Traveling to Norway and not seeing its amazing fjords would be a top-level sin in the “Visit Norway” Bible. There are almost 1.200 fjords in this Scandinavian country, so you practically need to be blind or very determined to miss these natural wonders.

Where there are fjords, there are also steep cliffs created by the glacier. Cliffs mean mountains, and mountains mean hiking! It’s simple: if you want to experience true Norwegian nature, you need to put your hiking boots on! Hiking in Norway rocks.

In this article, I’ll take you to the best places to hike in Norway – three locales in the charming, yet seductive cliff-hiking paradise, the Lysefjord!

Lysefjord – home to the best hikes in Norway

Lysefjord is a 42-kilometer-long fjord in Rogaland County, in southwestern Norway.

Its name might mean a light fjord, but it still offers plenty of hiking options of varying difficulty. Lysefjord is home to some extraordinary rock formations. Some are more famous than others, but each of them provides memorable hiking trips, spectacular views, and a feeling of achievement.

Preikestolen, Kjeragbolten, and Kalleliklumpen should make it to your Norway trekking bucket list!

For the best hikes in Norway, head to Lysefjord, the home of extraordinary rock formations

With the advent of social media which promoted some of the Norwegian rocks into Instagrammable must-do photo shoot sites, hiking in Norway became trendier than ever. Some of the Norwegian hiking trails became a magnet to an abundance of loud and disrespectful tourists who might affect the experience of your hiking holidays.

If you are mainly aiming for some Facebook likes, follow this list from top to bottom as it, more or less, rates the hiking sites from the most accessible ones to the least popular ones.

If you still believe that the best hiking vacations are the ones where you can indeed meet nature, without the intrusion of uncontrollable laughter, screaming, and portable music players, head to the bottom of this “best hikes in Norway” list – you might have the rock just for yourself!

You can do some great hikes in Norway at Aurlandsfjord too - check it out!

Best places for a Lysefjord hike

1. Preikestolen hike

Preikestolen, also known as Pulpit Rock, is one of the most famous hikes in Norway. The flat mountain plateau protruding 30 meters from the mountainside, attracts close to 300 thousand visitors every year! This makes it one of the top tourist attractions in Norway.

It’s a hike of medium difficulty, which makes it suitable for even a family visit.

But this doesn’t mean Preikestolen doesn’t have any hiking risk. It is the major site of mountain aid interventions as, with such a high number of hikers, someone does need to get injured.

Besides several suicides that happened on this spot, serious accidents or death cases are not registered.

Out of the three hikes in this selection, this one has the trail with the best signposting. If you follow the trek, you can hardly get lost!

But what you will undoubtedly get is some breathtaking scenery to enjoy. Pine forests, waterfalls, and lakes add another dimension to the beauty of the climb. It is hard not to fall in love with Norwegian nature.

As a filming site for “Mission Impossible” and various stunts that raise the daredevil bar, this masterpiece of Mother Nature’s work has been doomed to become as popular as it is, one of the best hikes in Norway.

Read the complete guide to Preikestolen if you want to prepare for the hike adequately. This blog post includes suggestions on how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat.

2. Kjerag hike

Hike to Kjeragbolten, or Kjerag boulder, a rock wedged in the mountain crevice, is definitely number two of all possible hikes you can do in the Lysefjord area.

The abyss below is staggering – almost one kilometer to the sea level.

But this is Mount Kjerag’s lucky rock – nobody fell yet! And the truth is it looks much more daring from the front side. The access around the small ledge in the back is challenging, but one can assist oneself with a rope.

Some courage is still demanded. It’s not rare that hikers chicken out at the last moment.

The hike to the iconic Kjeragbolten demands some 3 hours each way. Steeper sections of the climb require the use of guide chains, but I’ve seen people of all generations doing the hike. As long as you are reasonably fit, you shouldn’t worry much about making it.

This area has no trees, so don’t expect any shade from the sun, except if you strategically hide behind some freestanding grand boulder on the way.

However, there are two green valleys on the hiking trail, which provide a great picnic spot. They are also the favorite grazing ground for the sheep, so your Kjerag postcard will have all the essential elements.

With the beauty of the trail and the excitement of the final rock selfie, the Kjerag hike qualifies as one of the best day hikes in Norway. Well, some start climbing it just before twilight, but that is definitely not recommendable.

Read the complete guide to Kjeragbolten if you want to prepare for Kjerag hike adequately. This blog post includes suggestions on how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat.

3. Kalleliklumpen hike

At the moment of writing, hashtag #kalleliklumpen has been used on Instagram precisely 19 times (four of which were mine).

In comparison to #preikestolen (161.000) and #kjerag (36.500), Kalleliklumpen rock is at the start of its instafame. Hidden behind the path covered with spider webs, this is a fantastic secret spot of Lysefjord.

For the benefit of the site, I hope its popularity will not skyrocket soon.

Luckily, the start of the hike is not as easily accessible as the first two – no roads lead to Flørli.

