Cycle Route Kristiansand-Ålesund

Kristiansand is the capital of Vest-Agder County, Norway. With 90,000 inhabitants, it is the fifth largest city of Norway, and one of the southernmost ones. The city has had a cathedral since 1885, and a university since 2007. The city has many challenging offers for active tourists.

Understand

Kristiansand is the largest city in South Norway, and is located between Oslo and Stavanger.

Kristiansand is located on Norway’s southern Skagerrak coast and has long been a favourite summer holidays spot amongst Norwegians. The sea and surrounding fjords are great for recreational activities like fishing and sailing. Kristiansand is the business city and the cultural capital of Southern Norway. Nicknamed “the coolest riviera” by the media, it is a modern city with a cosmopolitan history.

The city is also nicknamed "Norway's flower town" because of the many planted flowers that characterize downtown. Kristiansand offers many attractions and sights, many are especially aimed at families with children.

Few other cities have such a large and varied offer of accommodation as Kristiansand.

See

• ⊙Fiskebrygga (The Fish Quay/The Fish Market) (Southwestern part of the town centre Kvadraturen.). There is still a fish market here, but there are also several, mostly maritime, restaurants around the central waterfront. During summer, locals arrive in their boats and anchor up here. Lovely place for an ice cream.  
• ⊙Posebyen. is what's left of Kristiansand's old town. It still occupies several blocks on the eastern part of the town centre. Here you can still see small, white, single-storey, wooden houses occupy a whole block. Very peaceful just a few minutes' walk from the busy shopping streets.  
• ⊙Christiansholm Fortress (at the Boardwalk). This small fortress was completed in 1672, and was for two centuries used for military purposes, as protection of the eastern port. It has only been in war once, in 1807 when the city was attacked by British Royal Navy ships. It is today used for many purposes and various events, exhibitions, concerts and conferences.  

Museums

• ⊙Odderøya Museumshavn, Nodeviga Marina at Odderøya, ☎ +47 38 120350. The maritime museum and port at Odderøya was opened in July 2015, and marks the long traditions of Kristiansand as a seafaring city. On the hill behind are some ocher and red buildings that have history as a fortress and as a plague hospital. (updated Jun 2015)
• ⊙Vest-Agder Museum Kristiansand, Vigeveien 22B (Bus to Bjørndalssletta), ☎ +47 38 102680. is an open-air-museum that consists of a mainbuilding and about 40 other buildings, collected from the counties of Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder and Kvaderaturen, Kristiansand's old town. In the museum, you will also find miniature models of Kristiansand from late 19th century and a cafè.  
• ⊙Arkivet (Foundation with museum exhibition), Vesterveien 4, ☎ +47 38 107400. MO-SA 10AM - 3PM, closed sundays. Gestapo headquaters: This is a current centre for peace and human rights. The building has a creepy history. During World War II, the local headquarters of Gestapo was located there. Many Norwegian opponents of the horrible Nazi regime were imprisoned there and were subjected to cruel torture, some were sent on to concentration camps and many lost their lives in the struggle for resistance. The museum exhibition takes you back to the crime scene of the 1940s. Adults NOK 80, Children NOK 40, Families NOK 200.  
• ⊙Agder Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden. and Gimle Gård are two museums, located at Gimle, east of river Otra. In the natural history museum and botanical garden you will find a collections of flora, examples of the fauna and minerals of South Norway in very lifelike exhibitions and rich minerals deposits. Gimle gård is a former mansion, now a museum.  
• ⊙Sørlandet's Art Museum (SKMU) (2 minutes walk from the cathedral), Skippergata 24 B, ☎ +47 38 074900. Is an art gallery with permanent and changing exhibitions. Varied works of art, own children's club. (updated Oct 2017)

Churches

• ⊙Kristiansand Cathedral (Kristiansand domkirke). In the Neo-Gothic style, by the square in the very center of town is one of the largest cathedrals in Norway. Beautiful inside and worth visiting.  
• ⊙Oddernes Church (east of river Otra). The oldest church in the area was built in the 11th century. Rune stone from when the church was built is moved into this beautiful, old church  

Eat

Restaurants

Budget

• ⊙Håndverkeren, Rådhusgata 15 (Just beside the town hall), ☎ +47 48 887844. Restaurant house that offers affordable, traditional Norwegian food, taproom and concert venue. Sunday Buffet from 189 kr. 

Mid-range

• ⊙Barbarossa Restaurant Bar & Scene, Vestre Strandgate 23. Closed on Sundays, extended opening hours Fridays and Saturdays. Varied menu. Here you can order from traditional Norwegian cuisine to dishes from remote areas. For the cheapest dishes, order from the week's menu. Live music and DJ on Fridays and Saturdays, Varied prices. 
• ⊙Bønder i byen, Rådhusgata 16, Øvre torv (at the square), ☎ +47 91 147247. Traditional Norwegian food, meat or fish 
• ⊙Måltid, Tollbodgata 2B, ☎ +47 47 833000. Intimate restaurant with a menu based on local ingredients. 

Splurge

• ⊙Sjøhuset, Østre strandgate 12 A (Is situated on a pier near the Nupen Park), ☎ +47 38 026260. Daily: 11AM-11PM. Is Kristiansand's main seafood restaurant. 
• ⊙Pieder Ro, Gravane 10 (By the fish market (Fiskebrygga)), ☎ +47 38 100788. M-F: 11:30AM-11PM, Sa: 4PM-11PM, Su: 1PM-11PM. Serves very nice fish dishes as well as the more traditional Norwegian dishes, excellent quality and very nice location just southwest of the city center at the small harbour area near the fish market.