Heading to Stavanger or Sandnes on holiday with children? We give you some good tips for a successful trip, for both young and old. Rogaland has a lot to offer children of all ages.
Stavanger er en flott by, med mye å oppleve. Et kompakt sentrum med trange, bilfrie gater gjør det ekstra koselig å vandre rundt. Stavanger er kjent for sitt uteliv, noe som også bør oppleves. Våre Stavanger-hotell har gode forbindelser til kollektivtransport og muligheter for parkering ikke langt unna.
Child-friendly activities in Stavanger
Norwegian Children’s Museum
The Norwegian Children’s Museum opened in 2001 and was based on Per Inge Torkelsen’s own toy collection. This is a cultural history museum about children’s culture and childhood history, and the museum has various activity exhibitions and play environments for children of all ages.
Fargegaten
The charming wooden houses in Fargegaten are painted in bright colours, and there is a bustling nightlife with art shops, cafes and shops. The street was closed for traffic in the autumn of 2005 and has since then become an attraction in Stavanger. The area is located on Øvre Holmegate.
The Petroleum Museum is full of great activities and experiences for children and young people. Here, the children can play on the Småtroll platform, watch 3D cinema, slide down an evacuation chute, see models of oil platforms and learn about Norway’s oil history. This is perhaps most interesting for children over six years of age.
Vitenfabrikken
For the younger ones, we can also recommend the Vitenfabrikken in Sandnes. During the school holidays they offer various activities for children, but you will always find fun experiments for both young and old. The public is encouraged to participate and explore, and the aim is to arouse children’s interest in science, technology and mathematics.
The Iron Age Farm
Join the Iron Age! Jernaldergården is a replica of an Iron Age farmstead where you can learn about life in the Iron Age. When you sit on sheepskin and feel the heat from the fireplace, you can easily imagine the people who lived there 1,500 years ago. The farm is about 3 km from the centre of Stavanger.
Stavanger outdoor swimming pool Gamlingen
If you like swimming, Gamlingen is for you. The outdoor pool also has a gym, a cafe, three saunas, a children’s pool and a 25 metre pool. The swimming facility is located at Mosvangen and is open all year round.
Månafossen and Friluftsgården Mån
One of Rogaland’s most beautiful waterfalls, Månafossen, can be visited from Eikeskog. If you walk on for another half an hour from here, you will come to Friluftsgården Mån. The old mountain farm has been restored and in the basement there is a heated room and a historical exhibition. There are 30 beds in the new building for those who want to stay overnight.
Photo: Stavanger Tourist Association
Beaches
In the summer there are many beautiful beaches to visit, including the town beach Badedammen, an artificial pond where seawater is pumped in. Here you will find a small sandy beach, toilets, two piers, a slide and barbecue.
Geopark
Nearby you will find the Geopark, a gigantic playground. The playground is built with elements from the oil industry and is designed as a footprint of the formation of the Troll Gas Field in the North Sea.
Ajaxparken
Ajaxparken is the city’s newest playground and is a five-minute walk from Thon Hotel Maritim in Stavanger. The playground features a large shark, tiger and a seven metre tall giraffe. All the animals are inspired by Noah’s Ark.
Kongeparken
Kongeparken is the largest amusement park in Western Norway, and in 2015 the park had more than 250,000 visitors. Kongeparken is located along the E39 and features attractions such as roller coasters, carousels, a climbing park, railway, go-kart track and tilting tower.
Child-friendly hotels in Stavanger
Thon Hotels has two hotels in Stavanger city centre and one hotel in Sandnes. Breakfast is included in the price of all our hotels in Norway.
At Hotel Sandnes we also offer apartments with up to two bedrooms and a separate kitchenette, as well as parking. The hotel is located close to the Kvadrat shopping centre and the centre of Sandnes, and only 15 minutes from Kongeparken Park. Free evening meals are available Monday to Thursday.
Brand new Thon Hotel Stavanger offers colourful surroundings and you can enjoy evening meals in the hotel’s guest lounge included in the room price. This can be a good offer for parents who don't want to go out from the hotel in the evening to look for a child-friendly restaurant. Late check-out is also possible until 6 pm, so no reason to worry. There are no family rooms at the hotel, but rather spacious double rooms. 15 of the hotel rooms are adapted for the disabled.
Thon Hotel Maritim is located in the heart of Stavanger. The hotel offers good parking facilities and connections to public transport. Here we can offer family rooms with room for up to 3 people. On Sundays, you can sleep in late, as the hotel offers late check-out until 6 pm. At all Norwegian Thon Hotels, breakfast is free with a large selection of hot and cold dishes.
The hotels in Stavanger are both in the heart of the city centre – a short walk to playgrounds, parks and child-friendly museums such as the Geopark and the Petroleum Museum. The hotels are only 15 minutes by car from Sola Beach and approx. 20 minutes from Kongeparken, and the hotel staff also recommend bringing food to barbecue food and visiting Soma Gård, or trying the mountain hikes to Dalsnuten and Månafossen.
Are you planning a family holiday in Bergen? If so, there is no need to worry about the weather. Because Bergen has a lot to offer - even if it’s raining. Here are some of our best tips!
Oslo is niet alleen de hoofdstad van Noorwegen, het is ook de hoofdstad van kinderen. Het aanbod aan activiteiten is groot en er is voldoende te vinden voor kinderen van alle leeftijden.