Staying at Flørli 4444 is the prerequisite to hike to Kalleliklumpen, and ferries will take you there between April and September. Now is the perfect time to book your bed in this limited-space facility!

Flørli Cliff Hike leading to Kalleliklumpen is a 2-hour round trek.

Well, unless you divert to additional astonishing rock sites, such as Kalleligjelet and Kallelifjellet. Beware, these paths are not beaten, so they pass some exposed sections and walk you over the cloudlike soft floor sodden with water.

Count on your sense of orientation if you want to return to the village safely! I relaxed too much, so I confess I did have some short periods of panic when trying to identify the right path to go back.

The views are magnificent along the path, but the final stepping on Kalleliklumpen rock is not for the faint of heart. You do it at your own risk, and they suggest that one person at a time stands on this table-sized boulder.

The drop from it is stomach-churning, and scientists do not monitor the rock as in Preikestolen’s case. Kalleliklumpen looks like a mini Trolltunga that might fall at any moment. It doesn’t mean it will, but it doesn’t mean it won’t. I certainly nominate it as one of the best hikes in Norway.

Additional hike in the Flørli area: Flørlitrappene is famous for being the world’s longest wooden staircase – there are 4444 of them!

Read the complete guide to Flørli, if you want to prepare for the hikes in this area adequately. This blog post includes suggestions on how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat.

Packing list for hiking in Lysefjord

1. solid hiking boots (not flip-flops, and I say that because I saw someone wearing them!) – when mountains are wet, parts of the route can get quite slippery
2. warm clothes in more layers (you might want to take something off, add something on, or even change it entirely on the top when the sudden stop makes your sweat cold) – wool is good for undergarments, and windproof and waterproof materials for the outwear
3. food and drinks for the day
4. basic first aid equipment (sticking plaster)
5. headlamp
6. sunglasses and sunscreen
7. fully charged mobile phone, with an extra battery if you take a lot of pictures and check the Internet on the go
8. bag for collecting your garbage

A final word of advice for hiking in Norway

1. Be in good physical form!
2. Do not start hiking too late in the day!
3. Do not rush yourself! Take it slowly, the least you need is to twist an ankle on these somewhat tricky, but doable day hikes.
4. Respect nature as well as others on the way! Nature is best consumed in silence, and with open eyes, not through the loud exchange of screams.
5. Do not overestimate yourself! After a long hike, take a breath, eat a snack, drink some water, and only then approach the edge of the rock! The view will not run away, while your sense of balance may get easily challenged if tired.

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If you are already short of breath when walking up to the second floor of your building, you might find Flørli stairs hike repulsive. But then, some people are literally stepping up their game to climb to the top. Flørli stairs are a measurement of achievement; they are a challenge worth ticking off on adventurer’s challenge list!

Flørli – the atmosphere of an island

“You can’t easily leave the island”, tells me one guest from Australia.

“You know we are not on an island?”, I ask.

Nested in the center of Lysefjord, with scarce ferry connections, this is the world where life pace slows down. The civilization seems to be so far away as if the large body of sea separates you from the world’s problems.

Being a roadless hamlet, Flørli is an ideal destination for those willing to explore the area on foot.

Mornings at the fjord look magical, with calm mirror-like water and clouds slowly dissipating. Local sheep graze on the green hills. Their ringing bells are the main sound one can hear. You almost don’t want to leave this peaceful, idyllic scene!

If you rent a canoe or a kayak in Flørli, you might meet the curious seals. If you rent fishing equipment, you might catch your own lunch, be it a mackerel, a cod or a sea-trout!

4444 stairs to Hikers’ paradise

Flørlitrappene or Flørli stairs are an obvious choice for testing your hiking shoes. And courage, I assume. Two sections of the stairs are a bit steeper, and people with vertigo find them challenging. In any case, climbing 4444 stairs is an intense experience, but it brings you to a little lake with crystal water. If the temperatures allow, the alluring lake is a great place to take a dip. If you decide to go down through the crooked old pine groves, the hike will take you 3 hours. A more scenic path by the lakes in Frafjordheiane Landscape Reserve will make you finish the walk in 4 hours.

Besides its famous 4444 stairs hike, Flørli offers more outdoor adventures to hiking enthusiasts.

Flørneset Opp is a 1-hour hike of moderate difficulty. It takes you along the fjord, then follows the steep path up the hill, until the tractor road through the forest brings you back to the village.

Flørli Cliff Hike is for those who prefer something more challenging. The path leads up the steep mountain crest, with some exposed sections, ending at the Kalleliklumpen, a table-sized boulder hovering hundreds of meters above the abyss. If you continue along the cliff (this path is currently not marked), you will get to Kalleligjelet and Kallelifjellet, two more rocks seducing the daredevils. Flørli Cliff Hike takes about two hours.

