Stavanger is Norway’s fourth largest city and is used as a base for many hikes in the region, including the famous Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock). This coastal town is surrounded by incredible fjords and mountains making it a great place to see some of Norway’s natural beauty. The city itself is compact, and so it’s really easy to explore on foot when you’re not hiking in the outer regions. As the city is fairly small, you only need one day to see the main sights. However, many people stay for 3-4 days to complete the main hikes in the area. 

How to get there by plane:

With Norwegian Air it’s really affordable to fly to Stavanger from many European destinations. Flying from London Gatwick cost us only £30 per person for a one-way flight and took 1 hour 50 minutes. To get to the city centre from Stavanger airport you can then get the Flybussen shuttle bus which takes less than 30 minutes and costs 130 NOK for an adult one-way (100 NOK for students).

Things To Do:

Stavanger Harbour: One of the prettiest and liveliest areas of Stavanger is the harbour (also known as Vågen). Here you’ll find plenty of bars and restaurants in beautiful coloured buildings, and it’s a great place to people watch. 

Old Town:

The Old Town of Stavanger (also known as Gamle Stavanger) is an area west of the harbour. Here you’ll find cobbled streets of white, wooden cottages with flower baskets hanging from the windowsills. It’s a quiet area to spend some time exploring the streets and taking some photographs.

Øvre Holmegate:

A street full of colourful painted cafes, bars and restaurants. A striking contrast compared to the white cottages in the Old Town!

Where To Eat:

It’s a known fact that Norway is expensive, and so one way to save money is by cooking instead of eating out and making packed lunches for during the day. We treated ourselves to one meal out in Stavanger and went to Døgnvill – a bar & burger restaurant. We had two burgers, chips, onion rings and two soft drinks which cost us around 550 NOK (approximately £55). Although far more pricey than what I would pay at home, the burgers were delicious!

Day trips from Stavanger:

Stavanger is a popular place to start several of the famous hikes in Norway. Pulpit Rock is the most popular and one of the shortest hikes. It takes roughly 2 hours to walk up, and 2 hours to walk back down.

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