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Pulpit Rock from Oslo

Pulpit Rock from Oslo

Old May 25, 2014, 1:57 pm
  #1  
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Pulpit Rock from Oslo

I'm taking my first trip to Norway and could really use some advice.

What is the best way to get to Pulpit Rock from Oslo? How long would you recommend to hike it? I was thinking 2 nights (1 day transit from Oslo to Pulpit Rock, hike Pulpit rock the next day, return to Oslo the next morning)?

I understand there is a hotel you can stay at that is near the Pulpit Rock itself - would you recommend this?

Is there anything else near the Pulpit Rock I should check out while I'm there.

Any advice / experiences appreciated!
DCFlyer0306 is offline  
Old May 25, 2014, 3:33 pm
  #2  
 
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When we hiked Priekestolen, we started early in the morning (staying in Stavanger) took the ferry to Tau, then hopped a bus to the trailhead. Returned the same way. Tickets for ferry/bus combo can be bought day of, at the ferry terminal.

I would recommend bringing a lunch with you to eat at the top while enjoying the view. Bring plenty of water! Closed-toe shoes are a must (hiking boots not mandatory, we did sneakers) as the trail is irregular and rocky to put it mildly. Trail splits in two part way, we did cliff trail up and the other one down, they are unique in their own ways, so see both!

Transportation from Oslo - I defer to the experts, but if you started early enough in the morning (from Stavanger) you could likely make it down in time to catch a night train back to Oslo and sleep on the way. We flew from Stavanger to Oslo, but we had a TATL to catch. Can't comment on how scenic the train ride from Oslo to Stavanger is - might be its own adventure!
LowlyDLsilver is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 1:41 pm
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We are doing this trip (visiting Pulpit Rock) in less than 2 weeks, but are spending 2 nights in Stavanger, before continuing on to Bergen and then Oslo. Oslo is not on our itinerary except as a connecting point.

There are both day trains and an overnight train from Oslo to Stavanger, and lots of 55-minute flights on SAS and Norwegian. We obtained US 77, tickets on SAS.
Reindeerflame is offline  
Old May 29, 2014, 2:23 am
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Originally Posted by DCFlyer0306
I understand there is a hotel you can stay at that is near the Pulpit Rock itself - would you recommend this?
Yes! I did that flying from Oslo to Stavanger than taking the ferry and bus to the start of the hike where there's a hotel/lodge run by DNT, the hiking association. They have dorms and simple rooms.

The advantage of doing this is that you can start the hike up to the Pulpit Rock early before the masses come with the first ferry. The trail up can get so busy during the day that there are lines at some parts of the trail.
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Old May 29, 2015, 8:55 pm
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Just wanted to share my experience going from Oslo to Stavanger and onward in one day --

My friend and I took the 10:25 PM night train from Oslo to Stavanger, arriving around 7 AM the next morning. We opted to upgrade to a sleeper compartment. Oddly, this train has a "playground" car, which has a padded room and plastic tunnels, like a mini McDonald's PlayPlace without a ball pit. I woke up early the next morning to find a man propped inside, so you could buy a regular ticket if you'd like to take that approach.

Sleeper keycards are picked up from the conductor in the Cafe Car.

Arriving in Stavanger Central station, there's a money exchange place (FOREX BANK) which doesn't open until later (I think 9 AM). We picked up snacks at the Kiwi supermarket (opens at 7 AM), left out of the train station and up the hill to the left. We also picked up ready-made sandwiches from the 7-Eleven attached to the bus depot (make a right coming out of the train station).

You can walk down to the ferry depot in about 10 minutes time, not too many hills, so even with all the stops, you can still make the first ferry at 8 AM if the train is on time. The ferry terminal is nicely appointed, and has luggage storage lockers: 60 NOK for the largest one, big enough to hold 2 carry-on suitcases + 1-2 backpacks, 50 NOK for a slightly smaller one -- 1 carry-on + small backpack. The terminal also has pay toilets (10 NOK, coins only). There was a guide from the ferry/bus company (marketed as Tide Reiser) selling roundtrip all-inclusive tickets for 250 NOK per person (cash and card accepted) outside the terminal at a folding table. These included roundtrip ferry tickets and roundtrip bus tickets. We opted to buy them individually throughout, as we heard there were multiple bus companies and wanted to keep our options open, should we want to depart at a time when a company wasn't running.

The company that manages the terminal is different than the Tau ferry, so they cannot sell tickets to you at the window. You purchase the tickets on-board from a roving salesperson who checks tickets (if purchased in advance as part of the package) or sells them to you outright. 49 NOK pp each way to Tau (cash and card accepted), about a 20-30 minute journey. For seats, walk to the opposite end of the boat from where you boarded for the best views, as there are nice picture windows there with comfortable seating.

Upon arrival in Tau, only the Tide Reiser branded bus was waiting (at the ferry we took, there were supposed to be two competing companies waiting). Fare was 85 NOK per person each way, or a slight price break if purchasing round trip (I want to say 160 NOK pp). I had read elsewhere that the bus was cash only, but it seems as if they have transitioned to card only.

Arriving at the parking lot/lodge about 20-30 minutes later, there is the main lodge with restrooms, a gift shop which opens at 10 AM (it didn't open at that time when we were there), plus a few other buildings we didn't explore.

The trail took us about two hours to hike. It might have been faster had it not been raining, making the rocks slippery. The weather was cloudy at the top, so we waited about an hour (eating our lunch) for it to clear. The wind blew some of the clouds away, so we got some time to take photos at the top. Overall, we spent about 2-3 hours at the top. The hill trail was still covered in snow, not to mention the rain from earlier running down the trail.

The way down also took about two hours. We boarded the next bus at the parking lot (again, the Tide Reiser company). The driver said "they prefer card," so maybe they are supposed to accept cash as well, but strongly discourage passengers from doing so.