If you want to raise the challenge bar even further, you could extend climbing Flørlitrappene with a Flørli to Kjerag hike! Unless you are an incredibly fit beast, this 20-kilometer hike will take two days. If you plan the ferries well, it is also possible to visit the famous Preikestolen from Flørli.

Building the longest staircase in the world

Stepping up the 4444 stairs seems hard? Consider the fact that someone had to build them in the first place!

The fall from the lake to the sea level is 740 meters. That might be great for hydropower production, but not the best news for 142 people who were constructing the plant at the beginning of the 20^th century.

Tons of equipment had to be brought up to the lake called Stora Flørvatnet (or Floyrlivatn). The terrain was too steep for horses, so people had to do the majority of the work. On average, a worker was carrying 80 kilos uphill on his back. The strong Helmikstøl brothers entered the legend; each of them was supposedly carrying 135 kilos!

After several years, they laid the rails, and the powerful winch was pulling the trolley with people and equipment up the mountain. They built the wooden stairs along the tracks for water pipeline maintenance purposes. Tourism was not in the picture at all!

Flørli power station operated from 1918 until 1999 when they replaced it with a new, automated, and more efficient station in the mountain. The last residents moved out of Flørli in 1996.

In the extreme Lysefjorden weather, the buildings started to deteriorate quickly. The hydropower company had to remove them to obey the law, but the public protested. Stavanger municipality took over the place and allowed repurposing for tourism.

Flørli 4444 Hostel – accommodation without the key

Flørli accommodation today might be basic, but it comes with a unique setting. Hessel Haker is a Dutch expat who recognized its potential, and after leading the volunteering conservation project on some of the buildings, in 2014 he founded Flørli 4444, a tourism company that tries to preserve the history of the place while providing what he calls “the simple luxury of life” – accommodation, food and activities based in nature. There are no keys in the village! It is such a safe and relaxed environment that there is no need to lock rooms and houses! The season at Flørli 4444 is open six months a year: from April till September.

I stayed in Flørli Historic Hostel – a century-old villa with five bedrooms and 17 beds. Back in the times, it was a guesthouse for prominent visitors. Today, it is a hostel with a feeling of an antique home – with large communal areas, such as a self-service kitchen and living room. Beware that you will need some basic fitness to come to the hostel building. It is situated 80 meters above sea level; the uphill path from the ferry port is about 500 meters long!

Camping and glamping at Flørli

Besides the hostel, Flørli 4444 offers four rental apartments, the Director’s Villa, and other Special Rooms with shared facilities (Post Room, Teacher’s Room, Doctor’s Room).

Radioshed Mini-Suite is a particular glamping option, set in a former relay station for radio and telecommunications! This 4-square-meters hut offers a large bed and a vast panorama window looking at the spectacular fjord; what else do you need for a romantic night with your loved one? Maybe wood-fired hot-tub? Available!

It is also possible to camp here! Flørli camping spot on the flat meadow by the fjord costs 95 NOK per person (10 Euros). Accommodation with a real roof costs between 220 and 1600 NOK (23-168 Euros). To find the best available price, book Flørli 4444 through this link!

What to eat in Flørli?

Even if Oscar Zaalmink, the cook, will gladly prepare you a picnic basket for your first morning meal, Flørli 4444 is not just a simple bed and breakfast property. Café in the power station is actually a restaurant and offers locally inspired simple dishes throughout the day. The menu proposes homemade lasagnas, hotdogs, Norwegian fish soup, smoked, braised and cooked fish plates, hamburgers with reindeer meat! The dessert offer includes apple pie and blueberry cake.

For those who wish to cook in the hostel kitchen, a little kiosk sells basic supplies. This means you can count on simple pasta dishes, but also on some power bars for your Flørli hike!

Wifi is also on offer in the restaurant area. If you want to stay connected with the world, you should know it’s open from 11 am to 7 pm. School-pub is open in the evening, only on Friday and Saturday, and they stop serving drinks at 11 pm.

How to get to Flørli stairs?

Flørli is located on the shores of central Lysefjord. There are no roads to the village! It is accessible only by ferry, by boat, or on foot (the foot should be an experienced hiking foot!).

There are two ferry services with four daily departures; always check the Lysefjord ferry schedule in advance! Kolumbus ferry operates Lysefjord throughout the year (except on Saturdays). The ride from Flørli to Stavanger takes 1:45 hour and the price is 116,20 NOK (12 Euros). The journey from Flørli to Lysebotn takes 10 minutes and costs 48,14 NOK (5 Euros). If you are going from Lauvvik to Flørli, this ride will take you 45 minutes and cost 78,02 NOK (8 Euros). TheFjords ferry operates only from June till mid-September and offers its service as a sightseeing cruise for 360 NOK (38 Euros).

If for some reason you plan to bring a car to Flørli (even if you cannot drive it there), know that the space on the ferry is limited, and it’s better to book beforehand, online!

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Disclosure: My stay at Flørli 4444 was complimentary, but all opinions are my own.

Also, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, Pipeaway might make a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our work!

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