Dipping its toes in the North Sea and peering into fjords, this Norwegian city is but a short hop away from the wilderness.
On the southern cusp of the Lysefjord, in southwest Norway, Stavanger is where the country’s coast begins to splinter into a thousand islands, skerries, waterways and inlets. It’s little wonder, then, that this city — the fourth largest in Norway — should have been defined by water, both geographically and culturally. It first made big bucks in fish canning, then in North Sea oil, as two of its main museums recount. Yet, today, it surprises visitors with newfound urban cool.
While everyone raves about Bergen, Stavanger’s northern, more famous neighbour, here you’ll find fewer crowds in equally lovely cobbled alleys. Harbourside cafes fizz with life, streets are splashed with Norway’s finest street art — homegrown talent like Pøbel and DotDotDot alongside big names like Banksy and Pure Evil — and ingenious chefs reach for Michelin stars.
A weekend is enough for a taster, but you’ll be kicking yourself if you didn’t book that extra time off. Tag on an extra day or two to climb knife-edge, fjord-side cliffs or enjoy a blissfully silent night in an off-grid nature escape.Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Wander around the old town, where the streets are lined with pretty timber houses — most from the 18th and early 19th centuries.
, drifting in and out of inlets at the foot of the mighty cliffs. Few crowds and no engine noise ups the chances of sighting wildlife, too: look out for porpoises in the water, seals on the rocks and sea eagles wheeling above.