SEPTEMBER 2025

One of my must sees on our Norway itinerary was Stavanger. I had seen pictures of cobblestone streets, lined by white wooden houses and it looked so charming. Luckily it didn’t disappoint and I feel in love with the old streets! To be honest, I didn’t do a lot of research before coming to Stavanger, we didn’t do cultural activities, we only wandered around town. Wandering aimlessly is one of the best ways to take in all the vibes a place has to offer. I ran into some great photo spots and in this blogpost I will share those with you. We also found a great campsite within walking distance of the old town, which I would highly recommend.

Where we stayed

We stayed at Mosvangen Camping, which is located at a little lake just outside of Stavanger’s city center. Within 30 minutes of walking you were in the old town. It is quite a lovely walk through charming neighborhoods and a park. There also is a bus that stops at the campsite regularly. Mosvangen has everything one might need at a campsite: a large kitchen & shower area, lots of washing machines and a nice playground. Even though it was fully booked, it still felt like an oasis and all the guests were quiet and relaxed. Unfortunately you cannot book Mosvangen in advance and you have to be lucky to snag a spot in the high season. We arrived at 6PM in the high season and were happily granted a spot. The cost per night for our family & camper van was € 40 per night, which I found reasonable given the quality and location of the campsite. 

Stavanger Instagram spots

This blogpost is not a full Stavanger city guide, but these are just some photo spots that we really enjoyed.

Gamle Stavanger

The absolute best spot for pictures is Gamle Stavanger: The real reason I came to Stavanger. It was much smaller than I expected but the streets were picture perfect. This is an actual neighborhood, where people live, so please be respectful when visiting. The houses were very well maintained, looking perfectly painted and decorated with flowers. It gets crowded pretty early, I would recommend to visit around 9AM. We didn’t visit early in the day, but with a little patience it is possible to get nice pictures.

Fargegaten

Another cute area in the old town are the streets around Fargegaten. Definitely different vibes than Gamle Stavanger as these streets are really colorful. If you want to go shopping and like boutique style shops, this is the place to be. On top of that, lots of cute bakeries and decorated terraces. When people say that Norwegian towns are dead and not atmospheric, they certainly have not been here.

Skagenkaien

This is the old harbor, which is right in the heart of town. The restaurants seemed incredibly touristy and not of great value, but it is a very good spot for people and boat watching. This is also where the Fjord tours start and even cruises stop in this harbor.

Los Tacos

We ended up at Los Tacos for lunch, this is a chain restaurant that you will find in the large cities in Norway. If you love tacos and want to have an informal meal, it is a good spot. There probably are more Instagrammable restaurants in Stavanger, but we went for affordable & cute.