Top Things to See, Do & Eat on Your Cruise Visit to Stavanger

Houses of Gamle Stavanger, seen from the ship

Stavanger, Norway sits on the southwest coast and is one of the country’s most appealing cruise stops. With a fascinating blend of history, colourful wooden houses, oil industry heritage, and fjord adventures on its doorstep, it’s a port that combines old-world charm with oil-town energy.

🇳🇴Stavanger at a Glance

Language: Norwegian (English widely spoken)
Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK). Cards widely accepted. As a guide: £1 ≈ 13.3 NOK | $1 ≈ 9.78 NOK | €1 ≈ 11.57 NOK (Sept 2025).
Climate: Summer highs around 19°C; changeable weather – bring layers and a waterproof
Time Zone: CET (GMT+1, GMT+2 in summer)
Accessibility: Very good; level walking in the main town, with ramps and facilities
Population: ~120,000
Founded: 1125, with the building of Stavanger Cathedral

🚢 Cruise Port Basics

Tourist Information, just outside secure port area.

Cruise ships dock right in the heart of the city at Strandkaien, with up to four berths. From your ship, you’ll see Gamle Stavanger — the UNESCO-protected old town with white cottages and cobbled streets — immediately to starboard.

There’s no dedicated cruise terminal here because you don’t need one: the Tourist Information Office is just a 2-minute walk from the gangway, with maps and walking tour options available. ATMs and shops are nearby, and you’ll often find hop-on hop-off buses starting from the same area.

Safety: Very safe city.
Weather: Changeable — always carry a waterproof layer.
Cash: Not usually needed; cards are widely accepted.
Excursions: If booking independent fjord trips, note they won’t refund if the ship skips port.
Accessibility: Good in parts, though cobbled streets in Gamle Stavanger may be uneven.

*Rogaland* on display at the Maritime museum

👟 Exploring on Foot

Most highlights are within 15 minutes’ walk — perfect for exploring without booking an excursion.

Gamle Stavanger (2 mins): A postcard-pretty district of 18th-century white cottages, cobbled lanes, cute shops, and surprising street art.
Norwegian Canning Museum & Printing Museum (10 mins): Fascinating look at Stavanger’s sardine-canning heyday, plus printing and packaging history. Combined ticket also includes the Maritime Museum.
Viking House (5 mins): A fun virtual-reality journey through Viking history, especially popular with families.
Stavanger Maritime Museum (8 mins): Spread across old merchant warehouses with historic ships, including the old passenger ship Rogaland, exhibits, and a café. Closed Mondays.
Fish Market & Torget (10 mins): Lively hub with fresh seafood, cafés, and souvenir stalls.
Stavanger Cathedral (15 mins): Norway’s oldest cathedral (currently under restoration until at least August 2024).
Breiavatnet Lake & Park (15 mins): A pretty circular walk with fountains, swans, and a café.
Øvre Holmegate / Fargegata (10 mins): Stavanger’s colourful “Instagram street,” lined with quirky shops, cafés, and bars.
Valbergtårnet: The green roof of this little watchtower is on the opposite side of the harbour. It houses a few historical items and explanations of its purpose.
Norwegian Petroleum Museum (20 mins): Surprisingly engaging, with exhibits on oil, gas, and an evacuation chute ride for the brave!

Tip: E-scooters and e-bikes (Tier, Voi) are easy to hire via app if you’d like to cover more ground quickly. Download their apps and set up an account before leaving home

🌍 Explore further

If you’d like to venture further, the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus is an option Runs 10am–4pm, but much of central Stavanger is pedestrianised, so the tour mainly covers the outskirts. Best for mobility-limited visitors or if you’d like to reach the following attractions outside the centre. Local buses also available

Ledaal Royal Residence: beautiful old house, originally built for a local merchant now functions as a royal summer palace as well as a museum, Nice gardens, historic paintings and furniture
Mosvatnet Park: lakeside park in a wealthy residential area. 20 minute walk around the lake - or you can hire a bike.
Stavanger Museum: 3 themes - cultural history, scientific history and a museum for children.
St Petri Church church dates from 1863 designed by the architect Conrad Fredrik von der Lippe
Archaeology Museum: displays items found during local digs.
Sverd i fjell (Swords in Rock): Three giant bronze swords commemorating Norway’s unification. Nice walk, local bus or taxi

🌍 Excursions & Day Trips

Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock): Norway’s iconic cliff, 604m above Lysefjord. Options:

Hike (7 hrs): Strenuous,2/3 hour hike each way - guided excursions only; not accessible or DIY-friendly on a time limited cruise day.
Lysefjord Boat Cruise (3 hrs): Daily sailings from Strandkaien, wheelchair accessible. Stunning scenery en-route, although Pulpit Rock itself is less dramatic from below. Book online
RIB Ride: Thrilling speedboat ride to the foot of the rock, exploring waterfalls and caves on the way; expect to get wet! The boats are based on Strandkaien - close to the Maritime Museum - book in advance or check availability on the day.
Helicopter Flight: Offered by some cruise lines or via Helitrans.

Iron Age Farm (Jernaldergarden): A reconstructed farm near Hafrsfjord.
Flor & Fjære: A lush man-made tropical island garden, accessible only by ship excursion.

🎉 Special Events & Festivals

If you’re in town during the Gladmat Festival (late June/early July), the waterfront transforms into a street food paradise.

🛍️ Shopping

On a typical Fjords cruise Stavanger is probably the best Norwegian port for shopping and souvenirs- only Bergen is better:

Traditional: Viking-themed crafts, trolls, runes, sheepskins, reindeer pelts (note: not suitable for floor use), and woollen jumpers.
Modern Norwegian design and at Arkaden shopping centre, next to Macdonalds. I really like Illums Bolighus for contemporary homeware and gifts. Also worth finding the little kitchenware shop on the second floor.
Crafts: Silver jewellery, glasswork. I liked the glass studio on Mellomstraeen, close to the canning factory, it has some lovely inexpensive pieces.
Unusual: Norwegian wool yarn in bright colours makes a lightweight, useful keepsake.

🍴 Eating & Drinking

Dining out in Norway can be very expensive, but snacks and light bites are often good value:

Fisketorget Stavanger: Excellent fish restaurant in the old fish market — the fish soup is a highlight.
Harbourfront cafés & bars: Plenty of choice for seafood and people-watching.
Local treats: Open sandwiches with fresh seafood, waffles, cinnamon rolls with hot chocolate.
Foodie souvenirs: Brunost (sweet brown cheese), reindeer meat, Kvikk Lunsj (Norwegian hiking chocolate), liquorice, aquavit, cloudberry jam, and colourful sardine tins.

🌦️ Climate & Packing

Summer highs: Around 22°C, though showers can pop up unexpectedly.

Pack: Layers, waterproof, and comfy walking shoes.

💡 Cruise Addicted Tips

Walking: Stavanger is one of the most walkable ports in Norway — you step right into the action.

Independent Exploration: If you’re not taking a shore excursion, you can easily fill a day in Gamle Stavanger, a stroll around the harbour and maybe a museum or two
Excursions: Book Preikestolen hikes well in advance, they sell out quickly in peak season. Otherwise most things are better organised independently
Photo Op: Don’t miss Øvre Holmegate, Stavanger’s rainbow street — perfect for a quick Instagram snap.
Shopping: don’t expect the same range of shops anywhere else on a fjords cruise - if you like it buy it now!

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Stavanger, Norway Cruise Port Guide