The 4 days travel guide - Stavanger, Norway

Norway was on my bucket list since a long time. My dream finally came true at the end of August, when we have spent there 4 days. It what was enough time to discover this town and explore the Norwegian fjords and landscapes as well. Let see what we have visited during our stay!

Day 1

Flying to Stavanger and discovering the main sights of the town:

• Gamle Stavanger and the harbor

• Stavanger Cathedral

• Ovre Holmegate

We took a morning flight, so we got there pretty early and had time to discover this beauty town. The main sights are easily accessible by foot.

Firstly, if you would like to feel the vibes of Gamle (Old) Stavanger you should definitely visit the old town, which is located above the western shore of the harbor. It is famous for its white wooden houses and cobblestone walkaways. The citizens is still living in these wooden houses so be polite, no peeking. Then we have turned our way to the harbor to check it as well.

Gamle Stavanger

Harbor

Next to the harbor you can admire the Stavanger Cathedral. It was only a short walk away from Gamle Stavanger. This is the oldest cathedral in Norway, what was built around 1100. 

Stavanger Cathedral

After that we have visited Ovre Holmegate what is an unique street with many restaurants and bars. The history of the street is connected to the local hairdresser, who dreamed about colourful streets, then her dream turned into reality in 2005. The street was painted by a pallet of pastel colours.

Ovre Holmegate

Moreover if you are museum lovers you Stavanger is your place to visit. You can visit the Norwegian Petrol Museum, the Norwegian Canning Museum etc. Due to the time constraint we have skipped them this time, but next time we will check one of its for sure. 

Day 2

• Boat trip to Lysefjords

• Stavanger's street art tour

Next day we wanted to go for a hike to Kjerag Boulder, but there were only 1 bus/day. Unfortunately there weren't any sellable ticket for the bus. So we chose a boat trip instead of the hike. There were 3-hour trip to the Lysefjords and we saw the Pulpit Rock from below as well. We drank a fresh waterfall water, what was such a unique experience for us.  

Boat trip to the Lysefjords

After the boat trip we discovered the street arts in Stavanger, what were created for the Nuart Street art Festival from 2016. It was such an interesting and unique experience. I highly recommend it, do not miss if you are in Stavanger!

Street art

Day 3

• Hiking to the Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen)

Third day we went for a hike to the famous Pulpit Rock. We got up early to start the hike as soon as possible. To reach the hiking point we had to travel by ferry from Stavanger to Tau, what was a 40 minute-ride. We bought the tickets on the spot, so there is no need to buy it in advance. We caught a bus from Tau to the Preikestolen car park. The bus stop is located next to the ferry stop, it is easy to find. We bought a bus ticket in advance via online, which was more convenient for us as we didn't have any cash with us during this trip.

We started the hike around 10 AM. The trail is 6 km long, ascending with 350 meters what is take 2 hours up and another 2 hours down. It is classified as 'an easy trail', however for a novice hiker like us, it was a tough one. There were lots of up and downs, mini lakes, slippery rocks, constantly changing rainy and sunny weather. It was quite tiring, but the nature and the landscape were amazing and so much beautiful. After finishing the trail, we didn't regret to skip Kjerag Boulder on previous day what is an advance hiking trail.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't really kind to us. It was rainy and foggy, so we didn't have the chance to see the fjords and the sea, therefore we will definitely go back to hike again but not anytime soon. Long story short, it was a really nice hike despite the bad conditions.

Pulpit Rock

Day 4

• Flying back to home

The last day we got up on time and had a great breakfast at our accommodation. Then we were ready to take a flight to go back home.

Costs

Scandinavian countries are expensive, it is a known fact. Here are some example:

• Boat trip to Lysefjord by Rodne Fjord Cruise: 580 NOK/ 58 EUR

• Accommodation: 355 NOK/person/night with breakfast = 35 EUR/night

• 1,5 liter water: 44 NOK = 4,5 EUR

• Eating at McDonalds: 236 NOK/person =23 EUR

However we were lucky with our accommodation because there were takeaway lunch packs what was cheap: 60 NOK/person = 6 EUR. It was ideal for hiking days as it contains 2 sandwiches, 1 apple, 1 yogurt and an orange juice.

We really liked the Norwegian vibes and the amazing mother nature. We will definitely go back sometimes in the future!