For Cheap Trips in Stavanger, Use the Bus

If you visit Stavanger and want to see a bit more than just the city center, it will generally cost you money. Boat here, ferry there, ... nothing is for free.

But there is one way to get out of the center for cheap: it is to use the regular Kolumbus busses! Here are 3 ideas for you.

1) Over the Bridge

It is almost impossible not to notice this bridge. Did you know you could walk on it? I generally recommend to take the bus number 4 from city center in the direction of Rosenli and to stop at the first stop after the bridge. Then you can either go down to the level of the sea (there is a small path through the rocks) or simply walk back on the bridge and enjoy the view of the sea and the mountains.

2) Beaches

There are many beaches in Stavanger. Sola beaches being the most well-known ones, but there are others, even easier to access by bus. For example, if you take the bus number 3 to Viste Hageby and stop at the last stop, you will only be at 5 minutes to the sea (ask the driver for directions). It is really easy and there are way less people than at Sola beaches.

Some other possibilities: take line 2 or 3 in direction of Sandnes and stop at Vaulen. Take the Stasjonsveien and it will lead you directly to the sea. Or you could even try the beaches at Mariero. No sand, a lot of rocks but the sea is there.

3) To Rennesøy

This is a fantastic trip and one of my favorite. Take the bus 10 to Rennesøy. It will drive for quite some time (through tunnels and everything) and arrive at Rennesøy (the second or third island). It then drives around the island and back to Stavanger (so you use the bus going in the same direction when you go and when you come back).

The advantage is that the sea is everywhere in Rennesøy and there are generally no tourists. Just stop where you want or even stay in the bus (it would then just be a tour of the island).

Personally I like to stop before the Coop (can ask the driver, I am not sure about the name of the stop) as I am then able to buy some drinks or food, or anything I would want.

Conclusion:
You don't need to pay much to enjoy Nature in Stavanger and this is one advantage of this city. The seas is omnipresent abd you just have to find "your spot".

PS: I must apologize for the lack of pictures. I had taken many for each trip but my PC crashed and I lost all the memory. The photo of the bridge is an old one I had. Sorry for that.

Cheap restaurants in Stavanger

Stavanger is not a cheap city but it is still possible to find cheap restaurants.

1. In the center
Here are some cheap restaurants in Stavanger city center:

• Bacchus: more a café than a restaurant but serves food. Review
• Renå Xpress: sandwiches, salads, ... Website, Review
• Naree Thai: Thai food, especially cheap for lunch. Website (in Norwegian but the menu is also in English), Review

2. In Pedersgata
Pedersgata is your best bet for cheap restaurants. Most are Take Away, but you can also eat there. Here are some examples:

• Cafe 24: Turkish food, pizza, kebab, burgers... Website (isn't working now), Review 
• Original Thai Take Away: Thai food. This is not a fast food restaurant. It will take time to get your food but the result will be nice.
• Far East Take Away: Chinese food, quite successful in Stavanger. Website

Cheap hairdresser in Stavanger

Looking for a cheap hairdresser in Stavanger? There are many hairdressers but finding a cheap one is not
easy. Most of the articles I have found are irrelevant, outdated (2009) or are about hairdressers that are in the middle of nowhere.

Trying myself

So, I had to try myself. I arrived 6 years ago in Stavanger and when I asked my boss at that time about a hairdresser, she recommended me a hairdresser that cost about 1000 NOK. Probably not bad, but at that time, it was too expensive. I am a guy and don't want to spend that much just for a haircut.

Verdict

In my opinion, among the cheap hairdressers I have tried, Aras Frisør is the best one. Located in city center (that's practical), it offers a cut for men for 220 NOK and for women for 300 NOK. I have been there several times, I have also tried several other places so when I say I think it is the best for this price range, it is not based on only 1 time experience (I have only tried 1 time the other places though).

Where is Aras Frisør

In city center. Google map does help so much as it is not a car street and the address isn't clear (Skagen 9 or something) so let me explain the directions: from peppes pizza, go towards the cinema. You should find Cafe de Luca on your right, then a shop that sells luggages, umbrellas, and women articles, follow the street that goes up (don't go straight). You should have a fast food place based on potatoes and bacon and a stair. It leads to Aras Frisør on the second floor. The stairs scared me for a long time as I could not see how clean or unclean the room was before entering it. Actually it is quite pretty and new, so don't worry about that.

How good are they?

The first few times I went there, the main hairdresser took care of my hair and he was skilled. After that, several times, it was a woman (always someone else) and it was not great. That is actually when I tried to find alternatives. Last week (09/2012), I really needed a haircut and thought I would give it a try again as I was not convinced with the alternatives I had found. It was a man who cut my hair. He was not so very gentle but otherwise he was good and I was really happy with the result. Much better than other hairdressers I have tried in Stavanger for the same price range

If you are a woman...

I am sorry, but I cannot say how could this place is for women. However, I still think this place is better than the alternatives for the price.

If you have any comments,

Do you know about a cheap and good hairdresser not too far from city center? An expensive but good one? Have you had some experiences with Aras Frisør yourself? Leave a comment!

Welcome to this Blog

I will share some tips about Stavanger. This city can be expensive if you don't know where to go and what to do. However, I believe it is possible to maintain expenses low while living correctly.