This summer we spent three weeks road tripping around Norway. First stop was Stavanger, a gorgeous town on the western coast of Norway. We spent five wonderful days here, in the midst of summer, and here we share some of the best things to do in Stavanger. Stavanger, famed for its many natural attractions, including its position on the Lysefjord and famous hikes including Preikestolen and Kjerag, as well as its beautiful old town and interesting museums.
Whether you have just a day or a week, here are the best things to do in Stavanger.
TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN STAVANGER
1. WALK AROUND GAMLE STAVANGER
Gamle Stavanger (Old Stavanger) is a delight. The Old Town’s cobblestone walkways pass between rows of late 18th century whitewashed wooden houses, all adorned with pretty boxes full of colourful flowers. This now protected area was once home to the workers of the sardine canning industry. There is a real sense of history as you explore. It is easy to spend an hour wandering through the narrow cobbled streets here.
2. EXPLORE THE NORWEGIAN PETROLEUM MUSEUM (NORSK OLJEMUSEUM)
You could spend hours in this state-of-the-art museum. Focusing on oil exploration in the North Sea, from discovery in 1969 until today, its filled with interactive displays and authentic reconstructions. Highlights include the world’s largest drill bit, simulated rig working environments, documentary films on a North Sea dive crew’s work day and a large hall full of oil platform models.
There is a lot to see and do in this museum and children are well catered for. There is a question and answer trail to follow, lots of hands-on experiences, films to watch, a dressing up area and a helicopter to clamber into. Our boys particularly liked exploring the replica of an oil rig with it’s evacuation slide!
Outside the Norwegian Petroleum Museum is Geo Parken, a playground built from all manner of oil exploration equipment. A perfect place to run around for a while!
You can find more information and opening times on the Norwegian Petroleum Museum website.
Top Tip: Plan to spend at least a couple of hours here, particularly if you have children.
3. LEARN ABOUT SARDINES AT THE NORWEGIAN CANNING MUSEUM
Don’t miss this museum housed in an old cannery in Gamle Stavanger. The Norwegian Canning Museum was a favourite of ours.
Before oil, there was sardines, and Stavanger was once home to more than half of Norway’s canning factories. By 1922 the cities canneries provided half of the town’s employment. There were more then 70 canning factories in Stavanger at this time!
You’ll learn all about the stages of canning from the salting and threading, to the smoking, de-heading and canning. It’s a fascinating place, and really hands-on with lots of activities that you can try for yourself. You can thread sardines, lay them in cans (as quickly as possible), make your own labels, and on certain days you can even taste smoked sardines. Great fun for the whole family.
This is a unique museum and should be on your list when visiting Stavanger.
You can find more information on the Norwegian Canning Museum website.
Top Tip: Get one of the staff members to guide you around the museum. There aren’t many text explanations in the museum, so it’s best to get someone to explain everything and get the machines working for you. Much more informative and fun this way.
4. WANDER STAVANGER TOWN CENTRE
The small town of Stavanger is well worth exploring. It’s not very big, so it’s easy to get around on foot.
Wander along Ovre Holmegate, full of pubs, cafes and restaurants, and known as the most colourful street in Norway. Houses are all painted in different colours and adorned with flowers. So pretty.
Don’t miss the medieval cathedral, Domkirke. It has been recently restored and is thought to be the oldest medieval cathedral still in its original form.
Breiavatnet is a small lake with a fountain located in the center of Stavanger. It’s not far from the old town and cathedral.
5. WHILE AWAY TIME AT THE BUSTLING HARBOUR
Stavanger is built around its harbour. We were lucky enough to be in Stavanger during the Tall Ships Race so spent a lot of time at the harbour admiring the magnificent tall ships. We were even able to go onboard several of the ships and have a good look around.
Even when the tall ships are not in town, Stavanger’s harbour is always bustling with people and boats, the perfect place to sit for a while and watch the world go by. This part of town is full of cafes and restaurants, located on the waterfront.
6. CRUISE LYSEFJORD
Lysefjord is a 42 kilometre long fjord with mountain walls of up to 1,000 metres on both sides going vertically into the sea. It is known as one of the beautiful fjords in Norway and is best explored from the sea.
