Contents

1. Contents
2. How to get to Sommarøy
3. Things to do in Sommarøy
   1. The Views from Ørnfløya
   2. Visit Sommarøy’s Beaches
   3. Enjoy the Aurora Camps
4. Other Important Information about Sommarøy in winter
5. Where to stay in Sommarøy

How to get to Sommarøy

Sommarøy is just a short drive from Tromsø, the entry city to this wonderful island. You can hire a car from the airport in Tromsø and arrive here in just over 1 hour. Alternatively, you could book transport with a local driver or tour company if you’re not confident driving yourselves in the snow.

The drive between Tromsø and Sommarøy is fairly straight forward as the roads are well maintained and kept relatively clear. That said, it is still important to be mindful when driving in winter and a 4×4 might be a good choice.

The drive is incredibly scenic, and Mum and Dad even saw a reindeer at the side of the road!

Things to do in Sommarøy

The Views from Ørnfløya

One of the most magical spots on the island is at the top of Ørnfløya. Hiking up is a common thing to do in winter and Mum and Dad completed the hike independently, having been provided with snow spikes by their hotel. The hike does require a level of capability, given that it’s quite strenuous and at times depends on ropes to get up (and down). For Mum and Dad they didn’t quite make it to the top, but the views were stunning nevertheless.

Visit Sommarøy’s Beaches

The beaches of Sommarøy are absolutely gorgeous. There are lots of them all around the island’s perimeters which you can drive around to enjoy.

Enjoy the Aurora Camps

Sommarøy has lots of places to watch the Northern Lights, and they have camps where you can drop in for coffee, tea, biscuits and soup in little wooden huts with seats and tables draped in blankets and flags. You can then nip in and out to watch the lights.

Other Important Information about Sommarøy in winter

Sommarøy’s winters are no doubt beautiful, but the sun never truly rises meaning it’s also incredibly cold. Be prepared for temperatures well below 0, meaning base layers, thermals, big coats and spikes and poles for walking. The short days also mean there’s not a whole lot of time to fit things in, so make sure you’re only planning one big thing per day.

The roads are well maintained in winter, and largely cleared of snow, but it’s still important to be careful when driving. It’s definitely recommended to hire a 4×4 during the winter months for additional safety.

Where to stay in Sommarøy

Mum and Dad chose to stay in the 4-star Sommarøy Arctic Hotel. It features a number of guest rooms and suites in the main hotel building, as well as individual cabins on the seafront. It’s a peaceful hotel, with lots of views out to the sea, as well as a lovely onsite sauna which can be used for free, and the option for dips in the local freezing fjord!

What do you think of Sommarøy? To me it’s so beautiful and well worth seeing in winter, but you do have to be prepared to be completely freezing the entire time! I hope you enjoyed my Mum and Dad’s posts from Norway – stay safe and happy travelling!

It proved to be so much colder than England, that actually returning to England felt like the warmth they needed so I suppose the logic worked somehow. Whilst in Tromsø, they had lots of adventures and I’ve used their photos and experience to pull together a perfect 3 day itinerary for a magical winter break to best enjoy the magic of the city.

Let’s go!

Contents

1. Contents
2. What you need to know about Tromsø
   1. How to get to Tromsø
   2. Language, Currency & Time Difference
   3. Temperature in Tromsø in winter
   4. Light in Tromsø in winter
3. A Perfect 2 day Itinerary
   1. Day 1: Polar Fjord Cruise, Cable Car
      1. Polar Fjord Cruise
      2. Fjellheisen Cable Car
   2. Day 2: Dog Sledding, Polar Museum, Northern Lights Tour
      1. Dog sledding
      2. Polar Museum
      3. Northern Lights Tour
   3. Day 3: Tromsø Town, Reindeer Ride
      1. Tromsø Town
      2. Reindeer Ride
4. Have a little Longer?
   1. Snowmobiling
   2. Other Boat Cruises: Whale Watching, Northern Lights Catamaran Cruise
   3. Sommarøy

What you need to know about Tromsø

How to get to Tromsø

The easiest way to get to Tromsø is by air, with direct flights from London Gatwick, and lots of connecting options via Oslo and Bergen, two of Norways’ main travel hubs. You could also combine Tromsø with a longer Norway visit, and connect in via train or boat from other northern Norweigan towns and cities.

