7 winter tips for bons viveurs in the Stavanger region's fjord cities

You will not be found on some mountain top every minute of the hour with a dog, partner and kids in tow. If this sounds like you, it's safe to read further! An urban winter break can offer a soft adventure, yet with fun activities for all.

1. Food adventure and a luxury hotel in Stavanger

Experience Norway's only gourmet restaurant with two stars in the MICHELIN Guide Nordic. Yes, we are talking about amazing RE-NAA! Staying at Eilert Smith Hotel, this architectural gem of a hotel in the middle of Stavanger is an experience in itself. Still, the fact that you also secure two seats at a two-star MICHELIN restaurant makes the experience complete. The package must be ordered three weeks in advance.

Other Stavanger hotels with that little something extra:

• Radisson Blu Hotel Atlantic
• Hotel Victoria
• Clarion Hotel Stavanger

2. Find serenity in Sandnes

In Sandnes, experiences are easily accessible in the city centre. For example, stay at Gamlaværket Hotell & Restaurant; a great, historic hotel that is also a commemoration of the city's history. The building was formerly a brick factory and formed the basis for the brickworks and pottery industry in Sandnes. At this hotel, you live majestically in large, airy rooms, where all rooms are unique. Perhaps a suite tempts you? With a four-poster bed, jacuzzi and high ceiling, you can enjoy lazy days.

Should you feel like venturing out of your room, the Langgata pedestrian street is close by. Shopping is a favourite pastime on this street.

You won't go hungry for long in Sandnes either. Several good restaurants can be recommended; the hotel has its own restaurant that offers fine, local food. If you are a sushi fan, Sabi Sushi Sandnes is a perfect choice.

In the evening, head over to the ODEON cinema Sandnes with its comfortable luxury theatre - sink into comfortable chairs and watch a film!

3. Cruise into the fjords from Stavanger

Take a refreshing fjord cruise to the Lysefjord! It is an absolute must when you are in Stavanger. Just the right level of activity for those who like lazing around, that is. You can concentrate on snapping great photos of spectacular fjord landscapes from the deck. The fjords are still accessible in winter, often showing themselves from a more dramatic side.

Rødne Fjord Cruise sails from the centre of Stavanger on cruises to the Lysefjord and Preikestolen all year round. The three-hour fjord cruise offers great experiences for all ages.

The cruise makes stops at sites such as Fantahålå (the Vagabond's Cave), where the tax evaders hid from the police in the old days. You get to see Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), where Tom Cruise climbed the sheer rock wall in the film Mission Impossible 5 before the tour continues to the mighty waterfall, Hengjanefossen, where you risk getting a fresh shower of water in your face (if the waterfall is not frozen to ice)!

4. Small-town charm in the footsteps of literature

A short break at Jæren can be really nice. If you are also more than average interested in cultural and literary history, you have the opportunity to learn more about the poetics couple Hulda and Arne Garborg. Arne Garborg was a renowned writer from Bryne and a patron for one of the two national languages in Norway (Nynorsk). At Bryne, visit the Garborgsenteret, a tourist centre for the couple's writing. Garborgheimen at Undheim, Arne's childhood home, is also a museum today. So is Knudaheio, which was the couple's resort and writing space. Both Garborgheimen and Knudaheio are only open in summer but don't fret, try the digital Garborgløypa (Garborg trail) on your smartphone, everything outdoors along the trail is available all year round (and yes, that involves a bit of trekking in a field or two).

In the very centre of Bryne, you'll have a great stay at Bryne Kro & Hotell. The generous and typical regional hospitality is a given. The hotel also has a restaurant called Heldigvis (which translates to, fortunately). They listen to their guests and have a real love for the food industry (fortunately!) combined with a good dose of professional dignity. The food is made from scratch, which you can tell by the taste. Try your luck at the hotel's golf course if you feel the need to get that heart pumping. And who knows, maybe today is the day you hit the perfect "Albatross" or "Hole in one"?

On your visit, don't miss the world-famous street art work "Lovers" by Pøbel, also found in the centre of Bryne. Pøbel has furthermore been successful with the mural of the football idol Erling Braut Haaland! Erling Braut Haaland is a very well-known and sought-after Brynebu (Brynebu: Someone originating from Bryne).

