Stavanger: activities galore for all the family!
Stavanger is in the south west of Norway, just an overnight boat trip from Hirtshals in Denmark. The city and surrounding area offers plenty to do to keep the whole family happy.
Something for all in the great outdoors
The area around Stavanger is packed with amazing natural wonders. Take a fjord cruise into Lysefjord or a hike to Preikestolen and Kjerag or visit Månafoss, the highest waterfall in the Rogaland region, which has a free fall of 92 metres. The sight of the waterfall streaming out of the cliff face and down into the lake is like something out of a fairy tale and is absolutely worth the trip.
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Kjerag outside Stavanger. Photo: Pawel Gaul / GettyImages
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Preikestolen outside Stavanger. Photo: Fjord Norge, Paul Edmundson.
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Månafossen waterfall outside Stavanger. Photo: nightman1965 / GettyImages.
On the banks of Gloppedal lake, the Gloppedal terminal moraine is another natural wonder you won’t want to miss. The moraine is an area of enormous boulders—some are even house-sized—thrown up as the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago, and is a testament to the relentless power of nature.
But the Stavanger area features not only beautiful fjords, majestic mountains, glaciers and spectacular waterfalls. You’ll also find some of Norway’s best and longest beaches. In fact, in 2004, The Sunday Times voted Solastrand, just south west of Stavanger, the sixth best beach in the world! Solastrand offers all kinds of beach activities from sunbathing and swimming to surfing and kitesurfing for the more active.
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Sola beach outside Stavanger. Photo: genlock1 / GettyImages.
Museums within walking distance
If culture is part of your holiday plan, then Stavanger has lots to offer. The city centre contains many fine museums and cultural activities, all within walking distance. For example, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum is a fascinating experience for all ages, as are the Stavanger Art Museum, Stavanger Museum, the Museum of Archaeology and the Norwegian Children’s Museum.
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Norwegian Petroleum Museum in Stavanger. Photo: CH – visitnorway.com.
Stavanger is also host to the sculpture project “Broken Column” by the British sculptor Antony Gormley. The project comprises 23 cast iron figures scattered around the town, including “Sverd i fjell” (Swords in the Mountain) on the edge of Hafrsfjord, which commemorates a Viking battle from 872 AD, and creates a bond between the area’s history and contemporary art.
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“Sverd i fjell” on the edge of Hafrsfjord. Photo: Richard Larssen / visitnorway.com.
Traces of the past
There are many other historical locations in Stavanger. Old Stavanger (Gamle Stavanger) comprises 173 traditional wooden houses built at the turn of the 19th century. Take the family on a trip back in time among the small white-painted wooden dwellings and explore the area’s many galleries and workshops, which give the quarter a very special atmosphere.
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Øvre Strandgate i Gamle Stavanger. Foto: CH – visitnorway.com
And you can go even further back in time if you visit the island of Austre Åmøy just north of Stavanger, to see the many “helleristninger”, petroglyphs, which are an ancient form of rock art carved around 2-3,000 years ago. The area has around 1,000 figures along a kilometre-long path.
Stavanger for kids
The Stavanger area has many exciting activities for kids. Kongeparken amusement park is a sure-fire hit. It’s Western Norway’s favourite amusement park and the biggest attraction in the area. The whole family can enjoy over 50 rides and activities, including everything from the Chocolate Factory, where you can make your own chocolate, to speed and excitement on Norway’s longest bobsleigh run, Norway’s biggest roundabout and Norway’s highest roundabout.
The Science Factory in Sandnes, around 15 km from Stavanger, is an exciting journey into science and technology. Children of all ages can participate in games, competitions and experiments or visit the planetarium and see constellations and planets up close. The Science Factory is part of Jærmuseet, a regional museum centre that includes 13 exciting museums in the Stavanger area, where you can learn about natural science, technology, aviation, military history, agriculture and much, much more. The museum won the title of Norway’s best museum in 2009.