The Hidden North
North European travel guide
self-guided walks
Stavanger City Centre & Gamle Stavanger
Follow this self-guided walk around Stavanger’s downtown area and historic Gamle Stavanger neighbourhood.
What you get
Historic overview of Stavanger (with photos of what the city used to look like)
Link to a Google Map that can be loaded into your phone for easier navigation
Clear directions with English & Norwegian names of places, addresses, and step-by-step guides
Photos of each point of interest
This guide is 12 pages and comes in a PDF format.
Stavanger, Norway's Oil Capital
Stavanger is Norway’s fourth-largest city and home to the oil industry. While much of the city has a modern feel, Stavanger is in fact one of the oldest cities in Norway. It was a known settlement during the Viking Age, and Stavanger Cathedral is regarded as the oldest and best-preserved cathedral in Norway. This walk will take you past the major highlights of the city as well as through the beautiful Gamle Stavanger neighbourhood.
Trip Highlights
- See Stavanger Cathedral, the best-preserved cathedral in Norway
- Wander through the 'Colour Street'
- See Stavanger's historic Gamle Stavanger neighbourhood
Distance
3km (2 miles)
Activity Level
Level 2 – some stairs, some hills.
Start Location
Torget
End Location
Stavanger Tourist Office
Itinerary
This is a summarised itinerary. More stops are included in the walk.
Torget
Torget is the central point of Stavanger and therefore a fitting place to start a walking tour. Throughout Stavanger’s history, the square has been an important gathering place and market place.
Kongsgård Royal Estate
Kongsgård is the site of a historic royal residence. The first buildings on the site are believed to have been constructed around the year 1100, roughly the same time Stavanger Cathedral was built. The original buildings were wooden, but they were replaced with brick buildings at the beginning of the 13th century.
Stavanger Cathedral
Stavanger Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Norway and is also the cathedral that has retained its medieval appearance to the greatest extent and the only one that has been in continuous use since the 14th century.
Norges Bank
This is where one of the most famous crimes in history took place. The NOKAS bank robbery is the biggest-ever heist in Norway.
Arneageren
Arneageren is a public square. It is home to the culture house, which was built in 1987. The culture house has various galleries, cafes, kiosks, a cinema, and an art school for kids.
Østervåg
This is the city’s main street. The name roughly means ‘East Bay’ and refers to the stretch of sea nearby. Østervåg was the natural harbour for scheduled shipping traffic and the fishing fleet. The bay area used to have shipyards.
Valberget
Valberget Viewpoint is the site of the city’s old fortress.
Gamle Stavanger
The oldest and best-preserved neighbourhood in Stavanger is Gamle Stavanger (‘Old Stavanger’). Here you’ll find around 200 wooden houses that date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The neighbourhood was built up as a result of rich herring fishing, shipping and shipbuilding, and Stavanger had a huge population growth as a result. This was primarily a working class neighbourhood.
Example of what the guide looks like.