Cruise deep into the fjord and gaze upwards at the sheer cliff walls stretching high above you, the most famous being Preikestolen or ‘Pulpit Rock’.
There are several sightseeing possibilities by boat all year around. We sailed the Lysefjord on a ferry boat on our way to Florli and our climb up the world’s longest staircase, Florli 4444. You can also take a sightseeing cruise along the Lysefjord from Stavanger.
Top Tip: Cruising the Lysefjord is the most popular trip in Stavanger, so book early, particularly when cruise ships are in town! If you are travelling by ferry boat to either Florli or Preikestolen there is no need to also do a sightseeing cruise as you will see exactly the same things. The ferry boat we sailed on to Florli even had a commentary and information sheet covering all the main sights.
7. HIKE TO PREIKESTOLEN
The sight of people perched on the edge of this granite rock formation is one of Norway’s best known images (we didn’t perch right on the edge!) Preikestolen, or Pulpit Rock, is one of the most popular hikes in Norway. Made even more famous recently, as it features in the movie Mission Impossible: Fallout, starring Tom Cruise. In the movie Tom Cruise is hanging off the sheer cliff at Preikestolen during the final scenes. In fact on the day we were at Preikestolen a giant screen had been erected for the premiere of the movie!
Hiking Preikestolen was a definite highlight of our time in Stavanger, so don’t miss this if you’re in the area. The views from here are sublime. If you dare to peer over the edge Lysefjord is 604 metres below. It’s a moderate four hour hike that most people can do if they are fit and active. We saw babies being carried up and a couple of three year olds making it up on their own! We did this with our boys aged 10, 12 and 14, for whom it was no problem.
Read all about our experience hiking to Pulpit Rock with kids.
Top Tips:
- Allow approximately five hours for this hike. Two hours up, the same down, and some time at the top to enjoy the view.
- It is possible to reach Preikestolen by ferry/bus from Stavanger, or if you have your own car, a car/ferry combo.
- A number of guided options exist, which take care of all the transport arrangements.
8. CLIMB THE 4444 STEPS OF FLORLI
For a truly unique experience we would recommend climbing the 4444 steps of Florli, the worlds’ longest staircase! Climbing the steps of Florli is something we’ll remember for a long time to come and was a definite highlight of our whole Norway road trip. The stairway follows an old pipeline and trolley railway used by the Florli hydro-electric power station. The old power station has long been replaced but the steps remain to be climbed!
Florli is difficult to get to without your own transport. We arranged a guided trip with Lysefjorden Adventure which included all the transport arrangements. Firstly, you take a boat down Lysefjord, before embarking on a two hour climb up the 4444 steps of Florli. It is a strenuous climb and only suitable for older children. Throughout the climb and once at the top the views are tremendous, down to the Lysefjord below. A different route is used to descend as it’s too dangerous to climb down the steps.
Florli can be done as a day trip from Stavanger, yet few tourists seem to get here. We hiked the whole day without meeting another British person!
Read all about our experience hiking the 4444 steps of Florli.
Top Tips:
- Allow the whole day for hiking Florli 4444.
- If you have your own transport it is easy to hike Florli 4444 without a guide. However, without a car, a guided trip is necessary.
9. HIKE TO KJERAG
After Preikestolen, the most popular Lysefjord hike leads to Kjeragbolten, an enormous oval-shaped boulder wedged between two rock faces high above the fjord below. Another popular day trip from Stavanger, despite the fact that it’s quite far from town and not the easiest place to get to.
This 10 kilometre, six hour hike, involves a fairly strenuous ascent. Hiking to Kjerag has become popular of late as more and more people come to stand on the rock stuck between the cliff walls high above the fjord. Instagram has a lot to answer for! Kjerag is also a popular destination for base jumpers and climbers. It’s the longest of the three hikes mentioned here and probably the most challenging, with Florli 4444 not far behind.
Top Tips:
- Allow the whole day to hike Kjerag from Stavanger. It takes 2.5 hours to get to the hike start point from Stavanger.
- If you don’t have your own transport, you’ll need to take a guided trip to Kjerag.
10. THE JAREN BEACHES
This stretch of beaches runs for 70 kilometres and is the longest stretch of sandy beaches in Norway. There are a number of beaches near Stavanger that are worth a visit if you’re here in summer, including Solastranden and Borestranden. Bear in mind though, that the sea is pretty cold even in the middle of summer!
