There’s more than oil commerce to Stavanger, a mid-sized port city bordering the Bokna Fjord in southwest Norway. “Oil City” is home to the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, but if you’re there for warmer, temperate days (by Norwegian standards), head outdoors. The best things to do in Stavanger include visiting the medieval cathedral and heritage timber houses in the Old Town, checking out Nordic-cool street art, and taking day trips to fjord-and-island country beyond the Stavanger Peninsula.
After Norway’s long, dark winter, the tourist season breaks. Summer is the best time to get outdoors and experience Stavanger’s festivals galore, from the Gladmat Food Festival, one of Norway’s leading food festivals in July, to the Silda Jazz Festival in August, and the Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech in September. While winter isn’t popular with travelers, it’s a great time to visit ski resorts in the hinterland or Christmas Markets in Egersund and Bergen.
Outside of walking and biking, buses and ferries are the names of the game in Stavanger, which, like most Norwegian cities, has a well-connected public transportation system. Conveniently, the Kolumbus public transport agency runs all three. Download the Kolumbus Billett app to reserve bike shares, top up your Kolumbus card with bus money, and book ferry tickets to Lysefjord and beyond.
Travelers who want to reach Stavanger from Oslo, where most international flights land, can take a second flight to Stavanger, but trains may be a better option for those looking for good value and a different experience. The railway station in the center of town is the terminus of the Stavanger-Oslo line, an 8– to 9-hour route with overnight service and prices typically equal to or lower than plane tickets.
