Stavanger may be the most international city in Norway. Situated in the southwest corner of Norway, it has a mild climate and excellent conditions for farming, fishing, and even wine growing in Ryfylke, which is a beautiful fjord landscape inland from Stavanger.
Its designation as the European Capital of Culture in 2008 confirmed Stavanger’s position as an art and culture destination with a special focus on street art thanks to the annual Nuart Festival. On a walk around the city, you will discover modern street art in the form of both large and small murals, sculptures, art galleries and exhibitions by local artists.
Stavanger was home to a thriving canning industry in the early 1900s. A walk through the streets of Old Stavanger takes you to the Norwegian Canning Museum, where you can see how sprats were smoked and packed and labelled with hundreds of the famous, artistic siddis labels.
You can visit eight museums under Museum Stavanger on the same ticket, visit the Stavanger Art Museum, visit the Iron Age Farm at Ullandhaug, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum or you can delve into the city’s maritime history at the Stavanger Maritime Museum.
Stavanger is a Mecca for food lovers. The gourmet restaurant RE-NAA has three stars in the Michelin Guide. The dishes are created by the Norwegian, and internationally, acclaimed chef Sven Erik Renaa, who uses the best local produce and is inspired by distinctive dishes from the Stavanger region.
If you can't secure a seat at RE-NAA, which has to be booked well in advance, Stavanger has many other gourmet options. You can enjoy what may well be Norway’s best sushi at another MICHELIN-star restaurant, Sabi Omakase, or at its sister restaurant Sabi Enso, run by MICHELIN chef Roger Asakil Joya. Spiseriet has set the bar high in the foyer of Stavanger Concert Hall – an architectural gem in the city centre. Many people will have taken note of the established restaurants Tango, Fisketorget and Fish & Cow around the harbour area, or the newly established K2, Angr and Bellies in the east part of the city, to name just a few.
Spending a night in Stavanger is also a treat, with a range of excellent hotels, for example, the boutique Eilert Smith Hotel, housed in the same functionalist style building as RE-NAA.