Stavanger Cruise Port

Stavanger, Norway

The Norwegian city of Stavanger is one of the most popular cruise ports in the country for both cruise ships and cruisers thanks in part to its location in the southwest of the country and the fact that it has many great attractions for those visiting.

Acting as the perfect starting or ending point for ships visiting Norway and its fjords from Northern Europe, Stavanger features on a wide variety of itineraries for most lines that visit Norway. It is famed for its Swords in Rock statue and for the beautiful wooden houses that make up much of the western side of the town centre.

One of the best aspects of visiting the city is its cruise dock, which is located right in the heart of the city centre and right next to the Gamle district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and thanks to those protections, the city centre of Stavanger remains relatively compact and easy to explore on foot.

In this guide we take you through all that you need to know about visiting the port on a cruise which is based on our own experiences of visiting the cruise port of Stavanger and also on the research we did before visiting there.

Cruises To Stavanger

Our Visit

We have been fortunate enough to visit the city twice on a cruise holiday, firstly in 2019 and secondly in 2022.

On our first visit there, we called our call into the port was our first stop of a journey to the Norwegian Arctic and to take in the midnight sun.

We were sailing onboard the Norwegian Spirit cruise ship, pre its modernisation, where we sailed from the port of Southampton on a 2-week itinerary of both the Norwegian Fjords and the Norwegian Arctic.

Our second visit there was on a 7-night cruise, again from the port of Southampton, but this time it was a shorter cruise of the fjordland region onboard the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship.

2019 Visit

Our first visit to the city was somewhat spoilt by the fact I injured myself just before setting sail and would be on crutches.

That limited what I could do but it was still an enjoyable visit as we walked, or hobbled in my case, to the city’s main park which features a large lake and after resting up for a bit, we continued to walk through the town centre, called into a few shops and then I went back to the Vagen harbour to rest up.

Whilst I was there my wife continued to explore the town and visited its fortified tower come folly, before wondering around the pristine white houses of the Gamle district.

2022 Visit

After missing out on so much during my first visit there, I was grateful to get the chance to visit the city relatively soon after and with no restrictions, we set out for a day of exploring.

That started by walking form the ship to the cities bus station to take the number 16 bus out to the famous Swords in Rock statue.

After walking around the small park, the statue is found in on the banks of Mollebukta Bay before getting the bus back to the city centre.

From there we waked around the park, round the main shopping areas before I got to take in the cities historic tower then the Gamle district I missed out on seeing at first hand the first time we visited the port.

Stavanger Cruise Guide

In this cruise guide we bring you all that you need to know about visiting the port of call based on our own research and our own experience of visiting the cruise port of Stavanger in Norway.

If you have already booked a cruise that calls into the port, this guide should help you make the most of your time onshore whilst if you are still at the research stage and want to decide if a visit to Stavanger is right for you or not, this guide should contain all that you need to know about the port and to see whether it is the type of cruise port you like to visit.

Type of Cruises Available

The port of Stavanger is only a port of call cruise port, with no turnaround facilities but thanks to its location as one of the first ports of call for ships sailing between Northern Europe and Norway, it features on a good range of cruise itineraries, offering a range of different types of cruises.

The first option is round trip itineraries that set sail from popular ports in the north of Europe including the likes of Southampton, Rotterdam and Copenhagen.

These trips usually are shorter ones that visit the Norwegian fjords, or they are longer one that head further north to the Norwegian Arctic, with those itineraries been especially popular in the height of summer when visitors can experience the midnight sun.

Another popular type of cruise is to choose a repositioning itinerary that goes between continental Europe, or the UK and usually Reykjavik in Iceland, although there are some itineraries that will also offer a transatlantic journey to either Boston or New York.

The last option is to take the famous Norwegian coastal service offered by the likes of Hurtigruten that set sail from Bergen.

Stavanger Cruise Port Location

The port offers one of the best cruise dock locations of any European port, in our opinion at least, as you dock right in the heart of the city centre, next to the beautiful houses of the Gamle district and within easy walking distance of most of the port’s key attractions.

When busy, some ships will dock at the other side of the harbour, but you still within walking distance of the town centre.

Our favourites ports ofc all ar ethe ones where you can simply walk off your ship and stroll around your destination.

Not only dies the port of Stavanger offer just that, but it also gives you an incredible vantage point for taking in the views of the city and the mountains and fjords that surround it.

