13 Best Sights in Southern Norway, Norway

The charm of the city's past is on view in Old Stavanger, northern Europe's largest and best-preserved wooden house settlement. The 150 houses here were built in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Wind down the narrow cobblestone streets past small white houses and craft shops with many-paned windows and terra-cotta roof tiles.

A huge cube with a vertical drop of 2,000 feet, Pulpit Rock is not a good destination if you suffer from vertigo—it has a heart-stopping view. The clifflike rock sits on the banks of the finger-shape Lysefjord. You can join a boat tour from Stavanger to see the rock from below, or you can hike for about two hours to the top on a marked trail. The track goes from Preikestolhytta, where there is a big parking lot.

Sola's beach has 2⅓ km (1½ mile) of sandy beach ideal for windsurfing and beach volleyball. Other prime beach spots, with sandy beaches, some that are even longer, just go farther south. You will find Bore, Hellestø, Refsnes, Orre, Ogna, and several more. They are all called Jærstrendene, named after the region. For families, Ølberg, Vigdel, Vaulen, Godalen, and Viste Stranden in the region are great spots. But you will need a car to most of these beaches, as public transport isn't that good. On the plus side, to Ogna and Brusand you can take the train from Stavanger. Highly recommended. The distance from Stavanger to Ogna is about 60 km (37 miles).

Founded in the late 1200s, Utstein is the best preserved medieval monastery in Norway. Public transport to the abbey isn't that good, so it's best to rent a car. By bus or car it's about a half-hour trip north of Stavanger on a coastal highway. If you rent a car to get to Utstein, you can also take in the medieval ruins and Stone Age rock carvings on nearby Åmøy Island as well as Fjøløy Fyr, a lighthouse.

With a perfectly preserved interior, this 19th-century manor house feels as if the owner has only momentarily slipped away. The building is an outstanding example of what the Norwegians call “Swiss-style” architecture, and also has some elements of the Norwegian National Romantic style. It was built in 1882 by the Norwegian merchant and shipowner Lars Berentsen.

From the 1890s to the 1960s, canning sardines and other fish products was Stavanger’s main industry. This fascinating museum, in a former canning factory located in scenic Gamle Stavanger, recounts what it was like to live here during that period. Occasionally the public can take part in the production process, sometimes tasting newly smoked brisling. After extensive renovations, they also changed the name and included the Norwegian Printing Museum. 

Although it’s a reconstruction of an Iron Age farm, Jernaldergården feels like the real thing because the newly built structures have been positioned on the original foundations. Relics such as a Bronze Age gravestone have been discovered here, and more research is underway. Taste some mead, the Vikings’ favorite drink, or have breakfast or lunch on wooden benches in front of roaring fireplaces.

A very popular attraction in Stavanger, the breathtaking Lysefjorden is best seen by boat. Along the way you can take in famous sights, like the sheer cliffs of Pulpit's Rock and the balancing act of the Kjerag Boulder. 

Resembling a shiny offshore oil platform, the dynamic Norsk Oljemuseum is an absolute must-see. In 1969, oil was discovered off the coast of Norway. The museum explains how oil forms, how it's found and produced, its many uses, and its impact on Norway. Interactive multimedia exhibits accompany original artifacts, models, and films. A reconstructed offshore platform includes oil workers' living quarters—as well as the sound of drilling and the smell of oil. The highly recommended museum café, by restaurateurs Bølgen og Moi, serves dinners as well as lighter fare.

This art museum sits by the lovely Lake Mosvatnet, about 3 km (2 miles) from the city center. Its holdings, which cover the early 19th century to the present, include an extensive collection of works by Lars Hertervig (1830--1902), a great romantic painter of Norwegian landscapes. The Halvdan Hafsten Collection has paintings and drawings created between the world wars.

Housed in the only two shipping merchants' houses that remain completely intact is Stavanger Maritime Museum. Built between 1770 and 1840, the restored buildings trace the past 200 years of trade, sea traffic, and shipbuilding. Visit a turn-of-the-20th-century general store, a merchant's apartment, and a sailmaker's loft. A reconstruction of a shipowner's office and a memorial are also here, as are two 19th-century ships, the sloop Anna af Sand, and the Colin Archer yacht Wyvern, moored at the pier.

The site where Norway was founded has been memorialized by these three huge bronze swords, designed by artist Fritz Røed and unveiled by King Olav in 1983. The memorial is dedicated to King Harald Hårfagre (Harald the Fairhaired), who through an 872 battle at Hafrsfjord managed to unite Norway into one kingdom. The Viking swords' sheaths were modeled on ones found throughout the country; the crowns atop the swords represent the different Norwegian districts that took part in the battle.