Haugesund

Haugesund is a city in the county of Rogaland, in the West Norway region of Norway. The town offers a much wider range of goods and services than might be expected from a city of its size (approximately 37,000 inhabitants in 2020), due to its position as the definite centre of its relatively populous region. The historical village of Avaldsnes, sometimes known as Norway's birthplace, is 8.5 km south of Haugesund.

By plane


The airport is linked to the city by an airport bus which connects with most departures and arrivals except those in the early morning and late evening. Otherwise, car rentals and taxis are available.

Stavanger, two hours south of Haugesund, and Bergen, three hours north of Haugesund, have larger airports with more domestic and international connections. The lengthy drive, both including a ferry journey, may be worth it if you can avoid a flight connection.

By boat


The boat service in Haugesund goes to the islands of Røvær and Feøy, while a passenger and car ferry operates to the island of Utsira.

Cruise ships to Haugesund dock at the Garpeskjærskaien Quay, on the west side of Risøy island just southwest of the town center, which welcomed its first cruise ship in 2013. Free bus shuttle service from the pier to Our Savior's Church (Vår Frelsers Kirke) is provided, but the 800 m distance to the town center is also walkable.

By car
The main road connection to eastern Norway is via the E134 road over Haukeli; another option is along route 7 across Hardangervidda. Both these roads run across mountainous stretches and are prone to disruptions during the winter. During the winter season, bring food and warm clothing in case you get stranded.

The main north-south road along Norway's west coast is the E39 road that runs past Haugesund to the east, but there are several spurs that lead into the town. Because of fjords, the E39 route features a number of long undersea tunnels, and travelling to Stavanger or to Bergen both require a ferry crossing. Fortunately, the ferries are large and have a reasonably good frequency.

There are many parking lots and houses in Haugesund. Most of the parking is metered.

By bus
Nor-Way Bussekspress operate two express bus routes to Haugesund.
 * Kystbussen runs between Bergen and Stavanger, and most buses go via Haugesund. The frequency varies between a bus every hour and a bus every two hours.
 * Haukeliekspressen runs between Haugesund in the west and several cities in eastern Norway, including Oslo, Kongsberg, Notodden, Tønsberg, Sandefjord, Larvik, Porsgrunn and Skien. The buses run three times a day Sunday-Friday, and once on Saturdays.

On foot
The city center of Haugesund is compact; the streets are on a grid and easy to navigate by foot. The main north-south street is Haraldsgata, which is for pedestrian only from Skjoldavegen (north) to Åsbygata (south). The parallel street Sørhauggata is one way south, while Strandgata is one-way north. The two blocks of Torggata between Sørhauggata and Strandgata is also pedestrianized.

If you want to travel further out, there is a local (county) bus system. The tourist information centre is the (Strandgata 171, 5525), one block west of the main pedestrian street Haraldsgata at the northern end. They have a wide variety of free tourist brochures and schedules and also sell passes for the local bus system.

By bus
The local buses are managed by Kolumbus, which manages the buses for the entire Rogaland county. The bus routes for North Rogaland, which includes Haugesund, are available online. The main routes for the Haugesund region (lines 201, 202, and 210) run seven days a week, Mondays to Fridays between 06:00 and 00:00, Saturdays from 08:00 to 00:00, and Sundays from around 10:00-12:00 to 00:00. Other routes have more limited service.

The county of Rogaland is divided into five zones (Haugalandet, Ryfylke, Nord-Jæren, Jæren, Dalane), and tickets are based on how many zones you traverse. Haugesund and its surrounding municipalities are in the Haugalandet zone. Single-tickets within this zone cost kr 45 for adults, and kr 23 for children under 16 and seniors over 67, and allow a transfer of buses on the same ticket within a one-hour time limit. If several buses will be taken during the stay it may be cheaper to purchase a 24-hour ticket for kr 100, or a 7-day ticket for kr 310. In addition, there is a smaller local Haugesund zone, that covers Haugesund and only the mainland part of Karmøy. Within this local zone single tickets cost only kr 20 with transfer within an hour.

