The Most Scenic Place in Norway

There is no single answer, and anybody who gives you one is selling something. Norway is long, and the north, the western fjords, the high fells and the coast are different countries in scenic terms. What I can tell you about is this corner of it: the Lysefjord, its two clifftops, and what each of them actually shows you.

Where this page is aboutLysefjorden, Rogaland

Kjerag’s summitAbout 1,084 m, highest on the fjord

KjeragboltenAbout 984 m above the water

Preikestolen604 m above the water

Seen from the waterHengjanefossen, the Vagabond’s Cave

Season hereRoughly June to September

Why the question has no answer

Because scenic is a judgement and the country will not sit still for one. The light in midsummer in the north is nothing like the light on a September afternoon in Rogaland. A fjord wall does one thing; a high plateau does another. I grew up on the Sirdal side of this mountain and I would not tell you the Lysefjord is the most beautiful place in Norway, only that it is the one I can describe accurately.

What the Lysefjord has

A glacier cut it deep and straight with very steep sides, and the result is a landscape at a scale that does not photograph well because there is nothing in the frame of known size. Kjerag rises to about 1,084 metres on the south side, the highest point on the fjord, with Kjeragbolten wedged in a crevice roughly 984 metres above the water. Preikestolen is the flat shelf 604 metres up on the north side. Between them the water runs inland and the walls do not let up.

The three ways to take it in

What works

From the Kjerag plateau: the biggest drop, and the boulder at the end of it
From Preikestolen: a shorter day and a flat square of rock to sit on
From the water: the walls read properly, and you pass under Preikestolen
From Fv500: 27 hairpin bends that are an event in their own right

Worth knowing

From the top, the height often fails to register until a boat goes past
Cloud can take the whole view on either clifftop, with sunshine at the car park
The Kjerag road is shut for most of the year
None of it is a viewpoint you can drive to in ten minutes

What I would actually do with two days

One day on the water and one day on top of something. The Lysefjord cruise takes a little over three hours and shows you Hengjanefossen, the Vagabond’s Cave and Preikestolen from directly below. Then pick a clifftop according to how much walking you want: the comparison settles it in about two minutes.

If your dates are outside the Kjerag road season, that decision is made for you, which is a good reason to read the best month to hike first.

Local tip

The best hour on the fjord is usually the one nobody plans for: late, low light, on the way back down, when the walls go warm and everyone else is already in the car park.

What there is to book

Nothing for the trail itself. What is bookable is the ride out of Stavanger, a guide, or the Lysefjord cruise, which involves no walking at all. Everything is listed on the bookings page.

Check dates & book

We are an independent guide, not a tour operator and not the trail. Booking links go to GetYourGuide and are affiliate links — if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most beautiful place in Norway?

There is no agreed answer. The country is long and the north, the fjords and the coast are not comparable on the same scale.

Is the Lysefjord worth seeing?

It is the deep, steep-sided fjord that Preikestolen and Kjerag sit on. Seeing it from the water takes a little over three hours.

Where is the best view of the Lysefjord?

From the top, Kjerag is the highest at about 1,084 metres. From the water, the whole wall reads at once.