WHERE WE STAYED
Stavanger has plenty of accommodation options. Prices are often far more reasonable than in many parts of Norway, particularly at the weekend when the oil workers go home.
Scandic Stavanger City We had two rooms for our family of five. The family rooms however, sleep four – two adults and two children in a large double bed and two bunks. Breakfast is included. This hotel was fantastic. It is centrally located so you can easily walk everywhere, very family friendly with family rooms, colouring in reception and a small play area, and the breakfast was the best we encountered in Norway.
So, this is our guide to the best things to do in Stavanger. Hopefully, it will help you plan your trip and make the most of your time in this beautiful part of Norway.
FOR MORE ON NORWAY:
6 Amazing Things To Do In Geiranger
Have you been to Stavanger? Let us know your recommendations of things to do in the town.
51 Comments.
Omgosh, 4444 step staircase!? Yes, I would definitely need all day to climb that one! My legs would be dead and shaking by the time I was finished! But for those killer views, I’d go! Pinned! #FarawayFiles
It was tough! At 1000 I was wondering what on earth we were doing but the views kept us going. The sense of achievement at the top was massive.
Looks gorgeous – a destination that’s been on my list for some time now. Did laugh and the odd museums though – petroleum and canning eh? #FarawayFiles
Something different! The canning museum was amazing, really hands on, and the guy who showed us around was brilliant.
We go to Norway every winter, we should really go in the summer too! I think that I could climb up the old power station but coming down must be pretty scary! Thank you for linking up to #CulturedKids
You can’t hike down the steps, it’s considered too dangerous, so the route down is different, down the mountainside.
That’s a very, very steep climb! Thanks for taking us on a tour of a place I had never heard of. Fascinating. #culturedkids
It was super steep! One of the highlights of our time in Norway.
Haven’t been here in forever. Would actually like to go back. Think I’d appreciate it more as an adult than a kid 🙂 #farawayfiles
Norway is a breathtakingly beautiful country. Well worth another visit!
Oh so fun! Sounds like you had a blast. The stairs of 444 definitely look too steep for me, I’m such a wimp with stairs with holes in…I would of cried all the way up ha ha!
It’s definitely steep and hard going. 2ours of climbing stairs! Great sense of achievement at the top though.
Sita anger is on my list for a while. The climb seems to be interesting, I am not sure if I can manage it. Thank you so much for sharing this. #culturekids
Stavanger is a great town to visit in Norway, so much to see and do.
It always makes me shudder to see people peeking over the edge of Preikestolen! Thanks for sharing your Florli experience – I’d never heard of it. Stavanger is on my list for when we next go back to Norway! #CulturedKids
You must do Florli as well as Preikestolen if you visit Stavanger, Nell. Its a real hidden gem but so worthwhile.
I’d love to visit Stavanger! That row of colourful houses looks just gorgeous and it seems like there’s so much to do in the town and the surrounding area. I’m very impressed with all the hikes you did. I get vertigo just looking at your photo of that rock though I’d love the sense of achievement from climbing up 4444 steps. Wow. #FarawayFiles
It’s a great place to visit Clare. There really is so much to do both in the town of Stavanger and in the surrounding area. Many people visit Stavanger for the hiking – Preikestolen and Kjerag are two of the most popular hikes in Norway. Florli is a real hidden gem (let’s not tell too many people about it!) but just as worthwhile.
I am noe officially obsessed with adding this place on my travel list with kids. Being from Texas, Petroleum Museums are something my kids see a lot of. And because it is so heavily based in geology, we have found our two young boys really love learning about all the “cool rocks.” The world’s longest staircase sounds amazing—although challenging with a 5 year old (or maybe I am just using that as an excuse…..would need to step up my cardio before visiting I believe!). But, what really did it for me is the Canning Museum. My kids love Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and this museum would be such an interesting place for them since they are familiar with that book/movie. Thanks for sharing! #CulturedKids
Stavanger is a great place to visit Hope you get there soon. The museums were great and the hikes amazing. Would totally recommend as a family friendly place to visit.