Tickets can be purchased with cash on the bus, but that carries a 20 kr surcharge per ticket. The option that is probably most useful to visitors is to download the app "Kolumbus Billett" onto a smartphone and link this with a debit or credit card. It can then be used to purchase a variety of different tickets. A final option is to purchase for 50 kr the "Kolumbus card", a credit card sized card that can be topped up with tickets or travel money. Both smartphone tickets from the app and Kolumbus card tickets may be scanned by ticket readers upon entering the bus. Ticket inspectors make random spot checks, and passengers without valid tickets are fined.

To get to the historical Avaldsnes, which is in the Haugalandet zone, take Bus no 209, 210 or X210 from Haugesund and ask the bus driver for Avaldsnes. The bus stops on the main road E134 heading south. When you get off the bus, take the underground walkway to cross under E134 and then follow the road to your left, Kong Augvaldsveg, heading east for about 10 minutes. Look for the landmark St. Olav's church at Avaldsnes.

By taxi
Taxis are operated by Haugesund Taxi (phone: 52 80 80 80) and Haugaland Taxi (phone: 52 81 81 81). Taxi ranks can be found at the Flotmyr bus station and in front of the Vår Frelsers church in the city centre. Taxis are rather expensive in Norway and even a short journey may easily cost over kr 150.

The islands of Røvær, Feøy, and Vibrandsøy can only be accessed by boat. In Haugesund, this route docks just south of the catamaran terminal. The ticket price is kr 27 to Vibrandsøy, kr 36 to Feøy, and kr 45 to Røvær.

By car
While it is possible to explore the city on foot, it may be beneficial to hire a car to see the surrounding area. Car hire is offered by Hertz, Avis and Europcar at the airport and at various locations in the city. It can be expensive to rent the car. Petrol (or bensin as it is called in Norwegian) is also expensive and road tolls must be paid on many roads. As a result, it may be worth renting a car for only part of your trip. For budget option, Rent-a-wreck also have a branch in Haugesund.

See


For thousands of years there have been human activities on Haugalandet, and the region is covered in traces of these people. Visit one of the many exciting, historic destinations!



Avaldsnes

 * About 8.5 km south of Haugesund. Kolumbus bus 209, 210 and X210 run from Haugesund to Avaldsnes.

The historical area of Avaldsnes is sometimes known as the birthplace of Norway.


 * Archaeological excavations The ground and sound at the old royal farm at Avaldsnes still hold secrets that can give us new knowledge about Norwegian and international history. Excavations have led to the discovery of traces of old buildings close to St. Olav’s Church. These findings might even prove to be remains of Harald Fairhair’s court, which he set up here following the battle of Hafrsfjord. Projects are in place to excavate more of the area in order to find out more about these important and exciting findings.
 * Flagghaugen Flagghaugen is a burial mound dating back to the third century AD. It is situated just north of St. Olav's Church. It used to be 43 meters in diameter and 5 meters high. The remaining parts can be seen just outside of the stone fence surrounding the church. A prince was buried here, and in the grave the richest gold finds from any grave in Scandinavia from the Later Roman Iron Age was found. Among the findings was a massive necklace made of 590 grams of pure gold. The prince is presented at the Nordvegen History Centre close by.
 * Rehaugene At the top of Karmøy, six imposing earthen burial mounds, which dominate the landscape, were built during the Bronze Age (1800 – 500 BC). There used to be many more burial mounds here, however, only six remain, and they are called the pyramids of the north. They were built as the final resting place for the powerful chiefs that lived at Avaldsnes. These burial mounds show that 3000 years ago Norway traded with communities as far away as Russia, Ireland and the Mediterranean.
 * Archaeological excavations The ground and sound at the old royal farm at Avaldsnes still hold secrets that can give us new knowledge about Norwegian and international history. Excavations have led to the discovery of traces of old buildings close to St. Olav’s Church. These findings might even prove to be remains of Harald Fairhair’s court, which he set up here following the battle of Hafrsfjord. Projects are in place to excavate more of the area in order to find out more about these important and exciting findings.
 * Flagghaugen Flagghaugen is a burial mound dating back to the third century AD. It is situated just north of St. Olav's Church. It used to be 43 meters in diameter and 5 meters high. The remaining parts can be seen just outside of the stone fence surrounding the church. A prince was buried here, and in the grave the richest gold finds from any grave in Scandinavia from the Later Roman Iron Age was found. Among the findings was a massive necklace made of 590 grams of pure gold. The prince is presented at the Nordvegen History Centre close by.
 * Rehaugene At the top of Karmøy, six imposing earthen burial mounds, which dominate the landscape, were built during the Bronze Age (1800 – 500 BC). There used to be many more burial mounds here, however, only six remain, and they are called the pyramids of the north. They were built as the final resting place for the powerful chiefs that lived at Avaldsnes. These burial mounds show that 3000 years ago Norway traded with communities as far away as Russia, Ireland and the Mediterranean.