Language, Currency & Time Difference

The national language is Norweigan, but English is very widely spoken. Currency is the Norweigan Kroner (not the Euro), and the time difference to the UK is +1hr.

Temperature in Tromsø in winter

January is the coldest month of the year, and temperatures can dip to -14 °C (7 °F), however the daily average temperature in Tromsø during winter are relatively ‘mild’ for its location and ranges from -5°C up to 0°C. You will definitely need to pack warm clothes including base layers, thermal everything and very strong and sturdy gloves. Many tour companies provide the outer suits, but you need to make sure you’re well protected underneath.

Tromsø’s location is very favourable for snowfall, which is quite frequent during the winter months. The highest depth of snow is usually seen in April and in April 2019, the snow reached an impressive height of 150 cm (60 inches), while in April 1997 it reached a staggering 240 cm (95 inches).

Light in Tromsø in winter

During the winter in Tromsø, nights are long. Sunrise is around 9-10am, and sunset is around 2-3pm. It means there aren’t many hours of light in the day (and even during day time the sun never rises fully and properly), and you have to factor that in to your plans. That said, the permanently rising or setting sun during daylight hours creates gorgeous colours in the sky.

A Perfect 2 day Itinerary

Day 1: Polar Fjord Cruise, Cable Car

Polar Fjord Cruise

Start your time off in Tromsø with a cruise on the fjords. They are truly beautiful in winter with the sky lighting up all kinds of colours in the low morning and evening light. Mum and Dad sailed with Capella, who offer a variety of cruises, and chose the Polar Fjord & Fishing Cruise option (they didn’t catch anything!) which lasted from around 10am-3pm.

On the cruise they saw a sea eagle and a moose, and were served a home made salmon soup by chef Thomas, as well as having free coffee tea and biscuits all day. Also along the way they passed old tunnels in the mountains leading to hidden storage areas used during WW2!

It was so cold on the cruise that it was hard to take photos, and they had to really layer up – but the views were beautiful and they loved the experience, being one of their favourite things to have done in Tromsø.

Fjellheisen Cable Car

To finish off the day, head up the cable car for amazing views out across Tromsø. It’s so beautiful, especially with all the twinkly lights below. There is also a nice little restaurant at the top to stop and enjoy some food or drink.

Day 2: Dog Sledding, Polar Museum, Northern Lights Tour

Dog sledding

This morning, start the day with another unique experience – husky sledding. This was again one of Mum and Dad’s favourites of their stay, being picked up from their hotel and taken around 30 minutes outside of the city to Tromsø Villmarksenter, home of the Arctic huskies.

They went on a sleigh with Sarah (the drivers of the sleighs are known as ‘mushers’), pulled by 10 dogs. Each litter of dogs is named after a film or books and Mum and Dad’s were Game of Thrones themed and called things like Stark and Drogo! I love that the dogs even get little boots to protect their paws.

The rides are super fast as the dogs are used to racing and can easily run over 500km in competitions. The route was beautiful and scenic with a permanent sunrise on the horizon. You also get to go to the kennels and meet the huskies, as well as receiving hot drinks and some cake around a firepit. A truly magical winter experience.

Polar Museum

After arriving back in Tromsø for around 1pm, there is time to spend the afternoon exploring the Polar Museum, which is well worth it to learn more about the area. The museum covers so much history, including trapping seals, polar bears, Polar expeditions and so on (the favourite item was the ancient chess set). There is also a lovely little shop on site, and it was a nice place to warm up from the cold for an hour or two.

Northern Lights Tour

To finish off the day, it’s time to head to see what the area is most famous for – the Northern Lights! Now full disclosure, this is the text I received from Mum “Northern Lights what an anti climax and a con”.

To the naked eye for Mum and Dad, they looked like a pale long thin grey line, and only through the camera did they look green! Now, it was later learned that if there is an electromagnetic storm you can see the colours with the naked eye, but mostly they look like grey clouds.

Day 3: Tromsø Town, Reindeer Ride

Tromsø Town

Spend your final day exploring Tromsø itself. It has a beautiful old town area and lots to offer – make sure you see Tromsø harbour, the church, cathedral, alpine botanic garden and some of the museums (you can choose from the troll museum, art museum and various others).

It’s easy to spend a good few hours taking in the town and enjoying some tasty hot cocktails as you go – don’t miss Raketten, Tromsø’s smallest and most historic bar! You may also want to visit Polaria, the world’s most northerly aquarium where you can feed the bearded seals.

