Stavanger

Stavanger is a port city in southwestern Norway. Cruise ships dock directly downtown, making it a port of call where passengers step off a short walk from the city centre.

The city's official founding year is 1125, the year the Stavanger Cathedral was completed. Most of its architecture consists of 18th- and 19th-century wooden houses protected as cultural heritage. The old quarter, known as Gamle Stavanger, preserves this character well, with narrow cobbled streets lined with colourful timber buildings that house artists' studios and independent shops.

The city has two distinct identities layered across time. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it thrived as a fishing port, particularly for herring canning. Oil was first discovered in the North Sea in 1969, and Stavanger was chosen to be the onshore centre for the oil industry in the Norwegian sector. The city's economy is heavily based on the oil industry and is widely referred to as Norway's oil capital. The Norwegian Petroleum Museum occupies a striking building overlooking the harbour and tells the story of that transformation.

Food matters greatly here. The Gladmat festival is held here annually and is considered one of Scandinavia's leading food festivals. The fish market by the harbour sells the day's catch, and local restaurants serve fresh seafood, game such as reindeer and elk, and traditional open sandwiches. Shopping runs from the small craft sellers and galleries in Gamle Stavanger to larger shopping centres with international brands.

The setting gives Stavanger real appeal for outdoor visitors. The route to Bergen is operated year-round, and the city serves as a gateway to the dramatic Lysefjord and other fjord cruises. These narrow waterways, backed by steep mountainsides and waterfalls, are among Norway's most celebrated landscapes. On The Cruise Globe you can trace the exact routes your ship sailed through these waters.