Do

 * Fishing
 * Birdwatching
 * Play golf
 * Take a stroll along the piers
 * Swimming outdoors or in the indoor swimming pool in Haugesund
 * Climbing mountains, such as Steinsfjellet, 227 m.a.s.
 * Cycle the North Sea Cycle Route (Route 1)
 * Cycle the North Sea Cycle Route (Route 1)

Cultural festivals
In August Haugesund hosts the following annual festivals:


 * The Norwegian International Film Festival (the main film festival in Norway)
 * Sildajazz (one of the greatest jazz festivals in Norway) - listen to jazz and eat herring!

Buy
As the main center of the Haugaland region, Haugesund has several shopping opportunities, and you will find everything you need and more.


 * The larger shopping centres, and, are located some kilometres south of downtown but both are easily reachable by bus and have generous parking space. Oasen has about 70 stores and is located at Norheim in the Karmøy municipality. The Amanda centre also has about 70 stores and is located at Raglamyr in southeastern Haugesund. Apart from Amanda, the Raglamyr area is home to a number of warehouse-like stores for electronic merchandise as well as home equipment and furnishings.
 * The larger shopping centres, and, are located some kilometres south of downtown but both are easily reachable by bus and have generous parking space. Oasen has about 70 stores and is located at Norheim in the Karmøy municipality. The Amanda centre also has about 70 stores and is located at Raglamyr in southeastern Haugesund. Apart from Amanda, the Raglamyr area is home to a number of warehouse-like stores for electronic merchandise as well as home equipment and furnishings.
 * The larger shopping centres, and, are located some kilometres south of downtown but both are easily reachable by bus and have generous parking space. Oasen has about 70 stores and is located at Norheim in the Karmøy municipality. The Amanda centre also has about 70 stores and is located at Raglamyr in southeastern Haugesund. Apart from Amanda, the Raglamyr area is home to a number of warehouse-like stores for electronic merchandise as well as home equipment and furnishings.

Eat
There are many restaurants on the harbor.



Drink
There are several pubs and clubs in Haugesund. However like the rest of Norway these places only come alive on a weekend and late at night, in many cases after 22:00, most have pretty good live music and cater for all ages, the big drawback is the crippling price of alcohol, US$11 for Guinness, $10 for local lagers, and up to $20 for spirit and mixer. The staff are usually very friendly and all speak good English, in fact many staff speak 2-3 languages.

Sleep
There are several hotels in Haugesund. All of them are in the city centre unless otherwise noted There are also two hostels in the region, but both are located away from the city centre.

If you are coming with a caravan, there is also a camping ground just north of the city centre.

Go next
In addition to the two islands which make up part of the city centre (Risøy and Hasseløy), there are numerous islands off the coast of Haugesund which are popular destinations for day excursions, especially during the summer.
 * Karmøy is the largest and most populous of the islands. The island has large areas of open space, forests and farms, and is dotted with numerous picturesque towns such as Skudeneshavn. The municipality of Karmøy is larger than Haugesund, and several people commute daily between Karmøy and Haugesund. The connections are well developed with a road bridge and several buses every day.
 * Røvær is the most remote part of the Haugesund municipality, with 110 inhabitants. Connected by a boat route from Haugesund several time a day.
 * Feøy is an island between Karmøy and Utsira, and has a population of 40. Also connected by boat from Haugesund several times a day.
 * Utsira is an island located in the North Sea, and the smallest municipality in Norway in terms of population with 216 inhabitants. The island is connected with a ferry three or four times a day from the pier at Risøy in Haugesund, the journey time is 70 minutes.