Reindeer Ride

Finish off your Tromsø trip with another special Arctic experience – a night reindeer ride! To be honest, the reindeer rides are a bit of a tourist trap, but are fun to do nevertheless. You get to feed the reindeer, ride around in the sleigh pulled by them for a short circle, and then have an evening meal in a hut whilst learning about the Norwegian Sami culture. The Sami information was really interesting, and learning about the history and modern life trying to preserve the culture was fascinating.

Have a little Longer?

There are so many activities to enjoy in Tromsø, so here are some more ideas if you have longer than 3 days. Please remember you can’t fit loads in to one day because of the daylight hours!

Snowmobiling

Again, full disclosure – Mum and Dad didn’t love snowmobiling because they were hard to steer and quite a few people did come off them, plus the travel distance was long to get there. However if you’re confident to give it a go, then it is a fun adventure. Mum and Dad went with Best Arctic to the Lyngen Alps and (sort of) enjoyed a day jetting around.

Other Boat Cruises: Whale Watching, Northern Lights Catamaran Cruise

It’s worth mentioning that my Mum and Dad had a few other activities booked in Tromsø which haven’t made this list because they were cancelled. They had a whale watching cruise planned, but the sea was too choppy to go out. They also had a Northern Lights Catamaran cruise planned but cancelled for the same reason. Looking at the reviews online, these look like amazing options of ways to spend a day in the city and see something a bit different.

Sommarøy

Sommarøy is so unbelievably beautiful and if you’re visiting Tromsø and have some time to spare, it’s worth a night or two to enjoy its hiking, beaches and views for a couple of days. It’s here you can also go sea kayaking.

You can read my guide to Sommarøy HERE.

All in all, Mum and Dad had such an experience visiting Tromsø, and learnt and enjoyed so much. Their highlights were the husky sledding and the boat cruise, and the northern lights were a disappointment. The hardest thing about the trip was the cold – having to be wrapped in so many layers for so long, and not being able to take photos or do things freely was difficult. The fact that taking gloves off even just for a few minutes led to frost bite, and that it was permanently freezing to the bone, made it less enjoyable though was an experience in itself.

What do you think of Tromsø and this Arctic adventure? Would you like to do it? Thanks so much to Mum and Dad for sharing their photos and opinions – stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

Getting to Bergen from the UK is really easy – it’s a quick 2 hour flight so makes for the perfect weekend getaway destination. Though because of that it is incredibly touristy, and if you want the fjords without the crowds, then places such as Norheimsund, Stavanger or Balestrand may be more suited to you.

If you choose to visit Bergen though, here are 10 fun things to do in the city – all manageable in a long weekend visit.

1. Bryggen

Bryggen is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Bergen harbour, designated as a UNESCO world heritage site.

In around 1350, an office of the Hanseatic League was set up in Bryggen, and the wharfs developed as the merchants moved in to the area – initially the warehouses were used to store fish and cereal. Because the buildings are wood, they are susceptible to fire damage and in 1702, the buildings belonging to the Hanseatic League were damaged by fire. They were rebuilt, and some of these were later demolished, and some were again destroyed by fire, before being transferred to Norweigan citizens in 1754. As of today around 25% of the buildings pre-date the fire of 1702, but most are from the later era.

2. Fløyen Mountain

The most accessible mountain surrounding Bergen is Fløyen, which is close to the city centre. It’s connected to the town by a funicular, Fløibanen, that will take you to the top in less than eight minutes. Once at the top, you are free to enjoy spectacular views of Bergen and the surrounding landscape. You can then either hike further up in to the mountains, or take a leisurely walk back down again.

3. Fjord Cruise

As Bergen is very much connected to the fjords surrounding it, there are several cruise companies stationed in the city, eager to show you the wonders of the famous Norwegian landscape. One of the most spectacular is a visit to Hardangerfjord.

The round trip from Bergen starts by taking the scenic Bergen Railway to Voss. From Voss you continue by bus to the charming village of Ulvik, and pass the Steinsdalsfossen waterfall. From Ulvik you embark on a beautiful boat trip on the Hardangerfjord to Eidfjord. Once in Eidfjord, you can visit the incredible Voringsfossen, as well as visit the Norwegian Nature Centre in Hardanger. You then head back to Bergen.

Norheimsund and Steinsdalsfossen

This is a full day tour, so if you don’t want to dedicate a full day to the fjords, you could get on a smaller half day fjord boat ride that leaves from Bergen harbour.

