Best Things to Do in Stavanger, Norway, Stavanger, Norway

Stavanger is a small city on Norway’s southwest coast, and it’s a great place to spend a couple of days. It’s easy to get around on foot, has a delightful mix of old wooden houses, colourful streets, fjord views, and a few surprises, like a big street art scene and even a museum about canning sardines!!

I recently spent 10 days house sitting in Stavanger, looking after two lovely cats. That’s a bit longer than most people need here, but it gave me time to really explore the city.

Two to three days is perfect for seeing the main sights at a relaxed pace. If you’re visiting by cruise ship, you can actually cover quite a bit of the city in just a few hours since everything is so close together.

I loved strolling through Europe’s best-preserved wooden house settlement with over 170 white timber homes dating back to the 18th century. Gamle Stavanget is peaceful, picturesque, and only a short walk from the harbour.

But please remember, people do still live here and don’t appreciate people staring into their living rooms.

This iconic cliff soars 604 metres above the Lysefjord and is one of Norway’s most famous hikes. It takes around 4-5 hours round trip and is best tackled if you’ve got a full day to spare. If hiking’s not your thing, you can still admire it from below on a fjord cruise (more on that below!). ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).