Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BY BOAT
From Bergen,
Flaggruten
(
&
51-86-87-80
) runs an express cata-
maran to Stavanger, taking 4
1
⁄
2
hours and costing 560NOK ($80) for a one-way
trip.
BY CAR
Because of the jagged coastline of western Norway, access by car
from Bergen to Stavanger requires a 149km (93-mile) detour, incorporating
high-speed motorways and three different ferry crossings. It usually takes 6
1
⁄
2
to
7 hours to drive to Stavanger from Bergen. Access in the east from Kristiansand
S is much easier. You continue west from Kristiansand S until you reach the end
of E18.
ESSENTIALS
VISITOR INFORMATION
You can get all sorts of visitor information at
Destination Stavanger,
Rosenkildetorget 1 (
&
51-85-92-00;
www.destinasjon-
stavanger.no). From September to May it's open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm
and Saturday 9am to 2pm. From June to August it's open daily from 9am to
8pm.
CITY LAYOUT
Most of Stavanger's attractions lie within an easy walk of the
historic harbor.
Vågen Gamle Stavanger,
the old town, is on the western side
of Vågen. Ferries to the United Kingdom leave from this point. This historic
harbor is now a colorful marina with two sailing ships at anchor and a fish mar-
ket held daily until 4pm.
Ferries to Haugesund and Bergen depart from the eastern part of town, across
a body of water known as
Byfjorden.
In the center of Stavanger, to the immediate north of the train station, is a
large pond called
Breiavann.
Both the bus and train stations lie on the south-
ern side of this pond, about a 10-minute walk from the main harbor.
GETTING AROUND
Most of the historic central core of Stavanger is walk-
able, which is about the only way to get around unless you take a taxi. The his-
toric town is filled with narrow streets and pedestrian walkways. If you don't
have a rented car, you'll find that local buses fan out to the suburbs, including
such neighboring communities as Sola, the site of the airport. Fares start at
12NOK ($1.70). For more information, call
&
51-53-96-00.
If the weather is fair and you'd like to use a bike to get around, you can secure
rentals at
Nordsjovegen,
Vagsgata (
&
51-66-20-95
), costing 70NOK ($9.95)
per day. If you'd like to do more extensive biking, go to the visitor information
center (see above) and request a
Sykkelkart
or cycling map of the area.
For a
taxi,
call
Norgestaxi Stavanger
at
&
08000
or Stavanger Taxicentral at
&
51-90-90-90.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Stavanger is called festival city or
festivallryen.
Celebra-
tions take place all year. For complete listings at the time of your visit, ask at the
visitor information center (see above). Spring's best festival is
MaiJazz,
begin-
ning the second week of May, when internationally known musicians come to
Stavanger to perform top-quality jazz. Around mid-June the
Great Norwegian
Humor Festival
takes place, with well-known artists performing. There are
revues, street entertainers, and shows for children. The
International Chamber
Music Festival
takes place in mid-August, an event that attracts some of the
world's most acclaimed classical artists to Stavanger. Some 20 concerts take place
within the course of a week. The
Stavanger Wine Festival,
beginning in mid-
March and lasting 10 days, celebrates all things grape.