4. Bergen Fish Market

As the busiest port in the country, it is only natural that Bergen is the place to go for seafood. Take a trip to the outdoor Fish Market, one of Norway’s most-visited outdoor attractions, which offers an abundance of fish, shellfish, fruit, vegetables and hand-made crafts for you to buy…and eat!

5. Fantoft Stave Church

One of the unique expressions of the Norwegian national heritage can be seen in the careful ornamentation of the beautiful stave churches. Fantoft Stave Church was built in 1150 but was completely destroyed in a fire in 1992 – the suspected work of notorious murderer Varg Vikernes. The church, as it exists today, is a reconstruction but is still very much a spectacular example of early Norwegian design and heritage.

6. St Mary’s Church

St Mary’s Church is in the Bryggen area, near to the Rosenkrantz tower complex in the oldest part of the town. It is the oldest existing building in Bergen dating from 1130-1170 and interestingly is an Anglican church, belonging to the Church of England (!). The Anglican Chaplaincy serves English-speaking communities in four major cities across Norway as well as the village of Balestrand.

7. Troldhaugen

Built in 1885, the Troldhaugen was the home of Norway’s most famous composer, Edvard Grieg. Troldhaugen today serves as a museum, aiming to document Grieg’s life through exhibitions in the house, and in his Composer’s Hut where he created some of his greatest works. You can see his piano, visit his grave or listen to his music in the concert hall.

8. Sailors Monument

Norway has a long seafaring tradition and this monument honours those people who have crossed the seas from Norway, from the Vikings to today. There are sailors along the base and the ships they sailed on the upper plaque.

9. St John’s Church

St John’s Church is a parish church of the church of Norway, and was built between 1891-1894 in the cruciform design. It seats about 1,250 people which makes it the largest church in Bergen. It’s a nice place to pop in to as it’s lovely inside as well.

10. Hanseatic Museum

This museum is in one of the conserved wooden buildings within Bryggen. The museum covers the Hanseatic League era in Bergen, from the period in which the German guild of merchants created an overseas office at Bryggen in 1360.

The present building was re-constructed after the fire in 1702, and the museum was started in a building owned by the merchant Johan Wilhelm Olsen in 1872. There is an authentic trading room in the museum including a merchant’s office, sleeping places for the boys and a guestroom.

So there you have it – thank you for reading about a few of the amazing things to do in Bergen. I hope this post has been interesting, or helpful if you’re planning to visit Bergen one day. Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

Contents

1. Contents
2. Important Balestrand Information
   1. How to get to Balestrand
   2. Language, Currency & Time Difference
   3. Weather in Balestrand
   4. Where to stay in Balestrand
3. Balestrand itinerary for 1, 2 or 3 Days
   1. Itinerary Day 1: Balestrand Town & RIB Boat Ride
      1. Explore Balestrand town
      2. Visit St Olav’s Church
      3. Take to the water on a RIB boat ride
   2. Itinerary Day 2: Raudmelen Hike
   3. Itinerary Day 3: The Glacier Museum & The “Book Town”

Important Balestrand Information

How to get to Balestrand

The closest airport to arrive at is Bergen, a wonderful gateway city in to Norway’s fjords. From Bergen it’s easy to hire a car and drive the 3.5hrs out to Balestrand. Balestrand is also often combined in a round loop itinerary from Bergen exploring Norway’s fjords, including other stops such as Norheimsund and Stavanger.

Language, Currency & Time Difference

The language in Norheimsund is Norwegian, but English is very widely spoken. The currency is the Norwegian Kroner (not the Euro), and the time difference is +1hr to the UK.

Weather in Balestrand

The weather in Balestrand always comes with a threat of rain, with every month in the year having 11-18 days of rainfall. October to January are the most rainy months. During the winter, temperatures hover around 0°C, and highs in the summer reach around 15°C. Daylight hours during the summer months are long, though in the winter sunrise can be around 10am, and sunset by 3pm.

Where to stay in Balestrand

Kvikne’s Hotel is the main place to stay, and one of the most famous buildings in the village. The hotel was really popular in the early 1900s following the multiple visits of Kaiser Wilhelm II prior to World War I. The hotel even still has the chair he used on his visits!

