A beautiful coastal strip stretching from Skien, at the mouth of the Telemarkskanalen canal, west of Stavanger, is the southern tip of Norway. Here you will find the carefree idyll of the Norwegian holiday landscape – charming towns with white-painted houses and busy harbors., hot rocks and the shouting of gulls, salt sea and wooden boats. For many Norwegians, warm and sunny days on the South Norwegian skerries are a complete definition of a holiday.
Risor, Grimstad and Lillesand to perełki, with many others, lying along the south coast, where people cheat all summer long, to participate in wooden boat festivals, cultural events, and laze in their summer houses. For centuries, many artists have been inspired by the provincial idyll of southern Norway, as well as the coastal landscape. One of them is the world-famous painter Edvard Munch.
Numerous port towns along the southern coast flourished during the sailing ship era in the 19th century, thanks to intensive sea transport, fisheries and trade. Traces of these golden times can be found in the beautiful mansions of local shipowners and merchants, and also in large commercial buildings.
Kristiansand is the largest city in the Sorlandet region, a was founded by Christian IV as a fortress city in 1642 year.
West, near Kristiansand, lies the Mandal, the southernmost city in Norway, and driving a little more west and you will reach the southernmost point of the country, do Lindesnes. Hence it is 2518 kilometers to the northernmost point of Norway, North Cape.
Before you get to Stavanger, you will be enchanted by the beautiful coastal plain, Jaeren, which stretches out into a rough sea. Here is also the second-longest sandy beach in Norway, Orrestranden. Among endless sandy beaches, some of the most fertile agricultural areas are situated.
Stavanger is Norway's fourth largest city, additionally called the Oil Town, as it is the center of Norwegian offshore exploration and production.
The white and intimate old town is located around the Vagen harbor and is a must see, before the journey towards the majestic fjords of Norway begins.
Blindleia is an idyllic haven, lying between Lillesand on land and the surrounding islands.
The massive "giant cauldrons" under Risor are among the largest in Northern Europe. Once upon a time it was believed, that the trolls cooked food in them, but nowadays they are used more for bathing.
Jacht Colin Archer pod Risor. Colin Archer was Norway's most accomplished boat builder at the end of the 19th century. He developed a new type of boat, which were resistant to difficult sailing conditions.
The "Swords in the Rock" historical monument was erected in memory of the battle’ under the Hafrsfjord in the 9th century – one of the biggest and most important battles in the Viking era, where the first king of Norway, Harald Fairhair, he defeated the local rulers and united Norway into a kingdom.
An intimate old town in Stavanger, the fourth largest city in Norway (ok. 124 000 residents), it lies on a hill sloping towards the port.
Norway's oldest lighthouse lies at Lindesnes and has long been a deadly hallmark of all sea traffic to and from the Baltic Sea.