Wow! I’m impressed that you did all three of these hikes! I think I would want to do one, but am quite sure I would never get my family to do all three. This looks like a place I need to add to my travel wishlist! Thank you for sharing on #farawayfiles
They are three pretty special hikes all in the same area. If you haven’t been i would definitely recommend Norway, particularly if you like the outdoors.
This looks fabulous! So much hiking to be had, which we love. I would love to do the 4444 stairs, but not sure my girls could make it! How cool though. Thanks for linking up with #farawayfiles
So much great hiking in and around Stavanger. Norway is the place to go if your like the outdoors!
What a great post – I really enjoyed seeing your pictures on Instagram Stories over the summer so it’s wonderful to see it all pulled together. The sardine tinning Museum sounds right up my street, especially as it’s so hands on. And it’s good to hear there’s at least one hike my younger children could do, I’ve been putting off Norway until they’re older but it sounds like we would still have lots to do if we took them now #culturedkids
There’s lots to do in Stavanger with kids of all ages. Road tripping around Norway means quite a bit of time in the car so it really depends on how well they travel. Some of the other hikes are definitely for older kids.
I’ve only been to Oslo! I’d love to see more of Norway, and Stavanger looks amazing #mondayescapes
We didn’t make it to Oslo! Did the west coast and the Lofoten Islands.
They have a petroleum museum AND a canning museum??? That in itself is enough reason to book a trip. I love museums on bizarre topics! #MondayEscapes
They certainly do. Really interactive and child friendly too.
Oh wow, it all looks just beautiful! So much to do for a relatively small town.
I love the look of the colourful old town and the hike to Preikestolen looks epic!! My kids are 10, 8 and 3 so it is great to know that you saw younger kids being carried up, or even walking alone.
Thanks so much for linking up to #MondayEscapes
It’s the perfect place to visit with kids, so much to see and do. Preikestolen is a doable hike with younger kids – just need to keep a close eye on them at the top!
Oh wow! It looks amazing! I’ve been wanting to visit Stavanger ever since reading Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and now I’ve read this I’m even more determined to go. The old town, the town centre, the harbour. The longest staircase, the fjords, the hikes. It all looks utterly incredible. Really useful info in this post too – I’ve pinned it for future reference.
Stavanger is a great place to visit in Norway, there’s so much to see and do. Would definitely recommend. Thanks for pinning. Hope you get there one day soon.
What an fab guide! Stavanger looks incredibly pretty and those hikes in the area sounds brilliant – plenty of sights for scenery and movie lovers! #MondayEscapes
It’s the perfect introduction to Norway, Claire – so much to see and do.
Oh my goodness it looks so beautiful. Would love to wander around Ovre Holmegate – all those beautiful colours! and 4444 steps – wow -I am pinning this for future reference – it looks amazing! #MondayEscapes
Thanks Katy. Its a beautiful part of the world!
Thi sounds like a brilliant place to stay. I’m intrigued by the Petroleum Museum!
That is a lot of steps! I don’t think I could even make it up that many. I’d have to do some serious training before tackling that feat. #fearlessfamtrav
A lot of steps indeed…we did wonder what we were doing on about 1000! Great fun though and a real sense of achievement once completed.
You had me at world’s largest drill bit! My kids would love that museum. It looks and sounds like such a brilliant city. Definitely want to visit! #WanderlustKids
A drill bit lover?! It’s a fantastic city…our favourite in Norway.
i was so inspired on Instagram by your trip to Norway and this post has only added to the inspiration. Thank you! #fearlessfamtrav
Thank you so much. Norway is a very beautiful country. Hopefully you get to enjoy it one day.
My hubby would love the petroleum museum but I’d be more about the outdoors activities #fearlessfamtrav
That’s why Stavanger is perfect as there’s a bit of everything!
You always amaze me with your travels and how you take on these incredible hikes! The Flori steps look insane! Although it’s good to know that there is so many other things to do with kids in the area that don’t require so much physical exertion 😉
Thanks for linking up to #fearlessfamtrav
Florli is insane! Physical exertion is good for you. There’s plenty to do in Stavanger without climbing steps for two hours!
4444 steps is something I would not be able to do. Wow. But I would love to visit the petroleum museum. I worked in the petrochemical industry before we emigrated to Portugal so it would be right up my street. Thanks for linking up to #wanderlustkids
Norway is definitely an outdoor playground but there’s plenty of other interesting things to do.