Balestrand itinerary for 1, 2 or 3 Days

Itinerary Day 1: Balestrand Town & RIB Boat Ride

Explore Balestrand town

Balestrand is a small place, but lovely to stroll around – walk around the harbour area for beautiful views out to the Fjords, check out the little aquarium, or pop in to the Norweigan travel museum as an introduction to your stay in this lovely part of Norway.

Visit St Olav’s Church

The church that was inspiration for Frozen! This church is the setting for Elsa’s coronation scene. This is an Anglican church, built in 1897 as an imitation of a stave church (medieval wooden churches). Nearby you can also visit a Statue of King Bele (a present from the aforementioned Kaiser Wilhelm II) and the charming Cider House is a nice lunch stop too.

Take to the water on a RIB boat ride

After lunch, take a Balestrand Fjord Adventures 2 hour RIB boat ride to explore the fjords. RIBs are guided power boats and they are quite the ride, especially over choppy waters. Definitely wear a life jacket and be prepared to be flung about…not for people with really bad backs or bad motion sickness! BUT the views are epic and worth the crazy ride.

Itinerary Day 2: Raudmelen Hike

To hike to the major view point in Balestrand will take up most of the day, so don’t try and cram anything else in and end up too exhausted. There are a number of signs in Balestrand centre leading to the ‘nature trails’. One of the more popular ones is known as Kreklingen which consists of six trails. These trails are colored coded and easy to see along the routes. The orange trail is the easiest and only a kilometer in length. The longest and more challenging is the Raudmelen which is only five kilometers long (but feels much, much longer because of the gradient), and gives the most epic views.

This enables you to visit the view point where the three fjords meet below (Fjaerlandsfjord, Esefjord and Sognefjord) alongside Balestrand. Breathtaking.

Itinerary Day 3: The Glacier Museum & The “Book Town”

The fjords of Norway are truly spectacular, and this day tour with Balestrand Adventure helps you learn a little bit more about their history. This tour first of all takes you from Balestrand Harbour to Mundal (the book town). Mundal is also the point where the glaciers meet the fjord and a short bus ride will take you to the Norweigan Glacier Museum and Climate Centre.

Here you can learn more about how how ancient glaciers formed the fjords of Norway and how climate change is impacting the country. A really worthwhile trip to finish off your last day in Balestrand.

Thank you for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my guide to a stay in Balestrand. Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

Contents

1. Contents
2. How to get to Norheimsund & how long is needed in Norheimsund
3. Important Information about Norheimsund
   1. Weather
   2. Language, Currency and Time Difference
4. Norheimsund 2 day Itinerary
   1. Itinerary Day 1: Fjord Trip, Maritime Centre & Steinsdalsfossen
      1. Fjord trip
      2. the Hardanger Maritime Centre & Museum
      3. Steinsdalsfossen
   2. Itinerary Day 2: Glacier Hike
5. Have a little Longer?

How to get to Norheimsund & how long is needed in Norheimsund

The easiest way to get to Norheimsund is to fly in to Bergen, and then hire a car to drive the 1hr 15 minutes to the town. Alternatively, it’s also a great stop if you’re doin the cross-Norway adventure of Oslo to Bergen.

The amount of time needed in Norheimsund depends on your interests. If you just want to look out at the lovely Fjords you could visit on a day trip, but if you want to do some of the beautiful hikes and take a bit more time to see the sites, 2 days gives enough time to do so.

Important Information about Norheimsund

Weather

The weather in Norheimsund always comes with a threat of rain, with every month in the year having 11-18 days of rainfall. October to January are the most rainy months.

During the winter, temperatures hover around 5°C, and highs in the summer reach around 20°C. Daylight hours during the summer months are long, though in the winter sunrise can be around 10am, and sunset by 3pm.

Language, Currency and Time Difference

The language in Norheimsund is Norwegian, but English is very widely spoken. The currency is the Norwegian Kroner (not the Euro), and the time difference is +1hr to the UK.

Norheimsund 2 day Itinerary

Itinerary Day 1: Fjord Trip, Maritime Centre & Steinsdalsfossen

Fjord trip

Norheimsund sits on the amazing Hardangerfjord, which is the second largest fjord in Norway. Start your time in Norheimsund by getting out on the water, whether by boat tour or by kayak – a boat trip will be around 2 hours and a kayak tour about 3.5 hours.

the Hardanger Maritime Centre & Museum

Norheimsund has a rich boat making tradition, and this museum keeps the tradition of boat building alive. You can even try your hand at making rope, though we were terrible at it!

