I am on the ferry from Stavanger to Bergen and have time (lol 5.5 hours) to write a recap of Copenhagen and Stavanger.
Loved loved loved Copenhagen — so much to see and do and a fabulous public transport network (metro and buses). Never had to use a taxi or Uber.
In Copenhagen I stayed at the Admiral Hotel (cash — stay 3, pay for 2 night special) and loved it. The location was excellent — 8 min walk from the metro station, 3 min walk to Nyhavn and right on one of the canals. My room was a bit warm, but I asked for, and received, a fan, which helped tremendously. Staff was friendly and super helpful; can’t comment on the food because breakfast wasn’t included in my rate so I walked to a Joe & the Juice (which I love) and had granola and oatmeal every morning. The last morning I had to be at the airport for 6am and the hotel packed me a nice breakfast, which I ate on the metro, for no charge.
In Stavanger I stayed at the Thon Hotel Stavanger. It was clean and very comfortable. The design was colorful; the staff were friendly and extremely helpful. Breakfast is included with all rooms and it was amazing. The price was super low and I’d definitely stay at another Thon property (they are throughout Scandinavia). I would recommend them if you are looking for a well-located property that is clean; it is not luxury, so if that’s your vibe, then perhaps the Hotel Victoria. I don’t think there could be a bad location in Stavanger — it’s a small city and very walkable.
My main reason for visiting Stavanger was to hike; I scheduled Kjerag, but the weather looked bad for my scheduled day (and it was — it rained on the hike for 3 hours), so I switched to Preikestolen aka Pulpits Rock. I booked a guided hike with Explore Lysefjord and I highly recommend them. There were 5 of us on the hike and I was the oldest by 25 years. We did the ‘hidden trails’ hike, which involves canoeing across a lake, then hiking up via boulders and steep inclines. It really is hidden — we didn’t see anyone on the ascent. It was hard and I would not recommend it for anyone that isn’t in good shape and comfortable mountain hiking. We trekked through bogs and scrambled up boulders with tiny footholds (no ropes). If I had known how difficult it was I am not sure that I would have gone. But the views going up were spectacular and totally worth it. We took the normal route down, which was super easy. This hike goes over 100 feet higher than Pulpits Rock and the views were phenomenal. For those not familiar with Pulpits Rock, Tom Cruise dangles off the side in MI6.
Pics below.
Baroque gardens behind Fredicksborg
Torvehalln (food market — YUM!)
Christiansborg in the background
Nyhavn at night
Cuteness overload!
Top of Church of our Saviour (look closely to see the lie to get a pic from the top); head there early to avoid lines at the top and on the steep stairs
View from the tippy top of Church of our Saviour