Stavanger Cruise Facilities

The port has few facilities aside from a relatively large car park for excursion buses and a tourist information office.

With Stavanger only been a port of call and thanks to its city centre location, that is all you really need from a port such as Stavanger.

Stavanger Attractions

As the third largest city in Norway, it probably not too surprising that the city has a lot to offer visitors other than its natural beauty and the general friendliness of the locals.

For the cities cruise dock, you are just a short stroll from one of the cities main attractions, the Gamle district, which is a UNESCO Heritage list part of the old town of Stavanger that features rows of historic wooden houses that are 99% white but with the odd blue house.

As you walk around the cobbled streets of the district, you will see the beautiful flowers that adorn many of the houses, take in the incredible and contrasting views from this luxury part of town across the to the fortified tower at the other side of the harbour and once in a while, you will see your cruise ship.

That tower, the Valberget Utsiktspunkt is also an attraction in its own right and whilst it does now host a museum, it is simply worth taking the walk up the hill to for the view area at the foot of the tower that offers great views over the harbour, towards your ship and of the Gamle district.

The city is also home to a number of museums including the Norsk Oljemuseum, a museum dedicated to the oil industry that much of the modern wealth of the city has been built on.

Its historic wealth was built around the fishing industry which can be explored in the Cannery Museum located close to where you ship docks.

Amongst smaller museums in the city are a Maritime museum, a Children’s museum and a museum dedicated to Archaeology.

The city has a vibrant shopping district that is also home to several cafes, bars and restaurants, with many of them housed in multi coloured building.

A lot of the buildings are also adorned with large works of art of quality graffiti with the Ovre Holmegate street well worth a walk along.

Just behind the pedestrianised city centre is the cities Byparken, a small but beautiful park with a large lake, some statues and a church.

From the park, it is just a short walk from the historic Stavanger cathedral.

Running down one side of the harbour you dock in, is the Skagenkaien district, which features a range of historic buildings with ties to the city’s maritime past, although most are now bars and restaurants.

Stavanger Shorex

There are also a range of excursions that can be enjoyed when visiting the port but whilst all of these can be booked via your cruise ship, the majority can also be easily done by yourself or by booking directly with the local companies offering them thanks to you docking so centrally.

A coach ride out to the Swords in Rock is one of the cheapest and excursions you can do that takes you away from the town centre but as already mentioned, this can be done for just a few £’s via public bus.

There is a Hop On Hop Off bus that goes from near the cruise dock and takes you around the city, although it should be said that many of its attractions are in the main pedestrianised area of the city that makes it difficult for buses to get to.,/p>

The city sits at the entrance to the Lysefjord and there are a number of boat rides along it that can be booked as an excursion or from an office just a short stroll from the cruise dock.

Amongst the options available are sighting tours and more adventurous ones onboard a RIB, but both types will take you past the famous Pulpit Rock.

For those wanting to brave the views from the top of the Pulpit Rock, most lines will offer coach trips to it, although you will need to hike up quite a steep hill.

For those with the funds, a way to take in the Pulpit rock, the Lysefjord and the whole of the surrounding area of the city is to take a helicopter ride from the small Stavanger airport.

Best Time To Visit Stavanger

Stavanger can be visited all year around, although the options in winter are more limited.

The main cruise season for the city is between late April and early October, and if you visit early in the season the mountains around the city will likely still have snow on the top of them, but for us the best time to visit is during the summer months.

It can get crowded in Stavanger and other destinations you visit during August so I would recommend visiting during late June or July as that should give you some warm and dry weather to help make the most of your time onshore.

Transport

If you are just wanting to visit the city centre and the bulk of the city’s attractions, you can simply stroll around Stavanger right form the cruise dock without the need for transport.

For those with mobility issues, it is easy to jump onboard a Hop On Hop Off tour bus from near where you dock.

If you want to explore the region on your own, the city is well connected by bus and by rail. Both are located within walking distance of your cruise ship, with buses offering the chance to visit the Swords in Rock sculpture and trains offering a scenic journey to the nearby Sandnes.

Stavanger Cruises From UK

If you want to visit the port of Stavanger directly from the United Kingdom on a cruise holiday, the great news is that not only can you do just that, but the UK is actually one of the best connected for cruises to the city.

Stavanger Cruises From Southampton

For the widest range of itineraries, ships and lines sailing between the UK and Stavanger, it is the port of Southampton that cruisers should look at.