Steinsdalsfossen

A 40 minute walk out of the town there is a beautiful waterfall which you can actually walk behind, called Steinsdalsfossen. It’s a lovely spot for an afternoon stroll, though it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway so be ready for some crowds in the peak tourist months.

Itinerary Day 2: Glacier Hike

Today is a full day trip to visit Folgefanna, a glacier which you can hike up. Lots of tour companies run trips here, including Fjord Tours, who run a 9 hour excursion to the glacier.

To get there, you ride a Catamaran away from Norheimsund over the fjord to Herand, and then take a (very scary) coach ride to a ski resort. You then get kitted out with ropes, ice picks and helmets and are sent to walk 200m up the ski slope. At the top, they speak through how glaciers are formed and then you walk on a few sections of the glacier. It was fun to do and a unique experience, but it really would have been better to get on the ski lift and spend more time at the top instead.

Have a little Longer?

Norheimsund is a great base to explore a bit more of the local area, so if you have longer than 2 days in town then I recommend taking a road trip across the fjord by car ferry and cross to Jondal, Tesenarsstaden, Utne, Kinarvik and Herand. These are beautiful, scenic drives through apple orchards, fruit farms and fishing villages, so is perfect for a relaxed day of enjoying the amazing scenery and nature around.

This also then enables you to see the fjords of Utnefjord, Sorfjord and Eidfjord, as well as take in the incredible Voringfossen waterfall. You can also then drive back to Norheimsund via the Hardanger bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world.

Thanks for reading! Has this post inspired you to go in search of the fjords? Have you already been? Let me know in the comments below! Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

Contents

1. Contents
2. Stavanger Information
   1. How to get to Stavanger
   2. Language, Currency & Time Difference
   3. Weather in Stavanger
3. Things to do in Stavanger
   1. Pulpit Rock
   2. Old Town (Gamle) Stavanger
   3. Valberg Tower
   4. Swords in the Rock
   5. Fargegaten

Stavanger Information

How to get to Stavanger

You can fly directly to Stavanger Sola airport from the UK on Norweigan Air, and the airport is about 15 minutes outside the centre of Stavanger. You can combine a visit to Stavanger with a road trip to Oslo round the coast, or a road trip to Bergen exploring all the fjords.

Language, Currency & Time Difference

The language in Stavanger is Norwegian, but English is very widely spoken. The currency is the Norwegian Kroner (not the Euro), and the time difference is +1hr to the UK.

Weather in Stavanger

The weather in Stavanger always comes with a threat of rain, with every month in the year having 11-18 days of rainfall. October to January are the most rainy months. During the winter, temperatures hover around 5°C, and highs in the summer reach around 18°C. Daylight hours during the summer months are long, though in the winter sunrise can be around 10am, and sunset by 3pm.

Things to do in Stavanger

Pulpit Rock

Stavanger is often a stop on people’s itineraries to take a day trip to one of Norway’s most famous sites – Pulpit rock (Preikestolen). It’s a steep cliff almost 2,000ft high above the fjords, with a completely flat top offering epic views. It is one of the most visited tourist sites in Norway and a magnet for BASE jumpers who leap off the cliff! The hike to the top is about 2 miles.

Unfortunately, as you can see, we didn’t get the best weather… We definitely didn’t get the epic views, though you can just about make out my mum in the photo!

Old Town (Gamle) Stavanger

This is the historic part of the town, with all the preserved wooden houses. It’s beautiful with all the flowers in the window boxes so is a lovely area to stroll around.

Valberg Tower

The Valberg tower was the former observation tower of Stavanger, and the Watchmen of Stavanger lived there. One of their duties was to alert the people when there was a fire. There is a lovely little museum in the tower, and beautiful views from the top.

Views from the tower

Swords in the Rock

Swords in the Rock is a monument located by the Hafrsfjord which is where Harald Fairhair united Norway as one kingdom in 872. The three swords symbolise peace, unity and freedom. The monument was unveiled in 1983, and is about an hour’s walk from Stavanger amongst more beautiful fjords.

Fargegaten

This is a street in town which is known for being colourful and home to lots of nice restaurants, bars and cafes. Again it is made up of wooden houses, and a lot of them are painted in fun colours.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this post interesting as a whistle-stop tour of Stavanger. You can also read my other Norway guides here:

• Norheimsund
• Balestrand
• Bergen

Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!