Norway · Rogaland Fylke · Stavanger
Straen, Stavanger — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Straen, known as Gamle Stavanger, is the old wooden quarter of Stavanger in Rogaland, restored from 18th- and early 19th-century houses.
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Where to stay in Straen
Where visitors usually base themselves, and why.
Straen puts the wooden lanes of Gamle Stavanger at the door, with the Norsk Oljemuseum, Valbergtårnet and Museum Stavanger a short walk off. The houses are protected. Anyone booking in this quarter wakes among restored 18th-century timber and reaches Sankt Petri kirke, Frue kirke and the Stavanger maritime museum on foot, which is the whole point of choosing it over the newer streets.
Beds are limited in the old houses themselves.
Find hotels in Straen
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
Gamle Stavanger
The white wooden lanes of Gamle Stavanger sit within a walk of the Norsk Oljemuseum and the Stavanger maritime museum, so the oldest quarter is also the most walkable one. Beds are limited here, so book early.Find hotels in Gamle Stavangera base between the museums and Sankt Petri kirkeUnder Valbergtårnet
Valbergtårnet looks down over this side of Straen, with Museum Stavanger, Norsk grafisk museum and Norsk barnemuseum all reachable without transport.Find hotels in Under ValbergtårnetHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Stavanger
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- Ledaal Heritage
- Valbergtårnet Heritage
- Museum Stavanger
Churches & Religious Sites
3- Frue Church Heritage
- Kampen Church Heritage
- Martinskirken Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
1- Fiskaren
Stadiums & Sports
1- Stavanger gamle turnhall
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around Stavanger
About Straen
What are the main landmarks in Straen?
The wooden houses are the landmark. Beyond them Straen carries an unusual concentration of museums: the Norsk Oljemuseum, Museum Stavanger, the Stavanger maritime museum, Norsk barnemuseum, Norsk grafisk museum and Breidablikk museum, with Ledaal among them. Churches are as many: Sankt Petri kirke, Sankt Johannes kirke, Sankt Svithun kirke, Frue kirke, Kampen kirke and Martinskirken.
Valbergtårnet stands over the roofs, and Fiskaren and Stavanger gamle turnhall close out the register.
What is the history of Straen?
Timber built this quarter. The houses of Gamle Stavanger went up in the 18th century and the opening years of the 19th, and their restoration is what keeps the lanes of Straen looking as they once did. Stavanger sits in Rogaland county.
Later came the museums: Museum Stavanger, the Stavanger maritime museum, Breidablikk museum, Norsk grafisk museum, Norsk barnemuseum and the Norsk Oljemuseum, all within the same walkable stretch of Stavanger. Ledaal and Stavanger gamle turnhall stand on the same register.
Where is Straen?
Straen forms the old wooden core of Stavanger, lying within Stavanger Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Straen?
Gamle Stavanger: waking among the restored 18th-century timber houses. Under Valbergtårnet: a base between the museums and Sankt Petri kirke.
Good for
More areas in Stavanger
Updated October 2026