That Time I Stumbled on a Surprisingly Cool Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

All I knew of Stavanger before visiting is that it is home to big oil and the jumping off point for big fun. I was in town to tick off hiking Preikestolen from my bucket list and found a surprisingly cool Stavanger in the process. Here’s how this unassuming Norwegian town became one of my favourites in Scandinavia.

After a ridiculously scenic bus and boat ride from Bergen, I arrived in the heart of Stavanger. It didn’t take long to find a compact and charming town. I strolled along the cobblestone path around Breiavatnet Lake to the Thon Hotel Maritim, the perfect spot to explore this surprisingly cool Stavanger from. After checking in I found that this charm goes well beyond the lake. From the Stavanger Cathedral the cobblestone path turned pedestrian street lined with trendy shops and cafés. This surprisingly cool Stavanger feature continued to Øvre Holmegate street where the colourfully painted buildings house restaurants and bars that attract tourists and locals alike.

This cool Stavanger realization continued in the most unlikely of places - a museum dedicated to oil. More specifically, just outside of it. The Norwegian Petroleum Museum has a park made up from recycled oil production parts and seemed to be very popular with the little Vikings. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).