Iron Age Farm and Ullandhaug View Point

Travel into the countryside to witness some of Stavanger’s Iron Age and Viking history, then visit a famous district where the lanes are lined with 18th-century wooden houses. Long before its official founding as a city, the sheltered area surrounding Stavanger was an active agricultural and maritime community. A drive out to the reconstructed farmhouses in Ullandhaug provides a fascinating introduction to life here in the thick of the Iron Age, centuries before the Viking king Harald I defeated the last of some 29 regional princes to create the Kingdom of Norway in 872. You’ll even visit a hilltop viewpoint that offers sweeping vistas of Hafrsfjord, the fjord where his nation-founding naval battle took place. On your return to the city, you’ll travel into the historical residential area of Gamle Stavanger to admire Northern Europe’s best-preserved collection of manicured white 18th-century wooden houses, lined up along meandering cobbled lanes. From here, either join your guide for a brief walk through this charming neighborhood that evokes an era when sailing schooners filled the harbor – or stay aboard the coach for a lift back to the pier.

• Wear weather-appropriate clothing, include a sweater or light jacket.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.