Attractive and friendly,Â
Stavanger offers visitors arriving on an MSC cruise a variety of activities. Starting from a visit to the town itself, that has aÂ
centre full of shops, narrow streets climbing up the hill and anÂ
attractive cathedral.
You should walk around the old part of town facing the sea where yourÂ
cruise ship will be anchored. InÂ
Stavanger you can enjoy visitingÂ
museums. Amongst the most interesting area the oil museum, the canning museum, the Rogaland art museum or the children's museum.
Take a stroll in the environs of Stavanger instead to explore theÂ
23 iron figures that form theÂ
"Broken Column"Â a sculpture by Antony Gormley. InÂ
Hafrsfjord look for theÂ
three swords in the rock, a monument celebrating the Vikings' battle of 872 A.D. led by King Harald I. Nearby is theÂ
Jærmuseet science centre, elected theÂ
"best museum in Norway" in 2009. But the region of Stavanger is known especially for itsÂ
fjords and in particular theÂ
Lysefjord.
The mountain walls drop almost aÂ
thousand metres vertically along the 42 kilometres of coast, for that is the depth of the sea in
this narrow passage. An excursion on the waters is an experience you won't forget. Also because from here one can admire one of the most famous attractions in Norway, the Preikestolen (the Pulpit), a rocky outcrop soaring 600 metres above the fjord. With an hour and half's walk from the driveway you can reach this exceptional work of nature .
Another tourist attraction is Kjerag, a peak rising 1100 metres above sea level that dominates the Lysefjord, with its northern face plummeting into the sea. But it's a little lower down, at about 980 metres that you find a natural masterpiece generated by the elements: the Kjeragbolten, a massive rock jammed between two rock faces.
The excursion takes up most of the day, but the awesome spectacle is worth the effort.
