When the weather turns on a Lysefjord boat trip

What the weather does on the water

Stavanger is mild for Norway. The Gulf Stream keeps winters close to freezing rather than far below it, and summer afternoons usually reach about 17–20 °C (63–68 °F). The price is rain. Weather systems roll in off the North Sea on many days of the year, and the wettest stretch runs from autumn into winter.

On a boat the wind matters as much as the rain. The first 30–45 minutes out of Stavanger cross open water between islands, where a breeze can whip up a chop. Inside the Lysefjord the high walls usually shelter the surface, and the water often lies calm even when the sky is gray. Our seasickness guide looks at that crossing in more detail.

The big boats sail in the rain

The covered boats are built for this climate. Rødne says plainly that it sails rain or shine, and its electric catamaran has panoramic windows with leather seats inside, so you can watch Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) from the dry. Helgøy's boat has a heated indoor lounge. Fjord Xplore's adventure boat has a convertible sun-top over its seats.

A wet day has one upside. Rain feeds Hengjanefossen along with the smaller streams down the walls, so the fjord can look more dramatic under cloud than under a blue sky. Low cloud is the bigger problem, because it can hide the top of Preikestolen while you sit below it. On those days you see the foot of the cliff and a gray smudge where the platform should be. Our Pulpit Rock guide explains what you see when the summit is clear.

A RIB in heavy rain

Open boats are another matter. Both RIB companies lend floating suits along with goggles and gloves, and the suits keep most of the water out, yet reviews from wet days are some of the gloomiest on the listings. Stavanger RIB passengers caught in heavy rain said they ended up wet and cold despite the suits. A FjordEvents reviewer described a rough ride in bad weather, and another disliked pulling on the suit on the pavement in the rain before setting off.

If the forecast shows heavy rain and wind for your only free day, think about switching to a covered boat. Rødne at ~$92 or Helgøy at ~$89 will be warmer and drier, and both have toilets on board. In a light drizzle the RIBs are fine with the right layers underneath, which our clothing guide lists. Choosing between a RIB and a cruise boat weighs up the rest.

When the operator calls it off

In recent reviews, technical problems have stopped more trips than weather has. These are the kinds of problems reviewers describe.

• Rødne, mid-trip. A sailing was cancelled partway through the trip because of a technical fault;
• Rødne's boat swap. The listing warns that a boat change may occur, and several recent reviewers got a diesel boat instead of the electric one they booked;
• Helgøy. One departure was moved by 1.75 hours because a vessel was unavailable;
• Brim, at short notice. The summer-only ship has had last-minute cancellations for technical reasons;
• Stavanger RIB. One cruise passenger missed a slot after the ship was delayed.

None of this is common, and the great majority of reviews describe trips that ran as planned. Treat these cases as a reason to leave slack in your day, especially on a port call, rather than a reason to avoid any one boat.

Fjord Xplore's bad-weather plan

Fjord Xplore is the only operator here that spells out a plan B. If the weather is bad or too many guests are booked, it may replace one leg of the boat trip with a free minibus ride through the undersea tunnel to a viewpoint. If that swap does not suit you, you can ask for a full refund instead. Its 2.5-hour trip from ~$166 leaves from the boathouse marked 34 at Strandkaien, and the company has no departures between late October and early March.

FjordEvents makes a different promise. Its RIB tour from ~$124 is guaranteed to run with no minimum group size, so a quiet day will not cancel your seat.

Refunds and the 24-hour window

Every trip we compare can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before departure, and the listings let you reserve now and pay later. That window is your main protection against a bad forecast. Check the outlook two or three days ahead and decide before the deadline passes.

The last row catches people out. One FjordEvents customer asked for a weather credit and was refused. Once the operator judges it safe to go, the decision to stay behind is yours to pay for, so make it inside the free window.

Planning around the forecast

Yr, the Norwegian forecast service, shows wind as well as rain for each hour, and it is widely used in Norway. Look at both. A gray but still day can be lovely on the fjord, while a bright day with strong wind makes the crossing bumpy, above all on a RIB.

The more days you have, the easier this gets. If you are staying in Stavanger, book early in your visit and keep a later day free in case the first is washed out or cancelled. Cruise passengers have one shot, so they should lean toward a covered boat when the forecast looks poor, and check our port-day guide for timing. The month-by-month guide shows which seasons are wettest, and our guide to the sights sets out what you pass on the way in.