Hotell Jæren is another accommodation option at Bryne, a modern hotel with a children's room with a TV and toys for the toddlers to keep them busy while you and your partner find a nice place in the lobby, preferably in front of the fireplace with something warm in your mug. They also have scrumptious food in the hotel restaurant Matbaren at Hotell Jæren.

5. Winter fun, but without the snow

Combine urban comfort with unexpected winter activities. You are fine with exerting a small level of physical winter activity? And you sort of enjoy ice skating? However, you cannot be bothered searching all over the region for that one lake with thick enough ice to skate on. And you don't own skates (other than the ones you used at the age of 12 that today give you blisters). We have good news. Not far from Stavanger, you can rent skates and go ice skating. And should you venture even more out of your comfort zone, you could even try curling and climbing. You might even manage to send one snap to your friend or family group where your cheeks are wonderfully rosy (!). But do hurry back to the city's amenities with cafes, restaurants, museums, street art and shopping.

6. "Okka by" – Egersund

If you wondered, "okka by" means our town, but this does not mean that it could not also be your town for a couple of days. Egersund has a warm and inviting centre with wooden housing from around 1750-1800. It is recommended to visit the area called Haugen, also called Egersund's medieval town. As you would expect, the city has a historic hotel where you shall want for nothing. The Grand Hotell Egersund has a unique architecture and proudly poses in the middle of the city. If you choose a junior suite, you will also satisfy your comfort gene, with all the conveniences for a relaxing stay.

The restaurant at the hotel, Eigra kitchen & bar, should not be underestimated. By concentrating on local ingredients such as fresh, crisp vegetables and beets from Jæren, fish and shellfish from local fishermen and fish receptions, cured meats and other meats developed together with local farmers and food producers, they bring you tasty and nutritious food on the table.

If you are travelling with your partner, you can try a love package at the hotel. Or do you have the entire family in tow? Test the hotel's packages, but be aware - if you have a touch of the lazy: Prepare for some physical exertion if you choose the activity packages.
Do you need a little more relaxation after the activities? Take a dip in the sea followed by soothing steam in the sauna of Coastal Adventures on the quay in Egersund.

7. Small, accessible walks

City life and chill at the hotel are all good and well, but do you feel that you need some space to breathe? And just a tad more steps on the pedometer, after all? You can actually find promenades for even the most pronounced couch potato. The strolls are of course merely a stone's throw away from the city centres in the Stavanger region:

• Blue promenade is also technically slap bang in the centre of Stavanger. It is particularly nice in the evening, as first then you'll see why the walk is named in the way it is. The walk is illuminated with blue lights.
• A little further stone's throw away from the Stavanger city centre is the walk that most locals will know. You can walk from the city centre to get to the hike around lake Mosvatnet. This is an easily-walked path with the possibility of several stops along the lake. You wouldn't want to wear yourself out of course, so resting along the trail is allowed.
• The planet trail at the park, Sandvedparken is one of several smaller hiking paths in Sandnes. For a walk that central, you will be amazed at how rural it feels with bird songs and clucking from the creek. It is a green lung that Sandnes can be proud of. The park itself stretches 3,5 kilometres along the stream Storåna from Sandnes centre to the lake Stokkalandsvatnet. Follow the planet trail where you walk along the planets to get a sense of the distances in real life. It is an exact replica of the solar system on a scale of 1:1 billion.
• The walking path along a historic site at Hafrsfjord is within 10 minutes from Stavanger by car or bus. The bay, Møllebukta at Hafrsfjord, is a popular recreational area, with walking pathways both northbound and southbound. They are illuminated and therefore also accessible at night. A highlight of the hike is the memorial site for the famous Viking battle of Hafrsfjord, Swords in rock.
• Bryne also fostered other artists than just writers. Most known is the sculptor Fritz Røed. His largest art piece is the Swords in rock (just mentioned above), however, in the centre of Bryne, you can also witness his artwork in the sculptor park, Fritz Røed Skulpturpark. It shows 10 different pieces symbolising freedom, consideration, joy, peace, hope and joy of life. The walk in the park is a walk that everyone can take.
• In Egersund, a nice area for a walk with a minimum of big arduous romps; Vannbassengene; is the city's unique outdoor area, located east of the city centre. With its small ponds, paths, light trail and vegetation, the area bears its name rightly (translates to "the water pools").
  

There you go. The hotel room next! Do not exaggerate your hiking escapades either.