Walking Stavanger: Three Easy Routes
Stavanger’s centre is flat enough that three walks cover most of what visitors want to see. None needs a ticket, and wet cobbles are the main hazard, so choose shoes with grip.
Route one: harbour to old town
Start at Vågen, the inner harbour. Quays such as Strandkaien and Skagenkaien front the old warehouses, and the Maritime Museum stands at Nedre Strandgate 17 to 19. Climb the lanes of Gamle Stavanger, where roughly 170 white wooden houses date from the 18th and 19th centuries. These are lived-in homes, so do not enter gardens or look into windows. IDDIS, the canning and printing museum, is on the route, and the 170 NOK MUST day ticket covers it (Museum Stavanger ).
Route two: Fargegaten and street art
Walk from Vågen to Øvre Holmegate, the street known as Fargegaten, where the building fronts are painted in strong colours. It is the opposite of Gamle Stavanger’s all-white look. Bøker og Børst at number 32 combines a bookshop and bar, and Hanekam is another bar on the street. Opening hours vary, so check them that day.
From here the Nuart festival’s murals spread across the city. The festival began in Stavanger in 2001, and guided tours and a self-guided route exist. Tour dates change, so see nuartfestival.no . Tou Scene at Kvitsøygata 25 in Storhaug, a former brewery, serves as an arts venue.
Route three: the Hafrsfjord shore
For a longer walk, a path of nearly 9 km follows Hafrsfjord, within the municipalities of Stavanger and Sola. It passes Sverd i fjell at Møllebukta, where three bronze swords about 10 metres tall stand in the rock. Fritz Røed made the monument, and King Olav V unveiled it in 1983 to mark the battle of about 872. It is free and always open. A Kolumbus bus can take you to or from the monument, and the line and timetable are on kolumbus.no .
Cathedral stop
Add the cathedral to any of these routes. Visitor entry is 75 NOK, and hours differ with services and events, so see domkirkenogpetri.no . The church dates from about 1125 and reopened after restoration on 25 August 2024.
Mountain walks are a different thing
Preikestolen is 7.6 km return with 330 to 350 metres of climbing, and no fence guards the top. Kjerag is 11 km with chains. Both belong in a day-trip plan rather than a city stroll.
Browse Stavanger walking tours for guides.
Read more: Stavanger sightseeing and the 2 day Stavanger itinerary .