Stavanger essential sights

Explore Stavanger's evolution from a medieval fishing port to the world's petroleum capital. This collection features the Norwegian Petroleum Museum and the Canning Museum, highlighting the city's defining industries. Historical sites include the reconstructed Iron Age Farm at Ullandhaug and the 19th-century mansions of Breidablikk and Ledaal. For panoramic views across the North Sea and Ryfylke, visit the Valbergtårnet fire tower or the Ullandhaugtårnet telecommunications tower.

Carlos Delgado / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Norwegian Petroleum Museum

The Norwegian Petroleum Museum is located in Stavanger, Norway.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

Broken Chain

A monument by Johannes Block Hellum commemorating the 123 victims of the Alexander L. Kielland oil rig disaster in 1980.

Wolfmann / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Norwegian Canning Museum

No matter how bizarre it sounds, this museum is well worth your attention: it is a preserved factory that once employed half of the city.

Jarvin / CC BY-SA 3.0

Stavanger Museum

Stavanger Museum is a museum of natural and cultural history established in 1877, located in the Norwegian city Stavanger.

Wolfmann / CC BY-SA 4.0

Museum of Archaeology Stavanger

Visit this museum to see fascinating archeological artifacts coming from different times of Norwegian history.

Jarvin / CC BY-SA 3.0

Stavanger Maritime Museum

Located in 18th-century harbor warehouses, this museum documents 200 years of maritime history, shipping, and trade through exhibits and restored sailing vessels.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

Jernaldergarden på Ullandhaug

A reconstructed farmstead from the Migration Period (350–550 AD), featuring longhouses built on original archaeological foundations with traditional hearths and sod roofs.

Valbergtårnet

A former fire watchtower constructed between 1850 and 1853. It served as the city's main lookout point for spotting fires in the wooden town center.

Ullandhaugtårnet

A 64-meter-tall telecommunications tower built in 1964 on a hill 135 meters above sea level, providing 360-degree views of Stavanger and the North Sea.

Helge Høifødt / CC-BY-SA-3.0

Breidablikk

An exceptionally well-preserved mansion from 1881, showcasing Victorian architecture and original interiors belonging to merchant and shipowner Lars Berentsen.

Maurizio Curione / CC-BY-SA

Norwegian Children's Museum

Visit the largest collection of toys in Norway. Not only are they on display, but children can actually play with some of them!

Ledaal

Built around 1800 as a neoclassical summer estate for the Kielland family, this manor now serves as a museum and the official royal residence in Stavanger.