Not to be confused with Kristiansund in West Norway or Kristianstad in Sweden. Kristiansand is the capital of Vest-Agder County, Norway. With 93,000 inhabitants (2019), 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. There are always something to do for families, solo travelers, couples, business travellers, hikers, sea sports enthusiasts or party enthusiasts.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Kristiansand is the largest city in South Norway, and is located between Oslo and Stavanger. Kristiansand is 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. Called “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.
The city centre is quite compact, which means that everything is within walking distance. Suburbs are spread over quite a large area. Boreal operates the white city buses (search time tables). Eastbound buses depart from the Henrik Wergeland street, while westbound buses depart from the Tollbod street or the bus terminal, but not both. Northbound buses (to Vennesla) leave from the bus terminal. The main lines going from west to east is called the Metro bus. You can expect a bus every 5 minutes on weekdays. Service elsewhere is quite frequent during daylight hours, but the frequency drops significantly in the evenings and on weekends.
1 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. 2 Kristiansand Dyrepark (Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement Park) (east of the town). Has a wide selection of animals in, for the most part, natural habitats. The main attractions are lions, tigers, wolves, red pandas, and a reptile house.
Bird watching: Watch wild birds, such as Wryneck and Hawfinch, and seabirds, such as swans and ducks in the woodlands just in the outskirts of the city center. See also Baneheia (below). Forests: In Kristiansand, there are many forests, never more than a short walk away. Near the town centre are areas for walking or winter activities at winter time: 1 Jegersberg (east of the river Otra) A wooded area with picturesque marked trails and small, idyllic lakes. Cafè by lake 1 Kyrtjønn (Vaffelbua), where you get freshly baked waffles and coffee on Sundays 11:00 to 16:00. 2 Baneheia (next to Ravnedalen Park and the city centre, 5 minutes walk from the main street, Markens gate).
Hennig-Olsen ice cream. Produced in Kristiansand, it is one of the largest ice cream brands in Norway. There are also several ice cream bars in the main street Markens and one on Fiskebrygga. McDonald's (1.Corner of Markens gate/Dronningens gate, 2. Sørlandssenteret). Meals are approx. 80 kr. 2 Lotus Grillbar (Vestre Strandgate 26), ☏ +47 38029730. Nice and affordable Chinese food. Take-away service 3 Håndverkeren, Rådhusgata 15 (beside the town hall), ☏ +47 48887844. Restaurant house that offers affordable, traditional Norwegian food, taproom and concert venue. Sunday buffet from 189 kr. 4 La Pizza, Idunveien 13 (in the Lund area), ☏ +47 41416500, post@lapizza.no.
For more information on drinking in Norway, see the section Drink (Norway) 1 Bakgården Bar, Tollbodgata 5, ☏ +47 38021211. Pub ("Både &") with entrance from the street and bar in the backyard (next to each other). 2 Charlies Bar, Vestre Strandgate 12, ☏ +47 38 12 52 85. Central bar and meeting place. 3 Christianssand Brygghus, Tollbodgata 9, ☏ +47 41726000. A micro-brewery, pub and restaurant. Barbecue from charcoal grill. Beers from 50 kr. 4 Dis (Havana Etcera), Vestre Strandgt. 23, ☏ +47 38 02 96 66. A nightclub with several bars and dancing floors. 5 Harvey's Sportsbar, Tollbodgata 4 (Next to Bakgården), ☏ +47 38 07 23 05. 16-03.
Norway is a fairly safe country in general, and Kristiansand is no exception, but for your safety it is advisable to take good care of your belongings. Though you might want to be extra careful at night in weekends, due to occasional drunk youths stumbling around. Police, ☏ 112. Fire, ☏ 110. Emergency Medical Services (Ambulance), ☏ 113. If you are unsure which emergency number to call, ☏ 112 is the central for all such and rescue services and will put you in contact with the correct department. For non-emergencies, the police is to be called on ☏ 02800 (in country only)Country code missing or Agder Police District at ☏ +47 38 13 60 00. Every year there are reports of foreign vis…
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Kristiansand typically sees ~23°C daytime highs and 13 rainy days.
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