6 Overlooked Spots in Stavanger

September 2, 2026

Preikestolen and the Cathedral get most of the attention, but these 6 spots are worth building extra time into a Stavanger trip for.

1. The Flørli 4444 stairs

A wooden staircase of 4,444 steps climbs from the Lysefjord’s shore to the Ternevatnet reservoir above a 1918 hydroelectric station, widely said to be the world’s longest wooden staircase. The village of Flørli itself is roadless, reachable only by passenger ferry, and now has just a handful of permanent residents after the power station was automated in 1999.

2. Sverd i Fjell

Three bronze swords, the tallest 10m, stand sunk directly into rock at Hafrsfjord, commemorating the 872 battle in which Harald Fairhair unified Norway. Sculptor Fritz Røed unveiled them in 1983; they’re set into solid rock specifically so they can never be removed, a peace symbol most visitors photograph without knowing the full backstory.

3. Valberg Tower

A 19th-century watchtower above the harbour in the old town centre (exact build date, verify), Valbergtårnet is now a small, low-key viewpoint over the Vågen and the rooftops of Gamle Stavanger, a short detour from the main old-town route.

4. The Iron Age Farm (Jernaldergården)

Near Ullandhaug, a reconstructed Iron Age farmstead shows Rogaland farm life from roughly AD 350-550 (verify exact period framing), a quieter, more hands-on stop than the city’s better-known museums.

5. Flor og Fjære

A flower-and-herb garden island near Stavanger, reached by boat, runs as a seasonal summer attraction combining garden tours with a set-menu lunch. It’s an easy half-day that most first-time visitors never hear about.

6. Utstein Abbey

Norway’s best-preserved medieval monastery, on the island of Klosterøy, dates its present building to the 13th century under King Magnus VI and is reachable in about 30 minutes via the undersea Byfjord tunnel. It’s a genuinely quiet counterpoint to the busier Preikestolen trail, and easy to fold into a Ryfylke-region day.

Getting to these

Valberg Tower and Sverd i Fjell are both accessible without a car, a short walk or bus ride from the centre. The Iron Age Farm is a short bus ride out to Ullandhaug. Flørli, Flor og Fjære, and Utstein Abbey all need a boat or a longer drive, so pair one of them with a Ryfylke day rather than trying to add all three at once.

For the headline sights these pair with, see our things to do guide , and for the best angles to photograph them, see our photo spots guide .