. I would treat them as a bonus if they exist on your date and never as the plan.
What works
- Hire car: you set the start time, which is the single most useful lever you have
- Guided van: two and a half hours each way and no driving after the descent
- Ferry: Lauvvik to Lysebotn by water, with stops down the whole fjord
- Cruise: no walking and no mountain road at all
Worth knowing
- Hire car: the pass is shut for most of the year and you own the timing
- Guided van: eleven hours, and the schedule is not yours
- Ferry: it ends at Lysebotn, and the hairpins are still above you
- Seasonal buses: peak season only, and never a plan you can rely on
Check the road before you check anything else. If Fv500 is shut, no amount of planning turns the day into a Kjerag day, and the useful move is to swap to Preikestolen or the fjord cruise rather than to hope.
Book the ride
Live availability for the hike that includes the transport is below. If you are driving yourself, nothing on this page needs booking at all.
Those dates don’t work?
Browse the other Kjerag hikes and Lysefjord trips running out of Stavanger, and pick a day that suits you — instant confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Kjerag from Stavanger?
About two and a half hours each way in a tour van, and around three hours if you drive via Sirdal yourself: the getting-there page.
Is there a ferry to Lysebotn?
Yes, the MS Lysefjord from Lauvvik, run by Kolumbus, roughly two or three departures a day. It stops at the bottom of the hairpins: what happens next.
When does the road to the trailhead open?
Generally late May or early June, closing again in October or November: the road page.
Do you pay to park at the trailhead?
Yes, parking is paid, and the car park is large. How it works is on the parking page.
Can I reach Kjerag on public transport?
Not reliably. There is no regular bus to Lysebotn: the honest version.