Stavanger is the fourth largest city in Norway. Located on the Stavanger Peninsula in southwest Norway, Stavanger counts its official founding year as 1125, the year the Stavanger Cathedral was completed. Stavanger's core is to a large degree 18th and 19th century wooden houses that are protected and considered part of the city's cultural heritage. This has caused the town center and inner city to retain a small-town character with an unusually high ratio of detached houses, and has contributed significantly to spreading the city's population growth to outlying parts of Greater Stavanger.
The city's population rapidly grew in the late 20th century due to its oil industry. Stavanger is known today as the Oil Capital of Norway and is twinned with Houston and Aberdeen. Norwegian energy company Equinor, the largest company in the Nordic region, has its headquarters in Stavanger.
The climate of the city is very mild and as a result, winter usually remains above freezing whereas heat waves are rare and seldom long. Rainfall is common, although less so than in areas further north on the coastline.
Cruise Port
The port of Strandkaien is in the heart of Stavanger and it is a short walk to Gamle Stavanger and the city centre.
Google Maps port location: https://goo.gl/maps/xmE3jKwRwZBjjNgv8
Port website: https://www.stavangerhavn.no/en/maritim/cruise/
Things to do
Gamle Stavanger (Old Stavanger) is a historic area of the city of Stavanger in Rogaland, Norway. The area consists of restored wooden buildings which were built in the 18th century and at the beginning of the 19th century.
In the aftermath of World War II, a new city plan was created for Stavanger. It included removing most of the old wooden buildings in the city centre and replacing them with new modern structures in concrete. The then City Architect of Stavanger Einar Hedén spoke up against this plan, and in 1956 the city council voted to conserve part of the old city centre.
The city has several museums and collections that are both local and national. The city's most visited museum is the Norsk Oljemuseum (Norwegian Petroleum Museum), opened in 1998. In its 10 years of visitation records, from 1998 to 2008, almost 95,000 people visited the museum annually.
The city's oldest museum is Missjonmuseet, established in 1864. The museum has about 5,000 exhibits consisting of several objects of ethnographic and historical interest from the various mission fields of study.
Stavanger Museum, founded in 1877 and thus one of the oldest museums, includes several historic buildings and collections.
Rogaland Art Museum, located by a park, has paintings by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, Christian Krogh, Eilif Peterssen and Harriet Backer, and also has the largest collection of Lars Hertervigs work.
Outside the city, Lysefjorden is particularly popular for hiking and sightseeing. Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) is a massive rock overhanging the fjord (604 metres below). Kjeragbolten is a rock wedged in the cliff approximately 1,000 metres above the fjord. The straight fall 1,000 metres down to the fjord makes Kjerag a very popular location for BASE jumping.
Check out our Stavanger vlog:
Recommended excursions
Stavanger: Scenic Fjord Cruise to Lysefjord and Preikestolen - Book here
P&O Cruise Excursions*
Lysefjord Cruise and Pulpit Rock (£95ea)
Pulpit Rock Flightseeing (£265ea)
Stavanger Stroll and Coffee Stop (£50ea)
Paddle-Boarding on the Frafjord (£90ea)
Little Baker’s Paradise for Families (£90ea)
Old Town & Beer Tasting (£95ea)
Baker’s Paradise and Waffles (£65ea)
Deep Sea Fishing Experience (£179ea)
Norwegian Sea Surfing (£90ea)
Dalsnuten Mountain Hike (£49ea)
Taste of Stavanger Food and Walking Tour (£99ea)
Pulpit Rock Hike (£120ea)
Stavanger Highlights & Viking Voyagers (£62ea)
Lysefjord by RIB (£105ea)
Cycle Stavanger (£85ea)
Stavanger by Segway (£79ea)
Hike to Månafossen Waterfall (£59ea)
Nordic Walking Tour (£54ea)
Experience the Ion Age (£59ea)
*Prices correct as of 15/02/2023.
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