Southern Norway - Norway - page 220

Tourist Office TOURIST INFORMATION
( 38 27 83 00; www.regionmandal.com ; Bryggegaten 10; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat &

Sun Jun-Aug, 9am-4pm Mon-Fri Sep-May)
The tourist office is situated on the waterfront.

Getting There & Away
The Mandal Rutebilstasjon lies north of the river, just a short walk from the historic dis-
trict. The Nor-Way Bussekspress coastal route between Stavanger (Nkr390, 3½ hours) and
Kristiansand (Nkr110, 45 minutes) passes through Mandal two to four times daily.

DON'T MISS
HERE WERE VIKINGS

From the 8th to the 11th centuries, Norway's coastline was the domain of Vikings, but the
cape at Lindesnes, where the waters of the Skagerrak and the North Sea collide, proved a
challenge even to these formidable seafarers. Their solution? In a spirit of creative engin-
eering that Norway's road builders would later emulate when faced with daunting geo-
graphic forms, the Vikings carved a canal across the Lindesnes Peninsula at Spangereid
(once a home port of Viking chieftains) to avoid the dangerous seas of the cape. In sum-
mer 2007, a replica canal was opened to re-create the Viking detour.

Lindesnes

Why go north when you can go south? At the almost 'polar' opposite to Nordkapp (some
2518km away) is Lindesnes, the southernmost point in Norway (latitude 57° 58' 95” N).
Lindesnes (literally 'arching land peninsula') provides an occasional glimpse of the power
that nature can unleash between the Skagerrak and the North Sea. On calm days, the series
of intricate rocky coves that twist and turn their way around this snake-like coastline are
incredibly enticing.

Sights