The bus arrived with 10 minutes to spare before the next ferry, and we arrived in Stavanger at around 5 PM. We had an SK flight SVG-CPH at 9:20 PM. We wandered about the city, stopped for a truly excellent kebab at Sofra Kebab House before boarding the bus to the airport (110 NOK pp, cash and card accepted), a short 30 minute ride. This small airport with big international aspirations (in the midst of a large renovation project) took a minute to clear security, and the flight departed about 20 minutes early because all passengers were at the gate.

To belatedly answer the OP's questions in a roundabout way, Oslo-Stavanger-another city is definitely doable in a day, as long as you are efficient in your travels. Looking forward to going back on a clear day!
ianmanka is offline  
Old May 30, 2015, 3:45 pm
  #6  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Portland, OR
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Originally Posted by ianmanka
Just wanted to share my experience going from Oslo to Stavanger and onward in one day --

My friend and I took the 10:25 PM night train from Oslo to Stavanger, arriving around 7 AM the next morning. We opted to upgrade to a sleeper compartment. Oddly, this train has a "playground" car, which has a padded room and plastic tunnels, like a mini McDonald's PlayPlace without a ball pit. I woke up early the next morning to find a man propped inside, so you could buy a regular ticket if you'd like to take that approach.

Sleeper keycards are picked up from the conductor in the Cafe Car.

Arriving in Stavanger Central station, there's a money exchange place (FOREX BANK) which doesn't open until later (I think 9 AM). We picked up snacks at the Kiwi supermarket (opens at 7 AM), left out of the train station and up the hill to the left. We also picked up ready-made sandwiches from the 7-Eleven attached to the bus depot (make a right coming out of the train station).

You can walk down to the ferry depot in about 10 minutes time, not too many hills, so even with all the stops, you can still make the first ferry at 8 AM if the train is on time. The ferry terminal is nicely appointed, and has luggage storage lockers: 60 NOK for the largest one, big enough to hold 2 carry-on suitcases + 1-2 backpacks, 50 NOK for a slightly smaller one -- 1 carry-on + small backpack. The terminal also has pay toilets (10 NOK, coins only). There was a guide from the ferry/bus company (marketed as Tide Reiser) selling roundtrip all-inclusive tickets for 250 NOK per person (cash and card accepted) outside the terminal at a folding table. These included roundtrip ferry tickets and roundtrip bus tickets. We opted to buy them individually throughout, as we heard there were multiple bus companies and wanted to keep our options open, should we want to depart at a time when a company wasn't running.

The company that manages the terminal is different than the Tau ferry, so they cannot sell tickets to you at the window. You purchase the tickets on-board from a roving salesperson who checks tickets (if purchased in advance as part of the package) or sells them to you outright. 49 NOK pp each way to Tau (cash and card accepted), about a 20-30 minute journey. For seats, walk to the opposite end of the boat from where you boarded for the best views, as there are nice picture windows there with comfortable seating.

Upon arrival in Tau, only the Tide Reiser branded bus was waiting (at the ferry we took, there were supposed to be two competing companies waiting). Fare was 85 NOK per person each way, or a slight price break if purchasing round trip (I want to say 160 NOK pp). I had read elsewhere that the bus was cash only, but it seems as if they have transitioned to card only.

Arriving at the parking lot/lodge about 20-30 minutes later, there is the main lodge with restrooms, a gift shop which opens at 10 AM (it didn't open at that time when we were there), plus a few other buildings we didn't explore.

The trail took us about two hours to hike. It might have been faster had it not been raining, making the rocks slippery. The weather was cloudy at the top, so we waited about an hour (eating our lunch) for it to clear. The wind blew some of the clouds away, so we got some time to take photos at the top. Overall, we spent about 2-3 hours at the top. The hill trail was still covered in snow, not to mention the rain from earlier running down the trail.

The way down also took about two hours. We boarded the next bus at the parking lot (again, the Tide Reiser company). The driver said "they prefer card," so maybe they are supposed to accept cash as well, but strongly discourage passengers from doing so.

The bus arrived with 10 minutes to spare before the next ferry, and we arrived in Stavanger at around 5 PM. We had an SK flight SVG-CPH at 9:20 PM. We wandered about the city, stopped for a truly excellent kebab at Sofra Kebab House before boarding the bus to the airport (110 NOK pp, cash and card accepted), a short 30 minute ride. This small airport with big international aspirations (in the midst of a large renovation project) took a minute to clear security, and the flight departed about 20 minutes early because all passengers were at the gate.

To belatedly answer the OP's questions in a roundabout way, Oslo-Stavanger-another city is definitely doable in a day, as long as you are efficient in your travels. Looking forward to going back on a clear day!

Thank you this is great information. I'm still working on my Norway itinerary.
SuperDudley is offline  
Old Jun 11, 2015, 10:18 am
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Originally Posted by ianmanka
Looking forward to going back on a clear day!
Agreed. On a clear day it's a whole different story. The view with a blue clear sky left me speechless.
Forrest Bump is online now  
Old Jun 12, 2015, 1:59 pm
  #8  
 
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Originally Posted by DCFlyer0306
I'm taking my first trip to Norway and could really use some advice.

(...)

Any advice / experiences appreciated!
1) Make sure you've got a filled bank account.

2) Make yourself familiar with all regulations regarding alcoholic beverages.

3) Stop smoking.

4) Don't plan. Just go!

5) ... unless you want to take a selfie on Pubic Rock and Preacher's Stool. In that case, join the queue for another boring preset "adventure".

DCFlyer0306, best way to enjoy Scandinavia is by going to a random place, chatting with actual residents, and moving to the next place.
aufmatt is offline  

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