Hiking up to Preikestolen gives you an astonishing view of the Lysefjord from 604 metres above sea level. The tour takes approximately 2 hours one way with starting point from the Preikestolen Cabin.
If you need a bigger challenge you can hike Kjerag at the end of the Lysefjord, ranging about 1,000 metres above sea level. During summer you can join a daily guided hiking tour with transport from Stavanger and Sandnes.
Sightseeing boat tours to the Lysefjord are available all year. During summer the tourist ferry goes from Stavanger/Lauvvik through the Lysefjord. You can bring your car on the ferry to Lysebotn at the end of the fjord, and drive over the mountain back to Sandnes and Stavanger.
During summer there are city sightseeing tours with an English speaking guide through Stavanger. Part of the tour is by bus. This is a great way to learn about Stavanger and its history. It is also possible to get a customised tour for you and your group from one of the guide providers.
Flor & Fjære is an exotic garden and restaurant on the island of Sør-Hidle, only 20 minutes by boat from Stavanger (two daily departures). Open May - September.
Rent a bicycle from the tourist information offices in Stavanger or Sandnes, and cycle the North Sea Cycle route. Stop a picnick on a beach or just find a secluded place along the route.
Cycle tours where you explore nature on two wheels can also start in Sandnes and take you through Jæren and up in to the mountains.
Drive to Byrkjedalstunet for a meal and visit the candle shop. Take a look at the large Gloppedalsura Scree just a few minutes away from Byrkjedalstunet. Gloppedalsura consists of avalanche boulders that are piled on top of an end moraine. 10,000 years ago the ice sheet that covered the area, melted away. The excursion can easily be combined with a hike to the waterfall Månafossen and the tourist ferry through the Lysefjord.
The tour to the Utstein Monestary takes you back in history. Utstein used to be a royal estate for King Harald the Fairhaired around year 900 AD. On your way back to Stavanger, visit the rock carvings at Austre Åmøy – one of the largest rock carving sites in the county of Rogaland. The carvings date back more than 3,000 years. The Archaeology Museum in Stavanger can inform in detail about these rock carvings.
The landscape of Jæren along the coast presents a wild countryside. Make stops at galleries such as Hå old Vicarage or Mingar Walker Glass Blowing studio.